Pakistan is a richly diverse country with varying cultures, dialects and traditions across the length and breadth of its terrain. The same terrain is peppered with historically significant socio-cultural assets. Unfortunately, many of these assets and heritage properties have fallen into disrepair, due to the lack of financial resources and understanding of the significance of preserving the past. Against this backdrop ...
Pamir Eco-Cultural Tourism Association (PECTA) was established in 2008 with the support of the Mountain Societies Development Support Programme (MSDSP), a project of the Aga Khan Foundation. It aims to help alleviate poverty in a way that is not only effective, but also sustainable. It is doing this by promoting the region as a new tourism destination. It is also supporting ...
Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, 13 September 2019 - The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were acclaimed earlier today at a ceremony held at Kazan's Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, accompanied His Highness the Aga Khan, hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the ...
Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, 13 September 2019 - The six winning projects of the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture (AKAA) were acclaimed earlier today at a ceremony held at Kazan's Musa Jalil State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. Mintimer Shaimiev, State Counsellor of the Republic of Tatarstan, accompanied His Highness the Aga Khan, hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the ...
For more than 25 years and through most of the country's post-independence history, the AKDN has worked towards the vision of an economically dynamic, politically stable, intellectually vibrant and culturally tolerant Tajikistan. To help celebrate Independence Day on 9 September, we've prepared this photo gallery to highlight some of the Network's activities and introduce some of the hundreds of thousands of ...
Madagascar celebrates its Independence Day every 26 June. This is the date in 1960 when its complete independence from France was achieved and recognised. Since 2005 the Aga Khan Development Network has been undertaking development activities in both rural and urban contexts in various parts of the country, working across agriculture, nutrition, climate adaptation, access to finance, improving value chains, and ...
"In May each year global communities join together to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of nurses and midwives. At 23 million strong, nurses and midwives are the world's largest healthcare profession forming 50% of the total health workforce and up to 85% in many low-resource settings. As a profession, nurses and midwives are closest to the point of care--at the bedside, ...
Hyderabad, India and Mombasa, Kenya, 25 May 2019 - At graduations in India and Kenya, 159 exceptional students joined other alumni in marking the milestone of the 1000th leader to graduate from the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad (India) and its sister school, the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa (Kenya). One key mission of the Aga Khan Academies programme is to create ethical ...
Lisbon, Portugal, 31 March 2019 - The gala concert and prize-giving ceremony recognised all the laureates and finalists of the Aga Khan Music Awards 2019. It was attended by His Highness the Aga Khan, Prince Amyn Aga Khan, Prince Hussain Aga Khan, Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan, and His Excellency the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. ...
Access to clean and safe water is a basic human right. While some of us are lucky to have year-round access to safe drinking water, many communities living in the remote mountainous regions of northern Pakistan do not have this luxury. These communities are dependent on unsafe water sources, which puts them at risk of water-borne diseases and limits their opportunities ...
Nairobi, Kenya, 19 February 2019 - Prince Hussain Aga Khan, officially inaugurated his exhibition of marine photography last week at the historic Khoja Mosque in Nairobi. The collection of some 100 photographs of oceanic ecosystems in various parts of the world depicts the beauty, fragility and diversity of marine life and brings to attention the necessity and urgency to protect, conserve ...
The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam - Phase II was inaugurated on Saturday 9 March 2019 by His Excellency, the Honourable Kassim M. Majaliwa (MP), Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania and Princess Zahra Aga Khan. Phase II began in 2012, as part of the Hospital's evolution, when the Aga Khan Health Services embarked on a TZS 192 ...
To help celebrate International Women's Day 2019, we are sharing some stories about women in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania, whose participation in AKDN-supported activities is leading to a better quality of life for themselves and future generations. ...
In April 2015 the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) started an organic cotton project in the Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh with the support of the C&A Foundation. Nimar, in the south west of the state, is a dry and hilly traditional cotton-growing area with a significant tribal population. The project aims to improve the livelihoods and incomes of 7,000 tribal farmers ...
The Aga Khan Development Network has been active in the field of education in Asia for over a century. The first Aga Khan Schools were established in Mundra, Gujarat and Gwadar, Balochistan in 1905. Since then, thousands of students have been educated at Aga Khan Schools across South and Central Asia. To ensure young learners a good start, the Aga Khan ...
The Aga Khan Development Network has been active in the field of education in Africa for over a century. The first Aga Khan School was established in Zanzibar in around 1905. Since then, thousands of students have been educated at Aga Khan Schools across various parts of East Africa. In 2003, the first Aga Khan Academy was established in Mombasa, Kenya, ...
As the end of 2018 approached, we share with you this gallery of some of our favourite pictures from AKDN projects around the world. Although these photographs only represent about half the countries that AKDN operates in, and only a small fraction of the work undertaken by the various AKDN agencies, they are important reminders of how AKDN's work benefits millions ...
29 November 2018 - Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa Aga Khan travelled to Pakistan for a six-day working visit in late October 2018, which included stops in several districts of Gilgit-Baltistan as well as in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, along with the capital city of Islamabad and the southern city of Karachi. During their visit, Prince Rahim and Princess Salwa examined ...
Paris, France, 11 November 2018 - His Highness the Aga Khan, founder and Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), today joined over 60 world leaders for the opening session of the inaugural Paris Peace Forum. Initiated by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Forum is founded on the principle that international cooperation is key to tackling global challenges and ensuring ...
16 October 2018 - After nearly a decade of planning and 18 months of construction, the much-anticipated new Aga Khan Garden in Edmonton, Alberta, was opened to the public last June and will be officially inaugurated later today. The 4.8 hectare Mughal-inspired garden features secluded forest paths, granite and limestone terraces, still pools that reflect the prairie sky and a waterfall ...
