US envoy honours Bangladeshi winners of Environmental, Governance, and Human Rights Awards

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas on Wednesday hosted a reception to honour Bangladeshis who have recently won US Department of State Awards addressing the most pressing issues in recent times, reads a media release.

"It is an honour for me to celebrate this occasion with people who have demonstrated such courage and dedication in fighting for what is right," said Ambassador Haas.

The honorees are as follows:

Syeda Rizwana Hasan, winner of the 2022 International Women of Courage Award for her activism in protecting the environment and human rights.  

Hasan is an environmental lawyer with over two decades of activism, winning cases against deforestation, pollution, unregulated ship breaking, and illegal land development.

Mohammed Tariqul Islam, who was recognised as a 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report Hero.  As Country Director for the NGO Justice & Care, Islam advocates for victims of human trafficking and is committed to increasing the Bangladeshi government's capacity to investigate and prosecute traffickers. 

Rozina Islam, who was named a 2022 Anti-Corruption Champion.  As a journalist, Islam demonstrates courage and tenacity through her investigative newspaper stories about human rights abuses and corruption in the public and private sectors of Bangladesh.

Mohammad Nur Khan (Liton), winner of the 2023 Human Rights Defender Award.  Liton has demonstrated exceptional bravery and persistence during his decades-long fight to document human rights abuses in Bangladesh and promote accountability. 

Minhaj Chowdhury, chief executive officer of Drinkwell, a company that won the 2022 US Secretary of State's Award for Corporate Excellence in the category of climate resilience.  Drinkwell is a US company that provides technology to create safe drinking water for underprivileged communities in India and Bangladesh.