Dhaka, March 29 -- UNESCO has said the 'Tree of Peace' is not an official award from the organisation amid questions surrounding its status in Bangladesh after Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus received the prize.

The controversy started when the Yunus Centre announced that Prof Yunus had received the Tree of Peace award at the closing dinner of the 11th Global Baku Conference, implying that the accolade was conferred by UNESCO.

The announcement provoked a backlash from government officials, with Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury accusing Yunus of misleading the public by linking the award directly to UNESCO.

Following the controversy, bdnews24.com sought clarification from UNESCO and a spokesperson from the organisation explaine...