Fakihra Najib of the Power 99 Foundation, Pakistan receives first prize for the Most Innovative Development Project in 2016. Image by Barriopixel/GDN.
Since 2001, the Global Development Network has been awarding researchers and development practitioners for exemplary research and development projects in developing countries around the world, with the support of the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan, through and with implementation support from the World Bank. The awards have enabled young researchers and development practitioners to carry on their missions with zeal.
The awards are made through an annual competitive grants program. Three awards -- for Outstanding Research on Development (ORD) and the Most Innovative Development Project (MIDP), as well as the Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) award for which MIDP winners are eligible to apply -- continue to attract attention from early career professionals and the development community to this day. In earlier years the program also awarded medals, funded by a pool of donors, which have been discontinued since 2015.
The awards are GDN's largest and longest-running program. Since its inception, it has supported more than 340 individuals, research organizations and NGOs with roughly US$ 3.8 million in award money, placing it as one of the most important global competitions targeting development and research. The awards, and the training provided to the winners, brought international visibility to the recipients, and have evinced impact on the betterment of vulnerable communities, on policy design and implementation as well as on the careers and professional recognition of researchers.
Here are a slew of impact stories from over the years.
- PERU (2000) | Changing Dimensions of Poverty
- MACEDONIA (2012) | Closing the Gender Wage Gap
- KYRGYZSTAN (2016) | Greenhouse Entrepreneurs Improve Income and Nutrition
- UGANDA (2012, 2015) | Improving Nature Conservation Through Public Health
- KENYA (2010) | Kickstarting a Research Career in Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment
- TUNISIA (2001) | Leveraging Trade Liberalization as a Means of Poverty Reduction
- NEPAL (2008) | The Business Case for Biodiversity Conservation
- INDIA (2015) | Self-Governance: the Backbone of Sustainable Development
- THE PHILIPPINES (2010) | Strengthening the Case for Local Investment of Overseas Remittances
Please send your feedback and requests for further information to communications@gdn.int