Prince Rahim in various countries / AKFED work / AKDN

Activities of the Imam and the Noorani family.
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“Mubarak…Khushamadeed”: A Poem for Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Ms. Kendra Spears

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Prince Rahim at Udaipur 15 July 2012 with Ms. Kendra spears

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Visit of HH Prince Rahim Aga Khan
On the 15th July HH Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Ms. Kendra Spears visited The
City Palace Museum, Udaipur where he was greeted by Mr. Bhupendra Singh
Auwa, Deputy Secretary MMCF - Administration, Udaipur. In the visitors book
HH wrote "Thanks you for an absolutely incredible tour. It has been a most
fascinating, enlightening experience which I will not forget". HH also
visited the Crystal Gallery at Fateh Prakash Palace, Udaipur where he was
greeted by Mr. Adityaveer Singh, GMGO, Group Operations, HRH Group of
Hotels, Udaipur.
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http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/columns/bibby-sowray/

American supermodel Kendra Spears is set to become a Princess as she announces her engagement to Prince Rahim Aga Khan, eldest son of Aga Khan IV.

Kendra Spears has been dubbed the 'mini Cindy Crawford' thanks to her brunette locks and a mole on her upper lip similar to that of famous supermodel - but now she's set to have a whole new identity: Princess.
Related articles

The 24-year-old American has become engaged to 42-year-old Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the eldest son of His Highness Aga Khan IV, the current Imam of Shia Ismaili Muslims. Although the fact that they were courting seems to have gone under the radar, the Aga Khan Development Network released a statement announcing their engagement on Friday, in which it is stated that "The couple will be married in a Muslim ceremony. The date of the marriage has not been set yet." The announcement was accompanied by official photographs of the couple in which Spears wears a conservative blue dress and flashes her large diamond ring. Spears later confirmed the news, tweeting "Thank you all for the kind tweets! We're very excited! :)"
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How Muslims Can Harness the Creativity of Our Knowledge Society to Impact Humanity

By Prince Rahim Aga Khan

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pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/iphone/homepage.aspx#_articleb8d9f827-cf1e-473b-b4c0-cb767a1eadda/waarticleb8d9f827-cf1e-473b-b4c0-cb767a1eadda/b8d9f827-cf1e-473b-b4c0-cb767a1eadda//true


Calgary Herald
Canada

Sat, 25 Apr 2015


ROBERT REMINGTON FOR THE CALGARY HERALD Robert Remington is a former Herald editorial writer and columnist.

LEARNING ON HIGH

Calgary charity helps Aga Khan fight extremism one school at a time

Our world is getting more complicated. What we need are the fundamental values … represented by the Aga Khan.

I am standing on the banks of the Panj River looking at the dystopian nightmare of Afghanistan. It is a brilliant spring day in the snow-capped Pamir Mountains, with trees starting to bud from the warmth of the sun. The citizens of bustling Khorog, dressed in a colourful melange of western and traditional clothing, congregate around an outdoor market on the Tajikistan side of the river.

Trucks and shiny vehicles whiz through town. A palpable mood of prosperity hangs in the clear mountain air of Khorog, fuelled by construction of the University of Central Asia, a daring, seemingly illogical project by the resolute Aga Khan Development Network. On the Afghanistan side, it is quiet. I see nobody, only a forlorn collection of drab stone houses set on a rocky moonscape at the base of a snow-capped mountain.

Jim Gray and a small group of Calgary visitors are impressed by the scope of the project. The Khorog campus of University of Central Asia is being built at an elevation of 2,200 metres — about the same altitude as Mount Assiniboine Lodge in the Canadian Rockies west of Calgary, but in a landscape so remote it takes 14 hours to get here by road from the modern Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe. We arrived on a small Russian Antonov AN-28 aircraft through rugged mountain peaks on a 90-minute fight that the Lonely Planet guidebook describes as either one of the “most exhilarating or terrifying” experiences of your life.

The Khorog site is one of three high-mountain campuses of the University of Central Asia being built by the Aga Khan network in remote areas of Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan at historical crossroads along the ancient Silk Road. Gray, the legendary Calgary oilman and philanthropist, has been involved with the Aga Khan network for more than a decade after raising $5 million from 125 Calgary donors — funds matched by the Canadian government — to kick-start an Aga Khan teacher training institute in East Africa. Gray has since visited Aga Khan projects in Pakistan and Africa, and this month completed his fifth such trip to see Aga Khan projects in India and Central Asia, including Khorog.

“To me, the Aga Khan sets the gold standard for international development,” Gray says.

As he learns more about the organization, he is astounded by its scope and reach. The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has tentacles in 30 nations, driven by an ethic to bring education, health and economic development to the poorest regions of the world.

Motivated by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, Gray and a key group of Calgarians — businessmen Sherali Saju and Chris Robb and lawyer Brian Felesky — chose to partner with the AKDN after determining it was the best organization in which to invest as a means of combating poverty, disease and radical fundamentalism that have given rise to genocidal terrorists like ISIS, al- Qaida and Boko Haram.

While those organizations are razing ancient monuments, killing ‘infidels,’ subjugating women and suppressing culture and music, the Aga Khan’s progressive Shiite branch of Islam is restoring archeological sites to United Nations World Heritage site status, partnering with the Smithsonian Institution to record and preserve traditional dance and music, providing non-secular education for thousands, engaging in rural development and investing in everything from hydroelectric projects to brickyards in its mission to support impoverished communities in some of the most difficult regions of the world.

The organization is a beacon against those who condemn Islam because of the actions of extremists who promote terrorism in its name. A small but striking example of the Aga Khan’s intervention to prevent radicalism was evident when the Calgary group visited a marginalized Muslim neighbourhood of Hyderabad, India, where the Aga Khan’s education arm is running an outreach program for high school dropouts. I saw young Muslim men being taught not just core subjects, but also learning the Aga Khan’s values of religious tolerance, gender equality and pluralism.

Guided by the ethical principles of the spiritual leader of world’s Ismaili Muslims, the Swiss-born, British-raised billionaire Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, the Aga Khan Development Network quietly pursues its principles with no regard to faith, origin or gender. It does not run TV ads seeking support to assist its work of eliminating child poverty or building its non-denominational network of 325 schools, two universities, 11 hospitals and 195 health clinics in 30 countries. It relies instead on support from the Ismaili community, grants from donor nations and profits generated by its worldwide business empire.

Because of its low-profile philosophy of letting its work speak for itself, the organization remains an enigma to many despite an average annual budget of $600 million US for its non-profit development activities. Its economic stakes in some 90 companies generated revenues of $3.5 billion US in 2013, with surpluses reinvested in further development activities.

In an empire so vast, the money raised by the Calgary group — known as Awali from the Swahili word for ‘the beginning’ — seems almost insignificant. But as the only group of private donors to the Aga Khan network, the Calgary group’s contribution has not gone unnoticed.

