It is through new generations that real change in society can take place, said Pope Francis, during a virtual ceremony to honour the winners of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
The head of the Catholic Church and the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmed Al Tayeb, joined the ceremony through video conference to celebrate the joint winners of the $1 million award: King Abdullah and Queen Rania of Jordan, and Fokal, a Haitian humanitarian organisation.
Each winner was selected by an independent judging committee for their contribution to promoting peaceful co-existence and helping people marred by natural disasters, war and poverty.
Congratulating Fokal on their work, Pope Francis thanked its founder, Michele Pierre-Louis for “paying attention to the new generations” through the organisation's educational initiatives for children in Haiti.
“Passion and creativity are essential to give Haiti a real perspective of a better future,” he said.
Prof Al Tayeb said the work of Fokal promoted the values of human fraternity and contributed to finding solutions to the social, environment and humanitarian crises in Haiti.
“To the people of Haiti, you have long struggled to restore human dignity and persevered in the face of injustice, slavery and tyranny.
“I would like to seize this opportunity to reiterate the need for religious and political figures in the world to unite in support of the principals of human fraternity, foster its noble progress and stand together in the face of unjust wars, hate speech and racism, insolence and selfishness,” he said.
King Abdullah and Queen Rania travelled to Abu Dhabi to accept their awards and prize money to be used to further their humanitarian initiatives, alongside Ms Pierre-Louis. The $1m winnings is split evenly between the two sets of winners.
Thanking the King and Queen of Jordan, Pope Francis said: “We are all aware of their Royal Highnesses' commitment in welcoming large numbers of refugees, in promoting the values of co-existence and dialogue between different religions, in the fight against discrimination and for the emancipation of young people and women.
“By supporting the values of human fraternity, you have contributed to making Jordan an example of tolerance and co-existence.”
He said the award recognised the royal couple and all Jordanian people, who “amid many challenges, pursue the path of peace, moderation and the rejection of violence.”
Prof Al Tayeb highlighted King Abdullah's “constant work to sustain interfaith dialogue, to preserve the Islamic and Christian sanctuaries in Jerusalem and for your constant support towards the vulnerable among the distressed people of Palestine.
“All thanks to Jordan and its honourable people for hosting many refugees fleeing injustice, persecution and a cruel life and the usurpation of their homeland,” he said.
Grand Imam of Al Azhar
In its third year, the award named after the UAE's Founding Father Sheikh Zayed was established following the landmark meeting between the Pope and Prof Al Tayeb in Abu Dhabi on February 4, 2019. On that day, the pair signed the Document on Human Fraternity, which calls for all people to put aside differences in pursuit of progress through understanding, reconciliation and peace.
The same day is now annually celebrated worldwide as the UN-recognised International Day for Human Fraternity.
The award seeks to recognise the work of individuals, organisations and countries for their contributions towards building a more peaceful, harmonious and compassionate world based on the values of human fraternity.
King Abdullah was chosen for promoting interfaith dialogue in the Middle East, addressing divisions among Muslims and fostering harmonious relations between the East and West. Queen Rania was honoured for her advocacy for refugee rights and consistent efforts to promote tolerance and acceptance through philanthropic initiatives.
Fokal was recognised for its work to promote sustainable development, education, art and culture and for its work in raising humanitarian aid for farmers and grass roots organisations affected by the earthquake in the Tiburon Peninsula last year.
They were selected from among 200 nominations by a panel of six judges including the former presidents of Niger and East Timor, Nobel Prize winners, religious figureheads and activists.
Previous winners include UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Latifa Ibn Ziaten, a Moroccan-French activist against religious extremism and founder of the IMAD Association for youth and peace.
Ms Ibn Ziaten, who attended this year's ceremony in Abu Dhabi, was recognised for dedicating her life to raising awareness about the dangers of extremism, after her 22-year-old son was murdered in a terrorist attack in 2012.
Mr Guterres donated his money to the UNHCR to assist refugees worldwide rebuild their lives while Ms Ibn Ziaten used her funds to further the work of her organisation in France, namely with refugees in Calais.
The ceremony was streamed across local television channels.
