His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has commended young Bahrainis for their commitment, dedication and achievements in an address at the conclusion of the King Hamad Award for Youth Empowerment Award to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
“We see this Award as a message of appreciation and pride from the Kingdom of Bahrain to the initiatives and accomplishments of the world’s young people who are committed to providing effective and sustainable solutions towards a more stable and peaceful world – enabling its people to enjoy security and prosperity.
In light of the latest events in our societies, and the many changes and challenges resulting from the ongoing health emergency, it has become necessary to allow more practical and intellectual opportunities for young people, enabling them to contribute to development in innovative ways that accelerate the achievement of the Global Sustainable Development Agenda.
We would like here to express our deep pride in the continuous efforts made by our young Bahraini people –whose confident steps we follow with interest – in order to promote our pioneering national youth experience, to advance the results of their work, and to continue their achievements with great professionalism and global competitiveness.
In this regard, we extend our appreciation for the ongoing follow-up of our dear son and Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who has done everything necessary for a youth renaissance that can communicate with the world in the vocabulary of their day, in a spirit of renewal, and which unites their efforts to build a movement that is aware of its duties and capable of building and leading nations.
In conclusion, we extend our heartfelt congratulations to the winners of the Award, and thank them for their interest in participating with their distinguished projects and initiatives, hoping that they will be implemented in a way which builds on our development gains, especially in such challenging times.
HM the King’s Representative for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, said:
“It is my pleasure to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, who continuously affirms that the Bahraini youth are the source of our wealth and the kingdom’s real assets. His Majesty ensured that empowering youth becomes a national priority, to stimulate their effective participation as a work force.
It is our responsibility to convey His Majesty’s vision to transcend the local reality and reach the youth around the world. We seek to create hope for them starting from the Kingdom of Bahrain, as it always was and remains a land of opportunities for the youth.
We are determined to transform these challenges into opportunities for creativity and innovation.
What distinguishes this year’s edition of the award is the addition of new dimensions that required us to direct the youth to think “outside the box”, to find solutions to implement the SDG goals.
We also encouraged youth initiatives and projects that address the SDG goals that have been affected by the pandemic, making this the first award to do so.
We are very proud of the award’s great international outreach this year.
This year has seen a large participation from the youth, public and private institutions and civil organizations, greater than that of the previous years.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has made many efforts towards its international responsibility in achieving the SDGs.
It has engaged the Bahraini and international youth, taking His Majesty the King as a beacon in making the Kingdom of Bahrain the Capital of Youth and Sports.
The Kingdom ensures opportunities of a fair, competitive and open environment for the youth to compete, in order to build a more developed and prosperous world.”
Youth and Sports Minister, Aymen bin Tawfeeq Al Moayyed, thanked His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for the great success of the King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award to Achieve the SDGs in its third edition. He also thanked HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of His Majesty the King for Humanitarian Work and Youth Affairs, for his continuous support to the Ministry of Youth and Sport Affairs, the Bahraini and international Youth.
The Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Stefano Pettinato, also addressed the ceremony. He said:
“Since 1978, the UNDP in Bahrain works side by side and in partnership with government entities and other organizations towards the achievement of national goals and international commitments including the SDGs. Every year this endeavor grows in size and reach.
This year’s edition reached out to over 100 countries, receiving more than 4000 applications; a 14% increase since last year, and 5 times as many since the 2018 edition!
We believe that the success of the KHA rests on three factors: the selection criteria, the objectivity in the screening, and the broad outreach.”
During the ceremony, the following winners of the third edition of the “King Hamad Youth Empowerment Award to Achieve the SDGs” were announced:
First Category: Recognising Youth Contribution to Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals:
- “People” Award: Ms. Yvette Ishimwe, from Rwanda, for her initiative “IRIBA Tap and Drink” which aims to improve access to
clean drinking water for low-income urban communities, while creating decent jobs for local youth and women and protecting the environment by avoiding the use of single-use plastic bottles, commonly used for bottling water. - “Prosperity” Award: Ms. Esther Ejiroghene, from Nigeria, for her initiative “Trihealthon”. It is a non-profit organisation that promotes health equality in Africa. It is the first organisation in West Africa to apply meditation methods and integrate them into treatment and health care methods. It also aims to combat the main causes of death for Nigerian children under the age of five.
- “Planet” Award: Mr. Franc Kamugyisha, from Uganda, for his initiative “Ecoplastile”. It is an emerging registered social enterprise, established to address the challenges of post-consumer plastic pollution, waste management, deforestation and climate change, while helping disadvantaged communities.
- “Peace” Award: Mr. Keita Nakano from Japan for his initiative “Accept International”, which has contributed towards peace-building and Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) and helping victims of ongoing conflicts around the world that have seen very little progress.
Second Category: Recognising Enablers of Youth Participation: Action and Impact for SDGS’ Achievement
- “Financial Enabling” Award: Al-Mabarrah Al-Khalifia Foundation (MKF), from the Kingdom of Bahrain. It is a non-profit institution, established in 2011 in the Kingdom of Bahrain to create a social impact in the field of education, and empower youth to reach their optimum potential by providing them with knowledge, skills and personality development programs.
- “Institutional Enabling” Award: The Mediterranean Youth Foundation for Development from Egypt. The Foundation targets young people from Mediterranean countries and their neighbors, especially those who live in border areas or rural cities, which gives them fewer opportunities for positive participation in their countries.
- “Technical Enabling” Award: Know One Teach One, from Vietnam, which aims to assist, support and develop young people who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, such as victims of violence, orphans, ethnic minorities and the financially disadvantaged. It provides the targeted youth with a comprehensive free training course in hospitality for a period of 24 months.