ZAHF announces UN SG, Moroccan-French activist as its honourees

Hosted via a virtual ceremony, anchored around the setting of the Founder’s Memorial, in Abu Dhabi, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity’s (ZAHF) inaugural annual award ceremony will be streamed from its own website for viewers to watch, on Thursday evening at 5:30pm GST.

Born out of the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity (DHF), in Abu Dhabi, in 2019, and aligned to the humanitarian values shared by the UAE’s founder, the late Sheikh Zayed, this global award recognises individuals who are committed to fostering conditions for peaceful co-existence.

In recognition of that historic meeting, the honourary recipients of the first Zayed Award for Human Fraternity were the co-signees of the Document: His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al Sharif, Dr. Ahmed el-Tayeb, and the Head of the Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Francis.

As Secretary-General of the UN, since 2017, António Guterres has embarked on a dedicated mandate to address issues relating to world peace and security. Among some of the key initiatives he has spearheaded, during his time in office, Guterres has addressed a number of impactful initiatives, including: countering hate speech and violence; modernizing UN peacekeeping practices; to his Global Cease Fire Appeal and Initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic – resulting in 170 member and observer states heeding that call to sign up.

2021 honouree, Latifa Ibn Ziaten, is a mother and Moroccan-French activist, dedicated to raising awareness against escalating religious extremism, following her own personal tragedy of losing her son, Imad, to a terrorist attack, in 2012. Since then, Latifa has become a well-known civil society activist, in France and beyond; working with families and communities to prevent youth radicalization and spreading the message of peace, dialogue, and mutual respect.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s ceremony, the Secretary-General of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity (HCHF), and co-author of the Document on Human Fraternity, Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, said, "As head of the UN, Guterres has been responsible for launching many individual and joint initiatives aimed at ending humanity’s violence against itself and violations against nature. His commitment and dedication in this role has shown that he is a true endorser of the approach and values advocated for by the Document on Human Fraternity.

To watch the two honourees receive their award from His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed el-Tayeb, viewers can go to www.zayedaward.org. The 30-minute broadcast will air from 17:30-18:00 GST/13:30-14:00 GMT/08:30-09:00 EST, Thursday evening.

The February 4th awards ceremony also coincides with the first International Day of Human Fraternity, which was adopted by a UN General Assembly resolution, in December 2020. This date is now an official day dedicated to raising awareness and recognising the efforts of those who promote peace, harmony, and intercultural dialogue, around the world. The date was chosen to coincide with the 2019 signing of the Document on Human Fraternity.

This year’s award is the first time that nominees from all over the world could be submitted to be assessed by an independent judging committee, formed by the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity (HCHF) and made up of international experts.