21 March, 2023
Proposed by The HM King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein, and HRH Prince Ghazi ibn Muhammad of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW) was adopted by the United Nations, on 20 October, 2010, according to the UN General General Assembly Resolution A/65/PV.34. It is celebrated worldwide during the first week of February of every year, and aims to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith.
An international interreligious committee of distinguished judges awards prizes to events that are most successful in promoting interfaith harmony and impact religious understanding. Since 2014, the prizes have been known as The HM King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein Prize for The UN World Interfaith Harmony Week.
On 2 November, 2023, Dr Thea Gomelauri, Director of the Oxford Interfaith Forum, received The 2023 HM King Abdullah II ibn Al-Hussein Prize for The UN World Interfaith Harmony Week for promoting Peace and Religious Education. His Excellency Manar Dabbas, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the Court of St. James, United Kingdom, presented the Medal and the Certificate of Award to Dr Thea Gomelauri.
Our gratitude to the Judges:
H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
H.B. Patriarch Theophilus III, Patriarch of the Holy City, Palestine and Jordan
H.E. Sheikh Dr Ali Goma’a, former Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt
H.E. Bishop Munib Yunan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, and President of the World Federation of Evangelical Lutheran Churches
Sheikh Usama al-Sayyid Al-Azhari, Professor at Al-Azhar University, Egypt
Father Nabil Haddad, Founder and Executive Director of the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Centre
Dr. Tarek Elgawhary, Director of the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
