Not everyone can be a Nobel
Two international achievement awards that will be announced in June could be helpful for encouraging development and good governance. But, their histories are also warnings about the difficulties of establishing such awards. The first award is the newly created UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. Before it has been bestowed once, the prize has come under intense scrutiny because of President Obiang's leadership in Equatorial Guinea. The second award discussed is the generous Ibrahim Prize. This creative award was started to encourage African leaders to reject the temptation of corruption and to ensure smooth post-election transitions. However, last year it was not given out because the committee thought there were no qualified former heads of state. These examples should not be construed to imply that only Africa has unique problems with governance, they both demonstrate difficulties inherent throughout the world.
The UNESCO-Obiang Prize has a controversial pedigree. The award's stated purpose is to recognized "scientific research in the life sciences leading to improving the quality of human life." President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo first suggested the prize to UNESCO in 2007 and funded it the next October. UNESCO currently plans to present the inaugural award in late June. Presidents Obiang's initial $3 million grant will provide $300,000 for the winner and $300,000 for administrative costs over the first five-year period. After that time, UNESCO and Obiang will review the award and decide if it should be continued or terminated.
Despite these good intentions, the UNESCO-Obiang Prize has drawn intense criticism from journalists and freedom of the press activists. President Obiang has been described as "one of Africa's worst violators of press freedom." Free speech groups say that during the administration of President Obiang, the vast majority of the local press has been restricted. The few remaining independent journalists have come under increasing pressure and scrutiny. This is germane to the UNESCO-Obiang Prize because one of UNESCO's overarching objectives is "building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication." This seemingly hypocritical element has caused many to ask UNESCO to rethink creating the prize.
Other charges leveled against President Obiang include corruption and election rigging. The U.S. State Department summarized the situation as "officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity." Human Rights Watch called it one of the most abusive in the world. Manfred Nowak, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture said that there is "the non-functioning of the administration of justice and, therefore, the absence of the rule of law." These expert opinions provide additional support for the notion that despite his generosity, President Obiang may not be the ideal benefactor for UNESCO to work with.
The UNESCO executive board has already approved the award, but activists are urging the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, to directly appeal to the board to reverse its decision. However, it is currently unclear what action she or the board will take before the presentation of the first award. Rights groups have suggested that UNESCO instead apply the funds to socio-economic programs that benefit Equatoguineans.
The rocky start to the UNESCO-Obiang Prize is contrasted by the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership. The 2010 prize is set to be awarded on June 14th. Only former sub-Saharan African head of state are eligible for this prize. They are evaluated on their good governance in the areas of security, health, education and the economy. An additional prerequisite is a democratic transition of power from their administration to their successor. Winners receive $5 million paid out over 10 years followed by $200,000 a year for the rest of their life. This vastly exceeds the $1.3 million given for the Nobel Peace Prize. Past prize winners have included Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique in 2007 and Festus Mogae of Botswana in 2008. But, in 2009 a lack of qualified candidates prevented it from being awarded at all.
The award was founded by Mr. Mo Ibrahim, a billionaire Sudanese mobile phone entrepreneur. After selling his company Celtel to Kuwait-based MTC for $3.4 billion, he turned his attention to giving back to Africa. The prize was designed to provide an incentive for African leaders to continue good governance and prevent corruption. Mr. Ibrahim believed that many former leaders in Africa turned to corruption as a way to continue living the lifestyle they had become accustomed to as a head of state. Fancy limousines and palaces can be addictive, and the Ibrahim Prize acts like a "retirement plan" for one deserving leader each year. Emphasizing the point made by activists urging a reconsideration of the UNESCO-Obiang prize, it seems unlikely that President Obiang administration could qualify him for the Ibrahim Prize.
Good intentions and piles of money are not enough to effectively establish prestigious awards. This does not mean that such gifts are a dilatants folly, only that there are a number of pitfalls in for their successful creation. The UNESCO-Obiang Prize shows how a controversial benefactor detracts from the legitimacy of prize. The Ibrahim Prize demonstrates that a lack of qualified recipients can prevent a prize from being given at all. It seems that not everyone can live up to the high standard set by Alfred Bernhard Nobel.
