Graça Machel wins this year’s World Prize for Integrated Development

Graça Machel, winner of this year’s World Prize for Integrated Development (photo credit: World Prize for Integrated Development).

The 2018 World Prize for Integrated Development has been awarded to Mrs Graça Machel for her significant social justice achievements and tireless work on behalf of women and children. In particular, Mrs Machel is recognized for her leadership of the Graça Machel Trust, a Pan-African advocacy organization focused on child health and nutrition, education, women’s economic and financial empowerment, leadership and good governance.

Sponsored by NIRAS, an international multidisciplinary consultancy that aims to be a catalyst for positive change, the World Prize is an accolade for outstanding contributions in the field of international development accorded to an individual or organization exemplifying an integrated approach in the field. Mrs Machel is the second esteemed Laureate, following in the footsteps of the late Dr Hans Rosling, founder of Gapminder.

‘Graça Machel is a remarkable human being and an outstanding example of the impact of integration in international development’, says Lindsay Falvey, Chair of the World Prize Selection Panel. ‘In addition to her humanitarian work, the Committee was impressed by her leadership of the Trust in integrating nations, programs and people while fulfilling its mission of “multiplying the faces and amplifying the voices of African women and children”. In particular, the support given to women entrepreneurs and their Pan-African networks has delivered significant contributions to social and economic change across the continent.’

The World Prize for Integrated Development and its EUR20,000 purse will be awarded to Mrs Machel on 12 Sep 2018 at the SA Innovation Summit, where the best of African and global innovators will showcase their exceptional talents, innovations and ideas. At the Summit, Mrs Machel will be the honoured guest of the Southern Africa Innovation Support (SAIS) program, a regional initiative strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in Southern Africa supported by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland together with governments of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

Read the whole news release on the website of the World Prize for Integrated Development: Renowned Humanitarian Mrs Graça Machel Awarded World Prize for Integrated Development, 26 Apr 2018.

Note

Lindsay Falvey, from Australia, is Chair of the Board of the International Livestock Research Institute and a Director of Hassad Australia and the Institute for International Development. He is a special advisor to universities in Thailand and continues in an emeritus status at the University of Melbourne where he was previously Chair of Agriculture and Dean of Land and Food. A recipient of the Centenary Award of Australia, a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and a Life member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge, Prof. Falvey has managed a large international development company active across 60 countries and authored several books on integrated aspects of development. Dr Falvey has kindly accepted the role of Chair of the Selection Panel.