United Nations Population Award

The United Nations Population Award is an international award presented annually by the United Nations Population Fund to individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to population and reproductive health issues. Recipients of the award receive a medal, a diploma, and a monetary prize.

History

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The award was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1981 to recognize "outstanding contributions to population and reproductive health questions and to their solutions," and was first presented in 1983.[1]

In 1983, the inaugural presentation of the award sparked controversy. Two $12,500 awards were given to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India and China's family planning chief Qian Xinzhong, drawing criticism. Economist Theodore W. Shultz, an agency adviser, publicly condemned the awards, alleging that they disregarded expert advice and endorsed countries with aggressive population control methods. He argued that the awards could undermine family planning efforts, citing India's history of forced sterilization and China's punitive policies. The United Nations Fund defended the awards, highlighting that China had outlawed female infanticide, and no longer faced such issues in India.[2]

Recipients

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Year Recipients Country Ref
1983
  • India
  • China
[3]
1984
  • Panama
  • United States
[4]
1985
  • International
1986
  • National Population Council of Mexico
  • Mexico
1987
  • Bangladesh
  • Tunisia
1988
  • Japan
  • Colombia
1989
  • Suharto
  • Programme national de Bien-être familial of Togo
  • Indonesia
  • Togo
1990
  • Alfred Sauvy
  • National Family Health and Population Council of Mauritius
  • France
  • Mauritius
1991
  • United States
  • Ecuador
1992
  • India
  • International
1993
  • Fred T. Sai
  • Mainichi Shimbun Population Problems Research Council
  • Ghana
  • Japan
1994
  • Egypt
  • Turkey
1995
  • Halfdan Mahler
  • Inter-African Committee on the Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children
  • Denmark
  • Intercontinental
1996
  • Philippines
  • International
1997
  • El Salvador
  • Japan
  • Thailand
1998
  • Hugh H. Wynter
  • Sabiny Elders Association
  • Jamaica
  • Uganda
1999
  • Iran
  • Vietnam
2000
  • Ismail Awadallah Salam
  • Fundación Mexicana para la Planeación Familiar (MEXFAM)
  • Egypt
  • Mexico
2001
  • Nafis Sadik
  • Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning
  • Pakistan
  • Japan
2002
  • Ghana
  • United States
2003
  • United States
  • Kenya
2004
  • Australia
  • Ethiopia
2005
  • Philippines
  • Guatemala
2006
  • Bangladesh
  • Haiti
2007
  • United States
  • Iran
  • Algeria
  • Malaysia
2008
  • Barbados
  • United States
2009
  • Mahmoud Fathalla
  • Movimiento Comunal Nicaragüense (MCN)
  • Egypt
  • Nicaragua
2010
  • United States
  • Intercontinental
2011
  • Iran
  • Cameroon
2012
  • United States
  • Malaysia
2013
  • Jotham Musinguzi
  • International Islamic Centre for Population Studies and Research
  • Uganda
  • International
2014
  • Father Aldo Marchesini
  • Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics
  • Italy
  • United States
2015
  • Thoraya Obaid
  • African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC)
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Kenya
2016
  • Carmen Barroso
  • Childbirth in Dignity Foundation
  • Brazil
  • Poland
2017
  • Hans Rosling
  • Association of Traditional Chiefs of Niger (Association des chefs traditionnels du Niger, ACTN)
  • Sweden
  • Niger
2018
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • United States
  • Israel
2019
  • Gambia
  • Liberia
2022
  • Namibia
  • Indonesia
[5][6]
2023
  • Burundi
  • Intercontinental
[7]

References

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  1. ^ "United Nations Population Award". United Nations Population Fund. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. ^ Nossiter, Bernard D.; Times, Special To the New York (1983-07-24). "POPULATION PRIZES FROM U.N. ASSAILED". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. ^ "United Nations Population Award to Indira Gandhi and Qian Xinzhong". Population and Development Review. 9 (4): 747–753. 1983. doi:10.2307/1973563. ISSN 0098-7921. JSTOR 1973563.
  4. ^ "Award Laureates". United Nations Population Fund.
  5. ^ "Indonesia wins UN Population Award". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ^ "United Nations Population Award Ceremony 2022". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. ^ "H.E. Mrs. Angeline Ndayishimiye, First Lady of Burundi, and the African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) receive the 2023 United Nations Population Award". United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 2023-09-21.