University of the Middle East Project

Diego Hidalgo, UME’s champion board member, leader, and friend, was featured today on Al Jazeera’s One on One program.

You can watch the video on YouTube.  It is available in two segments: Part One / Part Two.

Diego Hidalgo

The supporting article posted on the website is as follows:

This week on One on One, meet global philanthropist and intellectual, Diego Hidalgo.

During his years at the World Bank working on Africa’s economic problems, this Spanish-born businessman saw an opportunity to make a difference and, as his wealth accumulated, he continued to direct it towards the development of human rights and democracy.

Politics was in his family – his father was a prominent intellectual and minister of war in the 1930s – but Hidalgo found himself focusing more on the financial world and economics as he studied law, business, and political sciences.

It was between 1968 and 1977 that he developed a deep passion for Africa, while he worked at the World Bank overseeing its projects on the continent.

At the age of 32, Hidalgo became the bank’s youngest ever chief of division – and the first Spaniard to hold such a senior position.

His business activities proved to be incredibly lucrative, but Hidalgo began to concentrate more and more on his charitable interests, with the creation of FRIDE, a private non-profit foundation aimed at promoting peace, human rights and human development.

It is a passion that continues to drive the award-winning philanthropist.