A joint initiative of ICC, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) the awards honour efforts undertaken in the private sector to help realise the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDG).
The MDGs, announced by Kofi Annan in 2000, aim to reduce poverty, promote education and gender equality, combat some of the world's most pressing health crises and encourage environmental responsibility.
Introducing the awards, former ICC Chairman Adnan Kassar said the awards were proof positive of the crucial role the private sector has to play in "the creation of innovative solutions to the enormous challenges posed by the MDGs."
"These awards are testimony to the excellent contribution businesses everywhere, no matter which country, no matter how big or small, can make to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals," he said.
Mr Kassar was joined in presenting the awards by ICC Chairman, Jean-René Fourtou, UNDP Assistant Administrator, Bruce Jenks and Chairman of the awards selection panel, Lord Holme of Cheltenham.
The ten projects were chosen from a field of some 70 entries for special recognition at the ICC World Congress. The projects are :
The projects were selected by an independent judging panel drawn from business, labour, research and academic organizations, environmental groups and the United Nations.
Further information:Details of the ICC-UNDP-IBLF World Business Awards in support of the Millennium Development Goals are available at t
he 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.
Click on the following links to view project powerpoint presentations:
Commercial beekeeping for poverty alleviation in Kenya. Honey Care Africa.
ITC eChoupal. Information technology centres. ITC Limited. India.
PHASE - Personal Hygiene & Sanitation Education. GlaxoSmithKline.
PuR - Purifier of Water. Procter & Gamble.
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.