“This is one of the most remarkable groups of men and women I have ever met,” says Shamsh Kassim-Lakah, the Aga Khan diplomatic representative in Central Asia, one of 10 regions where the Aga Khan organization holds diplomatic status.

He is amazed Gray and group members travel at their own expense to view Aga Khan projects in some of the world’s most remote and challenging places.

I have travelled with Gray and other members of the group three times. I have walked with them through the slums of Karachi, Delhi and Nairobi and seen them moved to tears by Aga Khan contributions in the developing world.

The organization employs 80,000 people, more than 90 per cent of whom are non-Ismaili. Among them is Bohdan Krawchenko, former director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta. He joined the University of Central Asia as director general a decade ago after seeing an ad in The Economist.

“I thought it was an audacious, mad idea,” he says of the remote mountain university project. “I thought that anybody who can think of such a mad idea must be worth working for.”

If the University of Central Asia can make a difference on the frontiers of radicalism, it can’t be soon enough. A week after the Calgary group visited Khorog, about 30 members of the Afghan National Army were killed in an attack by Taliban and ISIS affiliated militants in the Jurm district of Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province, about a six-hour drive through the mountains. The Afghan army was carrying out counter-attacks and was planning a major offensive in the region, according to a statement last week by Afghan Deputy Defence Ministry spokesman Gen. Dawlat Waziri.

Although unaware of the incident when we last spoke, Gray would likely say the attack is grim reminder why the Aga Khan’s work is so vital in the region.

“Our world is getting more violent. Our world is getting more complicated. What we need are the fundamental values that are represented by the Aga Khan.”
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Part 2 of the article posted above...

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-new ... ntral-asia

Calgary group brings hope to Central Asia

The craggy, geologically young mountains below me are said to be the soul of Kyrgyzstan. They are the highest ranges in Central Asia, covering 93 per cent of the country. Those who attempt to tame its steep valleys cling precariously to terraced slopes. In its high meadows, nomadic cattle herders have worked this wild landscape for more than 2,000 years.

It is early April as we fly from the Kyrgyzstan capital of Bishkek over the breathtaking ranges of the so-called Celestial Mountains. It has been a mild winter, allowing cattle to be moved early to the jailoo, or summer, pastures used by local herdsmen.

Occasionally we glimpse rural Kyrgyzstan’s “cities of the dead” walled ancestral cemeteries with ornate, domed mausoleums and minarets, necropolises standing like ghost towns on the remote landscape.

Our helicopter descends into the Naryn Valley, where we get our first glimpse of the site of the campus of the unlikely University of Central Asia. My initial impression is that His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV — or simply “HH” as some of his followers call him — has lost his senses.

Who in their right mind would build a high-altitude university in the poorest and most remote region of little-known Kyrgyzstan, a campus complete with its own water reservoir, geothermal heating system, soccer field and interconnected buildings to protect students against the area’s harsh winters? At the campus construction site, fences have been erected to keep out the cattle that wander freely through town.

Two similar campuses are also under construction by the Aga Khan in Khorog,Tajikistan on the Afghanistan border and in Tekeli, Kazakhstan. Established by treaty between the three governments, the University of Central Asia is the world’s first internationally chartered university.


To Brian Felesky, the answer to the Aga Khan’s plan for the region is obvious.

“I think it is absolutely visionary,” says the Calgary lawyer, who has come here as part of group of Calgarians led by prominent Calgary oilman and philanthropist Jim Gray. The Calgary group — which includes Felesky and businessmen Chris Robb and Sherali Saju — spent three weeks recently touring Aga Khan projects in India, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Under the name Awali, from a Swahili word for “the beginning,” Gray, Felesky, Saju and Robb head a list of 125 donors, most from Calgary, who helped kickstart an Aga Khan teacher training institute in East Africa 10 years ago. Gray, who believes in education as the best way to combat the global ills of poverty, disease and radical fundamentalism, regularly returns with various group members to visit Aga Khan projects in the developing world. For this, his fifth such trip, Gray had to pull out maps for Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

“For me, there was big black hole between Russia, China, India and Pakistan. I understood Afghanistan, but north of there it was blank. When we told our friends where we were going, they said, ‘You’re nuts. It’s dangerous. It’s primitive.’ Quite frankly, it’s just the opposite.”

Central Asia is comprised of what is informally known as the “stans,” five republics of the former Soviet Union — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Invaded, conquered and dominated by larger neighbouring powers throughout its existence — China to the east, Russia to the north, India and Pakistan to the south and the former Persian and Turkic empires to the west — the region has struggled since the collapse of the Soviet Union with economic upheavals, revolutions and ethnic conflicts.

Although corruption abounds, modern Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have embraced western liberal traditions in an attempt to curb the growth of radical fundamentalism. The predominantly Muslim republics officially remain fiercely secular, a relic of Soviet influence and a nomadic past that thwarted the development of a religious establishment.

However, despite reports of forced beard-shavings of radical-looking men in Tajikistan, restrictions on Islamic dress, strict supervision of mosques and legislated secular education, an estimated 400 Kyrgs and Tajiks are believed to have joined ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq. Earlier this month, militant fighters that reportedly included Arab, Uzbek, Tajik, Uyghur and Chechen radicals killed and wounded 30 members of the Afghan army in the Jurm district of northern Afghanistan, about six hours by mountain road from the University of Central Asia’s campus at Khorog, Tajikistan.

Officials fear further radicalization in Central Asia if young Tajik and Kyrg migrant workers are forced to return home from Russia, where the collapse of oil prices and Western sanctions resulting from Russian involvement in Ukraine and Crimea have weakened the Russian economy. In Tajikistan, nearly one million men have migrated to Russia, sending home dwindling remittances that at one time equaled nearly half of the nation’s GDP.

Should they be forced to return, “the creation of one million jobs in Tajikistan will be impossible,” Shodikhon Jamshedov, the governor of Tajikistan’s Gorno-Badakhshan province, said at a meeting with the Calgary group. Jamshedov made a point of reminding the Calgarians that Canada supports sanctions against Russia, noting: “A weak Russia is very bad for this part of the world.” The implication was clear — that the unintended consequences of Western sanctions against Russia could be unemployment and poverty in Central Asia that may give rise to radical extremism.

Against this complicated cauldron of economic instability, ethnic tensions and geostrategic importance, group members like Robb are convinced that the work of the Aga Khan Development Network is vitally important.

“Every time we get inside the (Aga Khan) system, we come away with an impressive feeling of the quality of its work. This is amazing stuff,” Robb says.

Related
Aga Khan works to build a better world

In its three-week tour through India, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, the Calgary group visited Aga Khan schools where values like religious tolerance and gender equality are taught alongside math and science. It visited archeological sites being restored by the Aga Khan to United Nations World Heritage status, saw crowded Aga Khan hospitals undergoing expansions in major Indian cities, and walked a slum area of Delhi undergoing redevelopment led by Aga Khan health and education agencies in co-operation with other groups.

