Jeddah, 14.1. 2009
– The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has signed recently an agreement with Dar Al-Hekma College to process the nominations for the annual prize established by the Bank to recognize individual women and women’s organizations for their contribution to the welfare and advancement of women and their societies. The collaboration will utilize the expertise of Dar Al-Hekma’s faculty and staff in the development of criteria to screen the project nominations received from IDB member countries and Muslim communities in non-member countries. Dar Al-Hekma College will provide the Bank with a shortlist and comprehensive report on the strongest nominations eligible for the grand prizes.

The award, which aims to recognize, reward and encourage the accomplishment of outstanding merit resulting in integrating women in the development process, has two categories; US$50,000 for individuals and US$100,000 for organizations. Each year, a different theme is developed to recognize and award achievements in various fields. This year’s theme for individuals and organizations is Women’s Contribution to the Community Services for Women. Past themes included healthcare and maternity programs, education, and entrepreneurship. For more information visit www.isdb.org.

This year’s agreement marks the award’s fourth season. First established in 2006, the nominations were received from numerous member countries and individuals and organizations from various countries have since won the award including those located in Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Iran, Palestine, Burkina Faso, and Kyrgyzstan, among others.

The IDB is an international Islamic financial institution, formally opened in 1975 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The purpose of the IDB is to foster economic development and social progress of member countries (56) and Muslim communities in non-member countries in accordance with the principles of Shariah (Islamic Law).

Dar Al-Hekma is a leading private college for women in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.