Sayed Al-Hajjar (Abu Dhabi) The Zayed Prize for Sustainability plays a leading role in realizing the UAE’s vision to drive climate action and support the country’s leading role in promoting innovation in renewable energy and global sustainability.
The jury has selected a shortlist of 30 applicants who will compete for 10 awards in 5 categories, including health, food, energy, water and international high schools. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony to be held next Monday, as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2023 activities.
The finalists of the 2023 award cycle highlighted to Al-Ittihad the importance of the award in expanding access to clean energy sources in developing societies and helping design sustainable solutions to deliver health care and provide energy. food and water in poor countries.
The 2023 session of the prize saw a notable increase in the number of applications for participation, as it received 4,538 applications for participation, from 152 countries, achieving a 13% increase compared to the previous session, which confirms the international interest in participating in the award, and the growth of its global influence in the sustainability sector, as well as the excellence of the award team. The award should be promoted globally. The Zayed Prize for Sustainability was established in 2008 to carry on the legacy of the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God rest his soul, in the field of sustainability and sustainability. ‘humanitarian action.
The total value of the Zayed Prize for Sustainability is $3 million, and it is distributed to organizations that provide sustainable solutions that have the potential for impact, innovation, and inspiring ideas in 5 categories.
Small and medium-sized enterprises, non-profit organizations and international high schools compete for the prize each year. the lives of more than 378 million people in 150 countries.
In the Global Secondary Schools category, 6 schools in six regions of the world are honored with an award of up to $100,000. These regions are the Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, the Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia and Pacific region.
provide food
This year’s food category finalists have particularly focused on transforming smallholder farmers into entrepreneurs with improved agricultural productivity, either through innovative business models or the use of advanced technologies.
The list of finalists in the food category included: “Nuru International” (USA), “Senergy” (Kenya) and Winsect (France).
Jake Harriman, founder of the organization “Nuru International”, nominated in the food category, said that the organization works to empower poor communities by changing their agricultural practices, explaining that rural populations in affected countries are particularly vulnerable. to the consequences of climate change. .
He added, “Winning the Zayed Prize for Sustainability will help us raise awareness of the work of ‘Noro International’ and expand our activities to include new communities. Winning will put us in a better position to bring about lasting change and sustainability in rural agriculture”. communities, and support global efforts to move forward towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. .
energy and water
For their part, energy category competitors showcased a variety of solutions focused on expanding access to clean energy sources within affected communities, while showcasing new business models that promote an energy sector. clean energy that engages women and provides social and economic opportunities. levels.
The list of finalists in the Energy category included: Green Girls (Cameroon), NeuroTech (Jordan) and Solar Kessock Solutions (Germany).
Water category finalists showcased a range of affordable solutions to make access to clean water and sanitation facilities more accessible in remote communities.
The list of finalists for the water category included: Helios (Austria), Leaders (Bangladesh) and Sisui Industries (Japan).
High school
Finalists in the Global High Schools category showcased sustainable solutions based on student-led projects, with finalists split into 6 geographic regions.
Finalists in this category from the Americas region included the Nuestra Señora del Carmen Integrated Rural Education Center (Colombia), Technical School No. 3 María Sánchez de Thompson (Argentina) and the Pius Terra Foundation (Colombia).
From Europe and Central Asia: ES Kritivno Peru (Serbia), North Fleet Technology Institute (UK) and Romaine Roland Gymnasium (Germany). And in the Middle East and North Africa: School for Gifted Students (Iraq), GSS Private School (UAE) and Obour School (Egypt). In sub-Saharan Africa: Cheshire High School (Nigeria), Marymount High School (Kenya), UWC East Africa – Arusha Kambas (Tanzania) In South Asia: Dhaka Model Residential College (Bangladesh) Kopila Valley School (Nepal) and Obhizatrik School (Bangladesh).
The list of candidates from the East Asia and Pacific region included: Bohol Wisdom School (Philippines), Kamel Muslim College (Fiji) and Sangam Sadhu Kubuswami Memorial College (Fiji).
Provide health care
The finalists’ projects in the health category focused on providing health care to affected communities. The list of finalists in the health category included: the Exploratory Society for Health (Brazil), the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research (Germany) and the Uri Laboratory (Japan).
The 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize finalists in the health category seek to facilitate access to health services and promote social inclusion through social robots, mobile surgical centers and intelligent systems dedicated to the fight against epidemics.
The initiatives of the finalists range from creating robots that assist people with physical disabilities, to providing surgical services to indigenous populations of the Amazon rainforest, to developing an intelligent epidemic detection and control system, thus proving that innovative solutions designed to meet the health needs of communities are the main key to achieving the third objective of the Sustainable Development Goals: Good health and well-being for all.
Dr. Afonso Ferreira-Ferreira, Founder and President of the Expeditionary Health Association, says: When we first heard about the Zayed Prize for Sustainability, we saw a great opportunity to expand our global network and develop our organization, because the price plays a leading role. to support healthcare worldwide.
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