Rolex Awards for Enterprise draw record number of applications from 16 MENA nations

From Morocco to Oman and from Turkey to Egypt, individuals working to advance human knowledge and well-being in the Arab world have responded strongly to the regional outreach campaign directed by the Rolex Awards, the global philanthropic programme that recognises individuals working in science and medicine, technology and innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural heritage.

Rebecca Irvin, head of the Rolex Awards Secretariat, said:

"The applications for 2008 represent a 294% increase in regional entries compared to the last Awards series two years ago, nearly a three-fold jump. We are very pleased with the strong showing from the MENA region, and confident that this is only the beginning."

For too long, the region's stories of progress have been under-represented, not only at the Rolex Awards but in the international community.

"We believe the diversity and richness of the entries prove that the Arab world's tradition of innovation, discovery and rich heritage is alive and well," she added.

Entries for the 2008 awards came from Bahrain (2), Egypt (77), Iran (1), Iraq (1), Jordan (12), Kuwait (3), Lebanon (10), Morocco (5), Oman (2), the Palestinian Occupied Territories (1), Saudi Arabia (5), Syria (7), Tunisia (1), Turkey (3), the UAE (6), and Yemen (2). The majority of regional entries is in the field of the environment, followed by cultural heritage, technology, medicine and science.

The strengthening relationship between the MENA region and the Rolex Awards will be crowned later this year when the Awards ceremony will be held in the region for the first time.

The ceremony will take place on November 18 at the Madinat Jumeirah resort in Dubai, under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Rolex Winner Visits UAE

Pakistani economist turned conservationist Shafqat Hussain, who won a Rolex Award in 2006 for his innovative combination of ecotourism and livestock insurance to protect the endangered snow leopard, is also visiting the UAE as part of Rolex's desire to share the knowledge accumulated over the programme's 32-year history.

Hussain, whose unconventional approach to conservation prioritises the welfare of poor local communities and calls for cooperative, community-based solutions to conflicts between snow leopards and humans, is the third Rolex Award winner to visit the region in the last six months. More visits by Laureates and Associate Laureates are planned for the region throughout 2008.

The $50,000 Associate Laureate Award from Rolex has helped Hussain expand his Project Snow Leopard into seven new valleys in northern Pakistan, and enabled his team to conduct crucial snow leopard surveys, studies and awareness-building programmes. The Award has also triggered much-needed interest in the rare cats from government, media and tourism circles.

"More than the money, the Rolex Award was a validation of our approach, of the direction nature conservation should be taking," Hussain said. "The Award also created a groundswell of interest in the snow leopards of Pakistan within the country and around the world."

Hussain will speak to audiences at the American University of Sharjah today and the Wellington School in Dubai on Thursday during his two-day visit to the UAE, and meet Arabian leopard specialists at the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife in Sharjah to share experiences and learnings.