NEW YORK: The Aga Khan has received Champion for Global Change award at the United Nations Foundation’s Global Leadership Dinner in New York City, said a statement on Friday.

The Aga Khan on the occasion said the question was not whether a government action or private enterprise was more effective, but rather how these sectors could become effective partners in the quest for development.

“The partnerships that will most dramatically change the world are those in which all three components — private, public and civil society institutions — can connect in all-embracing common efforts,” he said.

He said the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the United Nations Foundation were aligned in their emphasis on creating and sustaining enabling environments, working in “countries of opportunity,” and on creating public-private partnerships, which have been key factors in the AKDN’s work in many fields and in many countries.

While presenting the award, former UN secretary general Kofi Annan congratulated the Aga Khan on his Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years of his services as imam of the Shia Ismaili community, and founder of the Aga Khan Development Network and for his dedication to improving the lives of people everywhere.

“As a global leader he continuously demonstrates that what unites us is far greater than what divides us,” Mr Annan said.

Noting that the most important aspect of the Aga Khan’s work was pluralism, he said: “The world, especially in these difficult times, needs people of vision and goodwill like the Aga Khan. He is a living example that there is no inevitable contradiction between religion and democracy that pluralism and diversity are possible, and that interaction of cultures enriches and empowers humanity.”

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017