Reports on this page compiled and prepared by MALIK MERCHANT
We continue our news coverage of Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and members of his family with a fresh page for 2024. For stories from previous years, please click 2023 and 2021-2022 which contain anchor links for readers to zero in on specific news item.
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2024 NEWS COVERAGE: ANCHOR LINKS (CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE)
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March 11, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan at Westminster Abbey for Annual Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration
Princess Zahra Aga Khan attended the annual Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on Monday, March 11, 2024. Princess Zahra is listed as an Honorary Steward, Representing the Vice President of the Royal Commonwealth Society, on page 5 of The 2024 Commonwealth Day Service of Service Booklet.
In attendance in a program consisting of prayers, singing, and vibrant and colourful dancing were members of the Royal Family including Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. His Majesty King Charles III did not attend the ceremony following recent medical procedures but delivered an inspiring speech. Several prominent Ismaili leaders, including Shafik Sachedina, President Naushad Jivraj of the Aga Khan Council for the UK, Professor Zayn Kassam of the Institute of Ismaili Studies, and Naguib Kheraj, were among the invitees to the event and were prominently seated in the large audience. Readers can watch the entire ceremony on the BBC YouTube channel below. Princess Zahra and Ismaili leaders are in the video between the 22-26 and 30-32 minutes marks during dance and musical performances by the Ghetto Kids from Uganda and Callum Scott and Jacob Portelli.
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Coverage of Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s Visit to Kyrgyzstan
March 25, 2024: Prince Rahim’s Visit to Kyrgyzstan – A Comprehensive Report and Video Coverage
Further to Barakah’s coverage of Prince Rahim Aga Khan’s visit to Kyrgyzstan, Akipress News Agency issued a comprehensive report of the visit on March 25, 2024, including meetings and statements made by the Prince and leaders of Kyrgyzstan. Please click Education, climate, and mountain communities. Prince Rahim Aga Khan visited Kyrgyzstan. Please also watch the following short YouTube video from an official meeting that took place during the visit. The video is part of the Akipress report.
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March 1, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Meets President of Kyrgyzstan at State Residence
We highly appreciate the work of the AKDN, and the assistance provided in addressing socio-economic issues and improving the living conditions of vulnerable populations in the mountain areas of the country — President Sadyr Japarov
Prince Rahim Aga Khan meets with His Excellency Sadyr Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, at the Ala Archa State Residence in the capital Bishkek on March 1, 2024: Photograph: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kyrgyzstan.
This is an important moment to reinforce our long-standing friendship. We look forward to deeper cooperation towards our shared goal of a peaceful and prosperous future for this beautiful country” — Prince Rahim Aga Khan
The websites of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and AKIpress report that Prince Rahim Aga Khan on March 1, 2024 met with His Excellency Sadyr Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, at the Ala Archa State Residence in Bishkek. Prince Rahim’s official visit to the country comes at the invitation of the President.
The two leaders discussed the AKDN’s long-standing presence in the Kyrgyz Republic and their shared desire to deepen cooperation in climate change mitigation and adaptation, the enhancement of education and economic opportunity, and the safeguarding of mountain areas, including their ecosystems, cultural heritage, habitat, and overall quality of life.
Map of Kyrgyzstan showing the capital Bishkek (rectangle) and Naryn, the location of the University of Central Asia (rounded). Annotated by Barakah. Map: Perry-Castañeda Library, University of Texas at Austin.
President Japarov conveyed his gratitude for the projects that the AKDN has implemented in Kyrgyzstan: “We highly appreciate the work of the AKDN, and the assistance provided in addressing socio-economic issues and improving the living conditions of vulnerable populations in the mountain areas of the country. Taking into account the international reputation of your institution, and its activities in developing mountain areas, I invite the AKDN to join our efforts in combating the negative effects of climate change, biodiversity conservation, and disaster prevention in mountain areas, and to implement the activities of the Global Plan of Action.”
