Prince Talal International Prize Honors Pioneers of Climate Action

At the COP27 in Sharm El- Sheikh, AGFUND honored four winners of the 2021 Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development for their outstanding efforts towards Climate Action during the award Ceremony of Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development. 

Among the attendees of the ceremony, His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal Al Saud, President of AGFUND and Chair of the Prize Committee, Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain, Signora Mercedes Menafra, former First Lady of Uruguay, Dr. Y. Seyyid Abdulai, Former Director- General of the OPEC Fund for International Development, H.E. Mr. Ovais Sarmad, Deputy Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, H.E. Dr. Yasmine Fouad, Minister of Environment – Egypt, His Excellency Dr. Sidi Ould Tah, Director General of BADEA, alongside other esteemed members of the international community, development experts, and AGFUND board members.

The USD One Million was awarded to the following entities:  The First category winner “Renewable energies for essential services in line with SDG 13 ” which is implemented by (Electriciens sans frontières (Electricians without borders)) in Togo. The Second category winner “Women’s Action Towards Climate Resilience of Urban Poor in South Asia” which is implemented by (Gujarat Mahila Housing SEWA Trust) in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. The Third category winner “Leveraging Commercial Capabilities for Climate Action on the SDGs through Mapping and Earth Observations” which is implemented by (World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC)) World Wide. The Fourth category winner “Pumping water uphill to develop climate resilient villages and farms” which is implemented by (Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI)) in the Philippines. 

The winners competed with 146 competing projects from 48 countries across four continents. 

The Committee of the prize is chaired by HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz. The Committee members also involve Her Majesty Queen Sofia of Spain– Executive President of the Queen Sofia Foundation and Honorary President of the Royal Board on Education and Care of handicapped persons, Mrs. Mercedes Menafra – Former First lady of Uruguay and the president of honor of Todos Por Uruguay, Dr. Muhammed Yunus, the Noble Peace Prize Winner and founder of Grameen Bank, Dr. Ahmed Muhammed Ali, the former president of the Islamic Bank Group, and Dr. Yusuf Sayed Abdullah, the former Director General of the OPEC Fund for International Development.

AGFUND calls on all partners to nominate pioneering projects for the 2022 Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development on the theme “Decent Work and Economic Growth”, the 8th Goal of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. Nominations are open until December 15 and can be submitted through www.agfund.org