Winners of King Faisal Prize 2023 honored in Riyadh

Prince Faisal bin Bandar represented King Salman at the ceremony to award the King Faisal Prize 2023 to the winners at the ceremony held in Riyadh on Monday. (Supplied)
1 / 2
Prince Faisal bin Bandar represented King Salman at the ceremony to award the King Faisal Prize 2023 to the winners at the ceremony held in Riyadh on Monday. (Supplied)
Winners of King Faisal Prize 2023 honored in Riyadh
2 / 2
Prince Faisal bin Bandar represented King Salman at the ceremony to award the King Faisal Prize 2023 to the winners at the ceremony held in Riyadh on Monday. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 21 March 2023

Winners of King Faisal Prize 2023 honored in Riyadh

Winners of King Faisal Prize 2023 honored in Riyadh
  • Ceremony held in Riyadh under auspices of King Salman
  • An Emirati, a Moroccan, a South Korean, two Brits and three Americans were honored with the King Faisal Prize 2023

RIYADH: They served people and enriched humanity with their pioneering work so deserve to be honored and recognized for their distinguished efforts, the King Faisal Foundation said when honoring the winners of the King Faisal Prize 2023.

A glittering award ceremony was held in Riyadh on Monday under the patronage of King Salman, and on his behalf, Prince Faisal bin Bandar, governor of Riyadh Region, attended the ceremony for handing over the King Faisal Prize to the winners this year.

The annual awards are the most prestigious in the Muslim world and recognize outstanding achievement in services to Islam, Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine and science.




Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying. (Twitter @KingFaisalPrize)

This year an Emirati, a Moroccan, a South Korean, two Brits and three Americans won the prestigious prize, which in its 45th session recognized COVID-19 vaccine developers, nanotechnology scientists and eminent figures in Arabic language and literature, Islamic studies, and service to Islam.

The prize for service to Islam was awarded jointly to Shaikh Nasser bin Abdullah of the UAE and Professor Choi Young Kil-Hamed from South Korea.

The prize for Islamic studies was awarded to Professor Robert Hillenbrand from the UK.




Professor Dan Hung Barouch. (Twitter @KingFaisalPrize)

The prize for Arabic language and literature was awarded to Professor Abdelfattah Kilito of Morocco.

The prize for medicine was awarded jointly to Professor Dan Hung Barouch from the US and Professor Sarah Catherine Gilbert from the UK.

In his acceptance speech, Barouch said, “The Ad26 vaccine for COVID-19 demonstrated robust efficacy in humans, even after a single shot, and showed continued protection against virus variants that emerged. This vaccine has been rolled out across the world by the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, and over 200 million people have received this vaccine, particularly in the developing world.”




Professor Chad Alexander Mirkin. (Twitter @KingFaisalPrize)

Gilbert said that she was “humbled to join the other 2023 laureates, and to follow-in the footsteps of the men and women whose work has been recognized by the foundation for more than four decades. This award is in recognition of my work to co-create a vaccine for COVID-19. A low-cost, accessible, efficacious vaccine that has now been used in more than 180 countries and is estimated to have saved more than six million lives by the start of 2022.”

The prize for science was awarded jointly to Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying and Professor Chad Alexander Mirkin, both from the US.

Ying’s research focuses on synthesis of advanced nano materials and systems, and their application in biomedicine, energy conversion and catalysis.

Her inventions have been used to solve challenges in different fields of medicine, chemistry and energy. Her development of stimuli-responsive polymeric nanoparticles led to a technology that can autoregulate the release of insulin, depending on the blood glucose levels in diabetic patients, without the need for external blood glucose monitoring.

“I am deeply honored to be receiving the King Faisal prize in science, especially as the first female recipient of this award,” she said in her acceptance speech.

This year two women scientists have been honored as winners of the King Faisal Prize for medicine and science categories.

The woman behind the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, Professor Sarah Gilbert, the Saïd chair of vaccinology in the Nuffield department of Medicine at Oxford University, was honored with the medicine award.

