His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, alongside leaders and representatives from the winners’ countries, presented awards to the 10 winners of the 2019 Zayed Sustainability Prize at the annual awards ceremony held today.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed congratulated the winners and praised their efforts and valuable contribution to support sustainable development. He encouraged them to keep up the good work to find innovative and sustainable solutions to address current and future global challenges.
He also praised their creative ideas and efforts that have contributed to the economic and social development of their countries and regions.
"This year’s awards mark a significant milestone in the history of the prize and the UAE. Throughout 2018, we saw the nation unite in commemoration of the UAE’s Founding Father, with the Year of Zayed. The celebrations inspired the prize’s evolution to recognise a wider scope of globally impactful solutions to address the world’s sustainability challenges.
Under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the legacy of Sheikh Zayed’s values continues to shape our global vision for development that is sustainable and inclusive, which we will celebrate throughout 2019 as the 'Year of Tolerance'," he added.
"By identifying work across sectors that are the cornerstones to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the prize presents an unparalleled global platform for ideas that have the power to benefit humankind and our planet. Through the wider impact created in the areas of healthcare, food security, energy access, as well as water and sanitation, we are uniquely positioned to embolden and empower a new generation of pioneers to create exciting innovations that will change the lives of millions of underprivileged people around the world," His Highness added.
Sheikh Mohamed handed the prizes to 10 winners across the categories of Health, Food, Energy, Water and Global High Schools, which was held within Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, ADSW.
The ceremony was also attended by H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; H.H. Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court; and H.H. Sheikh Omar bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, and a number of senior ministers and officials.
The 2019 Prize honoured leaders whose work and spirit of enterprise has resulted in working solutions across communities around the world.
The format of the Prize invites organisations including small and medium-sized enterprises and non-profits to submit existing solutions that have already demonstrated a positive impact. The Global High Schools category seeks to inspire young minds and encourage entries based on concepts or proposed projects they can implement with the award’s prize money.
In the Health category, 'We Care Solar' received the award for its Solar Suitcase, a portable maternity device to assist with childbirth and related medical services in off-grid rural areas. The unit brings together light, fetal monitoring and communications equipment and has already helped 1.8 million people by assisting doctors, midwives and medical professionals by providing emergency obstetric care across 3,325 health facilities in 27 African countries.
Sanku, the winner in the Food category, was recognised for its flour fortification machines that equip and incentivise small-scale, local millers to fortify their flour with nutrients using innovative technology. Sanku has currently installed 150 fortification machines in flourmills across five East African countries, impacting the lives of almost one million people daily by providing them safer and healthier food sources.
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