Dear SEKEM Friends,

We begin this reflection on 2024 with deep gratitude for the support, trust and collaboration of our partners, employees and wider community. Your continued belief in our vision has enabled us to advance our mission towards a more just, regenerative, and sustainable future — even in the face of immense global and regional challenges. This year we marked key milestones, among them is successfully completing our planned capital increase and revenue targets, ensuring our continued ability to foster sustainable development in Egypt. We are honored to have received two prestigious awards: the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity and the UN’s Champions of the Earth Award in the Entrepreneurial Vision category.

Furthermore, we continued our efforts to implement our holistic approach, rooted in four interconnected pillars: social, cultural, economic, and environmental. We focused our internal and external engagements on 2 key topics: sustainable water management and integral organizational development and leadership. These efforts produced tangible outcomes, among them, we launched a community-driven initiative aimed at promoting water use efficiency, and we further enhanced our sustainable water management practices by learning how to irrigate at night with renewable solar technology.

Simultaneously, we embarked on an internal development journey across Heliopolis University and SEKEM companies, to better understand and meet the professional needs of our teams. These initiatives reflect our profound commitment to environmental sustainability and mark an important step forward in unfolding the full potential of our people.

2024 also marked a major leap for our Economy of Love (EoL) standard, as it gained substantial global recognition. This transformative model was featured at prominent global events, including COP29 in Baku and COP16 in Riyadh, highlighting its impact on supporting 15,000 farmers in their transition to organic and biodynamic agriculture and our ambition goal to reach 40,000 farmers by the end of 2025. Another significant achievement was the trading of the first CO₂ certificates on the Egyptian Stock Exchange, marking a major step toward integrating environmental sustainability with economic value. By monetizing regenerative agricultural practices, the EoL sets a new standard for climate-positive business models, and inspires other enterprises to join in the fight against climate change.

As we look ahead, we do so with humility and determination. Despite the challenges we face, our resolve remains strong. Nearly five decades ago, my father’s vision was deemed unrealistic by many. Today, it has become a living model that stands validated on global stages, inspiring others to join us in creating a better future. Making a difference is an ongoing endeavor—one that requires unwavering belief in our mission and love for our planet. Together, as trustees of this Earth, we will continue striving to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.