Dr Halida Hanum Akhter is the Director-General of the Family Planning Association of Bangladesh, one of the world's oldest Planned Parenthood affiliates. She also chairs the Board of Directors of the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health, PTI reported from New York.

In 1986, she founded the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Promotion of Essential and Reproductive Health and Technologies.

Haitian NGO, Foundation pour la Sante Reproductiveel Education Familiale, has also won the award. Formed in 1988, it provides reproductive health care for more than 1.2 million people through a network of 26 centres.

The Foundation has provided basic training on reproductive health to 500 teachers and 6,500 young workers, and created a network of 30,000 young volunteers who disseminate information on reproductive health, including HIV/AIDS.

The Award goes each year to individuals and institutions for their outstanding work in population and in improving the health and welfare of individuals.

The winners were chosen from 27 nominees, including top-level policy-makers, researchers and health workers from around the world, by a committee consisting of 10 UN member states.