In a determined, impressive effort to seed students for the University of Central Asia, the education arm of the Aga Khan Development Network has worked for the past 12 years upgrading education in the region through its network of schools. In Kyrgyzstan, a van that serves as a mobile digital library brings education to the remote jailoos, parking alongside yurts.

The Aga Khan’s University of Central Asia uses a specially equipped van that functions as a mobile digital library to upgrade education in rural areas of Kyrgyzstan. () For City story by Robert Remington
Courtesy University of Central Asia / Calgary Herald​
Although the spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims (a progressive Shia branch of Islam), the Aga Khan has a fundamental ethic to improve health, education and economic opportunities for people in some of the poorest regions of the world without respect to race, creed or gender.

“What impresses me is that he has a 50-year plan,” says Gray. “That is absolutely profound. I sincerely believe that without education there is no hope, and the Aga Khan is providing that hope. It is a wonderful example of what we need in this world. We will prevail.”
Robert Remington is a former Herald editorial writer and columnist.
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Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim see opportunities ahead in Pakistan

TheIsmaili.org

27 May 2016


https://www.theismaili.org/news-events/ ... d-pakistan

Islamabad, 27 May 2016 — As their working visit to Pakistan drew to a close, Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim expressed optimism and a sense of opportunity about the tasks that lay ahead of the Aga Khan Development Network in improving quality of life for the people of the country.

Also see:
» Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim visit Gilgit and inaugurate health centre

“For me and Princess Zahra, the main takeaway is that we’ve heard the word ‘optimism’ several times today, and I think that’s what I’m feeling now,” said Prince Rahim, speaking at a dinner hosted by the Ismaili Council for Pakistan on Wednesday evening. Noting that while there are challenges ahead, he said that these “are not insurmountable — we have to look at them as opportunities and a chance to help people who are in need.”

The two had travelled to Gilgit in northern Pakistan earlier in the week, where they inaugurated a new medical centre and visited a school, a professional development centre for educators, and a recently built Jamatkhana.

Speaking at the institutional dinner, Hafiz Sherali, President of the Ismaili Council, remarked on the ambitions of the AKDN’s work in the region. “[It] will provide more access for marginalised communities to education, healthcare, rural development, risk mitigation and economic opportunities.”

“Your presence is reassuring for all of us that Pakistan has a bright future,” President Sherali told Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim. “It is a safe place for our children to grow up and thrive in the educational institutions and work environment. The birth country of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III is, and will remain, a steady home for the community in the decades to come.”

Earlier in the day Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim attended a signing ceremony to mark the coming together of HBL (Habib Bank Ltd) and First MicroFinanceBank Ltd through the acquisition by HBL of a 51 per cent majority share of the nationwide microfinance pioneer, whose roots are in the credit and savings section of the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme.

Owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, HBL is Pakistan’s first commercial bank. The combination of the two financial institutions aims to better serve customers from all segments of Pakistani society.

During the course of their visit, Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim also met with Jamati and AKDN leaders to assess the needs of the Jamat and review the impact of the existing programmes.

The institutional dinner featured a performance by Shehzad Roy, a well-known Ismaili singer, musician and philanthropist, who had specially composed a song for the event in honour of Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim. Accomplished Ismaili mountaineer-siblings Samina Baig and Mirza Ali Baig presented Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim a photographic memento of the summits that they scaled together — the highest peaks on seven continents.

Princess Zahra and Prince Rahim departed Pakistan the next day. Prince Rahim concluded his dinner remarks by expressing appreciation for the work that went into organising their visit: “President, Vice-President, the volunteers, the entire Jamaat — it’s been a huge amount of work, I know that… so thank you.”

“I feel optimistic, I know my sister feels optimistic, sad to leave and very very grateful for the amount of work and effort that went into this trip.”
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Meet the drivers of the Le Mans Classic 2016
12 July 2016

Racing at Le Mans is one of the great privileges for a driver, be it an amateur taking the plunge for the first time or a former winner keen to relive the seminal experience. We met several during last weekend’s Le Mans Classic, who were all revelling in the chance to tackle the hallowed circuit...

Prince Rahim Aga Khan

The Aga Khans have long been known for their love of the automobile, and Prince Rahim carries the mantle in style. This year, he drove the one of the original 1953 Carrera Panamericana Porsche 356s in Plateau 2, and also had a brief stint in his own 1965 911 in Plateau 4. His co-driver, U.K.-based Porsche specialist Andy Prill (who also drove a 3.0 RS in Plateau 6) told us “Prince Rahim has only been participating in historic racing for the last two or three years, but he’s already proving to be very good at it.” Indeed, the 356 came third in the Index of Performance, and Rahim and Prill took home a trophy.

https://www.classicdriver.com/en/articl ... assic-2016
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http://kabar.kg/eng/society/full/16882

KABAR

07/09 15:04

Prince Rahim Aga Khan: “It was a pleasure to witness the spectacular opening of the Second World Nomad Games”


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Cholpon-Ata, September 6 / Kabar /. Representing His Highness the Aga Khan, Prince Rahim Aga Khan attended the official opening of the Second World Nomad Games, 2016, at the invitation of H.E. President Almazbek Atambayev. He was amongst 30 other Heads of Delegations, which included Heads of Republics, Ministers and other high level dignitaries, Aga Khan Development Network Representation Office in Bishkek reports.

With more than 1,000 performers and an exhilarating sound and light show, the opening ceremony, presented themes common to nomadic traditions in diverse geographical and cultural contexts, while highlighting those specific to Kyrgyzstan. Some 2,000 athletes from 40 countries are participating in over 20 sports competitions. These include wrestling, horse racing, archery, horseback wrestling, kok-boru, Central Asia’s most renowned horseback competition and toguz korgool (a nomadic intellectual game).

“I am delighted to be back in Kyrgyzstan to enjoy its stunning landscapes, traditions of hospitality and to meet old and new friends. It was a pleasure to witness the spectacular opening of the Second World Nomad Games and in particular to experience the enthusiasm of the Kyrgyz peoples for their nomadic traditions,” noted Prince Rahim, who headed the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) Delegation, which included Shamsh KassimLakha, the Diplomatic Representative of the AKDN in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Welcoming Prince Rahim to the Naryn Oblast section of the ethno-village specially built for the second day of the ceremonies, the Naryn Governor, Amanbai Kayipov, remarked, “We are honoured by your presence and look forward to welcoming you to our oblast to see first-hand the positive contribution of AKDN programmes to the lives of the people.”

The Second World Nomad Games will continue until 8 September on the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, the tenth largest lake in the world. Musicians trained by the Aga Khan Music Initiative will perform traditional pieces specially composed for the closing ceremony of the Games.

Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), which was founded by His Highness the Aga Khan, is a private, international, non-denominational development organisation. It employs over 80,000 people in over 30 countries. Its agencies address complex development issues, including the provision of quality healthcare and education services, cultural and economic revitalisation, micro-enterprise, entrepreneurship and economic development, the advancement of civil society and the protection of the environment. The AKDN aims to improve living conditions and opportunities for people without regard to their particular religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
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Prince Rahim attends World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan

TheIsmaili.org

7 September 2016

Cholpon-Ata, Kyrgyzstan, 6 September 2016 — Prince Rahim represented Mawlana Hazar Imam at the opening ceremony of the Second World Nomad Games, an international event that celebrates the cultural heritage of nomadic peoples throughout out the world.

