Friendship receives Earthshot Prize 2025

Friendship, a Bangladeshi social purpose organisation, has been named the winner of the Earthshot Prize 2025 in the "Fix Our Climate" category.
The Earthshot is a global environmental award that was distributed first in 2021. The local NGO has been given the prestigious award for its integrated and holistic development model. This is the first win of the prize for a Bangladeshi organisation since its inception by HRH Prince William of the UK in 2020.
The award, regarded as the world's most distinguished environmental honour, was presented at a ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 05 November 2025. The prize money is worth 1.0 million pounds.
Friendship was recognised for its pioneering integrated development that delivers sustainable, scalable, and replicable solutions that improve lives of climate-vulnerable people using a nature-based and locally-led model, acknowledging that no single aspect of development can succeed in isolation. It has been designed with the understanding that all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals must be addressed to bring a substantive, holistic impact and foster long-term change.
This model ensures that every aspect of development is addressed, each supporting other so that there is an overall improvement in the quality of live and livelihood opportunities, giving them dignity and hope.
HRH Prince William said: "When I founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a ten-year goal to make this the decade in which we transformed the world for the better". He further said, "We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real lasting changes that would protect life on Earth".
Accepting the award on behalf of Friendship, Runa Khan, the organisation's founder, said: "It is an immense honour for us to be the first from Bangladesh to receive the Earthshot prize. This recognition celebrates the resilience and innovation of Bangladesh's marginalised communities. Our achievement belongs to everyone, especially the people we work with and for. This award strengthens our commitment and responsibility to continue our mission with even greater passion."
Friendship previously won the Royal Institute of British Architects Award in 2021 for the climate-resilient design of Friendship Hospital Shyamnagar and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2016 for the innovative environment-friendly design of Friendship Centre in Gaibandha.

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