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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, give away the awards to the 10 winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize with the participation of a range of world leaders, at the Prizes annual awards ceremony, coinciding with the begin of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Now in its 12th edition, the annual US$3 million Prize is the UAEs pioneering sustainability award for recognising innovative, impactful and inspirational solutions of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-profit organisations (NPOs), and high schools. Evolving from its preceding focus on energy-related solutions, in 2018, this was the second year in which the Prize provided awards throughout a wider scope of five categories in: Health, Food, Energy Water, and Global High Schools.

Speaking in advance of the awards ceremony, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said: Each year, the Zayed Sustainability Prize marks new achievements on its international mission to reward innovation and influence in areas of sustainability and humanitarianism. In this milestone year of strategic preparation towards the UAEs subsequent 50, we take proposal from our shared dedication to honouring the vision of our founding father, Sheikh Zayed, who laid out the blueprint for a sustainable future. We look ahead to similarly building on the Prizes excellent international impact, so it may proceed to transform thousands and thousands of more lives for many years to come.

H.H. added: The UAE, under the leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, continues to give a boost to sustainability via a range of programs and initiatives such as the Zayed Sustainability Prize, which positive aspects momentum each and every year in light of its influence and key function in serving communities and spreading the UAEs message of giving.

In congratulating the winners, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed highlighted the significance of encouraging the upcoming era of pioneers and innovators to be sustainability champions and the substantial role they will play in advancing their influence on socio-cultural and economic development. His Highness also praised the level of sophistication some of the projects display and the long-term influence that will have on a worldwide, as well as local, community level.

H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed congratulated winners and awards throughout the Prizes five categories; the Global High Schools category being break up into six world vicinity winners.

The event was attended by a range of heads of state, ministers and other senior-level dignitaries from the UAE and abroad, in addition to previous winners, beneficiaries and 2020 finalists.

In the Health Category, Swedens GLOBHE got the award for its drone-based services and proprietary international drone data platform for assisting in health catastrophe prevention and response. With over 3,600 drone pilots, in 48 countries, linked to automatic information evaluation platforms, by using Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), the solution has impacted 100,000 humans through intervention of governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) by addressing cholera and malaria epidemics, in Malawi and Lake Victoria.

Okuafo Foundation was the Ghana-based winner in the Food Category and was acknowledged for its smartphone application that utilises A.I., machine learning (ML) and information analytics to predict and discover crop diseases and infestations and provides endorsed solutions, based on scientific knowledge, in real-time. The software has allowed farmers to minimize costs on crop pesticides and enlarge crop productivity and harvests by up to 50 per cent, thereby increasing their earnings and disposable income.

In the Prizes Energy Category, the 2020 winner was Electricians Without Borders (EWB). The global non-profit aid enterprise was acknowledged for its provision of magnificent solar equipment to refugee campsites and offering training to refugees to repair the equipment, thereby making sure long-term access to electricity and resolving social issues such as protection concerns. To date, their progressive method has impacted 8,000 lives in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, the worlds biggest refugee camp, who have benefitted from secure and sustainable lighting, leading to less crime, as well as spaces to rebuild their social and community life. Across its international operations, 50,000 people in 38 countries, have benefitted from 129 ongoing projects, presenting over one million beneficiaries with elevated access to electrical energy and water.

Ceres Imaging, from the USA, was this years winner in the Water category and was acknowledged for its proprietary spectral imaging sensors and A.I.-based analytics to optimise water use in agriculture. Ceres Imagings data-driven technologies have enabled more efficient irrigation practices and provision of sufficient water to fulfill the thirst and starvation of a developing international population. Ceres Imaging is nowadays serving about 1,000,000 acres of land, in the US and Australia.

Chair of the Zayed Sustainability Prize Jury and former President of the Republic of Iceland, H.E. lafur Ragnar Grmsson, said: Each year, the winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize proceed to shock and captivate us with innovative contributions that will positively radically change some of the worlds most deprived areas and susceptible communities. They are an inspiration to people, young and old, and are genuinely key to delivering on the sustainable improvement priorities that have an effect on us all.

H.E. Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Director-General of the Zayed Sustainability Prize, said: We distinctly value the vision and directives of the UAEs sensible leadership which has been vital to the Prizes success and objectives, while assisting the sustainability vision of the late Sheikh Zayed. I congratulate all the winners of this years awards for taking part in one of the most aggressive awards cycles the Prize has seen, to date.

His Excellency continued: The goals of the Prize proceed to resonate with a entire new technology of pioneering innovators and future sustainability leaders, having already impacted 335 million humans worldwide, directly or indirectly, including that the Zayed Sustainability Prize also seeks to enlarge the affect even in addition through initiatives such as the currently introduced 20by2020, which will practice sustainability solutions developed by winners and finalists to susceptible communities in 20 countries by the end of this year.

In the Global High Schools category, six schools, every representing a world region, get hold of an award and high schools submit project proposals to construct or augment a solution they have developed for their school or nearby community. The goal of this category, introduced to the Prize in 2012, is to encourage the youth people to emerge as pioneers, innovators and sustainability advocates who will make contributions to a more sustainable future.

The recipients of the 2020 awards were: Air Batalla (Colombia), representing The Americas; Hakimi Aliyu Day Secondary (Nigeria), representing Sub-Saharan Africa; Al Amal Junior High School (Morocco), representing the Middle East & North Africa region; United World College Mostar (Bosnia Herzegovina), representing Europe & Central Asia; Bloom Nepal School (Nepal), representing South Asia; and Eutan Tarawa Ieta Junior Secondary School (Kiribati), representing East Asia & Pacific.

The Prize structure allows for organisations to post solutions that have affected communities or countries they serve, with the Health, Food, Energy and Water Category winners each claiming a US$600,000 prize fund. The Global High Schools category encourages entries by student-led sustainability initiatives they would like to put in force for either their school or their surrounding communities.

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