By Friendship News Desk,
23 November, 2025
Following Friendship winning the Earthshot Prize in the “Fix Our Climate” category, a celebration event was held to share the success with members of the press who played an integral role in promoting Friendship’s integrated adaptation model.
The event, titled “Pride of Bangladesh – A Celebration with the Media”, was held on 23 November at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Dhaka with Friendship founder Runa Khan as the chief guest, along with Friendship Board Chair Salahuddin Ahmed, Vice-Chairman M Rumee Ali, and board members Luva Nahid Chowdhury, Parveen Mahmud, and Samina Kabir.
Friendship Director and Head of Communications Tanjina Sharmin, welcoming the attendees, said, “Friendship has crossed many hurdles to reach this point. Much of this has been accomplished by Runa Apa’s capacity to endear herself to the local communities, who are an active part of our efforts. Similarly, the media is a valuable stakeholder in this success through their cooperation; they have lent us help year-round, amplifying our voice to share our message on adaptation.” She expressed fond hope that the media and Friendship will continue to work together to address the problems posed by climate change and inequality.
Friendship Board Chair Salahuddin said that Friendship is different from other NGOs, as other NGOs are single-issue oriented, whereas Friendship thinks and acts holistically. “Friendship works with very marginalised people who are fighting the elements every day. I am happy that this has been recognised. This is a prize for the people that Friendship represents. Friendship does not work as a partner; Friendship is the people, and the people are a part of Friendship. I am extremely proud of being a part of this organisation. Friendship started humbly, but the donors recognised Runa’s work and supported it.” He invited the members of the media to visit the climate-vulnerable areas that have undergone remarkable transformation to understand how well-deserved the Earthshot Prize was.
Runa Khan stated in her address, “It was such an honour. I could not think about myself for even a second, because all I could think about was all the people who made it happen. I felt at peace. I thank the media for standing alongside us, believing in our activities and supporting us. Standing alongside the cohorts at Earthshot was a humbling experience. Real solutions exist. They are out there. This should bring hope to the world. At COP, Friendship’s model was shown as a community-led adaptation solution that works.”
She continued, “This recognition amplifies the strength, resilience and innovation of climate-vulnerable communities in Bangladesh on the global stage. It also strengthens our responsibility to them. We will continue to expand our work to confront the growing threats of climate change”
Julhas Alam, with the Associated Press, congratulated Runa Khan and suggested the national media raise the issue of livelihood to bring about change. Razu Ahmed, deputy editor at Bangladesh Pratidin, said, “I’ve gone to Shyamnagar and haor areas. Those in Dhaka won’t understand the significance of a water purification plant. But those in Shyamnagar know how life-changing it is. I’ve spoken to locals, and they’ve said how their lives have transformed. If there were no Sundarbans, the climate catastrophes would hit harder.”
Friendship Senior Director and Head of Strategic Planning & Climate Action, Kazi Amdadul Haque, joined the session via Zoom from Brazil as COP30 ended.
Journalists from over a dozen TV channels and scores of newspapers and online news media attended the session and congratulated Friendship on this landmark victory that has added further credibility to Bangladesh as a climate adaptation leader on the global stage.
