BIE Cosmos Prize Expo 2025 awarded to ONG Mon Enfant, Ma Vie

The Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai edition of the BIE-Cosmos Prize has been awarded to ONG Mon Enfant, Ma Vie ("NGO My Child, My Life") for its MoussoTech project.

Jointly awarded by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the Expo '90 Foundation and Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, this edition of the BIE Cosmos Prize was open to citizen projects exemplifying Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai's theme, "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", and its three subthemes "Saving Lives", "Empowering Lives" and "Connecting Lives".

Following a call for applications in 2024 that received applications from over 31 countries around the world, 10 projects were shortlisted to be showcased at Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, where they were presented in the Empowering Lives Zone, close to the Forest of Civilizations. Receiving a grant of 20,000 euros, the winning project was announced on BIE Day, following selection by an international jury, which recognised the particular relevance of ONG Mon Enfant, Ma Vie's project with regard to the Empowering Lives subtheme.

ONG Mon Enfant Ma Vie is a Guinea-based non-governmental organisation working to improve maternal and child health, combat gender-based violence and empower women through education and economic opportunities. The MoussoTech project aims to leverage digital technology to expand opportunities for illiterate women in Dubreka Prefecture, by expanding access to smartphones and providing essential information through a voice-based platform available in local languages. The project is accompanied by mentorship programmes to connect women with local success stories, fostering experience sharing and personal development.

Dimitri S. Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the BIE, stated: "Developed by ONG Mon Enfant Ma Vie, the aspirational MoussoTech project embodies the life-affirming spirit of Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai and its theme. By aiming to use accessible tools to share knowledge and connect women in remote communities through mentorship, it stands as a promising example of how innovation can foster inclusion, empowerment and opportunity."

Hiroaki Katayama, Executive Director of the Expo '90 Foundation indicated: "To the members of Mon Enfant Ma Vie, I would like to congratulate you on receiving the BIE Cosmos Prize. The MoussoTech project you have promoted has been a significant contribution to the concept of 'environmental justice,' which seeks to rectify a society where people suffer unequal circumstances due to environmental burdens. It is also a crucial activity for a sustainable future society. We look forward to the further development of this project."

Manatsu Ichinoki, Deputy Secretary General of Japan Association for the 2025 World Exposition affirmed: "Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai is fostering dialogue and collaborative efforts under the sub-theme of 'Connecting Lives', aiming to eliminate all forms of discrimination and barriers, and to realise a society in which mutual respect prevails. We highly value the MoussoTech project, led by the ONG Mon Enfant Ma Vie, as a pioneering initiative that harnesses digital technology to ensure inclusion for all. We recognise the project as a meaningful contribution to the co-creation of a 'Future Society for Our Lives'."

The BIE-Cosmos Prize is a collaboration between the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the Expo '90 Foundation of Japan, which commemorates Horticultural Expo 1990 Osaka and its value of "Harmonious Coexistence between Nature and Humankind". The BIE-Cosmos Prize has been awarded at all World and Specialised Expos since 2008, with the aim of giving visibility and support to citizen projects that promote the theme of the Expo and the values of the Expo '90 Foundation.

World Expos, officially known as International Registered Exhibitions, are global gatherings of nations addressing universal challenges of our time. These unparalleled global events offer a journey inside a chosen theme through engaging and immersive activities. Taking place under the theme "Designing Future Society for Our Lives", Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai opened its gates on 13 April and will close on 13 October.