A section of local newspapers in Bangladesh have prominently published report stating actor Zayed Khan has received award as “Global Peace Ambassador” from the United Nations (UN).
Daily Bangladesh in its report said:
Dhallywood’s renowned actor Zayed Khan was awarded the ‘Humanitarian Leadership Award’ by the Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research located at the United Nations headquarters in New York. At the same time, this Bangladeshi actor has been appointed as the ‘Global Peace Ambassador’.
40 people including Zayed Khan have been awarded the ‘Humanitarian Leadership Award’ for their humanitarian contributions in various fields.
Zayed Khan was presented with the certificate and memento in a grand ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, New York, USA on Thursday (July 20) night.
Commemoration of honors received by Zayed Khan, stating that he was appointed Global Peace Ambassador.
After the awarding and honoring ceremony, a dinner was organized in which only the invitees from the United Nations were present. Apart from the 40 awardees, the ambassadors of different countries in the world were present at the event.
“My activities and humanitarian activities during the COVID period have become visible to them. Because they asked me for mail about my previous activities, I sent those. They wanted to know about my film work. Besides, I am a film star, so they nominated me”, said Zayed Khan from New York.
“I am moved by the honor given to me at the United Nations Headquarters, I will try to retain this honor”, he added.
Referring to this honor as a “rare honor”, Zayed Khan said that “it is a rare honor. I really still can’t believe it. This achievement of mine is for my country”.
Meanwhile, vernacular daily Kaler Kantho in its report said, US President Joe Biden has sent a congratulatory message for this event organized by Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research.
The same news has also appeared in a large number of local newspapers, including Amader Somoy, Dainik Jonokontha, Somoy TV News, Desh TV News, Doinik Manobzomin, RTV News Online, Dhaka Times, Bangla Vision TV, Manob Kontho, NTV News Online, Doinik Jugantor, Donik Inqilab, Bangla News 24 etcetera.
But, some news portals, such as Jago News, after publishing the report have later removed it.
Terming the award-giving organization as “baseless” another vernacular news portal named ‘Barta Bazar’ in its report said: Zayed Khan has been showered with praises in the local newspapers and social media for receiving an award from a baseless organization, which organized the event at a rented hall at the UN headquarters.
Blitz has already sent an email to the United Nations asking if it has conferred the award to Zayed Khan and if ‘Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research’ is its affiliated organization.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that a group of professionals purchased a domain on September 20, 2022 in the name of the organization. The domain address is here. Following commencement of its journey in 2022, ‘Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research’ has given “Life Time Award” to a large number of individuals, including US President Joe Biden, although White House has never acknowledged or accepted the award from this baseless organization.
According to the website of ‘Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research’, office of the organization is located at 733 3rd Avenue, New York, 11017, Phone number +1-646-790 5926, while it claims to have its offices in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Surprisingly, it has not mentioned details of its office in Switzerland and Luxembourg, except for CH-1002, VD, Switzerland and L – 9746 Drauffelt, Luxembourg.
Although it purchased its domain only in 2022, this dubious entity claims to be founded in 2017, with Carlos Manuel Perez Gonzales as President, Dr. Andrise Bass as Founder, and Frédérick Ordines as International Director.
On its website, this dubious organization says:
The Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research is an institutional organization that strives to be an academic platform to promote lifelong learning education for all and to train students to develop an economic, political, good governance, leadership, and social system that determines a future that is safeguarded and sheltered toward a sustainable future.
Our main purpose is to support students to develop strategies, and mechanisms through hybrid courses offered so they can form, and implement policies for the welfare of citizens, and government programs that will help them to achieve their goals both on a national and International level.
We as an institute encourage distance learning students to be exposed to a wide range of modern online learning techniques of their choice such as peer reviewing, class blogs, discussion boards, and Flipped classroom techniques which will encourage self-study, give them opportunities to clarify questions whilst also enabling students to interact, share, and expand their knowledge with each other in the student forum.
Seeking anonymity, a source told Anita Mathur, Special Correspondent of Blitz there are plenty of such organizations in the United States mostly run by African-American nationals that offer such award to various individuals in exchange for cash. It further said, “Why in the world an organization based in the United States would organize an event by hiring a hall at the United Nations office in New York City just to give the award to an individual from Bangladesh?”
