UN Population Award Given to Bill & Melinda Gates and Asian Parliamentary Group

New York, March 9, 2010 – The United Nations today honored Bill and Melinda Gates and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development with its prestigious Population Awards, bestowed to recognize outstanding work in population and in improving the health of individuals.

Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders and co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, have long been working on global health and population issues under the premise that “all lives have equal value.” Mr. and Mrs. Gates have long focused on problems of maternal health and family planning in developing countries, and on identifying the root causes of these problems in order to find innovative solutions. Additionally, the Gates Foundation has championed the Millennium Development Goals.

The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), created in 1981, comprises 25 national parliamentarian committees and has offices in 13 countries. Its main goal, according to a report to the Award Committee, is to inform, educate, motivate and involve parliamentarians on issues related to reproductive health, family planning, food security, ageing, urbanization, migration, HIV and AIDS and women’s empowerment. AFPPD also helps prepare laws on the elimination of violence against women in Asian countries.

The UN Population Award, established by the UN General Assembly in 1981, was first presented in 1983, to Prime Minister Golda Meir of Israel. The award committee of 10 member states, chaired by Malaysia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Hamidon Ali, chose the 2010 winners from 28 international nominees. The awards are due to be presented on June 3, at the United Nations, New York.

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