“In the Muslim ethical tradition, which links spirit and matter, the Imam not only leads in the interpretation of the faith, but also in the effort to improve the quality of life of his community, and of the wider societies within which it lives; for a guiding principle of the Imamat’s institutions is to replace walls which divide with bridges that unite.”
Mawlana Hazar Imam
Foundation Ceremony of the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat
Ottawa, Canada, June 6, 2005
Speech
2003 to 2007
Mawlana Hazar Imam
established
Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM) as a non-profit Swiss foundation to formalise and develop microfinance activities of the AKDN (2005). AKDN
laid the foundation of
- Ismaili Centre, Dushanbe, Tajikistan (2003) and Ismaili Centre, Dubai, UAE (2003).
- Khorog campus in Tajikistan – the first of three campuses of the University of Central Asia (2004).
- Aga Khan Academy, Maputo, Mozambique (2004).
- Delegation of Ismaili Imamat in Ottawa, Canada (2005).
- Aga Khan Academy, Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania (2005).
- Aga Khan Academy, Hyderabad, India (2006).
Mawlana Hazar Imam watches as President Emomali Rahmon lays the foundation of the new Ismaili Centre in Dushanbe. Photo: The Ismaili/ Gary Otte
Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmonov, Afghanistan’s Vice-President Nematullah Shahrani and His Highness the Aga Khan, lay the foundation stone for the Khorog Campus, University of Central Asia. Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte
Mawlana Hazar Imam addresses dignitaries at the Foundation Stone Laying Ceremony for an Aga Khan Academy in Maputo, Mozambique. Photo: AKDN / Aziz Islamshah
presided over
- the opening of the Alltex EPZ Limited, an apparel plant, at Athi River, Kenya.
The company is a joint venture between Industrial Promotion Services (Kenya) Limited (IPS) and Global Readymade Garments Industry LLC of Qatar (2003).
Speech, Video
- Award ceremony of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture at Humayun’s Tomb, New Delhi, India (2004).
- Convocation Ceremony of Aga Khan University in Karachi (2005).
inaugurated
- the International Colloquium organised to commemorate the 25th anniversary of The Institute of Ismaili Studies in London, UK (2003). Speech
- Aga Khan Academy Mombasa, the first of an international network of Aga Khan Academies that would offer an IB curriculum (2003). Speech
- Al-Azhar Park in Cairo, Egypt, developed by Aga Khan Trust for Culture (2005). Speech
- the French Medical Institute for Children in Kabul, Afghanistan (2006). Speech
- Kampala Serena Hotel , Uganda (2006). Speech
- Ishkashim Bridge, Tajikistan (2006). Speech
addressed
- Fresh water Forum in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (2003). Speech
- the Jacques de Larosiere Lecture at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international financial institutions at the Annual Meeting’s Business Forum, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan (2003). Speech
- Leadership and Diversity Conference, Gatineau, Canada (2004). Speech
- Convocation of the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (2004). Speech
- Fifth annual conference of German Ambassadors in Berlin (2004). Speech
- International Press Institute World Congress and 54th General Assembly held in Nairobi, Kenya (2005). Speech
- Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway (2005). Speech
- Scully Seminar, in Washington, DC (2005) [Speech] and upon acceptance of the Vincent Scully Prize (2005) Speech
- guests of the Carnegie organisation upon receiving the Andrew Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, in Edinburgh, Scotland (2005). Speech
- Commencement at American University in Cairo, Egypt (2005). Speech
- Conference on Afghanistan in London, UK (2006). Speech
- International symposium at the University of Évora, Portugal, titled Cosmopolitan Society, Human Safety and Rights in Plural and Peaceful Societies (2006). Speech
- School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York, USA (2006). Speech
- gathering to present the winner of the 2006 Die Quadriga Prize in Berlin, Germany. Speech
- Royal Toledo Foundation upon acceptance of an award from the Foundation (2006). Speech
