Adviser Rizwana Hasan urges courageous institutions as Bangladesh honours Friendship and founder Runa Khan for pioneering floating hospitals, grassroots conservation and integrated services for climate-vulnerable communities across remote riverine regions.
Bangladesh needs more courageous and responsible institutions that work simultaneously to protect the environment, conserve nature and improve human wellbeing, Adviser to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Water Resources and Information and Broadcasting, Syeda Rizwana Hasan said on Monday.
She made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the Nature and Life Foundation–Channel i Nature Conservation Award 2025 ceremony, held in the evening at Channel i’s Chetana Chattar in the capital.
Rizwana Hasan said institutions delivering healthcare, conserving nature and protecting culture and heritage at the grassroots level play a critical role as partners of the government by ensuring essential services reach marginalised and climate-vulnerable communities.
Referring to innovative initiatives such as floating hospitals, she said such models go beyond conventional service delivery by building trust and a sense of responsibility among communities. She noted that floating hospitals could also serve as an effective model for implementing the Haor Master Plan in flood-prone wetland regions of the country.
The adviser also welcomed the organisers’ decision to host a single-use plastic-free event, describing it as a practical example of environmentally responsible behaviour that institutions should adopt more widely.
She said recognition received within one’s own country increases responsibility and helps create a pathway for future generations, while congratulating Runa Khan, a Bangladeshi social entrepreneur and development practitioner and the founder and executive director of Friendship, a leading non-governmental organisation working with climate-vulnerable and marginalised communities.
She added that Friendship’s work demonstrates how integrated efforts in healthcare, environmental protection, cultural preservation and livelihoods form the foundation of sustainable development.
Special guests at the programme included Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr Farhina Ahmed, Chief Conservator of Forests Md Amir Hossain Chowdhury and Additional Director General of the Department of Environment Md Ziaul Haque.
Runa Khan was presented with the Nature Conservation Award in recognition of Friendship’s long-standing contribution to nature conservation, environmental protection and improving the lives of marginalised people. The award included a cheque of Tk 100,000 and a lifetime free medical service certificate.
Founded in 2002 by Runa Khan, Friendship began its journey by converting an abandoned oil tanker into a floating hospital to serve remote riverine communities. Over the years, the organisation has developed an integrated service model encompassing healthcare, education, safe water, climate-resilient infrastructure, civic rights and livelihood development.
A winner of the Earthshot Prize, Friendship now reaches more than 7.5 million people annually. In Bangladesh’s coastal regions, the organisation is engaged in mangrove plantation initiatives to reduce river erosion, conserve biodiversity and support climate-resilient livelihoods.
Friendship has received international recognition for demonstrating how locally led, people-centred solutions can effectively address climate vulnerability and environmental challenges in some of the world’s most at-risk communities.
