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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced winners of its Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards. The move is part of its annual Goalkeepers campaign.
The Foundation said it recognised the work of four change-makers to advance progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in their communities and around the world.
In a statement, the Foundation disclosed the winners to include Radhika Batra, co-founder of the non-profit organisation, Every Infant Matters, which provides last-mile health solutions to disadvantaged children in India.
Zahra Joya, journalist from Afghanistan who founded and self-funded Rukhshana Media, an online news agency, focused exclusively on covering issues that affect the women of Afghanistan.
Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist from Uganda and founder of the Africa-based Rise Up Movement and the Green Schools Project Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.
According to the statement, the winners were announced at the Goalkeepers awards ceremony attended by global leaders, influencers, and change-makers.
It was hosted by Tumelo Mothotoane, senior anchor at South African news broadcaster eNCA. Award presenters included Malala Fund co-founder and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Malala Yousafzai; and entertainer and founder of Unicorn Island, Lilly Singh. The ceremony featured special performances by George, the Poet and Grammy-nominated singer and performer, Somi.
Blessing Omakwu, head of Goalkeepers said: “While the world is far from being on track to reach the Global Goals by 2030, there is still cause for optimism. We’ve seen how human ingenuity and innovation can lead to game-changing breakthroughs and progress toward our shared goals, and that’s exactly what we see in this year’s Goalkeepers Global Goals Award winners.
“Each show us how women are leading the way in coming up with the innovative solutions to move the numbers in the right direction, so that more people can lead healthy and productive lives.”
The 2022 Global Goalkeeper Award, which was presented by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, recognises a leader who has driven progress on a global scale toward achieving the SDGs.
“This year’s award was presented to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, who has shown determination in leading both the EU and global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, from crisis management to long-term recovery efforts.
“A champion of global health and equitable access, von der Leyen was instrumental in the creation of ACT-A, a global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.
“She led the efforts of the European Union to support lower-income countries in responding to and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, including a commitment of €1 billion from the EU to boost manufacturing capacity in Africa in order to increase access to vaccines, medicines, and health technologies.
“In June 2020, at the Global Vaccine Summit, von der Leyen also announced a new European Commission’s contribution of €300 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This is more than the sum of all previous EU contributions to Gavi,” the statement further read.
