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Recipients
of world business awards announced
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| Awardees
include a honey bee business in Kenya |
Paris,
18 May 2004
- Ten business-driven projects have been chosen to receive World Business
Awards for their contribution to beating poverty and stimulating development,
the International Chamber of Commerce announced today.
ICC will present the
awards in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
and The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) on
8 June in Marrakesh.
The 10 awardees include
a honey bee business in Kenya, HIV-Aids programmes in southern Africa,
low-cost water treatment systems in Latin America, Asia and Africa, and
networks of information technology centres in India. The projects were
selected by an independent judging panel drawn from business, labour,
research and academic organizations, environmental groups and the United
Nations.
The World Business
Awards in support of the Millennium Development Goals are the first worldwide
business awards to recognize the significant role business can play in
the implementation of the UN's targets for reducing poverty around the
world by 2015.
The Millennium Development
Goals were established by world leaders at the UN Millennium Summit in
September 2000. They consist of eight primary goals including: universal
primary education, promotion of gender equality, the eradication of extreme
hunger, the halt and the reversal of the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria and
other major diseases, improved maternal health, environmental sustainability,
a global partnership for development and the reduction of child mortality.
The challenge for
business has been to translate these goals into practical, local projects
with real impact.
The awards will be
presented during the ICC's World Congress in Marrakesh, held from 6-9
June 2004, by Jean-René Fourtou, chairman of ICC; Robert Davies,
chief executive, The Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum
and Bruce Jenks, director, Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships,
UNDP.
Selected from 64 nominations
in 27 countries, the 10 projects are outstanding examples of the many
businesses around the world which are making a significant contribution
to reducing poverty. Business enterprises, large and small, are making
a difference in all countries, often in partnership with governments,
development aid organizations and relief workers. By deploying the innovative
and productive skills of enterprises and entrepeneurs, all the projects
featured are striving to address the development challenge, whether through
their core business activities, philanthropy, or advocacy work.
Nominations for the
awards were sought from every kind of business entity, including business
associations, confederations and individual companies of any size from
any country.
ICC-UNDP-IBLF World
Business Awards in support of the MDGs:
Further information:
Details of the
ICC-UNDP-IBLF World Business Awards in support of the Millennium Development
Goals are available at the following web link: www.iccwbo.org/awards
The eight Millennium
Development Goals offer an integrated framework for tackling major challenges
that afflict individuals, countries and the global community. They set
quantitative and measurable targets to be achieved by 2015 for the reduction
of poverty, hunger, disease and tangible improvement in education, healthcare,
drinking water, shelter and environmental protection. For full details
see: www.undp.org/mdg
The International
Selection Committee, chaired by Lord Holme of Cheltenham, included representatives
of UNDP, ICC, IBLF and other leading international agencies, non-governmental
and labour organizations.
The World Business
Awards will also be featured in a series of CNBC Europe television documentaries
on 'The Business of Development', which will be partly filmed and produced
during the ICC Congress in Marrakech.
Contacts:
ICC Paris:
Jack Whelan. Senior Policy Manager, Environment & Energy Biosociety,
tel: 33 1 49 53 28 08 Email: Click here to send a mail
ICC is the world business organization, the only representative body that
speaks with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors in every
part of the world.
IBLF London:
Amanda Gardiner, Editor, tel +44 207 467 3655, Email: Click here to send a mail
UNDP New York:
William Orme, Chief of Media, tel: 212-906-5382, Email: Click here to send a mail
or Victor Arango, tel: 212-906-6127, Email:Click here to send a mail
UNDP is the UN's global
development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to
knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.
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