The Maestro Padilla Auditorium is hosting this morning the institutional act on the occasion of Andalusia Day in the province of Almeria. Eleven people and entities will receive the Andalusian flag for their contribution in different areas to the development and growth of Almeria and Andalusia, during the institutional act that, on the occasion of the 28-F, will be held today, Friday, in the capital.
Among the award winners, there will be two leading figures from the Almanzora Region.
The Andalusian Flag of Solidarity and Concord will be awarded to the Eduarda Justo Foundation.
The Foundation, set up by the Cosentino Group in 2006, promotes educational, social and business leadership and development in Spain and especially in the province of Almeria, where it is based. It owes its name to Doña Eduarda Justo, mother of the three founders and an example of leadership, entrepreneurial spirit and social commitment.
Inspired by her and her values, the foundation is focused on promoting the development of talent, values and the desire for continuous improvement of young people with the potential to become future leaders, through three fundamental activities: The Leaders of the Future Seminar (SLF), International scholarships for young people studying high school and The Leading Schools project.
José Antonio Lorente Acosta will receive the Andalusian Flag of Science and Health.
The doctor of medicine José Antonio Lorente, born in Serón, is professor of Legal and Forensic Medicine at the University of Granada and director of the Laboratory of Genetic Identification. He received the Extraordinary Doctorate Award, was a post-doctoral researcher at the German Universities of Heidelberg and Münster, did further studies at the FBI Academy (Quantico, Virginia) and at the University of California at Berkeley, where he became an expert in human genetic identification and forensic genetics.
He created the FÉNIX Programme for the identification of missing persons, the first of its kind in the world, and created and founded the DNA-PROKIDS programme for the Genetic Identification of Missing Children, which operates in more than 22 laboratories in 16 different countries and has achieved the identification and return to their families of more than 1,500 children, preventing child trafficking and illegal adoptions.
He is currently working on the development of the DNA-ProORGAN Programme, designed to combat organ trafficking, and developed in conjunction with the Spanish Medical Association and the National Transplant Organisation. Professor Lorente is also director of the GENYO Centre – Pfizer – University of Granada – Andalusian Regional Government Centre for Genomics and Oncology Research.
This year’s awards from the Government Delegation are completed with María Nieves Artero Jiménez (Andalusian Flag of Social Sciences and Literature), the Cathedral of Almería and the Peña El Morato (Andalusian Flag of Arts), Anastasiya Dimitriv (Andalusian Flag of Sport).
The Cátedra Primaflor (Andalusian Flag for Economy and Business); Circuito de Almería (Andalusian Flag for the Projection of the Province); CECOUAL (Andalusian Flag for Environmental Merit) and the Asociación En Familia por Derecho (Andalusian Flag for Human Values) will also receive awards. The Andalusian flag will also be presented to Juan José Jiménez Martínez in recognition of his special career.
The Andalusian Regional Government delegate in Almeria, Aránzazu Martín, pointed out that the Government Delegation of the Andalusian Regional Government has decided to award the Andalusian flag to these entities and individuals for being a «good example of the Andalusia committed to its land to which they have contributed, each in their own category, their good work».