International advocacy organisation Global Citizen, today, announced the winners of the Global Citizen Prize 2022. Among the remarkable changemakers recognised for their efforts in shaping the world and the sustained impact they have created towards their pivotal work of fighting for social justice are frontline Nigerian activist and Executive Director of Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE), Yemi Adamolekun.
The coveted Global Citizen Prize 2022 shines a light on international activists who keep the world’s poor at the forefront of their campaigning and celebrates these individuals who have shown exceptional commitment to achieving the United Nations’ Global Goals. The prize seeks to identify unsung heroes in our local communities who have been championing and uplifting the most vulnerable.
According to a statement, this year’s global citizen prize 2022 will be recognised across three categories: to Defend the Planet, Defeat Poverty, and Demand Equity, with a focus on climate change, empowering adolescent girls, and breaking down systemic poverty barriers. With 2-3 changemaker awardees per category, the winners will receive a year-long programme of support from Global Citizen, together with a donation to their organization. Proud partners of the Global Citizen Prize 2022 include Cisco, Citi and P&G.
The Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022 honours people who go above and beyond to make the world a better place; people who inspire you to stand up and take action, and recognizes recipients making extraordinary efforts championing the vulnerable in our communities. Other awardees, besides Adamolekun, include: Anuscheh Amir-Khalili, Activist & Social Enterpreneur, Flamingo e.V (Germany): Barbie Izquierdo, Food Security Activist and Consultant (USA); Brianna Fruean, Climate Activist, Pacific Climate Warriors (Samoa), Khanyisile Motsa, Founder & Director, Berea-Hillbrow Home of Hope (South Africa); Mitzy Violeta Cortés Guzmán, Defender of the Earth, Futuros Indígenas Network (Mexico); Payzee Mahmod, Child Marriage Survivor & Campaigner, IKWRO – Women’s Rights Organisation (United Kingdom).
The Global Citizen Prize: Cisco Youth Leadership Award was established by Cisco and Global Citizen, to celebrate an individual aged 18-30 who has contributed meaningfully towards the goal of ending extreme poverty in their community, through their leadership, dedication, and innovation. The prize winner will receive a substantial donation to their organization to enable its continued growth. Candidates were judged, by a panel of representatives from Global Citizen, Cisco, and esteemed activists and leaders in the international development field, against five equally-weighted criteria, including impact, vision, catalyst, global citizenship, and technology innovation.
This year’s Cisco Youth Leadership Award winner is Nidhi Pant from India. Nidhi is a chemical engineer and co-founder of S4S Technologies, a farm-gate food processing platform that converts farm losses into value-added products through the intervention of sustainable solar-powered technology. The organization increases family incomes and empowers women to be climate champions and decision-makers by transforming women farmers into micro-entrepreneurs through access to app-enabled market linkage, solar technology, bancarization, and financing. S4S Technologies works with over 24,000 farmers and 800 female entrepreneurs to prevent 40,000 tons of produce from being wasted and saves 37,000 tons of CO2 annually.
“Addressing the world’s most pressing issues will require the innovative, passionate efforts of young entrepreneurs like Nidhi, leading the next generation of global leaders who will help usher in a more inclusive, sustainable future,” said Fran Katsoudas, EVP and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer of Cisco. “Cisco is proud to recognize and support Nidhi’s incredible work leveraging innovative technology solutions to reduce waste and empower women farmers and families across India.”
Liza Henshaw, President of Global Citizen said: “Global Citizen is honored to recognize these remarkable changemakers who have the vision, foresight and persistence to make meaningful strides towards building a better future through their pivotal work. Given the urgent need for innovative solutions to deal with the challenges of defending the planet, defeating poverty, and demanding equity, we need individuals like our awardees who are ready to take immediate action.”
The celebrated winners will be honoured at a prestigious intimate private dinner event, taking place on Sunday, May 22, in New York’s iconic Gotham Hall. The event recognizes the work of those making extraordinary efforts to change the world and an exclusive stream of the Global Citizen Prize event will air on YouTube and Twitter on June 2, 2022, at 12:00pm ET.
The awardees will also be in attendance at the Global Citizen NOW, a 2-day summit, held in New York City, from Sunday May 22, until Monday May 23. Global Citizen NOW will bring together 200 leaders across the private sector, advocacy, entertainment, government and philanthropy. Focused on impact, action and innovation, Global Citizen NOW’s dynamic program will feature fireside conversations and panel discussions married with visual arts and first-person story-telling from those at the forefront of Ending Extreme Poverty NOW.
Global Citizen NOW is supported by Cisco, Citi, Harith General Partners, P&G and Verizon.
For more information about the Global Citizen Prize: Citizen Award 2022, Cisco Youth Leadership Award, and Global Citizen NOW visit www.globalcitizen.org and follow @GlblCtzn Twitter, Facebook and Instagram using #GlobalCitizen.
Global Citizen is the world’s largest movement of action takers and impact makers dedicated to ending extreme poverty NOW. We post, tweet, message, vote, sign, and call to inspire those who can make things happen — government leaders, businesses, philanthropists, artists, and citizens — together improving lives. By downloading our app, Global Citizens learn about the systemic causes of extreme poverty, take action on those issues, and earn rewards, which can be redeemed for tickets to concerts, events, and experiences all over the world. For more information, visit www.globalcitizen.org and follow @GlblCtzn.