Jeddah,5th March 2013, Three enterprising women respectively from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia and a woman-led organization from Pakistan have been selected for the award of the IDB Prizes (8th Edition) for Women’s Contribution to Development for the year 1434H/2013, announced Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, Chairman, IDB Group. The selection process for the Prizes was overseen by a committee of expert women from different parts of the Muslim World.

The themes for this year’s Prizes were “Women’s Management of Natural Resources for Development” for the individual category and “Women’s Role in Environmental Leadership” for the organizational category.

According to the decision of the selection committee, the individual category Prize of US$ 50,000 of US cash award will be equally shared among the three winners. These are:
Mrs. Seidaliyeva Balikhiya Amzeevna (Kazakhstan) for her innovative solution to restore the vitality of chemically affected soils by creating an eco-fertilizer produced from mining waste. Professor Mrs. Pervin Mammadova (Azerbaijan) for her invention in biotechnology to neutralize oil polluted soils; and Mrs. Tri Mumpuni (Indonesia) for her innovative and practical application of renewable energy in the remote villages of Indonesia.

The organizational category Prize has been awarded to the Heritage Foundation of Pakistan in recognition of the organization’s use of earthquake proof and flood resistant eco-construction techniques in disaster prone areas in the remote regions of Pakistan. This unique technique has facilitated women’s active participation in the development of their communities.

The IDB Prizes for Women’s Contribution to Development were established in 1427H (2006G) to draw international attention to the vital role women play in developing their communities and the world. The Prizes will be awarded to the laureates by the Chairman of the IDB Board of Governors at a special ceremony to be held on the occasion of the 38th Annual Meeting of the IDB Board of Governors in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, during 21-22 May 2013.