Dato’ (Dr.) Anwar Fazal, Director of the Right Livelihood College, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Chairperson Emeritus of the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), was selected for the 2013 International Tower Person Award for Consumer Education. The award was presented in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on June 20 at a ceremony organised by the Federation of Malaysia Consumer Association (FOMCA). The award was presented to those with outstanding, creative, and energetic achievements on consumer education.

Prof Dr. Heiko Steffens of the Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, who is also the Chairman of the Prize Jury, presented the Award at a ceremony attended by Dato’ Marimuthu, President of FOMCA and other distinguished consumer advocates. 

Steffens in his citation congratulated Anwar for his life time achievement in the field of Consumer Education including setting up the International Consumer Education Network and the development of pioneering book “Consumer Education - A Resource Handbook”. He added that Anwar continued enthusiastically and effectively doing what he calls “Nurturing the Future” and his philosophy was that “Little people doing little things in little places can change the world”. 

Anwar was the founder of the Consumer Association of Penang (CAP) in 1969 and several other global citizen networks including Health Action International (HAI) and Pesticide Action Network (PAN). He was the first person from the third world to be the elected president of the International Organisation of Consumers Unions (IOCU). 

Anwar, Steffens added, continue his creative activities in establishing and leading the Right Livelihood College at the USM, a pioneering and innovative university change making initiative linking winners of the Right Livelihood Award, popularly known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize”, with young scholars and sharing the vast experience, knowledge and passion. Anwar himself is a winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize (see www.rightlivelihood.org).