Attending at the invitation of His Excellency President Almazbek Atambayev, Prince Rahim led the Aga Khan Development Network delegation, which included Shamsh Kassim-Lakha, the Diplomatic Representative of the AKDN in the Kyrgyz Republic. Some 30 other delegations were also present, including heads of state, ministers and other high level dignitaries.

“I am delighted to be back in Kyrgyzstan to enjoy its stunning landscapes, traditions of hospitality and to meet old and new friends,” said Prince Rahim.

More than 1 000 performers took part in the opening ceremony, putting on an exhilarating show of sound and light that presented themes common to nomadic traditions in diverse geographical and cultural contexts, while highlighting those specific to Kyrgyzstan.

Some 2 000 athletes from 40 countries are participating in over 20 sports competitions taking place along the shores of Lake Issyk Kul. These include wrestling, horse racing, archery, horseback wrestling, kok-boru — Central Asia’s most renowned horseback competition — and toguz korgool (a nomadic intellectual game).

“It was a pleasure to witness the spectacular opening of the Second World Nomad Games and in particular to experience the enthusiasm of the Kyrgyz peoples for their nomadic traditions,” said Prince Rahim.

Naryn Governor Amanbai Kayipov welcomed Prince Rahim to the Naryn Oblast section of an ethno-village built specially for the second day of the ceremonies.

“We are honoured by your presence and look forward to welcoming you to our oblast to see first-hand the positive contribution of AKDN programmes to the lives of the people,” said the Governor.

The Second World Nomad Games continue until 8 September. Musicians trained by the Aga Khan Music Initiative will perform specially composed traditional pieces for the closing ceremony of the Games.

https://www.theismaili.org/news-events/ ... kyrgyzstan
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Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa expecting second child

TheIsmaili.org

7 October 2016

Aiglemont, 7 October 2016 — Mawlana Hazar Imam informed the Jamat today that Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa are once again expecting.

“It gives me the greatest happiness to announce that Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa are expecting their second child,” said Mawlana Hazar Imam in a written message. “This wonderful news, which I am delighted to share with you, brings immense joy and happiness to all our family and to the Ismaili community worldwide.”

The couple’s first child, Prince Irfan, was born on 11 April 2015 in Geneva, Switzerland. Their second baby is due in early 2017.

Ismailis are gathering in Jamatkhanas around the world to celebrate the happy news.

On behalf of the global Jamat, Aitmadi Mahmoud Eboo, Chairman of the Ismaili Leaders' International Forum (LIF) has submitted a message of congratulations to Mawlana Hazar Imam and the entire Imamat family, and also conveyed warmest wishes to Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa on this very happy occasion.

https://www.theismaili.org/news-events/ ... cond-child
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Prince Rahim Aga Khan in Pakistan 11 November onwards...

Tweet received today 13 Nov. 2016



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2018, October 29: Prince Rahim Aga Khan arrived in Gilgit Baltistan for AKDN work.


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He is seen here in Hunza in a shop the next day on 30 October 2018.

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2018, October 29: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Visits The First Micro Finance Bank at Gahkuch, GHIZER

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2018, October 31 Prince Rahim in Gilgit Baltistan

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2018, November 1: Yasin, Ghizer: Prince Rahim Aga Khan inaugurated the Diamond Jubilee School in Durkut, Yasin


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Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa visit Pakistan

Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa travelled to Pakistan for a six-day working visit in late October 2018, which included stops in several districts of Gilgit-Baltistan as well as in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, along with the capital city of Islamabad and the southern city of Karachi.

During their visit, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa examined approaches to poverty alleviation and development, and visited a number of AKDN institutions and projects aimed at improving quality of life.

In the mountainous north of Pakistan, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa visited several schools operated by the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), as well as community-managed schools, where they spent time with students, teachers and management. In Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, these included the Diamond Jubilee schools in Darkut (Silgan valley) and Bilhanz (Ishkoman valley), and the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School in Gahkuch (Punial valley). In the remote mountainous areas of the country, AKES schools have contributed significantly to increasing access to quality education.

Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa also surveyed disaster-mitigation work in areas vulnerable to natural hazards. Many villages in the mountainous north of Pakistan are vulnerable to flash flooding. In Gilgit-Baltistan in July 2018, unusually warm weather caused intensified melting of snow and glaciers which resulted in a large glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) which submerged farmland and destroyed houses in Badswat and Bilhanz villages (Ishkoman valley) in Ghizer district. The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat (AKAH) has been supporting the local community by providing humanitarian assistance and relief. Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa also surveyed community-based mitigation work, including the construction of stone wall flood defenses, undertaken in the aftermath of an earlier disaster in the village of Darkut (Silgan valley), in Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan.

Given the importance of energy in catalysing development, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa visited the Ahmedabad community-based hydropower project on the banks of the Hunza River in the valley of Central Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and the Mogh community-based hydropower project in Garamchashma in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), along with other partners, has contributed to both projects, which can help protect the environment by reducing the felling of trees for firewood, a cause of soil erosion. In addition, the electricity generated by the hydropower plants provides light for students to study after nightfall, and can reduce time spent on household chores.

While in Chitral district, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa visited the Aga Khan Girls Hostel in the village of Booni, which provides accommodation for female students from remote villages, and the Aga Khan Medical Centre Booni. In Garamchashma, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa also visited the Tehsil Headquarter Hospital, which is operated by the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) under a public-private partnership agreement. Both medical facilities, in Booni and Garamchashma, are part of a “hub and spokes” model of healthcare delivery connecting centres, including the Aga Khan University (AKU) Hospital in Karachi and standalone clinics in remote areas, through telemedicine and e-health services. This link allows for the remote treatment of patients and training of medical staff, minimizing barriers of distance and time, and facilitating access to high-quality health care in isolated areas at an affordable cost.

In Karachi, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa spent a day at the Aga Khan University (AKU) where they toured the new Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME) and attended presentations on childhood malnutrition and stunting, youth mental health, and stem cell research. While in Karachi, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa also had further discussions with local leadership on poverty alleviation and development.

Photos at:

https://the.ismaili/news/prince-rahim-a ... t-pakistan
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AKDN, AKU & University of Washington M.O.U. 2019-03-04

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http://www.washington.edu/news/2019/03/ ... education/

March 4, 2019

University of Washington and Aga Khan University sign agreement to further population health, research, service and education

Jackson Holtz

UW News

SEATTLE — The University of Washington today signed a memorandum of understanding with the Aga Khan University to codify partnership activities already underway and to leverage complementary strengths to further expand research, service and education in low- and middle-income countries.

