The Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity announces that the Palestinian Welfare Foundation has been chosen as the third honoree in the 2026 cycle.

The Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity announced the third honoree of the award in its seventh session in 2026, the Palestinian Humanitarian Cooperation Foundation, which will be honored alongside the historic peace agreement between the republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia and Zarqa Yaftali, the Afghan advocate for women’s education, at the award ceremony on February 4, 2026, at the Founding Zayed Monument in Abu Dhabi.

The selection of the Palestinian Welfare Foundation comes in recognition of its exceptional humanitarian efforts that touch the lives of more than a million people annually in Palestine, where since its founding in 1983, it has invested more than a billion dollars in several areas, including education, youth empowerment, orphan care and culture, the reconstruction of ancient towns, and community development in the fields of health, agriculture, and emergency humanitarian aid.

The Foundation has implemented more than 8,200 projects that contribute to empowering members of Palestinian society, especially youth, to withstand and progress and achieve social and cultural advancement in society towards preserving the Palestinian heritage, sustainable development, and highlighting civilization and renewed creativity.

The Secretary-General of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity, Counselor Mohammed Abdel Salam, said: “The selection of the Welfare Foundation as the third honoree of the award in its seventh session comes in celebration of an extended humanitarian journey that has established the preservation of human dignity and the strengthening of the steadfastness of Palestinian society under extremely difficult circumstances.”

He added: “The Palestine Cooperation Foundation has presented a pioneering institutional model in humanitarian work and development, expanding its impact from immediate relief to long-term investment in education, health, youth empowerment, and protecting social cohesion. Honoring the Foundation coincides with the message of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity in celebrating institutions that transform the values of human brotherhood into a tangible impact, and providing assistance to those who need it, following the approach of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may God have mercy on him.” Founder of the UAE.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Al-Taawoun Foundation, Dr. Nabil Hani Al-Qaddoumi, expressed his pride in honoring the Foundation with the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity 2026, expressing his thanks and appreciation to the independent judging panel consisting of a global team of arbitrators along with international experts in the field of promoting dialogue and human coexistence.

Al-Qadoumi pointed out that this honor gives the Foundation a strong morale boost and a broader space to highlight humanitarian and development priorities in Palestine, stressing that the international recognition granted by the award increases the Foundation’s ability to develop long-term programs in education and health, empower youth, and enhance community cohesion.

The award announced two honorees for its seventh session: the historic peace agreement between the republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia and Zarqa Yaftali, the Afghan advocate for women’s education.

Both the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, expressed their pride in this honor, which contributes to strengthening efforts to establish peace in the Caucasus region, while Zarqa Yaftali said that this honor carries a strong and inspiring message for the women of Afghanistan, and a motive for hope for many women in the world.

Since 2019, the award has celebrated 20 honored individuals and entities from 20 countries, including His Eminence the Grand Imam Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Sheikh of Al-Azhar (honorary recipient of the award), the late Pope Francis, former Pope of the Catholic Church (honorary recipient of the award), and a number of international institutions and personalities who have made great contributions to promoting the values ​​of human brotherhood and spreading them globally.