The other woman scientist honored with the King Faisal Prize in science is Professor Jackie Yi-Ru Ying; the A-star senior fellow and director at NanoBio Lab, Agency for Science, Technology and Research. She is a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and was chosen for her work on the synthesis of advanced nanomaterials and systems, and their applications in catalysis, energy conversion and biomedicine.

The King Faisal Prize was established in 1977. The prize was granted for the first time in 1979 in three categories: Service to Islam, Islamic studies and Arabic language and literature. Two additional categories were introduced in 1981: Medicine and science. The first medicine prize was awarded in 1982, and in science two years later.

Since 1979, the King Faisal Prize in its different categories has awarded 290 laureates who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes.

Each prize laureate is given $200,000 (SR750,000); a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, a certificate inscribed with the laureate’s name and a summary of their work that qualified them for the prize, and the certificate signed by chairman of the prize board, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal.

 

 


Saudi Arabia highlights aid work at Oslo conference on protecting children in armed conflict

Saudi Arabia highlights aid work at Oslo conference on protecting children in armed conflict
Updated 17 sec ago

Saudi Arabia highlights aid work at Oslo conference on protecting children in armed conflict

Saudi Arabia highlights aid work at Oslo conference on protecting children in armed conflict
  • KSrelief led the Saudi delegation, headed by Dr. Hana Omar
  • Over 800 projects benefited 163m children, at cost of $800m

OSLO: Saudi Arabia participated in the international conference “Protecting Children in Armed Conflict – Our Common Future” held recently in Oslo, Norway.
The Saudi delegation was led by the nation’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, or KSrelief, represented by Dr. Hana Omar, director of the Community Support Department and acting director of the Partnerships and International Relations Department.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the conference with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and Save the Children International.
Participants discussed the main challenges facing children in armed conflict, as the Norwegian foreign minister pledged NOK1 billion ($90.74 million) over three years.
KSrelief is working across the world to help educate and protect children in conflict-ridden areas, said Omar during the plenary session.
Omar later told Arab News that KSrelief provides psychological and mental health programs for children with disabilities and orphans, and creates awareness in communities about the importance of children’s rights, including being aware of attempts to recruit them as soldiers, and the dangers of mines.
These projects are delivered in cooperation with partners in the UN and local organizations, according to international humanitarian law, she said.
“Until today, more than 800 projects have benefited more than 163 million children with a cost of over $800 million,” she said.
A unit for the protection of children was established in the joint forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen, and a memorandum of understanding was signed in 2019 with the Office of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
The Saudi delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Human Rights Commission, and the Child Protection Unit of the Joint Forces of the Coalition to Support Legitimacy in Yemen.
Omar said: “KSrelief also offers a project for the reintegration of children formerly associated with the armed conflict since 2017 due to the increased number of child recruitment and ideological indoctrination campaigns by militias in Yemen.”
In Yemen, due to the rising number of mines, KSrelief has implemented a humanitarian clearance project since 2018. “To date, nearly 400,000 mines have been removed, benefiting more than 29 million people, including children,” said Omar.
She added that four centers are being supported for prostheses and training for local medical personnel. “Approximately 47,000 artificial limbs were installed and rehabilitated, including 8,358 for children, most of whom were affected by mines.”
The conference is in partnership with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs or OCHA, the African Union, the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and the Child Protection Alliance in Humanitarian Action.
 


Blinken expresses concern over Houthi actions during meeting with Yemeni leader

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi in Riyadh. (@SecBlinken)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi in Riyadh. (@SecBlinken)
Updated 08 June 2023

Blinken expresses concern over Houthi actions during meeting with Yemeni leader

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi in Riyadh. (@SecBlinken)
  • Blinken welcomed the Presidential Leadership Council’s continued support for UN-led peace efforts and for measures to bring immediate relief to Yemenis

RIYADH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern on Thursday with actions by the Houthi militia that are cutting Yemenis off from resources and impeding the flow of goods inside of Yemen.

