A school in Iraq that plans to save thousands of litres of water over three years with its greenhouse and a Jordanian enterprise that delivers energy to Syrian refugees are among the winners of the 2023 Zayed Sustainability Prize.
The 10 initiatives chosen from 30 finalists competing in five categories — health, food, water, energy and global high schools — were announced on the opening day of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
President Sheikh Mohamed congratulated the winners.
“Consistent with the commitment of the UAE to support impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainability solutions around the world, I am proud to congratulate the winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2023 and to honour their achievements in this vitally important field,” he said on Twitter.
This year, the prize received a record 4,538 applications from 152 countries.
In the health, food, energy and water categories, each winner receives $600,000 (Dh2.2 million).
The global high schools category has six winners, with each receiving up to $100,000.
The $3 million annual prize, which was launched in 2008, supports sustainable projects that are kind to the environment.
Winners in the health, food, energy and water categories were:
Health
Associação Expedicionários da Saúde (EDS), a non-profit organisation that provides specialised medical and surgical care for indigenous communities geographically isolated within the Amazon through its Mobile Hospital Complex.
Based in Brazil, EDS has a complex equipped with operating rooms and state-of-the-art medical appliances. To date, EDS has performed more than 1,900 operations and provided healthcare services to 35,000 people.
Food
Ynsect, a small French business, has improved the lives of 30 million people by producing sustainable nutrition products and natural fertilisers for fish farming and human consumption.
Ynsect has Europe’s first-of-its-kind insect factory that is equipped with vertical farming and integrated biorefining set-up which produces insect protein and natural insect fertilisers.
Water
Based in Bangladesh, non-profit organisation Ledars integrates water resource management models to solve scarcity issues in disaster-prone areas. It provides people with access to safe drinking water and water for agriculture.
To date, Ledars initiatives have helped more than 15,881 families and saved more than 12 million gallons of water.
Energy
Jordanian enterprise Neurotech delivers reliable energy to more than 10,000 Syrian refugees living in Jordan.
It has developed Al-based algorithms with a blockchain-based transaction system to serve people in the camps.
Schools
The Global High Schools’ finalists presented project-based, student-led sustainability solutions, with finalists divided into six regions.
Global High Schools Category — Middle East and North Africa
Gifted Students School in Iraq has proposed the development of a hydroponic greenhouse in which food can be grown all year long, saving 532,000 litres of water and eliminating 255 tonnes of emissions over three years.
Global High Schools Category — The Americas
To combat growing air pollution issues, Fundación Bios Terrae ICAM Ubaté's pupils proposed a community air quality programme that will help to improve the health of 200,000 people living in Ubaté, Colombia.
Global High Schools Category — Sub-Saharan Africa
UWC East Africa — Arusha Campus proposed a project that aims to solve the school community’s drinking water issue by creating and distributing biochar filters.
They will provide clean water, with a safe level of fluoride, to households and schools in Arusha and filter 1,095,000 litres of water for 10,000 households.
Global High Schools Category — Europe & Central Asia
Romain-Rolland-Gymnasium in Berlin has proposed building a solar-powered electrolysis-based hydrogen fuel cell that will boost the renewable energy used by the school from 2 per cent to 10 per cent.
Global High Schools Category — South Asia
Dhaka Residential Model College aims to provide micro-organism-based seed and soil treatment chemicals, microbial biofertilisers and biopesticides to more than 2,000 farms from all 64 districts in Bangladesh so they can produce healthier crops in a shorter period of time.
Global High Schools Category — East Asia & Pacific
Kamil Muslim College in Fiji aims to generate 219 MWh of electricity a year by providing 100 per cent solar energy to the school. It also seeks to collect rainwater which will save 920,000 litres of water annually, and to provide 6,150 servings of lunch a year for pupils.
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
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MATCH INFO
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Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Read more about the coronavirus
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Favourite car: Lamborghini
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The five pillars of Islam
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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