Nominations for Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2024 launched at UN 2023 Water Conference

The Singapore International Water Week has launched a call for nominations for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize (LKYWP) 2024 – a prestigious international award that honours outstanding contributions by individuals or organisations towards solving the world’s water challenges by developing or applying innovative technologies, policies or programmes which benefit humanity.

Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, announced the opening of nominations for the LKYWP 2024 in a speech delivered at a side event hosted by Singapore, during the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York.

The Singapore event, addressing ‘Water, Technology and Sustainable Development’, was well-attended by international leaders in the water sector, who shared best practices in leveraging technology for sustainable water management. The leaders also shared how the international community can work collectively to catalyse innovation for a water-resilient future, in support of Sustainable Development Goal 6.

The LKYWP is named after Singapore’s founding Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, whose foresight and leadership have enabled Singapore to attain a sustainable water supply despite being a highly urbanised city-state with little natural water resources. Since its inception in 2008, the LKYWP, which is sponsored by Temasek Foundation, has gained a strong standing in the global water community for its recognition of innovative water technologies, policies or programmes that have been game-changers in their real-world application.

The honour roll for the prize includes laureates who have developed ground-breaking solutions in membrane technology and used water treatment, as well as holistic water policies and management practices, that have benefitted the lives of millions. Their achievements represent the pinnacle in sustainable water solutions that have made a difference to cities and people around the world.

The LKYWP 2024 Laureate will be announced next year on World Water Day, on 22 March 2024. The Laureate will receive SGD 300,000, a gold medallion and a certificate, at an award ceremony during the 10th Singapore International Water Week, to be held from 18 to 22 June 2024 in Singapore.

Grundfos announces solid 2022 results

Grundfos recorded a strong performance in 2022 with sales growth of 12.1% and net turnover hitting a record DKK 33.3 billion.

These results follow the company’s solid performance recorded for 2021, despite 2022 having been a year with historic market turbulence due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, continued impact of COVID-19, bottlenecks in global supply chains, rising energy prices, high inflationary pressure and significant currency swings.

“We have successfully navigated through a challenging year. Our people and our customers have remained our priorities, and I am proud of the efforts made by our employees to keep delivering great customer experiences. We are satisfied with our financial performance. Our business remains strong, and we have delivered solid profitability,” says Poul Due Jensen, Group President & CEO, Grundfos.

In key markets, such as the US, Germany and the UK, Grundfos had strong sales growth, contributing to a 2022 global growth of 16.2%, excluding Russia and Belarus.

Nomination process

Leaders of international water companies and water utilities, top academics in water research, policy makers, heads of international organisations, members of government and distinguished individuals in the field of water are welcome to submit nominations of suitable candidates for the LKYWP 2024. This can be done online by uploading a citation of the nominee’s achievements at https://go.gov.sg/ lkywp2024nomination.

Nominations for the LKYWP 2024 may be made from 24 March 2023 to 30 June 2023.

Shortlisted nominees will be notified to submit supporting documents for more detailed evaluations by the Water Prize Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will thoroughly evaluate all shortlisted nominations and make their recommendations to the Water Prize Council which will then decide on the LKYWP 2024 Laureate. More information may be obtained by visiting https:// www.siww.com.sg/landing-page/ nomination-guidelines or emailing leekuanyewwaterprize@ siww.com.sg.

In 2022, Grundfos also launched and implemented a new divisional structure which will serve as a key lever in delivering the company’s strategic ambitions and pioneering solutions for water and climate challenges, to improve the quality of life for people.

Further, Grundfos fuelled the company’s innovation and sustainability agendas, reaching a milestone in November 2022, when its 2050 net-zero commitment was validated and approved by the Science Based Targets initiative.