During a meeting in Riyadh with the president of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council Rashad Al-Alimi, Blinken said parties to the conflict in the country must “come together to reach a new, more comprehensive agreement to end the war.”

The secretary of state welcomed the Presidential Leadership Council’s continued support for UN-led peace efforts and for measures to bring immediate relief to Yemenis.

He also reiterated that a UN-led peace process will give Yemenis the opportunity to address critical questions facing the country, durably resolve the conflict, and chart a brighter future for Yemen.


Saudi environment minister meets Jordanian PM

Saudi environment minister meets Jordanian PM
Updated 08 June 2023

Saudi environment minister meets Jordanian PM

Saudi environment minister meets Jordanian PM
  • Ministers affirmed the strength of Saudi-Jordanian relations

AMMAN: Saudi Arabia’s Environment Minister Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli met Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh in Amman on Thursday, Jordan News Agency reported. 

They discussed ways to boost cooperation in agriculture and on the environment and water as well as prospects for integration, trade, and knowledge exchange. It also reviewed food and water security challenges.

The ministers also affirmed the strength of Saudi-Jordanian relations, which are overseen by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as well as Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah. 

Khasawneh said Jordan and its people wanted to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia. He also highlighted King Abdullah's progressive approach to regional and global food security, encouraging governments to collaborate and leverage their strengths, particularly given the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

Al-Fadli said there were numerous opportunities for cooperation with Jordan in agriculture and on matters of the environment and water. 

The meeting was also attended by Jordan’s Agriculture Minister Khaled Hneifat and Saudi Ambassador in Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi.
 


Saudi and Norwegian foreign ministers hold talks on sidelines of anti-Daesh coalition meeting

Saudi and Norwegian foreign ministers hold talks on sidelines of anti-Daesh coalition meeting
Updated 08 June 2023

Saudi and Norwegian foreign ministers hold talks on sidelines of anti-Daesh coalition meeting

Saudi and Norwegian foreign ministers hold talks on sidelines of anti-Daesh coalition meeting
  • Huitfeldt said she appreciated the opportunity to discuss cooperation between Norway and Saudi Arabia

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met his Norwegian counterpart, Anniken Huitfeldt, on the sidelines of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh’s ministerial meeting in Riyadh.

They reviewed bilateral relations between their countries and ways in which they might be enhanced, the Saudi Press Agency reported, and discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern, and important issues raised during the ministerial meeting.

In a message posted on Twitter on Thursday, Huitfeldt said she appreciated the opportunity to discuss cooperation between Norway and Saudi Arabia, the energy sector, human rights, regional development and stability, and the situations in Sudan, Yemen, Israel and Palestine.

Also present at the meeting were Saud Al-Sati, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Abdulrahman Al-Daoud, director-general of the foreign minister’s office.
 


Holy sites ready to receive Hajj pilgrims

Holy sites ready to receive Hajj pilgrims
Updated 08 June 2023

Holy sites ready to receive Hajj pilgrims

Holy sites ready to receive Hajj pilgrims
  • High-quality tents erected in Makkah, Madinah to accommodate visitors
  • Madinah recruits 9,900 people to ensure plans run smoothly

JEDDAH: Authorities in Makkah and Madinah have erected new, high-quality tents as part of their preparations to welcome pilgrims to the holy sites for the upcoming Hajj season.

Fitted with a special cooling system, the facilities will provide visitors with a pleasant and safe environment in which to perform their rituals, as well as offering all the support services they need.

Makkah Municipality said it had created 28 service centers, which will be fully staffed and equipped, while the Municipality of Madinah said it too had completed its preparations and was ready to implement its operational plan for the Hajj season.

Authorities in Madinah said they had recruited more than 9,900 people and would use over 800 pieces of equipment to help deliver their plan, which is focused mainly on the central area, residential neighborhoods, mosques, historical sites, markets and event zones.

They said they had also inspected fuel and service stations, barbershops and women’s hair salons, markets and street vendors to ensure high levels of hygiene.

Plans had also been put in place to tackle any emergencies that might arise during the pilgrimage season, the authorities said.