We meet once again in this beautiful scenery overlooking the River Tagus to bestow the Champalimaud Vision Prize, one of the most important world awards, both in scientific area and in the humanitarian field.

This year in its 7th edition, the Prize has been distinguishing, in turn, research work and respective contributions towards new discoveries in vision mechanisms and in activities guided towards peoples with greater needs of medical care and assistance, particularly in the fight against avoidable blindness.

The Champalimaud Prize brings to fruition the dream of a great Portuguese citizen, who decided to bequeath for posterity a very special Foundation. In this extraordinary demonstration of the art of giving, António Champalimaud uniquely contributed to the common benefit of Portugal and, without exaggeration, to the benefit of Humanity.

This Prize distinguishes actions, carried out in any place in the World, that stand out by their excellence and by their value, whatever the nationality of the initiatives or of the prize winners. It is truly a worldwide prize that, due equally to this fact, projects the name of the Foundation – and that of Portugal – in the four corners of the Earth.

The Champalimaud Foundation thus assumes an internationally sized responsibility, by becoming associated to the Millennium Development Goals laid down by the United Nations in 2000, and subscribed by 191 countries, including Portugal.

The Millennium Development Goals, which are expressed in a series of quantitatively established targets, have the objective to promote the improvement of the living conditions of the poorer people in developing countries, thus contributing towards a balanced and harmonious progress of Humanity.

Health, just as Education, naturally assumes a prime position in the fight against poverty and in the promotion of sustainable economic growth. There is still much to be done in these fields, particularly in developing countries, but also in the more developed countries.

In Europe, especially in this period, in which we are going through a financial and economic crisis, the fight against poverty and social exclusion must firmly remain in the agenda of the politicians of the Member States, making us all responsible for the need to find new solutions that guarantee a dignified way of life for all citizens.

I am more than ever convinced of the need to conquer this challenge through flexible and innovatory solutions, which involve greater responsibility of non governmental organizations and of citizens in general, and a greater concurrence between the actions of the State and the initiatives of the civil society.

In its statutory terms, this year’s Champalimaud Vision Prize assumes an unarguable humanitarian feature and, for the very first time, will be shared by four institutions, which the Jury believed were an example and a case of successful collaboration in the development of a common project: the making available of ophthalmologic health care to the people of Nepal, a country with a high population density, complex topography and considerable lack of resources at many levels.

Three decades ago, the volition and the enthusiasm of a small group of nine persons led them to Kathmandu, where they made contact with a reality existing in the whole country: the high prevalence of cases of blindness and the absence of any structure either for the treatment or for the accompaniment and prevention of avoidable blindness.

They then decided to set up one of the organizations which received an award today, the Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS), later recognized as a non governmental organization with full rights, and to whom the government later attributed responsibility for coordinating the first epidemiological study of blindness in Nepal and, following that, for the implementation of a programme of ophthalmologic care for the Nepalese population.

This was thus the start-up of a community based programme, the Nepal Eye Programme, a notable instance of cooperation between hospitals, ophthalmologic care centres and several non governmental organizations. This group comprises the remaining three bodies who were awarded prizes in the ceremony in which we are taking part today (the Tilganga Ophthalmologic Institute; the Sagarmatha Choudhary Eye Hospital/Biratnagar Eye Hospital; and the Lumbini Eye Institute).

The work carried out, on a shared and coordinated basis, by the involved institutions is intended to guarantee ophthalmologic care to people without financial conditions and without access to treatment for blindness. To start with, through the increase of cataract operations, both in the larger centres and in rural districts. Then, through early detection and fight against infant blindness, having as background the ambitious objective to eradicate Trachoma in 2017.

In three decades, the prevalence of blindness in Nepal was reduced by more than half: from 84 per cent, in 1981, to 35 per cent in 2012. We are doubtlessly looking at a notable result and at a far seeing humanitarian work, an example of benevolence and of good work, at the service of the common benefit.

I congratulate the Jury for their choice. I am certain that this Champalimaud 2013 Vision Prize will be an incentive and a complement for other financial, technical and administrative support for non governmental organizations that, such as the institutions who were awarded prizes today, accompany this project for the prevention and elimination of avoidable blindness in Nepal.

As President of the Republic I wish to show my pride for the distinction attributed here today. To know that the generosity of a Portuguese citizen will contribute towards the prevention and elimination of blindness in a far off country, lacking in the most varied types of material and technical issues, is something that fits particularly well with our features as a nation of many centuries, pioneer in globalization, in inter-cultural dialogue and historically opened out to the world.

It is also an unambiguous sign of our collective responsibility as active and driven members of the international community and committed to the Millennium Development Objectives of the United Nations. Thanks to this Prize, the benefits to the Nepalese people will have, in some way or another, a Portuguese label.

Allow me to end by warmly greeting the Champalimaud Foundation, represented here by its Chairman, Dr. Leonor Beleza, by congratulating her on the exceptional work carried out in these facilities and wishing the best of success for the projects in progress.

Thank you very much.