His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Arab Gulf Programme for Development (AGFUND) and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Open University (AOU), attended the ceremony honouring the four winning projects of the 27th edition of the Prince Talal International Prize for Human Development. The edition focused on “Affordable and Clean Energy,” one of the Sustainable Development Goals, with total prize awards amounting to USD 1 million.
The ceremony was held in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, under the patronage of His Excellency President of the Republic of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, on the sidelines of the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP17 Armenia). The event was attended by Her Majesty Queen Sofía of Spain, a member of the Prize Committee, alongside several officials and international figures.
The Prize reaffirms AGFUND’s commitment to supporting innovative development initiatives and promoting sustainable solutions that contribute to improving quality of life and empowering communities.
On the sidelines of the visit, HRH Prince Abdulaziz met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan, and Minister of Economy Gevorg Papoyan. The meetings explored prospects for economic and development cooperation and opportunities to expand partnerships in education, microfinance, and entrepreneurship. These discussions underscored the importance of investing in people as a fundamental pillar of sustainable development and a means of opening broader opportunities for individuals and communities.