The winners of the 2016 Agfund International Prize for Pioneering Development Projects were awarded at a grand ceremony in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

 

They were honoured by Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, UAE; and Queen Sofia of Spain.

 

The event was held as part of the closing ceremony of the 18th edition of the Microcredit Summit.

 

“This is the 17th edition of The International Prize for Pioneering Human Development Projects, which proves that this award has truly succeeded in achieving its objectives. I am proud to state that Agfund has supported 133 countries with more than 1,500 projects," said Prince Abdulaziz.

 

"This achievement would not have been possible without the continuous support of other GCC countries, especially the United Arab Emirates, with the support of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (may his soul rest in peace) as he helped us establish this initiative,” he said.

 

“The focus of this year’s summit reminds us that innovation never ends.  Indeed innovations in all fields, including financial markets, are the single most important sources of productivity growth, leading to greater prosperity, peace and happiness in the world,” said Sheikh Nahyan.

 

“Today, we celebrate the accomplishments of a remarkable array of outstanding global leaders, influencers, game-changers and innovators, which reaffirms the fact that able, dedicated individuals can and do make a difference. We celebrate Abu Dhabi’s unique position in world markets as it has become an integral part of the global economy. We are very enthusiastic about the possibilities of micro-finance and its role in economic development and we are commitment to give all people and all business ventures the opportunity to reach their full potential. We look forward to more micro-finance related economic progress in the years ahead,” he said.

 

The award was set under the theme 'Alleviation of unemployment among youth,' to pinpoint distinguished development experiences in the field of youth empowerment through creation of income resources, improvement of their livelihoods and participation in development of their communities.

 

The entries were received from United Nations, international and regional organisations, ministries and public institutions, NGOs, universities and research centres around the world. 

 

An international committee of renowned international personalities selected the best projects executed in 2015 based on their efforts and contributions to human development.

 

Nasser Bakr Al-Kahtani, chief executive officer, Agfund, said: “The award demonstrates our strong commitment towards charting a new era of sustained prosperity by contributing to the support and funding of poverty alleviation and human development programmes. 

 

"Through this unique mechanism, Agfund aims to stimulate workers in various areas, discover the best development projects, and honour those in charge of them, hoping that the creative aspects involved would motivate the implementation of similar projects in other regions.” - TradeArabia News Service