BRAC Chairperson and President BU Governing Board (GB) Mr. F H Abed has been awarded the 2004 UNDP Mahbub-ul-Haq Award for Outstanding Contribution to Human Development in recognition of his 'commitment to empowering the poor' and 'success in expanding choices and providing opportunities for women and other marginalized groups in Bangladesh.' The award, created in the year 2000 and presented biennially, recognizes outstanding initiatives in furthering the understanding and progress of human development in a national, regional, or global context. To date, two such awards have been offered, the first of which was awarded to President Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, and Mr. Abed is the winner of the second. The announcement of the award was made on October 06, 2004.