ABU DHABI, 30th September, 2026 (WAM) -- The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity announced on Wednesday the five members of its 2027 judging committee, with Italy, Iraq, Lebanon and Kazakhstan represented for the first time.
The new jury will select the honoree(s) for the eighth edition of the prize, which recognises individuals and organisations of all backgrounds, anywhere in the world, advancing human fraternity and peaceful coexistence.
The 2027 judging committee members are Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Former President of Portugal; Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and former President of Iraq; Nehmat Aoun, First Lady of Lebanon; Maulen Ashimbayev, Former Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan; and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Culture at the Holy See.
The international and independent award, which includes a financial prize of US$1 million, is named in honour of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Founding Father, renowned for his humanitarianism and dedication to helping people irrespective of their background or place in the world.
The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity is an annual global humanitarian award established following the historic meeting in Abu Dhabi in 2019 between the late His Holiness Pope Francis, 266th pope of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, during which the two prominent religious leaders signed the historic Document on Human Fraternity.
The award is accepting nominations of individuals and organisations advancing human fraternity and solidarity around the world for its eighth edition. Nominations can be submitted before October 31, through the award’s website: https://www.zayedaward.org/en/nomination/form