Anarkali
Honaryar, defender of the rights of women and minority groups in Afghanistan,
and Palestinian activist Khaled Abu Awwad will receive the UN Education,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, and
will be honoured in a special ceremony on 9 December at the agency’s
headquarters in Paris.
Ms. Honaryar will be honoured for
her work helping women who suffer from domestic abuse, forced marriages and
gender discrimination and for her commitment to promote the ideals of human
dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance in her country. Last year
she became the first non-Muslim woman to become a member of the Afghan
Parliament’s lower house.
Mr. Awwad will receive recognition
for his work as a peace activist and leader in the reconciliation process
between Palestinians and Israelis. He heads the Palestinian Branch of the
Parents Circle Families Forum, an organization of Palestinians and Israelis
who have lost immediate family members in the conflict, and is one of the
founders of AI-Tariq (The Way), a Palestinian institution for development and
democracy.
According to a news release issued
by UNESCO, the two laureates, who were selected by an international jury, will
receive a $100,000 award, to be split equally between them.
The
UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize is awarded every two years and was created in
1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi,
with the support of the Indian writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh.
UNESCO awards peace
hero defenders – Anarkali Honaryar &
Khaled Abu Awwad