Nasser Al Qahtani In A Statement To The Saudi News Agency: The AGFUND Prize Has Realized Its Most Important Goals By Generalizing Stories Of Success

The Arab Gulf Program for Development (AGFUND) invited  bodies entitled to nominations for its international prize for pioneering human development projects to submit their nominations for the four prize categories in the field of empowering youth through initiatives and increasing job opportunities. AGFUND Executive Director, Mr. Nasser Al Qahtani, indicated that national, international, and regional organizations as well as civil societies, universities, and  research centres are the institutions entitled to prize nominations. In a statement to the Saudi news agency, Al Qahtani mentioned that the AGFUND prize with its continuous success is the outcome of the developmental thought of HRH Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz , AGFUND President and founder of a number of other developmental organizations, e.g. the Arab Open University, Banks for the Poor, the Arab Women’s Centre, and the Arab Council for Childhood. Al Qahtani added that when Prince Talal established AGFUND in 1980, with the support of the Arab Gulf countries’ leaders, he wanted this organization, with the Gulf as its base to set off and heal Man’s wounds everywhere by means of the aid and support it provides as well as by its financing and implementing of projects. The Prize was launched in 1999 based on the same humane and developmental approach of Prince Talal, its focus being on development in its most important fields. Through the Arab Gulf Programme, he established the Banks for the Poor, the Arab Open University, and he also leads the Arab strategy for early childhood development, boosts NGOs and civil society organizations, and supports women’s development and empowerment. Al Qahtani expects that the prize will attract many nominations in 2011 since its theme next year concerns an important sector of all societies, namely youth. He pointed out that the competing projects in the four categories are those to do with “Empowering Youth through Entrepreneurship and Job Opportunities.” The four prize sub-themes are the following:

• The role of national and international organizations in supporting and boosting the policies and programmes of developing countries for the empowerment of youth through entrepreneurship and job opportunities (dedicated to national, regional and international projects);
• The role of NGOs in the empowerment of youth through entrepreneurship and job opportunities (dedicated to national NGO projects);
• The efforts of governmental bodies in the Saudi-isation of pioneering initiatives for the empowerment of youth through entrepreneurship and job opportunities (dedicated to ministerial and public institution projects);
• The efforts of individuals in the empowerment of youth through entrepreneurship and job opportunities (dedicated to individual projects).

Al Qahtani referred to the ceremony held by AGFUND in the Malaysian capital recently, a ceremony for handing the prizes to the 2009 winners. He also referred to the great number of attendees and the great interest taken in the prize by developmentalists. The Executive Director of AGFUND stressed that this prize has already become a developmental feature, not only in the Arab region, but also in the world at large. He also pointed out that AGFUND’s partners welcome it, and that this welcome was reflected in their entering into partnerships for the implementation of projects similar to those that won the prize. In this way, AGFUND has realized one of its most important goals, namely generalizing the successful pioneering experiences. About the delivery of the prize in different capitals of the world, Al Qahtani said, “This is part of the expansion of the prize. The Prize Committee, headed by HRH Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, intended by this mobility that the prize would become part of the developmental committees. When the prize is delivered every year in a different country, these different societies get to know about it and about the themes that meet developmental needs. Al Qahtani explained that the prize was developed by a flexible mechanism that responds to developmental reality and the changes it undergoes. Hence, a fourth category was added to the prize last year to enable governmental bodies to compete with international and regional organizations as well as NGOs and individuals. In addition, the value of the prize was raised to $500000  (first category: $200000, second category: $150000, third category: $100000, fourth category: $50000). It is worth noting that AGFUND’s deadline for receiving nominations for the four prize categories  is May 31st 2011. Nominations should be sent  either to the mailing address: Riyadh 11415, P.O. Box 18371, or the electronic form available on the webpage: https://agfund.org/?page_id=22282