"It is a great honour for Sant'Egidio to receive the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity, established in the wake of the historic document co-signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam Tayyeb in Abu Dhabi in 2019. This award is a strong encouragement for our commitment in favour of fraternity, peace and service to the poorest in the world". Thus the President of Sant'Egidio, Marco Impagliazzo, on the awarding of the Zayed 2023 prize to the Community.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity was established on February 4, 2019, to mark the historic meeting between Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar.
Now in its fourth edition, the award will be presented on February 4th in Abu Dhabi. The prize recognises the Community of Sant'Egidio - together with the Kenyan peacebuilder "Mama Shamsa" - for having contributed "to building a more peaceful and compassionate world through advancing the values of human fraternity and setting an inspiring example of the promotion of peaceful coexistence".
The motivations for the award to Sant'Egidio include "the contribution to the successful peace negotiations and conflict resolution through religious diplomacy and intercultural dialogue", citing Mozambique and Guatemala in particular. The value of the Humanitarian Corridors programme, promoted by the Community since 2016, for "the integration of refugees into host societies" is also recognised.
The official announcement of the Zayed Award 2023 in English