Prince Rahim said: “I am delighted to be back in the Kyrgyz Republic following my last visit in 2016. This is an important moment to reinforce our long-standing friendship. We look forward to deeper cooperation towards our shared goal of a peaceful and prosperous future for this beautiful country.”
Tweets on ‘X’ about Prince Rahim’s Visit to Kyrgyzstan
Prince Rahim today met with His Excellency Sadyr Japarov, President of the Kyrgyz Republic, at the Ala Archa State Residence in Bishkek. Prince Rahim’s official visit to the country comes at the invitation of the President.https://t.co/RTekGJcJi9 pic.twitter.com/i9WPQTYoIs
— The Ismaili (@TheIsmaili) March 1, 2024
External links — Please click on the following link(s) for more coverage of Prince Rahim’s visit to Kyrgyzstan:
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February 29, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Arrives in Kyrgyzstan and Meets First Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
Prince Rahim Aga Khan, seated at left with members of his delegation, meets with Asein Isaevin, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, seated directly across. Photograph: AKIPress.
AKIpress, the Kyrgyz Republic’s first independent news agency, has announced the arrival on February 29, 2024 of Prince Rahim Aga Khan, in Kyrgyzstan. Prince Rahim was met at Manas International Airport in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek by Asein Isaev, First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic. Formerly Kyrgyzstan’s ambassador to India, Isaev was appointed to the current position in November 2022. The parties held a brief meeting and discussed the program of the visit and the meeting with the country’s leadership. News and photographs of Prince Rahim’s arrival also appear on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic.
Please see full report in English with photographs by clicking AKIPress.
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Coverage of Princess Zahra Aga Khan’s 6-Day Visit to kENYA
February 20, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan Visits Kisumu to Commemorate Aga Khan Hospital Expansion
Princess Zahra Aga Khan and Helen N’Garnim Ganga, Regional East African Director of the French Development Agency, unveil the plaque to commemorate the expansion of the Aga Khan Hospital, Kisumu, on February 20, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
Located in Kisumu, the third-largest city in Kenya, the Aga Khan Hospital currently serves nearly 600,000 people in the Lake region bloc and even receives patients from Uganda and bordering towns of Tanzania. Over the years, the hospital has become a hub of qualified doctors and nurses who provide cutting-edge care to the community. The hospital, operated by the Aga Khan Health Service (AKHS) Kenya, was first established as an 18-bed dispensary and maternity home in 1952, and grew into a 46-bed facility by 1985. Today, it is an ultra-modern, 123-bed, state-of-the-art institution that provides integrated healthcare services, offering advanced clinical programs in cardiology, oncology, neurosciences, critical care, and maternal-child health.
Princess Zahra, who is on a 6-day visit to Kenya visited Kisumu on February 20, 2024, to celebrate the Hospital’s expansion: “This hospital project is embedded in a regional system, which is now novel, exceptional, and probably has a very long way to go,” said Princess Zahra. She added, “It provides affordable, quality care to the people in the region, and it’s part of a network structure that makes affordable care available to every level of the population.”
The Government of France through its French Development Agency generously contributed to Aga Khan Hospital expansion. This is noted in the expansion plaque (see photograph, above) that was unveiled during Princess Zahra’s visit.
External links — click on the following link(s) for more photographs and reports of Princess Zahra’s visit to Kisumu Aga Khan Hospital:
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February 19, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan Joins Students to Celebrate the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s 20th Anniversary
Princess Zahra Aga Khan and the Head of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, Mr. Colin Webster, join students and staff for a group photograph during the 20th-anniversary celebrations of the Academy on February 19, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
Tha Aga Khan Academy Mombasa was inaugurated by Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and the former president of Kenya, the late Mwai Kibaki, on December 20, 2003. The Mombasa Academy is the first in an integrated, global network of residential schools known as the Aga Khan Academies, with other campuses located in Hyderabad, India; Maputo, Mozambique; and Dhaka, Bangladesh.
