Mr. Manzoorul Karim, former Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh, has become the first Ombudsperson in Bangladesh. Mr. Karim has assumed his office as BRAC's own Ombudsperson on Wednesday, September 1, 2004 for three years. He has previously served as a Secretary in various ministries like Home, Health and Education. The Governing Board of BRAC has taken this significant innovative step in order to further strengthen BRAC's own internal oversight mechanism and enhance its overall governance performance. The nomination of Mr. Manzurul Karim, as Ombudsman, BRAC was announced on August 31, 2004.