His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has presented Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel with an Honorary Knighthood in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in an investiture ceremony held at the British Embassy in Riyadh.

The ceremony follows an announcement made in October 2014 that Her Majesty The Queen had graciously approved an Honorary Knighthood for Mr Jameel for his philanthropic activities and support for the development of the arts and culture in the UK. Honorary knighthoods are awarded by the Queen, on the advice of the Foreign Secretary, to those who have made an important contribution to British interests.

Speaking after the investiture, Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel said: “It is a great honour to have received this award from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. I would like to thank my family, my colleagues at Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives and our partners across the globe for their hard work and support in running the numerous programmes that help make such a difference to the lives of so many.”

Mr Jameel is a businessman and noted philanthropist who has supported job creation and poverty alleviation initiatives in the Middle East and globally. He is chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives (ALJCI), which supports numerous programmes to address unemployment issues, enables research for poverty alleviation, and provides education and training opportunities across the Arab world.

Mr Jameel is also internationally recognised for his support for the development of the arts and culture. Most notably, he has played a significant part in a project to restore the Islamic Gallery housed in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. ALJCI also founded the Jameel Prize in partnership with the Victoria & Albert Museum. Awarded every two years, the Jameel Prize is an international art prize awarded to up-and-coming artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of art, craft and design.

In addition, Mr Jameel has worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to establish the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab (J-WAFS). The overarching goal of both organisations is to utilise scientific methodology and inform government policy in order to improve lives worldwide.

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