As part of her current 6-day visit to Kenya, Princess Zahra Aga Khan, on Monday, February 19, 2024, joined students, staff, and guests to celebrate the Academy’s 20th anniversary.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan joins students, staff, and guests to celebrate the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa’s 20th anniversary on February 19, 2024. Seated next to her is Mr Colin Webster, Head of the Mombasa Academy. Photograph: AKDN/Shama Hakim Manji.
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Princess Zahra Aga Khan waves to students and staff of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, gathered for the school’s 20th anniversary celebration on February 19, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
To mark the occasion, Princess Zahra cut a cake outside the Commons building and joined the entire school for a group photograph. Students presented a gift to her on stage and also prepared a gift for Mawlana Hazar Imam. They requested her to pass their gratitude to Hazar Imam for his vision in establishing the Aga Khan Academies.
In her address Princess Zahra said:
“Schools are optimistic places. Although young people go through many challenging transitions in their lives, we aim to make the Academy a positive and memorable experience for all, one that helps young people to set the right course for their lives and build their character and attributes as leaders. The purpose of schooling here the is not merely to support students to pass exams to enable them to enter the next phase of their education. Of course, exams are important, but the Academy embarked on a broader ambition, one that is at the heart of AKDN’s work for the betterment of society.”
In his welsome address, Mr. Colin Webster, the Head of the Academy in Mombasa said:
“From the beginning, the Academy has asked students not just to be leaders but to be ethical leaders. This is something the world often feels in short supply of,” Mr Webster added. “More than anything we prepare our students to go out and live in a pluralistic world. Today, our students get to experience that pluralism in the student body with over 20-25 different nationalities and those who practise many different faiths.”
As part of the Academies mission, the Academy admits students based on merit, regardless of their ability to pay, with over 50 percent of the students receiving some form of financial assistance.
FLASHBACK 2003 — The Inauguration of the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa
His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki speaking at the inauguration of the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa on December 19, 2003, as Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan looks on. Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte.
External links — click on the following link(s) for additional coverage of the 20th anniversay celebration of the Aga Khan Academy, Mombasa, and Princess Zahra’s visit to Kenya:
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February 18, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan Expresses Satisfaction With Renovations at Aga Khan Hospital Mombasa
Princess Zahra Aga Khan on a visit to the Aga Khan Hospital Mombasa on February 18, 2024, to see the renovation and the enhanced capacity it has brought about. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS), and Mr Bertrand Willocquet, Country Director of AFD, visited the Aga Khan Hospital, Mombasa, on February 18, 2024, and expressed their satisfaction with the renovation and the enhanced capacity it has brought about.
The renovation project represents a total investment of $12.2 million, with significant support from Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The refurbishment has transformed the 86-bed facility into a state-of-the-art 115-bed secondary hospital, offering comprehensive, integrated health services to the communities it serves. The facility now features a dedicated Accidents and Emergency Unit, a larger Intensive Care Unit, the region’s first private-sector Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the inaugural Sleep Lab utilising cutting-edge technology for diagnosing and treating sleep disorders. Holding Level 5 certification from SafeCare Health Standards, the hospital is well-equipped to offer specialised care in cardiology, oncology, neurology, psychiatry, advanced surgeries, and more. The completed renovation of the Aga Khan Hospital marks a milestone in its ongoing commitment to provide quality health care to a population of nearly 1.2 million people.
External links — click on the following link(s) for more photographs and reports of Princess Zahra’s visit to Aga Khan Hospital Mombasa:
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February 17, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan Addresses AKU Convocation in Nairobi, Kenya
Princess Zahra Aga Khan at the AKU Convocation ceremony held on February 17, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya. She is seated next to Education CS Ezekiel Machogu, second from left. Photograph: AKU
More than 730 students graduated from the Aga Khan University (AKU) on Saturday, February 17, 2024, at ceremonies attended by Princess Zahra Aga Khan and other dignitaries, including Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, the Honorable Ezekiel Machogu, who read a speech by President of Kenya, His Excellency William Ruto. In total, 391 students graduated in Pakistan and 332 in East Africa, including 159 in Kenya, 106 in Uganda and 67 in Tanzania. Eleven students graduated from the London-based Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations. The graduates were awarded degrees in almost two dozen fields in nursing, medicine, education, journalism and the study of Muslim civilisations. Almost 70 percent of the members of the Class of 2023 are women.
