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ABU DHABI, UAE, December 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, today awarded the winners of the Zayed Prize for Sustainability, the UAE's pioneering global award in sustainability and humanitarianism, during a ceremony held at the UAE COP28 in Expo City Dubai.
The ceremony was attended by numerous heads of delegations participating in COP28, ministers, senior government officials and award winners and finalists.
His Highness congratulated the winners, praising their efforts in promoting sustainability and encouraging them to continue their important contributions in this field. His Highness emphasized that the UAE remains steadfast in building on its established legacy of sustainability, a foundation laid by the country's Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In this regard, His Highness highlighted the important role of the Zayed Sustainability Prize in promoting sustainable development, service to humanity and empowering innovators, entrepreneurs and young people to actively contribute to making a positive difference for our planet.
The award honors the legacy of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, by rewarding small and medium-sized businesses, non-profit organizations and secondary schools that address challenges related to health, food, energy , water and climate. For more than 15 years, through its 106 previous winners, the award has transformed the lives of 384 million people around the world.
The eleven winners of the current edition of the Award were chosen in September by a distinguished jury that rigorously evaluated the contribution and commitment of each candidate to provide impactful, innovative and inspiring solutions in the six categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, Action for Climate and Global Secondary Schools.
To reinforce its commitment to promoting sustainable and humanitarian development, the Zayed Sustainability Prize will increase its endowment from $3.6 million to $5.9 million, effective immediately.
His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Director General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize and President of COP28, said: "The UAE today reaffirms its dedication to combating climate change and empowering vulnerable communities by awarding US$1 million to each of our distinguished Health, Food, Water, Energy and Climate Action winners, and US$150,000 to each Global Secondary Schools winner. This important funding will help scale its innovative solutions and make transformative advances around the world, especially in the Global South."
"As the 15th anniversary of the Zayed Sustainability Prize approaches, we reflect on the UAE's mission to advance inclusive sustainable development and climate action. The award not only honors Sheikh Zayed's legacy of social good, but that expands the scope of his vision on a global scale.
With a larger fund, the Prize can expand its support for innovative solutions that not only have a positive impact on the environment, but also improve the well-being and economic development of the world's most climate-vulnerable communities.
In the new Climate Action category, Kelp Blue, a Namibian SME, won the award for its ambitious efforts to grow large-scale deep-sea kelp forests, contributing to the restoration of ocean biodiversity while capturing 100,000 annual tons of CO from the atmosphere. Additionally, its operations have generated employment opportunities in coastal communities.
In the Health category, doctorSHARE, from Indonesia, was awarded for its pioneering work in providing access to healthcare in hard-to-reach areas, especially with floating hospitals mounted on barges. Their impact is considerable: they have treated more than 160,000 patients.
In the Food category, the Gaza Urban and Peri-Urban Agricultural Platform (GUPAP), from Palestine, won for its contribution to supporting a more resilient agricultural sector in Gaza. This non-profit organization facilitates access to locally produced food, provides job security to 200 women agribusiness owners and benefits more than 7,000 people.
In the Energy category, Ignite Power, a Rwandan SME, received the Award for its transformative efforts to provide affordable electricity to last mile communities across sub-Saharan Africa. Its pay-as-you-go solar solutions provided electricity to 2.5 million people and avoided the emission of 600,000 tons of CO. In addition to access to clean energy, Ignite Power has introduced solar-powered irrigation solutions and created 3,500 local jobs.
In the Water category, Eau et Vie, a French NGO, won for its contribution to ensuring access to drinking water in impoverished areas by installing taps in urban homes. They have increased access to water for 52,000 people in 27 communities in 10 cities. In addition, they have raised awareness among 66,000 people about hygienic practices and have reduced the cost of water by 75%.
Chairman of the Jury and former President of the Republic of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, explained: "This year's winners have demonstrated a remarkable wave of ingenuity in their solutions to address urgent global challenges. We are confident that these winners will catalyze substantial change and scalable in communities around the world, driving us towards vital climate action goals and forging the path towards a sustainable future for all.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize also engages young people through its Global High Schools category and encourages them to play an active role in supporting their communities and becoming future sustainability leaders. The 47 Global High Schools Award winners have touched the lives of more than 55,186 students and 453,887 people in their communities.
The winners of the Global High Schools awards are Colegio De Alto Rendimiento De La Libertad (Peru), representing America; the Gwani Ibrahim Dan Hajja Academy (Nigeria), representing Sub-Saharan Africa; the International School (Morocco), representing the Middle East and North Africa; Northfleet Technology College (United Kingdom), representing Europe and Central Asia; the KORT Education Complex (Pakistan), representing South Asia; and, finally, Beijing High School No. 35 (China), representing East Asia and the Pacific.
AboutThe Zayed Sustainability Award is a tribute to the legacy of the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The award aims to advance sustainable development and humanitarian action by recognizing and rewarding organizations and secondary schools that offer innovative sustainable solutions in the categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water, Climate Action and Global Secondary Schools.
For more than 15 years, through its 106 winners, the award has had a positive impact on the lives of 384 million people around the world.Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2291040.. .
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