Peter Laugharn, our president and CEO, highlights some exciting news about our upcoming Hilton Humanitarian Symposium and Prize Ceremony.
Dear Friends,
The Hilton Humanitarian Prize was created in 1996 to shine a light on organizations doing exemplary humanitarian work around the world. At $2 million, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize is the world’s largest annual humanitarian award, and is meant to shine a spotlight on organizations doing extraordinary work to alleviate human suffering.
We are delighted to award this year’s Hilton Humanitarian Prize to Bangladesh-based leading global health research institute icddr,b. Based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, icddr,b has had a profound impact on health crises and breakthroughs worldwide. For more than 50 years, they have been at the forefront of innovative, low-cost health solutions that have resulted in saving millions of lives globally.
icddr,b will receive $2 million in unrestricted funding, joining the list of 21 previous organizations that have received the Hilton Humanitarian Prize over the last two decades including most recently, The Task Force for Global Health, Landesa and Fountain House.
icddr,b will be presented with the Hilton Humanitarian Prize at this year’s Hilton Humanitarian Symposium and Prize Ceremony, taking place at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, October 11. “The Future of Humanitarian Action: Bridging Our Divides,” will be the theme of this year’s Symposium. The daylong conference will bring together thought leaders and humanitarians from around the world with a focus on reaching across borders, cultures and sectors to navigate an evolving humanitarian landscape. As today’s world is increasingly divided, our annual symposium serves as a gathering for thought leaders from various sectors to identify impactful ways to bridge divides and explore solutions to extraordinary challenges.
Each year, the Foundation reviews hundreds of nominations from notable nonprofits across the globe, and a distinguished panel of independent international jurors makes the final selection after a rigorous vetting process. Nominations for the 2018 Hilton Humanitarian Prize will be accepted from September 20 – October 18, 2017, and should be submitted through the Hilton Foundation website.
Jim Galbraith, one of our longest sitting board members at the Foundation, played a critical role in the conceptualization and inauguration of the Hilton Humanitarian Prize, awarding the very first Prize to Operation Smile in 1996. For the better part of the past 22 years, Jim has served on the seven-member international jury that selects the recipient of the annual $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. This year, Jim announced his retirement from the jury, and fellow Hilton Foundation board member Dr. Mark Rosenberg will step into his role. We are eternally grateful to Jim for his contribution to the Hilton Humanitarian Prize, helping to recognize organizations doing incredible work to alleviate human suffering.