“On graduating, you return to a world that is full of daunting challenges but also of endless possibilities,” Princess Zahra Aga Khan said in Nairobi, speaking on behalf of AKU’s founder and Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan. “Continue to strive with courage and optimism to grasp opportunities to serve your communities and contribute to a more pluralistic and peaceful world.”
“I have great faith in this group of men and women,” President Ruto said in the remarks shared by Cabinet Secretary Machogu. “The reason for my faith is simple: I know what the Aga Khan University stands for. It stands for high standards, access based on merit and service to society.”
Princess Zahra Aga Khan applauds graduands at the AKU convocation ceremony held in Nairobi on Saturday, February 17, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
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Princess Zahra Aga Khan and AKU President and Vice-Chancellor Sulaiman Shahabuddin look on as an AKU graduate poses for a photograph during the AKU Convocation ceremony held in Nairobi on Saturday, February 17, 2024. AKU graduates were awarded degrees in 22 fields in nursing, medicine, education, journalism, and the study of Muslim civilizations. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
Princess Zahra detailed some of the many achievements that have made the University’s 40th anniversary year one of the most consequential in its history. AKU celebrated the anniversary on March 16, 2023. “We are hopeful that these new and continuing programmes and facilities will make AKU an increasingly powerful platform for the education of leaders, the creation of relevant knowledge and the delivery of world-class education and health care,” said Princess Zahra, who credited the Governments of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Pakistan, and the East African Community, with creating an enabling environment for the University.
AKU President and Vice Chancellor Sulaiman Shahabuddin called the day a “crowning moment” for the graduates. “That AKU has been able to achieve so much across its four decades is above all thanks to its founder, Chancellor and chief benefactor, His Highness the Aga Khan,” President Shahabuddin said. “His Highness’s vision continues to guide us and continually inspire us with the strength to make bold decisions that keep AKU at the forefront of innovation, quality and impact.”
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Tweets on ‘X’ about the AKU Convocation
More than 730 students in four countries graduated from the Aga Khan University on Saturday at ceremonies attended by Princess Zahra Aga Khan and other dignitaries, including Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, the Honorable Ezekiel Machogu, who read a speech by President of… pic.twitter.com/ukPHqbHWFH
— AKU Graduate School of Media and Communications (@AKU_GSMC) February 17, 2024
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External links — click on the following link(s) for additional coverage of the AKU Convocation and Princess Zahra’s visit to Kenya:
Note: Although various media carry the same heading in the links shown above, the reports and photographs differ significantly.
Also, see our earlier reports, below.
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February 16, 2024: Princess Zahra Aga Khan Meets Kenya’s President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto
Princess Zahra Aga Khan greets Kenya’s President, His Excellency William Samoei Ruto, at State House in Nairobi on February 16, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan arrived in Kenya on February 15, 2024 for a six-day visit to attend the global convocation ceremony of the Aga Khan University (AKU), and to visit a number of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) projects. The current longest-serving member of AKU’s Board of Trustees, she will speak at the ceremony on behalf of AKU’s Chancellor, Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th Hereditary Imam of the Ismaili Muslims, and its Board. More than 730 students in Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, Uganda, and the UK will graduate this year. The convocation ceremony in Nairobi will be covered live and shown on The Ismaili TV on February 17, 2024, beginning at 07:00 AM (Toronto) / 12:00 noon (London) / 3:00 PM (Nairobi) / 5:00 PM (Karachi).
Princess Zahra Aga Khan in conversation with the First Lady of Kenya, Her Excellency Rachel Ruto, on February 16, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.
