Rashid award recognises Hamad's peace initiatives
Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, was honoured with a prestigious award for his selfless efforts to broker peace and help avert conflicts
Dubai: Shaikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, was on Sunday honoured with a prestigious award from the Emirate of Dubai for his selfless efforts to broker peace and help avert conflicts in the Arab and African regions.
Qatari ambassador Abdullah Mohammad Al Othman accepted the Shaikh Rashid Humanitarian Award, a crystal globe and a certificate in golden lettering, on behalf of Shaikh Hamad during a ceremony at the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre.
Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, who is also CEO of the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, earlier remarked that the Emir was a "natural choice" for the prestigious award in view of his efforts to forge peace and reconciliation both at a personal level and in coordination with Arab and international institutions.
Mariam Othman, director of the Centre, said Shaikh Hamad had received an overwhelming number of votes for the award this year. Earlier recipients of the honour include Suzanne Mubarak, first lady of Egypt; and the late Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Shaikh Hamad helped resolve a protracted political conflict last year that nearly pushed Lebanon to the brink of a new civil war.
He also helped mediate a ceasefire between the Yemeni army and the Al Houthi rebels in 2007, besides brokering peace between Sudan and Eriteria in 1999.
Shaikh Ahmad also highlighted the political and humanitarian role by Shaikh Hamad in Lebanon, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The Shaikh Rashid Humanitarian Award was instituted in 1996 to recognise people who have made valuable contributions towards the welfare of humanity, irrespective of colour, creed and gender.
