UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education
The UNESCO Prize for Girls’ and Women’s Education is an award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the advancement of female education. Supported by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the Prize is conferred annually to two laureates. The prize awards USD 50,000 to each laureate to further their work in the area of girls’ and women’s education. Laureates are nominated by Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, as well as non-governmental organizations in official partnership with UNESCO. They are recognized by UNESCO's Director General.[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Background and purpose[edit]
Gender equality in education is a basic right and a prerequisite to build inclusive societies. Although notable progress has been made over the last 20 years, 16 million girls will never set foot in a classroom.[7]
Established in 2015 by UNESCO’s Executive Board, the UNESCO Prize rewards activities that are innovative, and/or have far reaching sustainable impact in advancing girls’ and women’s education. It is the first UNESCO Prize of this nature and showcases successful projects that improve and promote the educational prospects of girls and women. Following the first five-year cycle, the Government of the People’s Republic of China renewed its support to the UNESCO Prize for Girls and Women’s Education for another five-year cycle since 2021.
The Prize contributes to the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda, particularly SDG goals 4 on education and 5 on gender equality. It also supports UNESCO’s global priorities included in the Medium-term Strategy 2014-2021 and the Gender Equality Action Plan 2014-2021 (GEAP II).
Nominations[edit]
Nominations are made by Governments of UNESCO Members States via their Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in official partnership with UNESCO.
Nominations are assessed by an international Jury on the basis of a comprehensive selection criteria including (1) impact, (2) innovation and (3) sustainability. The selection of laureates is made by the UNESCO Director-General based on the recommendation of the International Jury.
Laureates[edit]
2016[edit]
The two laureates of the first edition of the Prize were selected in 2016 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, on the basis of recommendations by an International Jury of experts. The two outstanding projects selected in 2016 were the Female Students Network Trust from Zimbabwe and the Directorate of Early Childhood Education Development from Indonesia, who received their award at an official ceremony in June 2016.
2017[edit]
The 2017 laureates included The Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities Center in the Greater Mekong Sub-Region (DEPDC/GMS) from Thailand and The Mini Academy of Science and Technology (MaCTec) from Peru. Both received their awards on the sidelines of the 9th BRICS Summit.[8][9]
2018[edit]
The 2018 laureates are the Misr El Kheir Foundation in Egypt and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation in Jamaica. Both have been awarded during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on the International Day of the Girl 2018.[10]
2019[edit]
The 2019 laureates are Sulá Batsú from Costa Rica and the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre, Spain for their project SKOLAE.They received their rewards during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on the International Day of the Girl 2019.
2020[edit]
The 2020 laureates are the Shilpa Sayura Foundation in Sri Lanka and the Girl Child Network from Kenya. They have been recognized through an online campaign linked to the International Day of the Girl Child of 2020.[11]
2021[edit]
The 2021 laureates are Girl MOVE Academy from Mozambique and {reprograma} from Brazil. They were recognized during an online award ceremony on 15 October 2021, held as part of UNESCO’s celebration of International Day of the Girl.[12]
2022[edit]
The 2022 laureates are Room to Read from Cambodia for its Girls’ Education Programme and Girls Livelihood and Mentorship Initiative (GLAMI) from Tanzania. Both have been awarded the prize during a ceremony held at UNESCO Headquarters on 11 October, as part of UNESCO’s celebration of the 10th International Day of the Girl Child.[13]
2023[edit]
The 2023 laureates are the China Children Trust Fund from China and the Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education in Pakistan. Both laureates received their award at a ceremony in China’s Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.[14]
References[edit]
- ^ "UNESCO Names Laureates For Its 2017 Prize For Girls And Women's Education". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "United Nations Girls' Education Initiative - News and Events - Nominations for 2017 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education now open". UNGEI. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "2017 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education (USD 50,000 Prize)". opportunitiesforafricans. March 9, 2017.
- ^ "UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education 2017". armacad.info. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education 2017 - Faculty of Agriculture - Mansoura University". agrfac.mans.edu.eg. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "UNESCO announces winners for Girls' and Women's Education Prize 2017". Jagranjosh.com. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "UIS". 2017.
- ^ "MaCTec Peru receives UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education | Noticias | Agencia Andina". www.andina.com.pe (in Spanish). Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ "Women literacy initiative wins Unesco prize". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
- ^ UNESCO, UNESCO (February 10, 2018). "Laureates from Jamaica and Egypt to receive the 2018 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education". UNESCO. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
- ^ "Sri Lanka and Kenya laureates to receive 2020 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education". UNESCO. Retrieved 2020-12-22.
- ^ UNESCO. "Laureates from Brazil and Mozambique receive 2021 UNESCO Prize for girls and women's education".
- ^ "2022 UNESCO Prize for Girls' and Women's Education: mentoring programmes from Cambodia and Tanzania chosen as laureates". UNESCO.org. 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ “UNESCO laureate China Children and Teenagers' Fund helps disadvantaged girls thrive through education”. “UNESCO laureate Pakistan Alliance for Girls Education helps girls overcome challenges to go to school”. UNESCO. Retrieved 2023-9-29.