In a ceremony in Abu Dhabi, this year’s distinguished Zayed Award for Human Fraternity was honoured to Their Majesties King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein and Queen Rania Al Abdulla. The award was honoured in light of the combined efforts of Queen Rania’s passionate advocacy for refugees’ rights, and King Abdullah’s nurturing of positive relations between the East and West. Their Majesties have also been highly acknowledged for their remarkable attributes and dedication to heartening and promoting peace across the globe.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity was founded in 2019 and this will be the third edition running. The award was established after a discussion between the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb and Pope Francis in his first-ever Papal visit to the UAE. The discussions between the two religious leaders culminated in the co-signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi declaration. The declaration sparked the creation of the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity and the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity under the patronage of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
Her Majesty Queen Rania expressed her gratitude for being honoured with the award alongside His Majesty King Abdullah whom she says is her ‘constant inspiration.’ The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayeb congratulated the King and Queen in a recorded video message that played during the ceremony, saying that the two were role models for fraternity and coexistence.