In the eastern Indian state of Bihar, the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme is implementing a rural livestock development programme for women entitled Project Mesha. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the programme builds the knowledge and skills of women as pashu sakhis or "friends of the animals". The women, who function as goat nurses within their communities, are ...
The creation of parks and gardens has been an important part of AKDN's work, with the objective of using green spaces to catalyse positive economic, social and cultural change as well as expressing ethical notions of stewardship, ecology, and the presence of beauty in the built environment. Gardens bring people of different backgrounds together to enjoy and appreciate nature. They also ...
Today is World Tourism Day, and the focus for 2018 is the contribution of digital advances and innovation to a more sustainable and responsible tourism sector. The Aga Khan Development Network works with local and global communities to enhance tourism in various regions. Much of this work is made possible because of technological advances that support sustainable development. ...
Paris, France, 19 September 2018 - President Emmanuel Macron awarded His Highness the Aga Khan, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour - France's highest national medal of honour in recognition of his contribution to humanity and achievements over the past 60 years in improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations around the world. The honour was ...
The University of Central Asia's (UCA) undergraduate campus in Tajikistan is located in Khorog, 2,100 metres above sea level on a site gifted by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. Phase I construction of the UCA Khorog campus was completed in 2017, and includes an academic block, laboratory building, student life building, and residences. The Khorog Campus houses a library, ...
8 September is International Literacy Day. Around the world, agencies of the Aga Khan Development Network work with children and adults to enhance literacy. From providing school books to running educational programmes, from teaching grandparents to read to their grandchildren to teaching young boys and girls to read to their younger siblings, we recognise that reading from an early age is ...
Many regions in the world record a youth unemployment rate twice as high as adults. To address this trend, and mindful that employment gains are often driven by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), AKDN supports the conditions for SMEs to thrive, including the provision of electricity, market system development and other necessary infrastructure. It has also directly supported over 63,000 people ...
Pakistan, 3 August 2018 - On 17th July, Badswat and Bilhanz villages in Immit Valley of Ghizer Distrcit in Gilgit-Baltistan were hit by a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF), which led to the formation of an artificial lake. As a result, over 40 houses were damaged and road access for around 10 villages was blocked from the rest of the Immit ...
Lisbon, Portugal, 6 July 218 - His Highness the Aga Khan arrived in Portugal today for a visit commemorating his Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of leadership as the 49th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the world's Shia Ismaili Muslim community. This visit, at the invitation of the Portuguese Government, represents the culmination of celebrations that have been undertaken worldwide since ...
London, United Kingdom, 27 June 2018 - The Aga Khan Centre in London was inaugurated on Tuesday, 26th June 2018, by His Highness the Aga Khan and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Located in London's thriving Knowledge Quarter, the Centre is a place of education, knowledge, cultural exchange and insight into Muslim civilisations and is the new UK home ...
London, United Kingdom, 27 June 2018 - Some images of the building designed by Maki & Associates that was inaugurated by His Highness the Aga Khan and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on 26th June 2018. The building is home to six gardens inspired by different regions of the Islamic world; the Aga Khan Library, London; and three institutions ...
June 2018 - This Diamond Jubilee visit of His Highness the Aga Khan to the United Kingdom reminds us of the longstanding connections between the Ismaili Community, the institutions of the Aga Khan Development Network and the United Kingdom. ...
Ottawa, Canada, 2 May 2018 - This evening, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, the Governor General of Canada, hosted an official dinner at Rideau Hall to mark the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan - celebrating six decades of leadership as Imam (Spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Muslim community. ...
Dushanbe and Khatlon Province, Tajikistan, 12 April 2018 - The Aga Khan Agency for Habitat, in partnership with the Committee of Emergency Situations and Civil Defence under the Government of Tajikistan, UNHCR, other UN Agencies, government and humanitarian partners conducted a large-scale disaster simulation exercise to respond to an emergency situation related to massive influx of refugees. The simulation exercise was ...
Windsor, United Kingdom, 8 March 2018 - Her Majesty the Queen this evening hosted a dinner at Windsor Castle to mark the Diamond Jubilee of His Highness the Aga Khan at which The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke of York, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were present. The Aga Khan was accompanied ...
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 24 January 2018 - On the third day of his Diamond Jubilee visit to the United Arab Emirates, His Highness the Aga Khan travelled to Abu Dhabi where he met with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, followed by His Highness Sheikh ...
Dubai, UAE, 23 January 2018 - The Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, received His Highness the Aga Khan today at the Zabeel Palace on the occasion of his Diamond Jubilee visit to the United Arab Emirates. ...
Karachi, Pakistan, 15 December 2017 - The Aga Khan University's Centre for Innovation in Medical Education (CIME), a state-of-the-art facility for technology-based learning for health professionals, was inaugurated today by His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor of AKU. ...
Dhaka, Bangladesh, 23 November 2017 - Designs for the Aga Khan Academy Dhaka (a state-of-the-art, 1200-student residential school planned for Dhaka, Bangladesh) won the award for best 'Future Education' project at the World Architecture Festival 2017, held on 15-17 November in Berlin, Germany. The award recognises the excellence of the school's design as well as the project's intention to generate positive ...
Ottawa, Canada, 15 November 2017 - This evening, three winners, Leyner Palacios of Colombia, Alice Nderitu of Kenya and Daniel Webb of Australia, were presented the Global Pluralism Awards 2017. They were recognised alongside seven honourable mentions for their unparalleled and sustained commitment to building more inclusive, peaceful societies. His Highness the Aga Khan, Chairman of the Global Centre for Pluralism, ...
