In 2016, the Global Citizen Award honored humanitarian and founder of the Gift of the Givers Foundation, Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman*. Since the start of the Foundation in August 1992, Dr. Sooliman has grown the Gift of the Givers into Africa’s largest disaster relief organization, raising more than USD 155 million in life-saving aid for 42 countries around the world. His team of 200 provides medical assistance, equipment, supplies, food and water to millions of people each year.
Could we see another South African (or Port Elizabethan) win this year?
Global residence and citizenship advisory firm Henley & Partners is proud to announce the call for nominations for the 2017 Global Citizen Award. The Award was established to pay tribute to individuals who have worked towards improving and supporting the global community, and whose actions or thinking have contributed to a more just, peaceful and tolerant world.
The 2017 laureate will be selected by a seven-member Award Committee and honored at the annual Henley & Partners Global Residence and Citizenship Conference, which will be held this year in Hong Kong on Thursday, 16 November 2017.
The Award Committee is comprised of the following members:
- Her Royal Highness Princess Firyal of Jordan
- Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, President of the Republic of Malta
- Senator Joëlle Garriaud-Maylam, Secretary of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces, Senate of France
- Professor Dr. Khalid Koser OBE, Executive Director of GCERF and Vice-Chairman of the Advisory Council on Migration, World Economic Forum, Geneva
- Fr. Dr. Marek Urban CSsR, Councilor of the Henley & Partners Foundation, Krakow
- Namira Salim, Artist, Polar Explorer and Virgin Galactic Founder Astronaut, Monaco
- Leigh Foster, Chief of Events, Campaigns and Goodwill Ambassadors, UNHCR, Geneva
Paola De Leo, Henley & Partners’ Head of Philanthropy, says the committee is looking for an inspirational individual who demonstrates extraordinary vision, courage and commitment in contributing to the advancement of a global issue, whether this is social, political or environmental. “Global issues are defined by the United Nations as issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. They require a concerted action at a global level by governments, international organizations and civil society. The awardee’s work should not remain purely academic, but needs to demonstrate a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable groups in society,” she says.
The selection process is confidential and made by a majority decision. The Award itself consists of a specially-made commemorative medal, an Award Certificate signed by the President of the Award Committee and a USD 50,000 monetary prize, of which USD 25,000 is used in support of the longstanding partnership between Henley & Partners and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Since its inception in 2015, the Global Citizen Award has honored two worthy recipients. The first laureate was German entrepreneur, Harald Höppner, who founded the refugee humanitarian aid project Sea Watch which has rescued many thousands of desperate migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea to reach European Union shores. Over the past year, Sea Watch has raised more than EUR 1 million in donations, purchased a new rescue ship, bought a new plane that facilitates the search for castaways, and has launched a second rescue base on the Greek island of Lesbos.
De Leo says both previous awardees have been in some way connected to the refugee cause but Henley & Partners would welcome nominations from anyone who is making a significant impact on the world’s most vulnerable communities. “Forced migration and refugees have for many years been the focus of our philanthropy efforts, but equally relevant global causes that we would like to honor would be women and girls’ empowerment and child welfare, climate change, as well as water and food security.”
To submit nominations for the 2017 Global Citizen Award, please visit henleyglobal.com/the-global-citizen-award/. Nominations close on 31 July 2017.
* Imtiaz Ismail Sooliman was born on 7 March 1962 in Potchefstroom in the North-West. He matriculated at Sastri College in Durban in 1978 and went on to qualify as a medical doctor at the University of Natal Medical School in 1984. After that he commenced private practice in Pietermaritzburg in 1986. He then decided to terminate his practice in June 1994 to concentrate fully on Gift of the Givers Foundation (GOTG) which he founded on 6 August 1992.
He then developed GOTG into one of the world’s most respectable humanitarian organisations. It is the largest disaster response agency of African origin on the African continent and implements 21 different categories of projects. In it’s 24 year history has delivered 1.8 billion Rand of aid to millions of people in 42 countries, including South Africa.
Gift of the Givers is the only organisation in South Africa to have received Awards from two successive South African Presidents, including the President’s Order of the Star of South Africa (the highest civilian award in the country). Some of the other awards received include the Four Outstanding Young South Africans Award, Lenasia Human Rights Award, the Community Service Award from Rotary and the Paul Harris Award, also from Rotary. In 2006 GOTG received a Presidential Award from Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, for the Pakistan earthquake. The GOTG Eikenhof Clinic won the Gauteng Department of Health Khanyisa Award. In 2010 President Jacob Zuma honoured Dr Sooliman with the Order of the Grand Counsellor of the Baobab: Silver award.
Alan Straton
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