Fundación MAPFRE has announced its 2015 Awards. The objective of these international prizes is to recognize people and institutions who have made outstanding contributions for the benefit of society in different fields relating to research, health, road safety and social action.
The prize money for each of these awards is 30,000 euros and they will be presented on Monday, June 6 at a ceremony chaired by Her Majesty Queen Sofía, which is to be held at the Casino of Madrid. More than 400 candidates from Europe, the United States and Latin America presented submissions for this year’s awards. The prizewinners are:
Her Majesty Queen Sofía: “Lifetime Achievement Award (José Manuel Martínez Martínez)”
Fundación MAPFRE awarded this honor to Her Majesty Queen Sofía in recognition of her “significant personal merits and exemplary activity at the service of the Spanish people”. The jury for this award, comprising distinguished figures such as Plácido Domingo, took into consideration “the interest shown by the Queen in helping those who are most vulnerable and most disadvantaged”. They also valued her “passion for children”, her “rejection of violence” and her “ongoing desire to be useful and of service” through the humanitarian work and assistance she has undertaken over the last 54 years by presiding over numerous institutions linked with social welfare and justice.
The Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture’s “Humanitarian assistance and protection program for Syrian refugees” project: “Best Social Action Initiative Award”
The Foundation for the Social Promotion of Culture, the only Spanish NGO with a presence in the Za’atari refugee camp (Jordan), has rehabilitated more than 2,000 people with disabilities since 2013, particularly children with cerebral palsy, thanks to the installation of a physiotherapy clinic. Father Ángel, founder of Messengers for Peace, and the Brazilian Paulo Speller, General Secretary of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture, among other members of the jury, valued the interest of this institution in “defending the rights of this group”, together with the “important psychosocial work” undertaken to enable these people to “overcome the disruptions and traumas caused by the war.”
Action Against Hunger’s “Anemia NO” project: “Best Health Promotion Initiative Award”
The “Anemia NO: Fighting anemia in the Sierra Central in Peru” project, launched five years ago, has helped almost 7,800 children between 6 months and 3 years old to overcome this condition, which affects 7 out of 10 children in the country’s rural areas, and causes severe physical and mental disorders during growth.
The jury for this award, comprising Joaquin Poch, President of the Royal National Academy for Medicine, and Elena Andradas, Public Health Director General for Quality and Innovation, among others, made special mention of the important contribution made by this institution in reducing child anemia in the region by promoting traditional techniques for the cultivation, preparation and preservation of iron-rich food products, training prominent women in the community and involving health professionals.
European Federation of Road Traffic Victims (FEVR) “Don’t forget seriously injured road traffic victims” project: “Best Accident Prevention and Road Safety Initiative Award”
Since 1991, this institution, with headquarters in Luxembourg, has been actively working to prevent traffic accident injuries and to help the victims, providing them with free emotional and legal assistance, and defending the importance of suitable rehabilitation at all times.
The jury, composed of María Seguí, Director General of Traffic, among others, valued this institution’s contribution, the promoter of such initiatives as the World Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims Day, when it came to promoting its recent campaign, “Do not forget the seriously injured road traffic victims”. This is an activity with international scale which aims to focus not only on fatal victims but also on those who suffer severe injuries as a result of an accident which, in addition to the high human cost, represent a social cost approaching 50 billion euros per year in the European Union.
Ohio Insurance Institute (USA): “International Insurance Award (Julio Castelo Matrán)”
This institution, with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio (USA), is an association comprising more than 40 international insurance and reinsurance companies.
This award, which aims to recognize significant and innovative contributions within the insurance sector, was given to this North American institution as a result of its launch of the www.insurancecareers.org website, which since 2012 has been publishing all professional opportunities offered by the insurance industry and promoting employment in the insurance field, mainly among students, military veterans and professionals looking for a change in career direction.
The jury for this award, composed of Flavia Rodríguez-Ponga, Director General of Insurance and Pension Funds, and Pilar González de Frutos, President of UNESPA, valued this “novel initiative”, for its transferability to other countries and regions and for contributing to two of the main challenges facing the insurance industry in Ohio: to generate more than 26,000 jobs by 2020 and to guarantee the good health of the sector in a State which currently offers 100,000 jobs linked to this industry and where over 250 companies operate.
