Bangladeshi doctor, Haitian family planning provider win UN Population Award

A pioneering family planning doctor from Bangladesh and a major reproductive health foundation in Haiti have won this year’s United Nations Population Award, the lead agency on the issue (UNFPA) announced today.

Dr. Halida Hanum Akhter is the Director-General of the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh, one of the world’s oldest Planned Parenthood affiliates. She also chairs the Board of Directors of the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health. In 1986, she founded the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Promotion of Essential and Reproductive Health and Technologies.

The Fondation pour la Sante Reproductive e l’Education Familiale, is a private, non-profit organization devoted to reproductive health and the promotion of family life in Haiti. Formed in 1988, it provides reproductive health care for more than 1.2 million people through a network of 26 centres. The Fondation has provided basic training on reproductive health to 500 teachers and 6,500 young workers, and created a network of 30,000 young volunteers who disseminate information on reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS.

The Award goes each year to individuals and institutions for their outstanding work in population and in improving the health and welfare of individuals.

The winners were chosen from 27 nominees, including top-level policy makers, researchers and health workers from around the world by a committee consisting of 10 UN Member States supported by UNFPA. Each winner will receive a diploma, a gold medal and an equal share of a monetary prize. The awards will be presented on 7 June at the United Nations, New York.