Chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, President of the Arab Gulf Programme for Development – AGFUND and Chairman of the Prize Committee, the Committee of Prince TalalInternational Prize for Human Development held its 24th meeting on May 22, 2023. This meeting identified projects that had a significant positive impact in 2022 earning this year’s prestigious Prince Talal Prize.
The Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development is an annual prize that carries a financial reward of $1,000,000 (U.S.) awarded by AGFUND. Since its inception, the prize has attracted a number of pioneering projects that have positively impacted local, regional, and international communities. The yearly award is designed to encourage innovation and creativity in human development for the betterment of the global community. The prize theme is chosen each year by selecting one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2030. This year's theme centered on the 8th Goal, "Decent Work and Economic Growth," which focuses on projects that promote inclusive and sustainable economic development as well as access to quality employment for all.
In total, 108 projects were nominated for this year’s prize. Out of this number, 54 qualified projects met the prize criteria. The committee was pleased to announce the four winning projects under the theme “Decent Work and Economic Growth” as follows:
The winning project for the first category, which is specified as projects implemented by UN agencies or international and regional NGOs, is “The World Bank Development Finance Project”, implemented by World Bank in Nigeria. The winning project for the second category, which specifies projects implemented by national NGOs, is “Gaza Emergency Cash for Work and Self-Employment Support”, implemented by NGO Development Center in Palestine. For the third category, which designates projects implemented by governmental bodies (ministries and public institutions) or social business enterprises, the winning project is “Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development in Egypt (DT4SDE)”, implemented by Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) in Egypt. Lastly, the fourth category, which is specified as projects initiated, funded and/or implemented by individuals, the winning project is “JEPSEGER WOMEN EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM”, implemented by Mr. David Kogo (COSDEP Self Help Group) in Kenya.
Furthermore, the Prize committee chose the theme “Life on Land” that reflects the goal 15 to be the prize subject for the year 2023, which advocate for sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.
The Committee of the Prize is chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. The Committee members also include 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 Nobel 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.