The agreement was signed by UW President Ana Mari Cauce and Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul. Representing the Aga Khan Development Network were Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Princess Salwa Aga Khan, nee Kendra Spears, UW Class of ‘12, and AKU Provost Carl Amrhein. The Princess played a key role in encouraging the nascent partnership.

“We are honored to partner with Aga Khan University to advance the health and well-being of communities around the globe. By combining our respective strengths and shared values, we can be a powerful force for creating access to healthcare and education, as well as supporting research and discovery,” Cauce said.

Early collaborative activities between UW and AKU have included the launch of a paid international internship program with positions in Africa and Asia for UW students, joint projects to build research capacity in HIV/AIDs and HPV, and a range of other faculty collaborations.

“Ultimately, this partnership is about two universities based on opposite sides of the globe coming together on the basis of their shared values to advance knowledge and create opportunities for learning and discovery that benefit people in both the developed and developing worlds,” Rasul said. “Even prior to the signing of this agreement we have begun collaborating on several important projects, and I am confident that we will have a significant impact in multiple countries in the years ahead.”

Under the agreement, the UW will offer the AKU and AKDN technical advice and guidance in data science and implementation science, access to formal degree and training programs, and advice and support in transforming the AKU into a research-intensive university. The parties will also seek to expand the number of joint research activities and student and faculty exchanges.

The University of Washington was founded in 1861 and is one of the pre-eminent public higher education and research institutions in the world. The UW has more than 100 members of the National Academies, elite programs in many fields, and annual standing since 1974 among the top five universities in receipt of federal research funding. Learn more at uw.edu.

The Aga Khan University is a pioneering institution of higher education that works to improve quality of life in the developing world and beyond. The University operates campuses and programs in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom, and treats more than 2 million patients per year at seven hospitals and more than 300 medical centers. For more information, visit www.aku.edu.

AKU is one of 10 agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network, one of the world’s largest private international development organizations. Working mainly in Africa and South and Central Asia, AKDN helps those in need to improve their own lives through a long-term, multifaceted approach to development that spans economic, social and cultural dimensions. For more information, please visit: www.akdn.org/

###

Media Contacts:

Jackson Holtz

University of Washington

O: 206-543-2580

Email: jjholtz@uw.edu

Brian Peterson

Aga Khan University

O/ M: 407-492-8985

Email: brian.peterson@aku.edu
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2019, March 4 - AKDN's Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Princess Salwa attended signing of M.O.U between AKU and University of Washington of an agreement to further population health, research, service and education. Princess Salwa played a key role in encouraging the partnership.

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Photo: From left to right: Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Princess Salwa Aga Khan, UW President Ana Mari Cauce, Aga Khan University President Firoz Rasul, UW Provost Mark Richards and AKU Provost Carl Amrhein.Mark Stone/University of Washington


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2019, May 6: Air Italy’s inaugural flight to Toronto took off today from Milan Malpensa following a launch ceremony featuring media and dignitaries led by Rahim Aga Khan, Sultan Ali Allana, Director Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, Rossen Dimitrov, Chief Operating Officer Air Italy, and Armando Brunini, Chief Executive Officer SEA.

Courtesy: @airitaly

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https://www.varesenews.it/2019/05/air-i ... to/817878/

Air Italy inaugura il primo Milano – Toronto
La Compagnia aerea lancia oggi il primo volo non-stop per il Canada. Toronto è la terza nuova destinazione internazionale del 2019 da Malpensa, per "battezzarla" c'era anche l'ad di Sea Brunini

È decollato oggi, lunedì 6 maggio, il primo volo diretto da Milano verso la città canadese di Toronto, la quinta nuova destinazione nordamericana della Compagnia servita dal proprio hub di Malpensa.

La prima rotta di Air Italy verso il Canada sarà operativa sei volte alla settimana (ogni giorno tranne il giovedì). Il servizio tra Milano Malpensa e Toronto, la città capitale della provincia dell’Ontario, sarà stagionale ed è programmato fino al 25 ottobre 2019.

Toronto è la terza nuova destinazione inaugurata da Air Itali nel 2019, dopo Los Angeles e San Francisco, le nuove rotte aperte rispettivamente lo scorso 3 e 10 aprile.

«Il nostro network, grazie alla nuova linea da Milano per Toronto, si arricchisce di un nuovo collegamento che riflette chiaramente l’importanza del mercato nordamericano per la nostra Compagnia» dice il Chief Operating Officer di Air Italy, Rossen Dimitrov. «Esiste un enorme potenziale di crescita sulla direttrice verso il Canada, un Paese che presenta una forte posizione economica, importanti relazioni a livello globale e un’ampia comunità di italiani che vi vivono stabilmente.»

«Toronto e Milano sono inoltre città gemellate ed entrambe queste realtà cosmopolite e multiculturali sono importanti centri per il commercio, attrattori di investimenti, oltre che rilevanti centri culturali. Chiaramente ci aspettiamo una crescita del turismo verso il Canada, ma anche un aumento degli scambi commerciali e quindi di viaggi per lavoro legati ai settori della moda, dell’alimentazione e della cultura».

Al taglio del nastro al check-in era presente anche l’ad di Sea Armando Brunini, a dimostrare l’importanza che Air Italy riveste per l’aeroporto, con il suo progetto di nuovo hub (su Malpensa convergono infatti anche diversi voli nazionali di feederaggio). Brunini ha sottolineato come quest’estate – che è anche l’estate della chiusura di Linate – ci saranno ben 83 voli settimanali verso il Nord America, «un mercato che ha ancora del potenziale che Air Italy sta intuendo».

Il Milano-Toronto è operato da un Airbus A330-200, dotato anche di wi-fi a bordo.
di Redazione redazione@varesenews.it
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Post by kmaherali »

Air Italy inaugurates the first Milan - Toronto

The airline launches today the first non-stop flight to Canada. Toronto is the third new international destination of 2019 from Malpensa, to "baptize" there was also the CEO of Sea Brunini


The first direct flight from Milan to the Canadian city of Toronto , the Company's fifth new North American destination served by its Malpensa hub took off today, Monday 6 May .

Air Italy's first route to Canada will be operational six times a week (every day except Thursday). The service between Milan Malpensa and Toronto, the capital city of the province of Ontario, will be seasonal and is scheduled until 25 October 2019 .

Toronto is the third new destination inaugurated by Air Itali in 2019, after Los Angeles and San Francisco, the new routes opened respectively on 3 and 10 April.

"Our network, thanks to the new line from Milan to Toronto, is enriched by a new connection that clearly reflects the importance of the North American market for our Company" says Air Italy's Chief Operating Officer, Rossen Dimitrov . "There is enormous potential for growth on the route to Canada, a country that has a strong economic position, important global relations and a large community of Italians who live there permanently."

" Toronto and Milan are also twin cities and both these cosmopolitan and multicultural realities are important centers of commerce, attractors of investments, as well as important cultural centers. Clearly we expect a growth of tourism to Canada, but also an increase in commercial exchanges and therefore of journeys for work related to the sectors of fashion, food and culture " .

