MALABO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA (BNO NEWS) – The Government of Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial) on Wednesday responded to the announcement by UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova on the decision to delay setting a date to award the UNESCO-Obiang Life Sciences Prize and to postpone the decision on the matter until the next meeting of the Executive Council in October.

“The Government of Equatorial Guinea expresses gratitude to the Director-General of UNESCO for the prudence shown in dealing with matters surrounding the UNESCO-Obiang Prize, which is intended to contribute significantly to science, research and the preservation of life worldwide. Further, we extend our sincere appreciation and thanks to the African community for its unwavering support of the prize,” the Government of Equatorial Guinea said, outlining that the country’s challenges are in improving the health, education, culture and professional skills of our citizens.

“Equatorial Guinea is working both to improve itself and contribute to the international community—thanks to the blessing of our recently discovered natural resources. The UNESCO-Obiang Prize is a part of this effort. We are also now taking steps to be more transparent and proactive in communicating the progress we are making as we strive to transform from the poor country that we were into an emergent, sustainable economy,” the Government added.

The Government of Equatorial Guinea expressed its hope that the Executive Council, over the next few months, will come to a final determination, based on the original principles laid forth and approved by UNESCO for the prize when it was established more than 2 years ago. The prize will release important funds to the scientific community, providing resources to make discoveries that will benefit all humanity.

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