Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, the world’s largest development organization, dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor to bring about change in their own lives. He has been awarded the UNESCO Noma Prize for Literacy (1985) and UNICEF Maurice Pate Award (1992) as well as been Candidate for the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord (2012). He holds relevant honorary degrees such as Doctor of Humane Letters, Yale University (2007): Doctor of Laws, Columbia University (2008); Doctor of Letters, University of Oxford (2009); and Doctorate of Laws, University of Bath (2010). He also has been appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the Eminent Persons Group for the Least Developed Countries.