On Friday, February 5, 2010 we were delighted to honor Diego Hidalgo Schnur as the 2009 winner of the Commitment to Development Ideas in Action Award, sponsored jointly by the Center for Global Development (CGD) and Foreign Policy magazine. Hidalgo’s career reflects his resolute dedication to helping the world’s poorest people. He is the founder or key sponsor of numerous organizations committed to promoting development and democracy across the globe. These include Development Assistance Research Associates (DARA), which produces the Humanitarian Response Index; the Foundation for Research and Investment for the Development of Africa (FRIDA), an NGO that promotes cooperation and development projects in the continent’s poorest countries; and the Toledo International Centre for Peace (CITpax), a Spanish think tank. Hidalgo also serves as president of the Fundación par alas Relaciones Internacionales y el Diálogo Exterior, (FRIDE), a Madrid-based think tank that provides innovative ideas on Europe's role in the international arena. The award, bestowed annually since 2003, honors an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to changing attitudes and policies towards the developing world.
Nancy Birdsall, President of the Center for Global Development and Moisés Naím, Editor-in-Chief of Foreign Policy magazine presented the 2009 Award to Mr. Hidalgo.
