Grameen Bank, in alignment with Prime Minister’s efforts to combat climate change and honoring Bangabandhu’s affinity for trees, has commenced a tree plantation program aiming to plant 200 million trees across Bangladesh in 2023.
The program was inaugurated at the bank's head office premises, with the Chairman of Grameen Bank Board of Directors, Professor Dr. AKM Saiful Majid, as the chief guest recently.
The event, chaired by Managing Director Md. Mosleh Uddin, also featured Md. Jasim Uddin, a director of Grameen Bank Board of Directors, as an honored guest. Deputy Managing Director Md Saiduzzaman Bhuiyan and other executives, along with all the officers and employees of Grameen Bank head office, participated in the ceremony.
The program commenced with the National Anthem and the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by an informative presentation on the impacts of climate change. In his speech, Professor Dr. AKM Saiful Majid emphasized the undeniable role of trees in Bangladesh's economic development, poverty alleviation, employment generation, and environmental protection.
He urged the tree plantation program to be transformed into a social movement, recognizing it as an investment for both the environment and society.
Highlighting previous tree plantation endeavors, Professor Dr. AKM Saiful Majid mentioned Grameen Bank's large-scale program in 2021, where 97 lakh forest and fruit tree saplings were planted across the country on Bangabandhu's 46th martyrdom anniversary. Furthermore, on Sheikh Russell Day, 14 lakh saplings were planted, totaling 94 lakh in a single day. As part of Bangabandhu's birth centenary celebrations, 7 crore fruit, forest, and medicinal tree saplings were planted. In the year 2021-2022 alone, Grameen Bank successfully planted a total of 18 crore 31 lakh 15 thousand 93 tree saplings nationwide. This year, the bank has taken on the ambitious task of planting 20 crore saplings across the country, with the program currently in progress.
Md. Jasim Uddin, a director of the Grameen Bank Board of Directors, stressed the crucial link between tree plantation and maintaining the environmental balance in Bangladesh. He emphasized the need for raising awareness among the public about the benefits of tree planting, encouraging extensive plantation for personal and social reasons.
In his speech, Md. Mosleh Uddin, Managing Director of Grameen Bank, highlighted Bangabandhu's deep love for the land, people, environment, and nature of Bengal. Inspired by this affection and responding to the Prime Minister's call, Grameen Bank has undertaken a massive tree plantation program across the nation. The bank believes that its extensive plantation efforts, particularly at the grassroots level, will contribute significantly to building a sustainable Bangladesh in the face of climate change.