Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, 2021: HFD is an integrated humanitarian project and an umbrella for all human beings, the Grand Imam to Zayed Award Committee.
Al-Azhar Grand Imam, Prof. Ahmad At-Tayyeb, , Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders, met with members of the Judging Committee in its second edition, 2021 of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Higher Committee for Human Fraternity (HCHF), Counselor Mohamed Abdul-Salam. At the beginning of the meeting, His Eminence the Grand Imam thanked the members of the Judging Committee of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, expressing his happiness at the formation of the diverse committee, with its different cultures and ethnicities, which is a miniature representation of the world. The Grand Imam expressed his appreciation for the committee’s sincere effort in order for the award to reach deserved recipients. He commented that its decision to select United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Ms. Latifa Benziaten for the award in its second edition was welcomed and universally praised. His Eminence added that the Human Fraternity Document (HFD) was an integrated humanitarian project and an umbrella for all human beings. The HFD was announced after a year of continuous effort between him and Pope Francis, describing Pope Francis as a dear brother, a strong partner in the brotherhood spirit, and a man of peace par excellence. He Expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, for his adoption of this humanitarian document and his belief in it, and for providing care to the committee that works to achieve its goals, explaining that the world needs real human solidarity to confront the crises it is going through.
Grand Imam At-Tayyeb added that the world suffers from many problems, most notably the Corona pandemic, and the unfair distribution of vaccines, in addition to the pandemic of selfishness, hatred, conflicts and wars the problems for which the poor and the vulnerable always pay a heavy price, explaining that the HFD was born from the womb of this tragic reality. The continuation of this reality should be a motive to continue working towards its implementation, which requires honest and peace-loving people with diverse experiences in various political, religious, cultural and civilizational fields. His Eminence also expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the HCHF in working to activate the HFD through practical initiatives and projects that take into account the reality of the world and its problems, calling on the committee to exert more effort at various levels.
For their part, the members of the Judging Committee of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity expressed their pride in and appreciation for the efforts made by the Grand Imam Ahmad At-Tayyeb to eradicate hatred and spread world peace. They said they have heard the voice of Al-Azhar in their countries and find it depicting the best image of Islam, and added that they follow the efforts of the Grand Imam with Pope Francis, both of whom together became an icon for all humanity lovers and a role model of fraternity. They also expressed their confidence that the Judging Committee formed for the new edition of the award will play its role to the fullest, in the distinguished climate provided by the leadership of the sponsoring UAE, which is keen to ensure the independence of the committee and the impartiality of its decision-making in order to achieve credibility and humanitarian impact. They affirmed that they will continue to cooperate in order to promote and implement the principles of human fraternity so that the whole world will feel its results in achieving peace and human coexistence. The Judging Committee of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity consists of five members, in addition to the HCHF Secretary-General, to form an independent and impartial body appointed by the HCHF to evaluate the nominees and select the winner(s) of the prize. Its members include: Catherine Samba-Panza, former President of the Central African Republic, Muhammad Yusuf Kalla, former Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Mikael Jan, 27th Governor-General of Canada, Cardinal Dominique Mamberti, President of the Supreme Court of the Vatican, and Adama Diang, former Chancellor to the United Nations Secretary-General for the Prevention of Genocide, and Counsellor Muhammad Abdul-Salam, HCHF Secretary-General.