Sea Armando Brunini's CEO was also present at the ribbon-cutting check-in to demonstrate the importance that Air Italy has for the airport, with its new hub project (in fact, several domestic flights from Malpensa converge on Malpensa airport). feederage ). Brunini emphasized that this summer - which is also the summer of the closing of Linate - there will be as many as 83 weekly flights to North America, "a market that still has the potential that Air Italy is intuiting".

The Milan-Toronto is operated by an Airbus A330-200, also equipped with wi-fi on board.

https://www.varesenews.it/2019/05/air-i ... to/817878/
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https://the.akdn/en/resources-media/wha ... -pe%C3%B1a

Prince Rahim Aga Khan meets with the Substitute for the Secretariat of State at the Vatican, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra

Portugal · 27 May 2022 ·

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Lisbon, Portugal, 13 May 2022 – Yesterday, Monsignor Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute for the Secretariat of State at the Vatican, was welcomed at the Ismaili Centre Lisbon by Prince Rahim Aga Khan, accompanied by Mr Nazim Ahmad, the Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili Imamat to Portugal, and Mr Rahim Firozali, President of the Ismaili National Council.

The meeting offered an opportunity to discuss matters of mutual interest, including the international context in regions of the world where the Ismaili Imamat and the Holy See have a strong presence, the activities of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) around the world, and the relationship between the Ismaili Imamat and Portugal. In particular, they discussed pathways of cooperation for the improvement of the quality of life of populations in Lusophone countries and in other regions of the world.

Monsignor Peña Parra is visiting Portugal to inaugurate venues for the celebrations of World Youth Day, which will take place in Lisbon in August 2023, and to lead the ceremonies to commemorate the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima. During his visit, he will also meet with the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and Prime Minister António Costa.

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Prince Rahim Aga Khan meets with His Excellency Reverend Dom Edgar Peña Parra at the Vatican

Vatican · 9 November 2022

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His Excellency Reverend Dom Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute of the Secretariat of State at the Vatican, and Prince Rahim Aga Khan

Divisione Produzione Fotografica / Vatican Media

Vatican, 9 November 2022 - Prince Rahim Aga Khan today met His Excellency Reverend Dom Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute of the Secretariat of State, during a courtesy visit to the Vatican. Prince Rahim Aga Khan also briefly met His Holiness Pope Francis and conveyed respectful good wishes. Prince Rahim, the eldest son of His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims, was accompanied by a small delegation of officials to dialogue on potential areas of future cooperation, such as improving the quality of life of disadvantaged communities and combatting climate change. The institutions of the Ismaili Imamat and those of the Catholic Church closely cooperate in Portugal to deliver early childhood development and care for the elderly, amongst other areas.

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His Excellency Reverend Dom Edgar Peña Parra, the Substitute of the Secretariat of State at the Vatican, and Prince Rahim Aga Khan with members of his delegation (Left to Right): Fayyaz Nurmohamed, Director of Communications; Luis Monreal, General Manager, AKTC; Nazim Ahmad, Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili Imamat to Portugal; Malik Talib, Chairman, Ismaili Leaders’ International Forum; Michael Kocher, General Manager, AKF; and Rahim Kassam, Executive Director, Imamat Delegation in Portugal.

Divisione Produzione Fotografica / Vatican Media
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https://www.osservatoreromano.va/en/new ... -vati.html

Archbishop Peña Parra welcomes Prince Rahim Aga Khan at the Vatican

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On Wednesday, 9 November, His Excellency Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute of the Section for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, met with Prince Rahim Aga Khan during his courtesy visit to the Vatican. Present also were: Nazim Ahmad, Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili and Senior Official of Portuguese Affairs and other Lusophone Countries, Michael Kocher, Director General of the Aga Khan Foundation (Social Development), Luis Monreal, Director General of Aga Khan Fund for Culture and Malik Talib, Chairman of the Leaders’ International Forum.

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AKF_Global and Sintra City Council presented the results of Bytes4Future, a digital upskilling programme for vulnerable youth. Prince Rahim Aga Khan joined the Mayor of Sintra, Basílio Horta, at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval, Portugal.

https://the.akdn/en/resources-media/wha ... able-youth

Bytes4Future: Digital upskilling for vulnerable youth

Portugal · 15 November 2022

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Sintra, Portugal, 15 November 2022 - The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and Sintra City Council presented the results of Bytes4Future, a digital upskilling programme for vulnerable youth. Prince Rahim Aga Khan joined the Mayor of Sintra, Basílio Horta, the President of the Foundation for Science and Technology, Madalena Alves and other experts at the Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval, Sintra, Portugal. A roundtable was held on “Future skills and emerging trends”, and two alumni spoke about what the programme had meant for them.

Bytes4Future is a 17-week programme that enables socioeconomically marginalised participants aged 18 to 29 to develop their programming, multimedia and English skills, involving relevant companies to provide access to employment. It aims to break the cycle of social exclusion and poverty and meet the demand for digital skills in Portugal’s labour market.

AKF created Bytes4Future in 2020 in partnership with the Run Code School, the Municipality of Sintra and the Portugal Social Innovation Partnership for Impact. It is co-funded by AKF Portugal, the Portugal Social Innovation Programme (through EU funding) and the Sintra Municipal Council.

The initiative has already reached more than 200 youth (25 percent girls). The demanding programme includes seven weeks of preparation, including goal setting, English language and multimedia skills, and a bootcamp consisting of 10 intensive weeks of programming, additionally covering skills such as design thinking and pitching. Participants graduate as junior full stack developers, 98 percent finding employment within six months.

Bytes4Future will next expand its response to youth in other geographies and in new areas of technology. The team is developing a curriculum in Data and Business Analytics, to be rolled out in the next cohort. AKF is scaling up by training more trainers, and is using a digital platform to support participants and provide remote bootcamp delivery. Bytes4Future will expand to Porto later this year and to Lisbon in 2023, remaining in Sintra for another three years.
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2022, December 8: The Nation Media Grp’s kusiafrica is taking place between 8-9 December in Nairobi, Kenya. Prince Rahim will be making remarks, on 8 December 2022, starting at 9:00am EAT. NMG was established by Mawlana Hazar Imam in 1959.

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https://nation.africa/kenya/news/kusi-i ... ca-4048794

Kusi Ideas Festival opens with call for more funding to combat climate change in Africa

Friday, December 09, 2022

By
Nation Team

Nation Media Group

African nations have been urged to do more to fund climate change mitigation even as they wait for developed countries to fulfil their pledges on funding.

This was said at the fourth edition of the Kusi Ideas Festival at Karura Forest in Nairobi, which brings together environment champions.

Exploring African responses and solutions to climate change is timely, because climate breakdown threatens Africa and the world, said Prince Rahim Aga Khan, the chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance.

The Prince promised to spearhead responsible stewardship of the environment and promote research to address environmental degradation and climate change.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Prince Rahim also promised that the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) targets to have zero net emissions by 2030.

