Julian Francis, a British national who has been closely involved with development work in Bangladesh since the War of Liberation in 1971, has received the Bangabandhu-Edward Heath Friendship Award.
The award was handed over to him by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and British Minister Lord Ahmad on the occasion of a high-level panel discussion in London on Monday.
The Bangladesh High Commission in London organized the discussion, titled “Five Years of the Rohingya Crisis: Renewed Pledges towards Justice and Sustainable Returns”, at Portcullis House of the UK Parliament.
Francis is the first awardee of the Bangabandhu-Edward Heath Friendship Award. The award was launched by Bangladesh High Commission in London early this year to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's arrival in the United Kingdom after his release from incarceration in Pakistan on January 8, 1972.
The award is given to those who make extraordinary contributions in a promotion of Bangladesh-UK friendship and the shared values of the two nations.
‘Overwhelmed with emotion'
Julian Francis, in a reaction to Dhaka Tribune, said he was overwhelmed with emotion when receiving this award.
"I was taken completely by surprise and was not at all prepared. I was overwhelmed with emotion and could not say very much at the time,” he told Dhaka Tribune.
"I cannot stress enough, however, that whatever I have been able to do over all these years I have done so either by leading a team or as part of a team. So whatever awards or honours I have received, my friends and colleagues are part of everything that I have done. The Bangladesh Liberation War changed my life in so many ways," he added.
The silver Salver, presented to the awardee, reads “Conferred upon Mr Julian Francis OBE for your extraordinary contributions in promoting Bangladesh-UK friendship.”
Following an invitation from the “Bangladeshi British Friends of Oxfam”, Julian Francis this time went to the United Kingdom to be the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner in London on October 5 where he spoke about Oxfam's contributions related to refugee relief work in India in 1971 as well as Oxfam's and Bangladesh's journey since then.
Funds raised at the dinner through auction and raffle will be used in flood rehabilitation work in Sylhet and Sunamganj.
A true friend
Julian Francis is recognized for his outstanding contributions to Bangladesh since its emergence as an independent country. He first came to Bangladesh after supporting refugees who had taken shelter in India during Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971.
He played a leading role in delivering humanitarian aid to some 600,000 people of the 10 million refugees affected in 1971.
Since 1971, Julian Francis has worked on and off in Bangladesh before finally settling permanently in the country in 1998.
Using his knowledge and understanding of Bangladeshi society and culture, he has been a key figure in delivering on a wide range of humanitarian and development programs providing vital health, education and livelihoods support to some of the poorest and most marginalized communities in the country.
In 2012, Bangladesh awarded Julian Francis the Friends of Liberation War Honour in recognition of his work among refugees in India in 1971. He was accorded full citizenship of Bangladesh in 2018 for his services to the development in Bangladesh.
In 2018, Julian Francis was awarded an OBE in the UK.
