Saima Wazed Putul elected UNESCO-Emir Jaber prize International Jury chairperson

Saima Wazed Hossain Putul has been ​​elected Chairperson of the International Jury Board of UNESCO-Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Prize for Digital Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.

She will head the board for next two years, the Embassy of Bangladesh in Paris said in a statement.

The election was held at the Jury Board’s meeting she presided over in the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on Wednesday, said the statement, released by Bangladesh Ambassador to France and Permanent Representative to UNESCO Shahidul Islam.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s daughter is the chair​person​ of the National Advisory Committee on Autism in Bangladesh​ and a member of the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Mental Health​.

The UNESCO-Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Prize recognises the outstanding contributions of individuals and organisations in promoting the inclusion and enhancing the lives of persons with disabilities through the application of digital solutions, resources and technologies.

The prize, introduced with the financial support of Kuwait, consists of two awards - one for an individual and one for an organisation - of $20,000 each.

Shahidul said in the statement that members of the Jury Board, which includes personalities renowned for their contributions towards improving the lives of persons with disabilities, will select the winners of the prize after scrutiny of over 100 applications received by UNESCO from governments, individuals, and non-governmental organisations.   

The other members of the Jury Board are Costa Rican Catalina Devandas Aguilar, special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, United Nations Human Rights Council;  Lebanese journalist May Chidiac; Klaus Miesenberger, professor of the Institut Integriert Studieren, Johannes Kepler Universitat Linz and International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs, ICCHP (Austria); and Martin Babu Mwesigwa, member and rapporteur of the Committee of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

On the sidelines of the International Jury meeting, Putul also held a brief meeting with Getachew Engida, deputy director general of UNESCO, the statement said.

They discussed Bangladesh-UNESCO collaboration to improve the life of persons with disabilities, it added.