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$1 MILLION ALCAN PRIZE AWARDED TO
UTTHAN
CENTRE IN INDIA
Rio Tinto Alcan and IBLF are pleased to announce that the 2007 recipient of the US$1 million
Alcan Prize for Sustainability is the Utthan Centre for Sustainable Development
and Poverty Alleviation, based in northern India.
The Utthan Centre was founded in 1996 in order to support the ecological, economic and social development of disadvantaged communities in south Asia.
"This funding and recognition is very significant for us",
said Dr. Tewari, President of the Utthan Centre for Sustainable Development
and Poverty Alleviation. "The money associated with the Alcan Prize
will allow us to do so much more for disadvantaged communities. But, perhaps
even more importantly, the recognition of our efforts on the international
stage will lead to learning and partnerships that we might not have been
able to access on our own."
"Utthan has made remarkable strides on
behalf of disadvantaged communities in India, and we're delighted to
think that the Alcan Prize might further advance the fine work this
organization does."
Corey Copeland, Senior Vice President
Communications and External Relations at Rio Tinto Alcan
IBLF is the managing partner of the $1 million Alcan Prize, which each year recognises NGOs, not-for-profit, and civil society organisations working to build sustainable societies around the world. Rio Tinto Alcan, the new name for Alcan following its acquisition by Rio Tinto, continues its sponsorship of the Prize.
Just a few of the achievements of the Utthan Centre
Identifying 'super clones' of Jatropha curcas, a plant used
to make biodiesel; with community involvement, the Utthan Centre developed propagation techniques
and demonstrated successful Jatropha growth on degraded lands with no
other economic use. Today, Jatropha cultivation has spread over an area
of more than one million hectares in South Asia, primarily in India.
Reclaiming 85,000 hectares of degraded land around cities,
directly benefiting 90,000 families by adopting a watershed development
program and promoting the planting of Bamboo, Jatropha, and medicinal
plants - thereby reducing the frequency of dust storms.
Immunizing 600,000 infants and children against six preventable diseases
and polio, and providing full health coverage to more than 300,000 people
in 96 villages of the Kaurihar block of Allahabad.
You can find out more about the Utthan Centre by visiting its website at http://www.sietalld.org/utthanindex.htm
"People working
in organisations like Utthan deserve to be recognised for their efforts
in helping make the world a better place. The Alcan Prize is a tangible
reward for Utthan's past achievement and an award to support their
future good work."
Adrian Hodges, Managing Director of IBLF
Previous winners of the Alcan Prize
Winner 2006: Barefoot College, India
The Barefoot College is the first and only college in rural India built
by the poor, run by the poor for the poor, and shows how technology can
be demystified and decentralised into the hands of the poor. The 'barefoot'
approach has been replicated in 13 States across India, and is now spreading
internationally as far away as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Sierra
Leone, Cameroon, Bolivia, Senegal and Mali.
Winner 2005: The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services, Pakistan
The Aga Khan Planning and Building Services (AKPBS) works to improve the
built environment, particularly housing design and construction, village
planning, natural hazard mitigation, environmental sanitation, water supplies,
and other living conditions. AKPBS achieves these goals through the provision
of material and technical assistance and construction management services
for rural and urban areas.
Winner 2004: Forest Stewardship Council, Germany
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) aims to promote environmentally responsible,
socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's
forests, by establishing recognised and respected forest stewardship standards
and a system for certifying and recognizing conformity with these standards.
Today, the most obvious indicator of success is the 42 million hectares
of forest that have been certified to FSC standards.
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