Press Release

OFID annnounces Annual Award recipient
HUMANA People to People to receive first Award

37/2006 May 9, 2006, Vienna, Austria
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The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has announced the recipient of its first Annual Award for Sustainable Development. The Award has been granted to Humana People to People, a non-governmental organization (NGO) engaged in activities to assist the poor and help improve conditions in less privileged parts of the world. Humana People to People is part of a federation network, “Development Aid from People to People,” founded in 1977 in Scandinavia.

Humana began operations as an ad hoc undertaking, collecting goods and food items from people in Denmark for refugee camps in Mozambique harboring Zimbabwean refugees, who had fled from former northern Rhodesia. Between 1980 and 1985, Humana expanded its efforts to cover other African countries – Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Zambia – as well as Scandinavian and other European countries. Humana is “committed to long-term sustainable development, including all aspects of human life.” In 2005, Humana was restructured. It is now domiciled in Geneva, Switzerland, while the international headquarters is still in Zimbabwe.

FID accorded the award in recognition of “Humana’s outstanding contributions to improving conditions of the poor, which demonstrates a valuable and diverse partnership for sustainable development.” The NGO will be presented with US$100,000 in a ceremony that will be held during the 27th Session of OFID’s Ministerial Council convening on June 13 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. OFID established the award to recognize valuable efforts at promoting sustainable development.