Prince Talal bin Abdul Aziz, President of the Arabian Gulf Fund for Supporting the United Nations Development Organization (AGFUND), today awarded the AGFUND International Prize for Pioneering Development Projects for 2003, worth $300,000, to winning projects.
Prince Talal delivered a speech, in which he called for peace and development in all countries of the world.
The prize was won by a number of projects aimed at supporting women and children and preventing poverty.
In a statement following the prize giving, Prince Talal said that the prize promotes creativity and innovation in the provision of humanitarian services.
In response to a question on accusations in the Western media that Islamic charities have links with terrorist organizations, Prince Talal said that the Islamic faith strongly urges helping the poor, and the duty of the authorities is to prevent the money solicited from donors reaching terrorist cells.
He said that Iraq, which was a member of AGFUND prior to the regime of Saddam Hussein, has the right to join AGFUND.
Prince Talal lauded the Indian example of democracy in the developing world.
Source: SPA
