Lebanese woman amongst 5 young innovators awarded by the UN

Five young winners, including Lebanese Marina al-Khawand, received an award Thursday supported by the United Nations, recognizing their use of technology and digital tools to drive positive, high-impact change in communities.

"Today we are honoring some of the most extraordinary people on our planet," said Melissa Fleming, United Nations under-secretary-general for global communications, during the ceremony held before nearly 1,000 people at the U.N. headquarters in Geneva.

Khawand, 24, founded her organization Medonations after the massive Beirut port explosion in 2020, which left more than 220 people dead. She now uses digital tools to provide free medication and care throughout Lebanon.

The youngest winner Thursday was Dev Karan, a 17-year-old Indian working on restoring ponds in India, multi-functional spaces that store water and help prevent floods and soil erosion. This engineering student co-founded Pondora, an organization that trains students as “Pond Ambassadors” to help villages monitor water quality through computer sensors and mobile apps.

Rena Kawasaki, a 20-year-old Japanese woman, co-founded at age 14 a group connecting students and political figures via Zoom sessions to boost young people's participation in political life.

Another winner, Aminata Savane, a 25-year-old Ivorian, also received an award for her work to make the digital world more inclusive and safer in underprivileged communities. "When faced with problems, they don't let themselves get down. Instead, they take action. They create solutions and inspire others to act," said Fleming, describing the winners as "the change makers our crisis-ridden world so desperately needs."

Brazilian activist Salvino Oliveira, 27, was also present on stage Thursday, honored for the work of his organization PerifaConnection, which aims to give a voice to young people in the favelas and help them access higher education. He himself grew up in poverty in the Cidade de Deus favela in Rio and had to start working at 13, selling water bottles and candy on the street to support his family.

He told AFP that his life was "transformed by education" when he received a scholarship to attend one of the best public high schools in Rio. Today, he wants to give young people "a chance to thrive."

"How many Mozarts or Beethovens live in the favelas of Rio?" he asked during the event.