Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan has received the Walther Rathenau Prize in recognition of her advocacy for peace and understanding between the East and West. The prestigious prizegiving ceremony took place at the Federal Foreign Office in Berlin, and was attended by more than 400 influential guests from the worlds of politics, media, civil society and business.
Accepting the award, the inspirational royal said: “ I am humbled to accept this prize. And I do so on behalf of the people of Jordan who, everyday, through their words and actions, demonstrate the values that defined the life of Walther Rathenau. Values such as courage and compassion. Equality and understanding. Tolerance and mutual respect. In other words, basic human decency.”
In her acceptance speech, Queen Rania emphasised the need for empathy and compassion across the globe in response to the growing refugee crisis.
Referring to coverage of the emergency, she said: “Rather than evoke an unprecedented tide of human kindness, some segments of society have instead unleashed a new and ugly lexicon in our news feeds.”
Her Majesty said the power of language to influence thoughts and actions meant it could also fuel suspicion, intolerance and fear, build walls, and feed into “a downward spiral of mistrust and miscommunication”.
Instead of being limited by labels, Queen Rania encouraged the audience to “look beyond” them, beyond names, and beyond stereotypes, to discover the basic humanity that joins people and unites them in their common needs and aspirations. Recalling the image of Aylan, the Syrian child whose dead body washed onto a beach in Turkey, that is “forever seared into our consciences,” she said: “Let it remind us that no matter where we come from…how we dress…or what language we speak. Who we worship or how we got here. That, in the end, we share the same dreams and want the same things.”
The Walter Rathenau Award has been presented annually since 2008 to recognize outstanding personalities who have contributed to international politics and dialogue. Hilary Clinton was also a recipient of the notable award in 2011. During her stay in Berlin, Queen Rania also attended the G7 Forum for Dialogue with Women in Politics, business and civil society, hosted by Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Watch Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan’s full speech here.
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YouTube: www.youtube.com/QueenRania
