Shykh Seraj, the fifth Asian, wins presitgious FAO A.H.Boerma Award

Shykh Seraj of Bangladesh with Ms. Laetitia Clavreul of Franceis the joint winner of the prestigious A H Boerma Award for 2008-2009. It was declared at the FAO HQ in Romeon16^th October (which is the World Food Day and birthday of FAO as well).

In recognition of the important role of the media in the fight against hunger, FAO has since 1979 presented the A. H. Boerma Award every two years to a journalist or journalists who have helped focus public attention on important aspects of the world food problem, especially related to agricultural and rural development.

“You have been selected for this Award in recognition of your pioneering contribution towards increasing public awareness on all aspects of agricultural development in both the print and more lately the broadcast media in Bangladesh”, wrote FAO Director General Dr. Jacques Diouf to Shykh Seraj on his winning the Award.  FAO also pays tribute to the works of Mr. Seraj for giving a voice to the millions of farmers of Bangladeshwhose problems might otherwise have gone largely unrecognized.

The award honours former FAO Director General Addeke Hendrik Boerma. Born in the Netherlands(in 1912) Mr. Boerma headed FAO for two terms from 1968 to 1975. He also was the first Executive Director of World Food Programme.

Mr. Shykh Seraj is only the 5th winner of the A H Boerma Award in Asia. Other winners were 2 from India, 1 from Thailand and 1 from Japan in its 30 years history. More often then not the Award was generally given to joint winners (except in 3 occasions). The luminous list of previous winner include the famous CNN presenter and journalist Jim Clancy, BBC producer Michael Pickstock, Italian Tv producer Federico Fazzuoli, Japanese Hiroyuki Ishi of the famous newspaper Asahi Shimbun, veteran radio journalist from Egypt Fawzia El-Moulled and Inter Press Service of Italy. 

Mr. Shykh Seraj will receive the Award on 18^th November 2009 from the Director General of FAO during the Opening Session of the FAO Conference.

This award is another miles stone for Bangladesh after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was awarded the prestigious Ceres Medal by FAO exactly ten year’s ago (1999) for her outstanding leadership in agricultural development.

Mr. Shykh Seraj has relentlessly been working for the last three decades for the promotion of agriculture through all forms of media. He is a pioneer of development journalism in Bangladesh. He has been decorated by more than 50 national and international awards including Ekushey Padak and UNESCO Agriculture Award. REUTERS, AFP and Young Asia Television (Sri Lanka) have broadcasted special documentary on him.