AKDN agencies' mission statement is to work towards the elimination of global
poverty; the promotion and implementation of
pluralism; the advancement of the status of
women; and the honoring of
Islamic art and
architecture. To pursue their mandates, AKDN institutions rely on
volunteers as well as paid staff. As of 2008, the organization's annual budget for not-for-profit activities is approximately $950 million, mainly in
Africa,
Asia, and the
Middle East. AKDN works in 30 countries around the world, and it employs approximately 96,000 paid staff. The following is a list of AKDN agencies: The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and its affiliates, Tourism Promotion Services,
Industrial Promotion Services, and the
Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance, seek to strengthen the role of the private sector in developing countries by supporting private sector initiatives in the development process. The fund and the foundation also encourage government policies that foster what the Aga Khan first called "an enabling environment of favorable legislative and fiscal structures". AKDN also runs civil society programs. A number of their organizations are sponsored by the
World Bank with the help of partner foundations. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture coordinates the Imamate's cultural activities. Its programs include the
Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the
Aga Khan Historic Cities Program, and the Education and Culture Program. The trust also provides financial support for the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at
Harvard University and the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. It also supports cultural development and preservation with the Award for Architecture,
Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), Historic Cities, Museums & Exhibitions, Islamic Architecture and Music. The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED), Aga Khan Agency for Microfinance (AKAM), Financial Services, Industrial Promotion, Tourism Promotion, Media, Aviation Services are some agencies and programs offered for economic development. In the field of education, AKDN has the Aga Khan Education Services (AKES), Aga Khan University (AKU), Aga Khan Academies (AKA), and the
University of Central Asia (UCA). ==Rural development==