The Bangladesh UNESCO National Commission has accused the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus of purposefully disseminating inaccurate information about receiving an award from the United Nations’ cultural agency.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Zubaida Mannan, the deputy secretary general of the commission, which operates under the country’s Ministry of Education, said that recent reports in Bangladeshi newspapers and on the website of Dr. Yunus’s organization had wrongly identified him as the recipient of a “Tree of Peace” award from UNESCO.
Ms. Mannan said, the UNESCO office in Dhaka had contradicted those accounts, stating that the agency’s Paris headquarters had no record of bestowing such an honor on Dr. Yunus, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.
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Ms. Mannan clarified that the award cited in the news reports was not an official UNESCO honor, but rather a sculptural memorial called the “Tree of Peace” that had been presented to Dr. Yunus by the Israeli artist Hedva Ser.
The sculpture, she said, did not constitute a UNESCO prize or recognition, despite the way it had been portrayed in some accounts. Ms. Mannan aimed to correct the record about the origin and nature of the award, which she said had been inaccurately linked to the United Nations’ cultural agency.
Her remarks seemed intended to draw a clear distinction between an artwork bestowed upon Dr. Yunus by a private sculptor and the official honors granted by UNESCO, the United Nations’ organizer of intellectual and cultural endeavors headquartered in Paris. By specifying that the “Tree of Peace” did not emanate from UNESCO itself, the commission sought to dispel any implication that the agency had decorated Dr. Yunus with a major award.
What is the Tree of Peace and Who is Hevda Ser
The “Tree of Peace,” a soaring sculpture of intertwined branches and doves taking flight, has become an unofficial badge of honor bestowed by UNESCO on those whose work embodies the ideals of the United Nations’ cultural organization. But the tree, created by the Israeli-French artist Hedva Ser, is an artistic concept rather than an official UNESCO award.
Since 2012, Ms. Ser, the former UNESCO secretary general and goodwill ambassador for cultural diplomacy, has gifted her signature tree sculptures to select individuals. The trees can even be brought online for a hefty price tag.
While the trees may serve as lofty symbols, they remain distinct from UNESCO’s formal prizes in fields like education, science, and culture. When Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was reported to have received a “Tree of Peace award” from UNESCO, prompting criticism from Bangladeshi officials who said the claim was misleading. What Dr. Yunus accepted was one of Ms. Ser’s tree sculptures — the artist’s personal gesture, not an official recognition from UNESCO itself.
As an unofficial “trophy,” Ms. Ser’s trees have certainly found a prominent place, adorning the offices of world leaders like King Mohammed VI of Morocco. However, the recent disinformation by Dr. Yunus has highlighted the distinctions between symbolic art and the formal honors conferred by the cultural body based in Paris. In an era of disinformation, nuances like this matter. If we can’t be clear about something as simple as an artist’s gift, how can we tackle far more complex issues?
The Prime Minister Received the ‘Tree of Peace’ in 2014
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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received recognition from UNESCO for her relentless efforts in promoting female education in Bangladesh. On September 8th, 2014, she was presented with a “memento” by the then UNESCO Director General, Irina Bokova. The memento was awarded to the Prime Minister in acknowledgment of her exceptional contribution to the education of girls and women in the country.
Bokova handed over the memento during the inauguration ceremony of an International Conference titled ‘Girls’ and Women’s Literacy and Education: Foundations for Sustainable Development’, held to commemorate International Literacy Day 2014 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka.
Conclusion
To label something as humble as a memento an “award” is more than mere misinformation – it drifts into the territory of outright deceit. Not just misleading a nation’s citizens, but the global community at large. For a figure as esteemed as Dr. Yunus, one would expect a deeper cognizance of the grave implications that accompany such willful misinformation.
It prompts an inescapable question: What could potentially motivate such misleading actions? Misrepresenting a token of remembrance as a formal accolade does more than simply distort the truth – it has the potential to manipulate public perception and erode trust. It demands a searching examination of the underlying intentions and objectives behind such a deliberate act of miscommunication, particularly when executed by someone of Dr. Yunus’ legendary stature and influence.