On Friday, February 16, Princess Zahra met with the First Lady of Kenya, Her Excellency Rachel Ruto, at the Serena Hotel Nairobi, and later called on the President of the Republic, His Excellency William Samoei Ruto, at State House in Nairobi.
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Tweet on ‘X’ by President Ruto
External links — click on the following link(s) for more photographs and reports of Princess Zahra’s visit to Kenya:
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February 11, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Meets President William Ruto of Kenya in Dubai
Digital journalist Brian Oruta reports for the Kenyan newspaper The Star that the President of Kenya, William Ruto, met with Prince Rahim Aga Khan on Sunday, February 11, 2024, in Dubai. President Ruto thanked Prince Rahim for the significant contributions of the AKDN to Kenya’s development and offered his administration’s support to further strengthen the collaboration. The talks also covered the ongoing engagement of the Ismaili Imamat in Kenya in areas of social inclusion, culture, education and early childhood development and care. The Star report also notes that Princess Zahra Aga Khan is expected to call upon President Ruto later this week in Nairobi when she attends a convocation at the Aga Khan University.
Dubai is hosting the World Government Summit 2024 from February 12-14, and according to the agenda President Ruto is scheduled to give the main speech on February 13.
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February 6, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Meets Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank, meet in Washington DC on February 6, 2024. Photograph: The World Bank via The Ismaili.
The websites of the Aga Khan Develoment Network (AKDN) and The Ismaili report that on Tuesday, February 6, 2024, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, met the President of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, at the World Bank’s headquarters in Washington, DC.
Prince Rahim and Ajay Banga discussed the decades-long development partnership between the World Bank and the various institutions of the AKDN in Africa, South and Central Asia and the Middle East, as well as potential areas of future cooperation, including around climate action, a priority shared by the World Bank and AKDN. The World Bank and AKDN have collaborated in the fields of industry, infrastructure, microfinance, clean energy, water supply, health and nutrition, among others. The partnership has extended across most of AKDN’s principal geographies, with particular recent emphasis on collaboration in Afghanistan.
Born, raised and educated in India, Ajay Banga began his 5-year tenure as the World Bank President on June 2, 2023, after being elected as the President on May 3, 2023. He was nominated to the position in February 2023 by the Biden administration. He most recently served as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic. Previously, he was President and CEO of Mastercard.
February 6, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan and Ajay Banga on X (formerly Twitter)
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FLASHBACK: 2014 AND 2005
MAY 7, 2014: In the Twitter (now X) photograph shown below, Mawlana Hazar Imam is seen meeting with Jim Yong Kim, who was the World Bank President from July 1, 2012 – February 1, 2019.
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January 25, 2005: The following is an excerpt from World Bank President Jim Wolfensohn’s Tribute to His Highness the Aga Khan at the Vincent Scully Award Ceremony. Wolfensohn (d. November 2020) was the President of the World Bank from June 1, 1995 to May 31, 2005.
James Wolfensohn, World Bank President (1995 – 2005), speaking on January 25, 2005 in Washington DC when the National Building Museum presented its sixth prestigious Vincent Scully Prize to His Highness the Aga Khan in recognition of his contributions to promoting design excellence and improving the built environment in the Muslim world.
“…Having seen him [the Aga Khan] in many, many parts of the world, and having talked to him at length on many subjects, there is one thing which distinguishes him, which is not in the buildings and not in the organization. It is the extraordinary sense of humanity that he has. The great depth of real feeling for real people wherever they find themselves in society. He is a holy man. He is the leader of his faith. He’s a man who represents the very best in Islam. Something that all too often we tend to forget these days. That Islam carries with it values and a culture from which we can all learn. And so it is especially wonderful tonight that he’s being honoured with this prize for the built environment at a time that we’re also thinking of the work that he’s done at the human level and, indeed, the level of faith and morality which he does so remarkably well….We salute you, Your Highness.” — Please read full tribute HERE.
