Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, chaired a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Alwaleed Philanthropies (AP) in Riyadh on January 11. The meeting was attended by members of the Board including Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz, First Deputy Chairman of the Board, Princess Reem Bint Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz, Second Deputy Chairperson of the Board, Princess Lamia bint Majed Al-Saud, Secretary General of AP, Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen, Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ms. Nada Al-Sugair, Executive Director of Finance and Administration of Private Office and the Treasurer of AP, Dr. Sheikh Ali Al-Nashwan, Religious Advisor to Prince Alwaleed. In his opening remarks, Prince Alwaleed focused on the importance of continuing to empower Saudi women in several fields, most importantly ensuring equal opportunity for both genders in society and in the workforce. While congratulating Dr. Yousuf Al-Othaimeen on his new position as Secretary General of the OIC, he praised him for his support for women's rights in his new position. Highlighting the achievements of AP in 2016, Princess Lamia said that one of its greatest achievements was reaching out to 205,281,486 beneficiaries in one year through 40 ongoing projects, in partnership with 65 governmental and private organizations. "After 36 years of working in more than 124 countries, Alwaleed Philanthropies has reached a level of maturity. So it is time to initiate AP's projects based on what we have experienced on-ground with our partners," she said. Ms. Nauf Al Rawaf, Executive Manager of the International Initiatives, presented the department's achievements in 2016, including the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation that aims to improve the standard of living for individuals all over the world; the Breakthrough Energy Ventures in collaboration with Bill Gates and members of the Breakthrough Energy Coalition in their commitment to invest in energy technologies; the Housing and Car grant project, which aims to provide 10,000 housing units and 10,000 cars to Saudi citizens throughout the Kingdom over 10 years; and the launching of 10 centers that offer rapid response to humanitarian disasters across the world in partnership with Save the Children. For over 37 years, Alwaleed Philanthropies has supported and initiated projects in over 124 countries regardless of gender, race, or religion. It collaborates with a range of philanthropic, government, and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief and create cultural understanding through education.
