Bangladeshi youth Shougat Nazbin Khan has won the pitch competition and received the best Startup Award at the 10th OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum jointly organized by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Russian Government.
OrgaSus, with a circular economy-based model, champions sustainability through the innovative utilization of natural fibers and agricultural waste, transforming them into artisanal treasures and crafting eco-friendly alternatives while empowering marginalized women artisans.
In the past, Shougat was honored with the prestigious German Government’s Green Talent Award and GREEN Prize for her innovative contributions to sustainable energy and environmental initiatives.
She has received other international accolades, including being appointed as United Nations Young Leader for SDGs, Asia 21 Young Leader, G20 Young Global Changer, Commonwealth Youth Awardee, and Forbes 30 under 30 honoree.
Currently, Shougat serves as the Youth Representative of UNESCO's SDG4 Youth and Student Network, the youth and student constituency of the SDG4-Education 2030 High-Level Steering Committee (HLSC) within the Global Education Cooperation Mechanism (GCM).
She is also a distinguished fellow of the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE).
Previously, she served as a Climate Ambassador at the World Bank's Global Youth Climate Network (GYCN) and as a Young Ambassador for ‘The Earth Project,’ supported by UNESCO and the International Geoscience Programme.
As part of the award, Shougat has been invited to take part in the Startup Grand Final of the next International Entrepreneurship Summit.
At the 10th OIC Youth Entrepreneurship Forum, she competed with the participants of the OIC member States and during the next event she will compete with the finalists from all around the world.
She established H. A. Digital School & College, serving students from underprivileged communities in Bangladesh with a focus on socio-economic empowerment of women.
A total of 150 startups from the OIC member countries took part in the competition.
Shougat developed a low-cost solar PV irrigation system for farmers for which she won the prestigious Green Talent award in 2015.
She was also invited as a guest speaker to the third Kazan Global Youth Summit to be co-organized by the OIC and Government of Russia.
The Summit is designed for four days on August 21-24 and consists of ministerial plenary sessions, panel discussions, interactive workshops and a cultural programme, according to the organizers.
This is a unique educational and expert platform for exchanging opinions and best practices on youth policy and involvement of children and youth locally, regionally, and globally.
In 2024, the Summit’s agenda will be dedicated to the following topics: digitalization; modern tools in youth policy; traditional values in the globalization era.
Additionally, the event will feature sessions on best practices for artificial intelligence and virtual reality, digital trends and solutions in the youth environment, and the mental health of young people.
Within the framework of the Summit, it is also planned to hold the high-level meeting of Youth and Sports Ministers with the participation of official representatives of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The outcome of the Summit will be the Joint Resolution of the Action Plan, which will become the basis for the implementation of joint children's and youth initiatives and long-term cooperation programs in countries of Islamic World, BRICS and Asia-Pacific region.