This, he said, would help restore the natural environment, whose degradation has been occasioned by greenhouse gas emissions.

“The continent has, in recent times, seen a multitude of natural disasters due to climate change, including floods, locust infestations, water scarcity, and food shortages.”

“Currently, some 40 million people in the Horn of Africa are facing famine as a result of the drought, which is robbing Africa, whose strength has always been her people and their resilience, of her most valuable resource,” said Prince Rahim.

“Today, you will hear how temperatures in Africa are rising — and are set to rise faster than the global average during the 21st century.”

“You will also hear that, while Africa has contributed negligibly to the changing climate; being responsible for only two to three percent of global emissions, it stands out disproportionately as the most vulnerable continent in the world to climate change — a vulnerability exacerbated by the continent’s prevailing low levels of socioeconomic growth.”

Carbon sequestration

“This festival brings together some of the best minds in Africa to take this agenda forward and, most importantly, implement the ideas and solutions that will be discussed here,” he added.

As a way of leading by example, Prince Rahim explained, AKDN has eliminated 4,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions by installing solar plants, and generated six million kilowatts of clean energy.

The next plan, he disclosed, is to plant more than 500 acres of mangroves in the Kenyan coast to enable carbon sequestration, as the Nation Media Group (NMG) embarks on cutting emissions by implementing a digital transformation.

In a speech read on his behalf by Environment Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, President William Ruto said Africa has the potential to provide solutions for the global climate change crisis, even as it recovers from Covid-19 and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war, drought and high food prices. He, however, noted that this may be curtailed by inadequate finances.

“It is projected that Africa will need to invest over Sh368 trillion for mitigation and adaptation by 2030 to implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement.”

“The bulk of these resources were supposed to come from the rich industrialised nations responsible for the heaviest pollution, but this has never taken off.”

“In East Africa, our Climate Change Master Plan is woefully underfunded. I challenge this festival to tackle the question of how to resource Africa’s response to climate change without relying on outside help,” said the President.

“I urge every Kenyan to plant trees equivalent to their age on each birthday. Our population is about 55 million and its median age is 20 years. The trees that would be planted through the scheme are 1.1 billion annually.”

“If the world, whose median age is 30 years, were to adopt this strategy, it would result in planting 120 billion to 240 billion trees annually, thus providing the rapid healing the world needs,” he urged.
Pressing problems

“If each Kenyan plants four trees every year on Mother’s Day, to honor Mother Earth, Mother Africa, Kenya, our Motherland and our mother, the biological parent, the initiative would yield 220 million trees annually. If, once again, the world adopts our approach, the number of trees planted would be 32 billion, now that the world’s population has hit the eight billion mark,” added President Ruto.
Nation Media Group Chairman Wilfred Kiboro

Dr Wilfred Kiboro, the chairperson of the NMG board, said that Africa needs to generate solutions to its pressing problems, while helping the continent find its place in the global sphere.

While announcing the setting up of the Nation Media Foundation, Dr Kiboro explained that the foundation will advance climate change initiatives, which will also be supported by the government and development partners.

This, he said, will further boost what NMG has done in dealing with plastic waste, promoting tree planting, and providing leadership in reporting the big environmental and climate change issues of our times.

“Climate change is as important a reason as any for Africa to come together. Our shared lakes and rivers are either overflowing and causing disastrous floods, or drying out and plunging tens of millions of our people in hunger.”

“Karura Forest is a monumental symbol of victory from an intense environmental struggle of the 1990s in Kenya, and is a perfect backdrop to the question of the climate change crisis,” said Dr Kiboro.

“With a different set of circumstances, Karura might not have survived. We owe its survival to many brave Kenyan activists, some of whom paid the ultimate price for their action with prison, and death. I am proud to point out that the Nation Media Group answered the call of duty and offered its muscle to bolster the campaign to save Karura.”

“NMG raised funds for the fencing off of 440 kilometres of the Aberdare Forest to save the water tower for Nairobi. This also contributed to reducing human-wildlife conflict,” he added.

In her remarks, Ms Anne Waiguru, the chairperson of the Council of Governors, explained that the increase in frequency and severity of disasters such as droughts, floods, landslides and an influx of diseases and pests demonstrates the reality of climate change, which has negatively impacted communities.

In line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Ms Waiguru said 44 county governments had established county climate change funds and drew resources from a third of county budgets to finance mitigation and adaptation activities.

Forty-five county governments have also established climate change units.

All 47 county governments have designated county executive committee members in charge of climate change and 30 counties have ward climate change planning committees, said Ms Waiguru, the Kirinyaga County governor.

However, she pointed out, although the interventions are noble, many county governments struggle with funding and human resources.

“I call upon all partners in this platform to collaborate with county governments to make Kenya’s mitigation and adaptation goals a reality.”

“I also urge other media institutions to use their platforms to amplify the good stories of climate action from various regions that can be replicated both locally and regionally for the betterment of our people and the generations to come,” she said.

In a virtual speech, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said the climate crisis is a threat to Africa’s development, as he called on the big emitters to make true their vow on climate financing.

For his part, Tanzania’s Vice President Philip Mpango said agricultural production in most African countries has gone down and leaders should explore options of building innovative technology to deal with challenges of increasing food safety.

“It is apparent that the current climate crisis is curtailing our efforts to achieve accelerated economic growth, sustainable development, and poverty reduction targets. Let us join forces and invest in innovative technologies to fight and combat climate change and associated challenges towards a better future,” Dr Mpango said.

The latest report from the National Drought Management Authority shows that a total of 4.35 million people living in arid and semi-arid lands (Asals) are still in need of humanitarian assistance due to drought; 942,000 children aged between six months and five years and 134,000 pregnant or lactating women are also struggling with acute malnutrition as they access treatment.

With northern Kenya struggling with poor rainfall attributed to climate change, the situation is likely to get worse, as regions such as Mandera and parts of Wajir and northern eastern Marsabit are forecasted to receive near average to below average rainfall during in December.
Adversely impacted

Parts of agro-pastoral clusters, including the southern parts of West Pokot and western Baringo, are also forecasted to receive near average to below average rainfall.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that Africa is highly vulnerable and adversely impacted by climate change, and that the effects of climate change such as increasing temperatures and sea levels, changing precipitation patterns and more extreme weather threatens human health and safety, food and water security and socio-economic development.

“Increases in temperature and changes in rainfall patterns also significantly affect population health across Africa. Warmer temperatures and higher rainfall increase habitat suitability for biting insects and the transmission of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever, malaria and yellow fever.

“In addition, new diseases are emerging in regions where they were previously not present,” says IPCC.

Reporting by Mercy Chelang’at, Leon Lidigu and Ndubi Moturi
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https://the.akdn/en/resources-media/wha ... n-minister

Prince Rahim Aga Khan today met with His Excellency Mr. Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan, in Paris. Mr Aslov is in France for meetings with the French government.

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Paris, France, 8 December 2022 - Prince Rahim Aga Khan today met with His Excellency Mr. Siodjidin Muhriddin Aslov, the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan, in Paris. Mr Aslov is in France for meetings with the French government.