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February 22, 2005: In the following picture, Mawlana Hazar Imam (left) is seen with Jim Wolfensohn at a press conference following the launch of the Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM)
The Aga Khan (left) at a Press Conference on February 22, 2005 in Geneva, Switzerland, announcing the launch of the new Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM) to help some of the world’s most vulnerable populations through innovative services including micro-insurance, small housing loans, savings, education and health accounts, and support for small entrepreneurs seeking to develop businesses related to restored cultural assets. The Aga Khan was joined at the news conference by Jim Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank (right) and John Fergusson, AKDN Head of the Department of Public Affairs. Photo: AKDN/Jean-Luc Ray.
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January 18, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan Meets President Steinmeier of Germany
Prince Rahim Aga Khan and His Excellency Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, pictured in Berlin on Monday, January 18, 2024. Photograph: AKDN/Jesco Denzel.
The website of the Aga Khan Development (AKDN) reports that on Monday, January 18, 2024, Prince Rahim Aga Khan, older son of the Hereditary 49th Ismaili Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, met the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, His Excellency Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the Bellevue Palace, Berlin.
President Steinmeier became Germany’s president on March 19, 2017. He was previously federal minister of foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, as well as vice chancellor of Germany from 2007 to 2009.
Prince Rahim and President Steinmeier discussed the decades-long development partnership between public and private institutions in Germany and AKDN in Africa, South and Central Asia and the Middle East, and potential areas of future cooperation. Germany and the AKDN have collaborated in the fields of industry, tourism, financial services, clean energy, water supply, health, education, community development, urban revitalisation and infrastructure. The dialogue also covered the ongoing engagement of the Ismaili Imamat in Germany and in Europe in domains that include social inclusion, culture, education and early childhood development and care.
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2014 Flashback: His Highness the Aga Khan Meets Then German Foreign Minister
As mentioned above, the current German President, Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, was the country’s foreign minister from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017. In this photograph he is seen pictured with Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, in Berlin on February 5, 2014, when the two met to discuss cooperation between the German government and AKDN. The discussions focused on intensifying joint efforts by Germany and AKDN to stabilise fragile states. Photograph: AKDN/Zahur Ramji.
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2006 Flashback: His Highness the Aga Khan Receives Tolerance Award
Dr. Friedemann Greiner, Director and Chairman of the Jury (left), presenting the Tolerance Award 2006 to Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, as the then Germany’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, (right), looks on. Photograph: AKDN/Zahur Ramji.
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January 9, 2024: Prince Rahim Aga Khan MeetS President Charles Michel of the European Council
This is an update to our earlier report that Prince Rahim Aga Khan was scheduled to meet Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, on January 9, 2024, at 12:00.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan meets the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, to discuss cooperation between the European Union and AKDN. Photograph: European Union.
The AKDN and The Ismaili websites both report that Prince Rahim met with Charles Michel in Brussels on January 9, 2024, to discuss cooperation between the European Union and the Aga Khan Development Network in countries and regions of shared interest.
Charles Michel, who served as Belgium’s Prime Minister between 2014 and 2019, is the President of the European Council since 2019. The members of the European Council are the heads of state or government of the 27 EU member states, the European Council President (Charels Michel) and the President of the European Commission.
The EU has been a longstanding partner of the AKDN across a wide range of fields, including the fight against climate change, development cooperation in multiple sectors, and humanitarian response. His Highness the Aga Khan and the then President of the European Council, José Manuel Barroso, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2007.
FLASHBACK 2007: The signing of MOU between the AKDN and the European Commission
Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, and the then President Barroso, President of the European Commission, make statements after the signing of the Joint Declaration between the European Commission and the AKDN in Brussels, Belgium, January 23, 2007. The Joint Declaration aimed to establish a framework for future collaboration. Photograph: AKDN/Gary Otte.
External links — click on the following link(s) for more photographs of the meeting:
Date posted: January 9, 2024.
Last updated: March 26, 2024.
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