Recipients of Hong Kong cash awards to inject HK$60m prize money towards world peace, health
Jimmy Carter to continue supporting peace programmes, while Medecins Sans Frontieres to pump money towards research on diseases and Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping to work on beefing up food security
Cash awards totalling HK$60 million, launched by Hong Kong property tycoon and casino owner Lui Che-woo, will be used to promote peace and health, as well as disease prevention in the world, the prize’s three inaugural laureates said on Monday.
The laureates were recognised for their significant contributions towards building a more harmonious world.
The three recipients are former US president Jimmy Carter, humanitarian organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), and Chinese agricultural scientist Yuan Longping.
Receiving the Positive Energy prize on behalf of his father, Chip Carter, son of the former US president, said: “My father is very honoured to be able to receive this award…[The Carter Centre] has run peace and health programmes around the world. The money will be used to support those programmes.”
Remi Carrier, executive director of MSF Hong Kong, also said the organisation would use the money to support research on diseases, especially the Ebola epidemic to which the organisation’s contribution in West Africa during the 2014 outbreak earned it the Welfare Betterment prize. He hoped the MSF could make use of the prize money for initiatives to step up cooperation among the medical communities around the world to “share data” and “do research” so early warnings could be sounded in the future when there is a disease outbreak.
Professor Yuan, who was awarded the Sustainability prize for the development of high-yielding hybrid rice, meanwhile said he would make use of the money to improve hybrid-rice breeding technology, and to strengthen food security in some developing countries.
Delivering a speech at the prize presentation ceremony, Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying praised the laureates, saying: “[They] have made far-reaching contributions to world civilisation, each in their own unique way.”
The prize was established last year by Lui to recognise people who contribute to improving “world civilisation”. Each awardee will receive a cash award of HK$20 million, a certificate and a trophy.
