Anarkali Honaryar and Khaled Abu Awwad Won the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize 2011

The 2011 UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize winners were declared on 16 November 2011. Anarkali Honaryar, Afghan women’s rights campaigner and Palestinian peace activist Khaled Abu Awwad won the 2011 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence. The US$ 100,000 will be divided equally between the two laureates. The award ceremony is scheduled at UNESCO in Paris on 9 December 2011. Anarkali Honaryar (Afghanistan) was rewarded for her commitment and tireless work to improve the conditions of women and minority groups in Afghanistan and to promote the ideals of human dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance. Anarkali Honaryar received public recognition for helping women who suffer from domestic abuse, forced marriages and gender discrimination. She is also known for advocating the rights of Afghanistan’s minorities. After the parliamentary elections of 2010, Honaryar became the first non-Muslim woman member of Afghanistan's Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of parliament.

Khaled Abu Awwad (Palestine) was cited for his efforts to promote tolerance, peace and non-violence through his work as a peace activist and leader in the reconciliation process between Palestinians and Israelis. Abu Awwad is the General Manager of the Palestinian Branch of the Parents Circle Families Forum (PCFF), an organization of Palestinians and Israelis who lost immediate family members in the conflict of Israel and Palestine. Awwad along with other leaders and prominent members of the Palestinian peace movement founded AI-Tariq (The Way) in 2006. AI-Tariq (The Way) is the Palestinian Institution for Development and Democracy. Awwad has been the manager and Executive Director since 2006.

South Asia Foundation (SAF) took initiatives in establishing a UNESCO Madanjeet Singh institute of excellence in the proposed Nalanda University, on the lines of the 12 institutions established in the eight SAARC countries.

About UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize

•    UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize was created in 1995 on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the birth of the Mahatma Gandhi.
•    Mr. Madanjeet Singh is the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and founder of the prize.
•    Since 1996, the Prize has been awarded every two years.
•    Since 2002, it amounted to US $ 100,000.
•    In 2011, the Prize will be awarded for the eighth time.