- the Evangelical Academy of Tutzing upon receiving the Tolerance Award (2006). Speech
- Enabling Environment Conference in Kabul, Afghanistan (2007). Speech
- Masters of Public Affairs Programme at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques
de Paris (Sciences Po), France (2007). Speech
President of the European Bank for Reconstruction Development (EBRD), Jean Lemierre, invites Mawlana Hazar Imam to deliver the Jacques de Larosière Lecture at the annual meeting of the Board of Governors held in Tashkent. (2003). Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte
Mawlana Hazar Imam speaking at the German Ambassadors conference, with Joschka Fischer, German Minister for Foreign Affairs, looking on (2004). Photo: AKDN / Patrick Ruchdi
Mawlana Hazar Imam speaking at the Aga Khan Academy opening ceremony in presence of His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki (left) and Prince Rahim Aga Khan (right) (2003). Photo: AKDN / Gary Otte
Mawlana Hazar Imam with Professor Horst Köhler, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, at the Fifth German Ambassadors Conference held in Berlin (2004). Photo:
Mawlana Hazar Imam delivering the Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs’ Commencement Address, at the Riverside Church, New York (2006) AKDN / Zahur Ramji
Mawlana Hazar Imam and Norway’s Minister for International Development, Ms. Hilde F. Johnson, sign a Memorandum of Understanding between the AKDN and the Government of Norway, to enhance collaboration on development issues and programmes in Africa, Central and South Asia ( 2005), Oslo, Norway. Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte
Mawlana Hazar Imam receiving the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from American University of Beirut President John Waterbury and Provost Peter Heath (2005). Photo: AKDN/Gary Otte
signed agreements
- with German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, to deepen cooperation between the BMZ and the Aga Khan Development Network, particularly in crisis prone-countries of Asia and sub-Saharan Africa (2004). AKDN
- in Oslo, between the Government of Norway and the Aga Khan Development Network to strengthen cooperation in the areas of culture, health and education, rural development, capacity building, human resource development and economic recovery (2005). AKDN
- with the Government of Portugal to improve the quality of life of vulnerable populations in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries of Asia and Africa (2005). AKDN
- witnessed the signing of an agreement by His Eminence Dom José Policarpo, the Cardinal Patriarch of Lisbon, and Prince Amyn, Director of Aga Khan Foundation, for an urban community support programme to address problems of social exclusion and poverty alleviation (2005). AKDN
- with the Government of Canada for funding for the Global Centre for Pluralism in Ottawa (2006). AKDN
Other events
- The Professional Development Centre was established in Chitral, northern Pakistan (2003).
- AKFED and AKF Tajikistan established the First MicroFinance Bank Tajikistan together with International Finance Corporation and KfW as founding shareholders (2003). AKDN
- AKDN launched Roshan, the GSM mobile phone company, in Afghanistan (2004)
- First MicroFinance Bank Afghanistan was established with IFC and KfW as founding shareholders (2004). AKDN
- AKAM established the First Microfinance Foundation Egypt (2006). AKDN
- AKAM incorporated the First Microcredit Company Kyrgyzstan (2006). AKDN
Golden Jubilee of Mawlana Hazar Imam – July 11, 2007
For titles and honours bestowed upon Mawlana Hazar Imam, visit AKDN or view the matrix.
Selected World Events – 2003 to 2007
- The Hubble telescope has detected the oldest known planet (2003). NASA
- Human genome deciphered; revolutionising the practice of medicine (2003).
- Facebook was launched (2004).
- Web 2.0 was introduced (2004).
- First non-stop 10,000-mile-plus passenger airline flight (2004).
- Yahoo!Maps was introduced (2004).
- YouTube was lauched (2005).
- Google maps was introduced (2005).
- Nintendo released Wii (2006).
- Pluto lost its status as a planet, reclassified as a dwarf planet (2006).
- Google Map’s Street View was introduced (2006).
- iPhone was introduced (2007).
Compiled by Nimira Dewji
Ismailimail 