People
U.N. Names Winners of First Nelson Mandela Prize
The winners of the first-ever United Nations Nelson
Rolihlahla Mandela Prize were announced recently by
General Assembly President Sam Kutesa, 25 years to the
day that Mandela addressed the U.N. General Assembly to
denounce apartheid in his home country of South Africa.
They are Dr. Helena Ndume of Namibia, and Jorge
Sampaio of Portugal.
The Prize was established in June 2014 by the General
Assembly to recognize the achievements of those
who dedicate their lives to the service of humanity by
promoting the purposes and principles of the United
Nations, while honouring and paying homage to Nelson
Mandela’s extraordinary life and legacy of reconciliation,
political transition, and social transformation.
Dr. Ndume is a Namibian
ophthalmologist, widely renowned
for her charitable work among
sufferers of eye-related illnesses in
Namibia. Dr. Ndume has ensured
that some 30,000 blind Namibians
have received eye surgery and
are fitted with intra-ocular lens
implants free of charge.
Dr. Helena Ndume
She is currently the head of the
ophthalmology department at Windhoek Central Hospital,
Namibia’s largest hospital, and is one of only six Namibian
ophthalmologists. Ndume has also set up eye camps in
Angola, working with international organizations to bring
eye surgery to the country’s poor.
Jorge Sampaio is a Portuguese
lawyer and politician who was
president of Portugal from 1996
to 2006. He became a leader in
the struggle for the restoration
of democracy in his country, and
also served as deputy minister for
external cooperation and as mayor
of Lisbon from 1989 to 1995.
Jorge Sampaio He is a strong advocate of the
European integration project,
actively supported its enlargement to all democratic
countries in Europe as well as to Turkey, and played an
active role in engaging ordinary people, in particular youth,
in public debates on European affairs.
The award ceremony will take place on July 24 at United
Nations Headquarters in New York. It will be part of
the annual commemoration by the General Assembly of
Nelson Mandela International Day.
26
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • July - August 2015
AfDB President Kaberuka pays farewell visit to
Kenya
African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka
concluded his East African tour with a farewell meeting
with Kenya’s Head of State, Uhuru Kenyatta, on June 25.
Kaberuka’s decade-long term in office comes to an end
in two months. He thanked the Kenyan Government for
its support. “The mission for which Kenya sponsored me
has been done to my best ability. We even make mistakes,
but that is the nature of leadership. We have learnt lessons
both ways,” he said.
Kaberuka talked about the Bank’s activities in Kenya,
saying they were mostly concentrated on infrastructure.
“The results show our money is well spent,” he noted. The
Bank’s portfolio in the country is US $2.2 billion.
He lauded the country’s efforts in improving economic
growth in the face of security challenges. Kenya faces
security challenges arising from political instability in
neighbouring South Sudan and Somalia, in particular
terrorist activities carried out by groups such as AlShabaab, according to the African Economic Outlook.
In spite of this, economic growth has grown from 4.9
percent in 2013 to 5.7 percent in 2014, and is projected to
rise to 6.5 percent in 2015.
President Kenyatta lauded the Bank’s support, which
he said was heightened during Kaberuka’s tenure. “This
assistance has played a major role in helping the country
achieve its development agenda.”
UNEP Executive Director and IUCN Director
General Meet with Environmental and Sustainable
Development NGOs
UN Photo/Mark Garten
New York, 30 June 2015 - United Nations Environment
Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner and