King Hassan II Great World Water Prize


    Jointly established by the Kingdom of Morocco and the World Water Council, this Prize pays tribute to the memory of His Majesty the late King Hassan II, and to his strategic vision for His country's sustainable integrated water resources management, in addressing the Kingdom's water security.

    Attributed to an individual or a group of natural or legal persons, whether public or private, and intended to reward actions that promote the protection and preservation of water resources, improvement in their management, reuse of wastewater, as well as raising awareness among the population about water issues, the prize is awarded every three years during the World Water Forum, at a special ceremony organized within the framework of the opening plenary session.

    After Kyoto in 2003, Mexico City in 2006, Istanbul in 2009, Marseille in 2012, Daegu-Gyeongbuk in 2015, Brasilia in 2018 and Dakar in 2022, the Prize will be awarded for the eighth time at the 10th World Water Forum, to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in May 2024.

    The Prize is awarded every three years on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the World Water Forum. During the Award Ceremony, a trophy and a certificate are awarded to the winner, thereby enjoying worldwide recognition and international exposure, along with a check of 500,000 USD.
     

    8th Edition

    • Eligibility Criteria :

    The Prize may be aarded to either an individual, a group of individuals, an institution or an organization recognized by the Jury members as having a major contribution in the furtherance of «Securing water resources for food sovereignty and shared prosperity ».

    The contribution may be scientific, economic, technical, environmental, social, institutional, cultural or political.

    All candidatures must be submitted using the registration form available online at: www.hassan2gwwp.org

    The following documents must be attached to the form :

    • A motivation letter (less than 800 words) addressed to the Chairman of the Standing Committee, in which the candidate presents his or her motivations and the development prospects of his or her projects or initiatives through the Prize.
    • Two nomination letters completed and signed by the candidate's sponsors.
    • A document (less than 2000 words), summarizing the candidate's contribution to the specific theme of the edition.
    • Any additionnal document may be submitted and will be considered at the final selection stage by the Panel of Judges.

    • Who can apply?

    The Prize may be awarded to either an individual, a group of individuals, an institution or an organization recognized by the Jury members as having a major through any project, initiative, innovative experience or research work or project to develop new approaches or techniques to ensure water security and climate justice. The contribution may be scientific, economic, technical, environmental, social, institutional, cultural or political.

    The evaluation of the application will be based on the following selection criteria:
    The King Hassan II Great World Water Prize rewards the candidate’s excellency and distinguished achievements in the fields relating to the specific theme of the Prize.
    Such excellency can assume the form of either an enduring work or the performance of an outstanding one- off achievement.
    No preference will be given to the candidate’s nationality, sex, language, profession or religion.

    Key dates:
                 -    August, 4th 2023 : Opening for applications
                 -    September, 30th 2023 : Application deadline
                 -    May, 18 2024 : King Hassan II Great World Water Prize ceremony at the 10th World Water Forum
     

     

    The Organization for the Development of the Senegal River, winner of the 7th edition

    For this 7th edition, the Organisation pour la mise en valeur du fleuve Sénégal (OMVS) won the prestigious Grand Prix Mondial de l'Eau Hassan II, at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar.

    Created in 1972 by Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, this intergovernmental organization was joined in 2006 by Guinea.
    Its mission is to manage the Senegal River watershed, which covers an area of 289,000 km2.

    The OMVS plays an exemplary role since it acts not only in favour of the realization of water, food and energy security of the great border basin of the Senegal River, but above all it promotes peace, the prosperity and territorial development of its member countries,” stressed Nizar Baraka, Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water.

    After Kyoto in 2003, Mexico City in 2006, Istanbul in 2009, Marseille in 2012, Daegu-Gyeongbuk in 2015 and Brasilia in 2018, the Prize was awarded for the seventh time at the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, on 21 March 2022.

    Former winners of King Hassan II Great World Water Prize

    - 2022 : Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS)
    - 2018 : Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
    - 2015 : Abdou Maman Kane
    - 2012 : The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)
    - 2009 : Abdulatif Youssef Al-Hamad
    - 2006 : Torkil Jønch Clausen 
    - 2003 : Jerson Kelman and Mahmoud Abu-Zeid

     

    Contact information:
    World Water Council
    Secretariat of the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize 
    Espace Gaymard
    2-4 place d'Arvieux
    13002 Marseille
    FRANCE
    Tel: +33 4 91 99 41 00
    Fax: +33 4 91 99 41 01
    Email: hassan2@worldwatercouncil.org