The Award is hosted by the Civic Alliance - Latvia and the U.S. Embassy in Latvia.

What is it?

The Human Development Award is presented to honor Latvia’s inspirational people and to recognize the socially responsible practices of Latvia’s businesses and non-profit organizations.

The award has four categories that emphasize investment in social responsibility, education, health and well-being.

In 2023 the award was presented for the tenth time.

During the 10 years of the award, 42 recipients of the Human Development Award  have been honored. Among the laureates are Līga Uzulniece, the founder of "Eņģeļa pasts", Māris Ceirulis, Chairman of the Board of Liepāja Blind Association, Vita Kalniņa, head of the family psychological support center "Līna", Tamāra Krēsliņa, a volunteer in the field of resocialization of the State Probation Service, #vieglipalīdzēt, the Children's Hospital Foundation, etc. All the winners of the competition can be found in the Winners section.

What are the goals?

The award was established in 2014 with the aim of emphasizing human development in response to negative demographic trends, such as declining population, high income inequality, reduced health status and a high proportion of institutional care for children. The aim of the award is to promote initiatives that help reduce inequalities and promote human growth.


Latvia's growth and prosperity depend on its people. Selfless, talented and active people who can inspire others.

Partners


 


Who were the laureates?  

In 2023, the "Human Developement Award" was awarded to Elīna Prikule and the "Laima Disease Patients' Association," "Open Creative Centers, and Edijs Klaišis, Māris Ločmelis and the social enterprise "Invisible World," and Maksims Mihejevs, and association "Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem". 

Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAZvnZ
Video: https://ej.uz/HDAvideo23

  1. For social responsibility and philanthropy - for outstanding contributions to societal development by dedicating time, knowledge, financial, or organizational resources to the benefit of society, Maksims Mihejevs and the social enterprise "Neredzamā pasaule" received the award.

  2. For an outstanding contribution to education - for shaping the quality and accessibility of education for people at any stage of life, the educator Māris Ločmelis received the award.

  3. For an outstanding contribution to health - for promoting a healthy lifestyle, supporting and improving individual and societal health and well-being, as well as reducing inequality in healthcare, the "Laima Disease Patients' Association" and its founder Elīna Prikule received the award.

  4. For contributions to Latvia's future - for promoting the well-being and healthy development of children and youth, ensuring loving and stable care, including out-of-family care, Edijs Klaišis and the "Open Creative Centers" association received the award.

  5. A special award for selfless work is given to the "Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem" association.