SECRETARY-GENERAL HONOURS PRINCE TALAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL-SAUD FOR "INSPIRING WORK" TO RELIEVE SUFFERING OF POOR
Press Release
NGO/348
PI/1253
SECRETARY-GENERAL HONOURS PRINCE TALAL BIN ABDUL AZIZ AL-SAUD FOR INSPIRING WORK TO RELIEVE SUFFERING OF POOR
20000523Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, President of the Arab Gulf Programme for United Nations Development Organizations (AGFUND), was honoured today in a private ceremony with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan for his work on behalf of women and children in developing countries over the past two decades.
The Secretary-General, presenting Prince Talal with a plaque, cited his wide-ranging and inspiring work to relieve the suffering of the poor around the world.
AGFUND, a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded by Prince Talal in 1980, is the largest NGO in the Gulf region. It supports activities related to the health and education of women and children. Since its inception, AGFUND has supported over 580 projects in scores of developing countries with a total funding of $200 million. Many projects have been developed in collaboration with United Nations funds and programmes.
AGFUND projects have also supported capacity-building of other NGOs and intergovernmental organizations that work in these areas. It has provided emergency relief assistance to victims of violent conflicts and natural disasters, as well as credit services for the poor.
The mid-day ceremony with the Secretary-General was attended by Permanent Representatives to the United Nations from several Gulf States that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). UNFPA, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are programme partners with AGFUND in many developing countries.
According to Dr. Sadik, AGFUND has been a long-time supporter of women and children in developing countries. "I am delighted that the United Nations is honouring His Royal Highness Prince Talal in this manner. As President of AGFUND, his support for development, and for UNFPA and other United Nations funds and programmes in particular, has been tremendous", said Dr. Sadik. He has shown great leadership, recognizing the important role women play in development and working diligently to improve their status and quality of life.
- 2 - Press Release NGO/348 PI/1253 23 May 2000
Prince Talal was at United Nations Headquarters as one of the keynote speakers at Mondays opening session of the week-long (22-26 May) Millennium Forum of civil society organizations. That NGO gathering, called for by the Secretary- General, has brought together over 1,200 NGO and civil society representatives from over 140 countries to finalize a declaration that is expected to be considered by the Millennium General Assembly in September.
In his address in the General Assembly Hall, Prince Talal called for the United Nations and governments to take steps and actions to expand cooperation with the institutions of civil society and bring as many NGOs as possible into association with the United Nations.
He also recommended the drafting of a universal moral covenant of honour, in which non-governmental organizations from all countries of the world will partake. The NGO code would help to guarantee transparency and combat fraud in civil society, ensuring the integrity of the development process and the protection of human rights in the political, economic, social, cultural and environmental domains.
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