2025 Zayed Awards celebrate ‘our shared humanity’

Feb 14, 2025

By Joseph Tulloch – Abu Dhabi
The 2025 Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity has been awarded to World Central Kitchen, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados, and 15-year-old Ethiopian-American inventor Heman Bekele.

The prize was presented on February 4 at the Founder’s Memorial in downtown Abu Dhabi, an awe-inspiring location surrounded by the serenity of ghaf trees and the towering skyscrapers that define the Emirate.

Now in its sixth year, the Zayed Prize is awarded annually on Feb 4, the date of the historic Human Fraternity Declaration signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and Ahmad al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar. This groundbreaking document inspired the creation of the Zayed Prize, a symbol of global unity and compassion.

At the ceremony, Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados was the first to take the stage. Widely celebrated for her bold actions on climate change, Mottley has committed her country to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030. She reminded the audience that “we cannot separate people and the planet”; human progress is only possible if we preserve the world that sustains us. She emphasised that the Zayed Prize's focus on “our shared humanity” calls us to focus on what truly matters in life.

Next, Erin Gore, CEO of World Central Kitchen, spoke with passion about her organisation’s mission to provide food aid to communities suffering from humanitarian crises. Since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, World Central Kitchen has delivered 100 million meals to Palestinians in Gaza. With deep emotion, Gore honoured seven of her staff members tragically killed by an Israeli drone strike in Gaza in April 2024. “Their dedication fuels us,” she said.

Finally, 15-year-old Heman Bekele shared his inspiring journey. A brilliant inventor, Bekele created a cost-effective soap to prevent and treat early-stage skin cancer, currently being trialed at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US. With the Zayed Prize funds, Bekele hopes to expand his projects, including building a hospital in his native Ethiopia.

These remarkable individuals remind us that change is possible — through innovation, leadership, and compassion for our shared humanity.--Vatican News