Energy in refugee camps, mobile hospital in Amazon: Zayed Sustainability Prize winners announced in Abu Dhabi

The Zayed Sustainability Prize winners have been declared during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2023. UAE’s pioneering global award recognises and rewards small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), non-profit organisations (NPOs), and global high schools with sustainable solutions.

Established by the UAE leadership in 2008, the Prize honours the humanitarian and sustainability legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Since then, it has awarded 96 winners who have positively impacted the lives of over 378 million people around the world by accelerating sustainable development through their impactful, innovative and inspiring solutions.

The Prize is awarded in five categories: Health, Food, Energy, Water and Global High Schools.

The UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, presented the awards to the winners in the presence of heads of state on the stage.

And the winners are:

Associacao Expedicionarios da Saude (health)

Associacao Expedicionarios da Saude, a non-profit organisation from Brazil, provides specialised medical and surgical care for indigenous communities geographically isolated within the Amazon through its mobile hospital complex.

Ÿnsect (food)

Ynsect is an SME from France producing insect protein and natural insect fertilisers. Europe’s first-of-its-kind insect factory is equipped with innovative vertical farming and an integrated bio-refining setup.

NeuroTech (energy)

NeuroTech, an SME from Jordan, develops Al-based algorithms with a blockchain-based transaction system to bring reliable energy access to refugee camps.

LEDARS (water)

LEDARS, a non-profit organisation from Bangladesh, integrated water resource management models to solve water scarcity issues in disaster-prone areas where water becomes unusable due to salinity and flooding.

Global high schools

The Americas

Fundacion Bios Terrae - ICAM Ubate, Colombia

Students at Fundacion Bios Terrae - ICAM Ubate have proposed a ‘Community Air Quality Programme’ to address the air pollution crises and to improve the health of 200,000 people living in Ubate.

Europe and Central Asia

Romain- Rolland gymnasium from Germany

Students at Romain-Rolland Gymnasium have proposed to build a lighthouse powered by solar energy, an electrolysis-based fuel cell, and run workshops and events from inside the solar lighthouse, creating a space in which students can learn and experience for themselves what it mean

Middle East and North Africa

Gifted students school, Iraq

Students at Gifted Students School proposed a project to develop a hydroponic greenhouse in which food can be grown all year long. The greenhouse would be controlled by cellulosic cooling cells supplied with water from a sustainable source (groundwater) and air vacuums, as well as temperature controllers supplied with electricity through solar panels.

Sub-Saharan Africa

UWC East Africa - Arusha campus, Tanzania

Students at UWC East Africa - Arusha Campus want to reduce the prevalence of dental and skeletal fluorosis by tackling their community’s drinking water issue: about 50 per cent of spring water sources in Arusha possess fluoride concentrations above WHO’s permissible levels.

South Asia

Dhaka residential model college, Bangladesh

Students at Dhaka Residential Model College have proposed a project to produce healthy crop plants faster by shortening the seed germination period, increasing germination rates, and enhancing seedling growth using soil-dwelling microorganisms.

East Asia and Pacific

Kamil Muslim college, Fiji

Students at Kamil Muslim College proposed a project to address the effects of climate change that have affected their community and the world by providing 100 per cent solar energy to the school, collecting rainwater from a rain harvesting system, generating biogas energy for cooking in the school canteen, and providing food for students who cannot afford lunch.

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• UAE
• Abu Dhabi