Under the patronage and in the presence of His Excellency Vahagn Khachaturyan, President of the Republic of Armenia, the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) will hold the 27th edition of the Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development ceremony on 28 October at The Dvin Music Hall in Yerevan, Armenia.
The ceremony will also be attended by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of AGFUND’s Board of Directors and Chairman of the Prize Committee; Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, Member of the Prize Committee; and Their Excellencies the members of the Prize Committee. The ceremony will honor the organizations and individuals behind the winning projects across the categories of the 2025 Prize cycle, dedicated to “Affordable and Clean Energy,” the seventh United Nations Sustainable Development Goal.
Yerevan was selected to host the ceremony to coincide with the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17). This choice reflects the connections between this Prize cycle’s theme and international efforts to protect the environment and advance sustainable development, highlighting the role of innovative solutions in improving lives and safeguarding natural resources.
The ceremony will recognize four projects offering innovative solutions across clean energy and human development. Their work encompasses climate-resilient water supply systems, food security and livelihoods, waste-to-biofuel technology, and solar-powered irrigation services for smallholder farmers. Together, these initiatives demonstrate how energy can help meet basic needs, strengthen productive opportunities, and improve quality of life in the communities they serve.