NEWS

22 December 2006

UZBEKISTAN BUSINESS WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION GETS AGFUND PRIZE

The ceremony of handing over prizes of Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND) was held in Warsaw on 12 December. One of pretenders for this prize was the Business Women's Association of Uzbekistan.

The ceremony was conducted under the patronage of HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, President of AGFUND and President of the Republic of Poland His Excellency Professor Lech Kaczynski.

Welcoming the guests, HRH Prince Turki Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, the son of HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, President of AGFUND, said that the winners were determined irrespective of their country or religion, only on results of work.

During the ceremony, the winners were congratulated by the AGFUND Executive Director and a representative of Polish government.

The number of nominated projects for this prize were 37 from 23 state. Complying projects were submitted to arbitrators who are experts in the Prize subjects for review and evaluation.

The Project Community-Based Primary Health Care Development in Azerbaijan implemented in Azerbaijan by the International Medical Corps (IMC) was awarded the 1st category prize which is specified for the International and Regional Organizations in the field of (Sustainable primary health services, training and job creation for the poor in rural areas). Also the Project The Project Discovering the Ocean World: Education resources for primary schools implemented in Mauritius by Shoals Rodrigues was awarded the 2nd category prize which is specified for the projects implemented by NGOs in the field of (The role of NGOs in the provision of education services and job creation for the poor in rural areas).

In the 3rd category which is specified for the projects sponsored and/or implemented by individuals if the fields of (Fulfilling basic vocational training needs and job creation for the poor in rural areas) the Prize was awarded to the project Work places creation through training of women on vocations and business skills, implemented in Uzbekistan upon the initiative and efforts of Ms. Dildar Alimbekova.

The First Category Prize amounts to US$150,000, the Second Category Prize amounts to US$100,000 and the Third Category Prize amounts to US$50,000.

Speaking at the meeting, the Chairman of Business Women's Association of Uzbekistan Dildar Alimbekova said: "All that I did in my life, I did for our women. Uzbekistan has such a flower capable of breaking a stone, and it grows despite all barriers. Our women are the same. Nearly 25,000 women from the most remote areas of Uzbekistan have obtained professional education thanks to our project.

After each speech of the winner, participants of the ceremony watched a five-minute film about the project. It was a very nice film about Uzbek women, how they study, discuss urgent issues, about their professional successes.

Dildar Alimbekova is in the UN Gallery of Outstanding Business Women, she has the rank of "The women who changed the world", and was nominated to the Noble Prize in 2005. The association under the direction of Dildar Alimbekova obtained the prize for "The best partnership project" in 2000 from the hands of German Foreign Economic Relations Minister and Bonn Burgomaster, the prize "Increase of economic status of Uzbekistan women through professional education and micro crediting" in 2005. She represented Uzbekistan several times at prestigious international forums and conferences, delivered speech at the Europarliament.

AGFUND International Prize Committee is formed of a number of well known personalities representing the two American Continents, the European Union, Arab and African Regions as well as Asia. Committee members are: Dr. Ahmed Mohamed All, President of the Islamic Development Bank, the Baroness Emma Nicholson, Member of the European Parliament, representing European, Professor Mohamed Yunis, Founder and Manager of Grameen Bank, and Senior a Mercedes Menavra the President of Tudos por Uruguay (All for Uruguay) and Dr. Yousuf Sayed Abdullah the Former Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development.

The Committee has approved in its meeting "Human trafficking" as subject for AGFUND Prize 2007.

Source: UzReport