Sir Fazle Hasan Abed met with Emergency Response Coordinators (ERCs) from eight BRAC International countries after they completed emergency response training. The ERCs said the training was effective and provided knowledge on managing crises, security risks, and applying leadership skills. Sir Fazle said the training was only the beginning and that ERCs must keep BRAC's principles in mind when responding to emergencies. He noted the large-scale humanitarian crises in Syria, Afghanistan, and South Sudan. Sir Fazle discussed BRAC's history of emergency response and emphasized building capacity to respond effectively to humanitarian issues.

1. MEET BRAC CHAIRPERSON
EMERGENCY RESPONSE COORDINATORS
Emergency Response Coordinators (ERCs) from eight BRAC International (BI) countries had a meeting with Sir
Fazle Hasan Abed after completing a two-week-long training on emergency humanitarian response and leadership
skills. The hour-long meeting was held on 8 August 2016 at BRAC’s head office. Gawher Nayeem Wahra, director
of the disaster management and climate change (DMCC) programme, was also present at the meeting.
ERCs and other members of the emergency response core team introduced themselves at the start of the meeting
and shared their experiences of the training with the chairperson. The team said, “The training was effective, full
of knowledge and information. We now have a concrete idea about how to manage crisis and security risks, and
how to apply our leadership skills in humanitarian programme management. We will share this knowledge with
our colleagues after returning to our respective country programmes. The field visits and simulation of emergency
situations were the two best parts of this training. They gave us a clear picture of BRAC’s activities and how to handle
a crisis as part of the BRAC team.”
Sir Fazle said, “The emergency response training that you have just received is not the end but only the beginning. As
we live and work in disaster-prone environments, we need to build our capacity to understand the nature of disasters
and how to act in emergency situations. You should always keep BRAC’s principles and values in mind, and act
accordingly.”
He added that we are facing the greatest conflict around the world right now since the Second World War. The
crisis in Syria, Afghanistan and South Sudan require large-scale humanitarian responses. We have to work not
only for Bangladesh, but also for other countries, including neighboring ones.
Sir Fazle shared that BRAC started its emergency response work by rehabilitating the refugees returning from
India to Bangladesh after the liberation war of 1971. Bangladesh was the second-poorest country at the time,
burdened with high fertility, low productivity, high infant mortality and illiteracy. Bangladesh’s journey has also
been BRAC’s journey. BRAC focused on development, with the vision of making people economically self-reliant.
Now BRAC International is emphasising on humanitarian issues in order to be able to respond effectively in
humanitarian emergencies.
The head of BRAC International’semergency response programme, Shashanka Saadi, requested the chairperson’s
support for the three-year strategic emergency response programme. Sir Fazle assured those present that he had
talked to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation, and hoped they would continue to support the programme.
The director of DMCC, Gawher Nayeem Wahra, said, “Each BRAC International country programme now needs
to develop its own minimum standard operating procedure (SOP) to respond effectively.”
Sir Fazle concluded the meeting by saying, “BRAC International has embedded the nucleus of humanitarian work in
each of the country emergency coordinators. It is now their responsibility to transfer this knowledge to their respective
countries. They are the resource persons who will lead their respective countries in case of any emergency.”
Sir Fazle then handed over copies of “Sphere Book 2011” to the ERCs. The meeting ended with a group picture
being taken of the emergency response team, with Sir Fazle at the centre of the group.