News
CEB Award for Social Cohesion receives nearly 100 applications
24 April 2020
PARIS – Launched by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to acknowledge and reward outstanding social projects in Europe, the CEB Award for Social Cohesion received nearly 100 applications from more than 15 countries in its first year of competition.
The Award attracted interest from diverse organisations, from civil society to academia and local governments. Many social entrepreneurs and individuals from CEB member countries also applied, representing around one quarter of the entries.
The nominated projects address pressing social issues in the fields of education and vocational training, employment, improved access to services and cross-border cooperation, among others. Many of them focus on women, migrants, people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Response to COVID-19 has also been tackled through several innovative ideas.
Helping to integrate the most vulnerable citizens to nurture a more diverse society is one of the CEB’s three strategic priorities. The CEB Award for Social Cohesion stems from our social mandate, centered on a firm belief that the right investments in the social sector can have profoundly positive economic and social impacts on society at large, making sure that no one is left behind.
The competition will award a €25,000 prize to a project that makes a significant contribution to social cohesion in an innovative and effective way.
The Governor of the CEB, Rolf Wenzel, commented: “We are delighted with the interest shown in this very first CEB Award for Social Cohesion and the number of high-quality applications received. I look forward to the announcement of the results.”
A Preselection Panel comprising three CEB members of staff with relevant expertise in social projects and development will review the applications and draw up a shortlist of eligible nominees, among which an independent Jury of experts will subsequently select one single award winner.
Our Jury members come from the fields of social development, social entrepreneurship, academia or civil society. This year the members of the Jury include:
- Snežana Samardžić-Marković, Director General of Democracy at the Council of Europe, President of the Jury
- Guillaume Capelle, Founder of SINGA and CALM
- Dominique Lamiot, Chair of the Governing Board, CEB
- Eva Maydell, Member of the European Parliament/President of European Movement International
- Christine Whitehead, Emeritus Professor, London School of Economics
The winner of the CEB Award for Social Cohesion will be announced on 15 June. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the modalities of the award ceremony are still being discussed and will be communicated at a later date.
For more information visit the Award website.
Set up in 1956, the CEB (Council of Europe Development Bank) has 41 member states. Twenty-two Central, Eastern and South Eastern European countries, forming the Bank's target countries, are listed among the member states. As a major instrument of the policy of solidarity in Europe, the Bank finances social projects by making available resources raised in conditions reflecting the quality of its rating (AA+ with Fitch Ratings, outlook positive, AAA with Standard & Poor's, outlook stable and Aa1 with Moody's, outlook stable). It thus grants loans to its member states, and to financial institutions and local authorities in its member states for the financing of projects in the social sector, in accordance with its Articles of Agreement.