Saudi philanthropist and businessman nominated for Oslo Award

JEDDAH, April 19, SPA -- Mohammed Jameel, President of Abdul Latif
Jameel Company, is among seven business leaders nominated for the
Oslo Award, which is annually given to business leaders whose actions
and commitments make an outstanding contribution to the promotion of
ethical behavior and peace.


The seven were nominated by an award giving committee consisting of
three Nobel laureates — professor Muhammad Yunus (2006), Wangari Muta
Maathai (2004) and professor A. Michael Spence (2001).


The prize will be awarded to one of the nominees for the first time
on May 14 in the City Hall of Oslo, said a press statement carried by
Reuters.


“The Oslo Award came as a natural consequence of discussions and
deliberations during the Oslo summits on peace through trade in 2007
and 2008,” said Per Saxegaard, who represents the Business for Peace
Foundation in Oslo, the award’s initiator.

“It is important to inspire and encourage business persons to be
conscious of the role they can play as individuals to foster
stability and peace. This is an element that should be incorporated
as a matter of course into corporate social responsibility,” said
Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, former UN secretary-general and a key
supporter of the award.


A great Saudi philanthropist and a respected businessman, Jameel has
developed several community programs creating job opportunities for
thousands of young Saudi men and women each year, the statement
issued by the award committee said.


“Jameel has been the driving force behind the Grameen Jameel Pan
Arab Initiative, which aims to reduce poverty through micro credit,”
the statement added.

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