Quote from His Highness the Aga Khan

"With respect to relations between the Western and Islamic worlds, are we not seeing a conflict of stereotypes and prejudices, exacerbated by a good measure of ignorance about Islam? There are, of course, some differences, but if superficiality and trivialisation can be set aside, and be replaced by the will to go deeper to seek a solid foundation for mutual understanding and respect, it can be found in the common heritage of the Abrahamic faiths and the ethical principles that they share."

-- His Highness the Aga Khan, speaking at the presentation ceremony for The Aga Khan Award for Architecture on 6 November 2001.

New Development Initiatives in Syria

The Aga Khan and Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa Miro signed a Framework Development Agreement between the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and Syria. The AKDN is preparing to launch several initiatives in Syria, including investment in information technology for education, support for the healthcare system through assistance to hospitals, strengthening of resources in the area of early childhood development and providing expertise for water resource management. For more information, please see the press releases. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture has already completed some work and has begun other projects in the country. See also the brochure on the Trust's activities in Syria.

Aga Khan Foundation Co-hosts Landmark Early Childhood Conference

"We need to stimulate all the world's children to become global thinkers," said Mr. James D. Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank, at a landmark roundtable on Early Childhood Development (ECD) organised by the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) and the World Bank. For more information about the Foundation's activities in early childhood development, please see the press release and the education page.

UK and Aga Khan Development Network Jointly Sponsor New Scholarships

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom and the Aga Khan Development Network have agreed to jointly fund scholarships to students from Iran, Kazakhstan, The Kyrgyz Republic, Syria, Tajikistan (and others to be agreed upon in the future). The scholarships will be tenable at universities in the United Kingdom and will be known as the "Aga Khan Development Network-Chevening Scholarships". For more information, see the press backgrounder.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture, considered by many to be the world's most important architecture prize, was awarded by His Highness the Aga Khan on 6 November 2001. Information on the winners, including the recipient of the special Chairman's award, appears on the Awards page. Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble performed at the ceremony in a concert that Yo-yo Ma is reported to have called the most magical of his career. For more information, please consult the press release.

New Feature

The "In the News" page lists links to articles about the Aga Khan Development Network and its activities that appear in on-line versions of the press. The articles are mostly in English, but there are some in German, Italian, and Spanish. Currently, many of the articles are about The Aga Khan Award for Architecture.

New Publications

From the Aga Khan Foundation

Aga Khan Foundation Annual Reports 1998-1999 now available on-line (see AKF's "What's New")

From the Trust for Culture

Historic Cities Support Programme: A Brief Account of Project Activities in Syria

To subscribe to this bulletin, please fill out the on-line subscription form.

To unsubscribe, please go to the unsubscribe option.

If you would like to review previous editions of the email bulletin, please click here