Prince Rahim and Minister Aslov discussed the current situation in Central Asia and the work of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in Tajikistan. The AKDN has been active in Tajikistan since the country’s independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In cooperation with its development partners, the AKDN has enabled social, economic, and cultural development initiatives over the last 30 years to improve the quality of life of the people of Tajikistan.

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https://www.mfa.tj/en/paris/view/11738/ ... m-aga-khan


Meeting with Prince Rahim Aga Khan
09.12.2022 09:03

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On December 8, 2022, in Paris, in the framework of the working visit to France, a meeting was held between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin and Prince Rahim Aga Khan.

During the meeting, the parties considered the issues of the current state of affairs and ways to improve the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Aga Khan Development Network.

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https://asiaplustj.info/en/news/tajikis ... ooperation

Tajik foreign minister meets with Prince Rahim Aga Khan in Paris to discuss cooperation

16:42, december 9
Author: Asia-Plus

During his working visit to France, Tajik Foreign Minister on December 8 met in Paris with Prince Rahim Aga Khan.

The Tajik MFA information department says the parties discussed state and ways to improve the mechanisms of bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN).

AKDN says Prince Rahim and Minister Aslov discussed the current situation in Tajikistan and the work of the AKDN in Tajikistan.

Prince Rahim Aga Khan, 51, is the eldest son of His Highness the Aga Khan.

The Aga Khan Development Network is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those in need, mainly in Asia and Africa, irrespective of their origin, faith, or gender. Its multifaceted development approach aims to help communities and individuals become self-reliant.

The AKDN has been active in Tajikistan since the country’s independence in 1991, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. In cooperation with its development partners, the AKDN has enabled social, economic, and cultural development initiatives over the last 30 years to improve the quality of life of the people of Tajikistan.

Several AKDN agencies collaborate to bring the government, private sector and civil society together, establish institutions and carry out programs to help with needs as diverse as banking, e-learning and avalanche prevention. It covers all regions of Tajikistan and employ over 3,500 people in health care, education, business, finance and cultural activities.
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Kenya 8 Dec 2022

Post by mahebubchatur »

Nairobi, Kenya this week played host to the fourth annual Kusi Ideas Festival, which brought together bold voices to discuss the climate crisis and its impact on Africa. The opening session included remarks by Prince Rahim on behalf of the Aga Khan Development Network.

Every year, the southerly Kusi winds blow over the Indian Ocean in the warmer months of April to September. Historically, the air currents enabled trade up north along the East African coast and between Asia and Africa for thousands of years.

The Kusi Ideas Festival is named after this natural phenomenon, which enabled cultural, intellectual, and technological exchanges across land and sea, and played an essential part in East Africa’s development over the years.

The Nation Media Group (NMG) created the Kusi Ideas Festival four years ago as a pan-African platform to examine Africa’s place in the world; to harness its citizens’ problem-solving ideas and innovations; and to make preparations for future challenges.

NMG, a part of the Aga Khan Development Network, was established by Mawlana Hazar Imam in 1959 during the struggle for independence in East African countries. Today, it is the largest independent media house in East and Central Africa with operations in print, broadcast, and digital media. Its mission is to be the “Media of Africa for Africa,” aiming to help position the continent as a leading player on the global stage.

This year’s conference, held on 8 and 9 December 2022, centred on the theme of climate change and aimed to identify uniquely African responses and solutions to what has become one of the defining issues of our time.

In his remarks, delivered via video link, Prince Rahim congratulated the NMG on holding this fourth edition of the Festival and spoke of its pioneering role in the progress of the continent over recent decades.

“Nation Media Group has shown thought-leadership in encouraging dialogue on key issues affecting not only the countries where the Group is active, but all of Africa,” he said.

Prince Rahim centred his address on this year’s theme, and its significance for Africa and the world at large.

“Temperatures in Africa are rising, and are set to rise faster than the global average during the 21st century,” he said. “While Africa has contributed negligibly to the changing climate, being responsible for only two to three percent of global emissions, it stands out disproportionately as the most vulnerable continent in the world to climate change.”

Prince Rahim also highlighted the transformational work that AKDN agencies are undertaking to meet their target of net zero carbon emissions by 2030. This includes the development of tools to measure greenhouse gas emissions; Gold Eco-rating Certification of the Network’s Serena hotels; changing of agricultural practices for tens of thousands of farmers; working with rural communities to strengthen climate resilience; and introducing a new concept in schools known as “Play, Pluralism and Planet” to ensure the next generation of leaders are climate-aware, climate-empathetic, and climate-resilient.

The Honourable Roselinda Soipan Tuya, Cabinet Secretary from Kenya’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry delivered an address on behalf of Kenya’s President, His Excellency Dr William Samoei Ruto.

“Climate change is the social, political and economic issue of our time. It is going to define the future of Kenya, Africa, the globe and it is our collective responsibility to participate in shaping how the phenomenon will affect our future,” she said.

“This endeavour can only be achieved through collective action. We are living at a time when we must all be conservationists and must play a part in safeguarding our environment. We will not meet this challenge through top-down decrees, but bottom-up action.”

At the conference, panellists discussed issues including the differentiation between mitigation and adaptation strategies to a warming continent, the role of the private sector, financial solutions, and how Africa's young people might mobilise to develop innovative responses.

The venue for this year’s festival was Karura Forest in Nairobi, one of the last remaining indigenous forests that provides a vital carbon sink for the area’s industrial activity. It also serves as an important water catchment area and offers relaxation and recreational value for Nairobi’s citizens.

These days, the spirits of the Kusi trade winds express themselves in new ways. The Indian Ocean today provides a rich bed for the fibre optic cables that make the Information Age possible in a large part of Africa.

Whether through exchange of ideas online or via conferences such as this, NMG and its partners are working together to enable a ‘Pan-African ideas transaction market’ to address the challenges that Africa faces today, in order to secure a bright future in the 21st century.

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Prince Rahim full Speech 8 December 2022 - Nairobi

Post by mahebubchatur »

Prince Rahim AgaKhan speech on the theme of climate change. The Constitutional entities of the Ismaili community also have in their schools a new focus centered on “Play pluralism and planet”
All AKDN programs are people centered inclusive and they share experiences within the community & with others

Link to the full speech

https://youtu.be/ErGInJHFL7k
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Re: Prince Rahim in various countries / AKFED work / AKDN

Post by Admin »

2022, December 08: Nairobi, Kenya this week played host to Nation Media Group's fourth annual Kusi Ideas Festival, which brought together bold voices to discuss the climate crisis and its impact on Africa. The opening session included remarks by Prince Rahim on behalf of the Aga Khan Development Network. This year’s conference, centred on the theme of climate change and aimed to identify uniquely African responses and solutions to what has become one of the defining issues of our time.

VIDEO SPEECH:

http://ismaili.net/timeline/2022/2022-12-08-kusi.mp4

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