Press Release
SEKEM Head Office
Cairo, 26 of November 2015
3 Cairo Belbes Road El Salam, Egypt
Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish Receives Staufer Medal Honouring Him for Furthering Intercultural Understanding and Serving as Role Model On 25 November, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish was awarded the Staufermedaille (literally: Staufer Medal) by the German County of Baden-Württemberg. He was recognised specifically for having strengthened German-Egyptian relations as an outstanding social entrepreneur and for having fostered many close friendships and partnerships with the county and its people, the government’s press release states. „Dr. Abouleish’s vision has created the SEKEM Initiative as a milestone project that has been honoured many times with awards from all over the world. He has also turned it into a model for other nations and their development initiatives“, said State Secretary of the German County of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Klaus-Peter Murawski, when presenting Dr. Abouleish with the recognition. „Luckily, Dr. Abouleish has found strong and committed partners, also from Baden-Wuerttemberg, to realize his vision and who have supported him to this day, for instance through the Association of SEKEM Friends in Germany.” The Staufermedaille is a personal honour presented by the Prime Minister of the County of Baden-Wuerttemberg in recognition of extraordinary achievements by an individual to the benefit of the county. It was inaugurated on the occasion of an exhibition about the history and culture of the influential Staufer family of nobles. The recognition consists of a commemorative medal and a certificate by which the Minister expresses the gratitude and recognition of the county. Intercultural Understanding, Environmental Protection and Sustainability „For decades Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish has been highly committed to the cause of sustainable development, to intercultural exchange, and to furthering environmental protection. By establishing the SEKEM Initiative he has created an oasis in the Egyptian desert where people from different nations and cultures live and work together“, the certificate states. It underlines that SEKEM always considers environmental and personal needs turning the initiative into a role model for the peaceful coexistence of people and cultures.
P.O.Box 2834 El Horreya 11361 Cairo Egypt Tel.: (+20) 2 265 88 124 Fax: (+20) 2 265 88 123 christine.arlt@sekem.com www.sekem.com
Strengthening German-Egyptian Relations Over the years multiple associations supporting SEKEM have been founded in various European countries. The Association of SEKEM Friends in Germany, with its headquarter in Stuttgart (BadenWuerttemberg), is committed to spreading the word about SEKEMs ideals in Germany and Europe. The group is actively engaged in working with the initiative and in supporting SEKEMs vision of comprehensive sustainable development towards a future where everyone may live in communities that carry out all economic activity ecologically and ethically. About SEKEM: The SEKEM Initiative is a model for sustainable development based in Egypt. Founded in 1977 by Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, the initiative reclaims desert land turning it into arable soil using bio-dynamic agricultural principles. As a living and working community, the SEKEM Initiative acts on the basis of a development approach focusing on four dimensions: economy, ecology, cultural, and societal life. Besides its commitment to organic agriculture, SEKEMs companies produce and process food, health care products, and textiles. SEKEM has been widely praised as an “Egyptian organic pioneer” and has received the 2003 Right Livelihood Award (“Alternative Nobel Prize”) as a „Business Model for the 21th Century” and an “economy of love”. With part of their profits the SEKEM companies co-finance the social and cultural activities of the SEKEM Development Foundation that run schools, a medical centre, and other institutions. The Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development was opened in 2012.
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SEKEM Group Head Office:
3 Cairo Belbes Desert Road, El Salam, Egypt P.O.Box 2834 El Horreya, 11361 Cairo, Egypt
Tel.: (+20) 2 265 64 124/5 Fax: (+20) 2 265 64 123
Mail: cs@sekem.com Web: www.sekem.com