Rabat – The Global Hope Coalition (GHC), an international non-profit organization based in New York, Zurich, and Hong Kong, awarded King Mohammed VI on Monday for his efforts to conserve Moroccan traditional heritage.
Prince Moulay Rachid received the award on behalf of the monarch during an official ceremony in New York. The award was delivered to the prince by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO and GHC’s Honorary President.
GHC, whose mission is to establish a “global platform to empower courageous individuals who stand up to terror and violence, preserve our cultural heritage and build bridges across cultures,” said the award recognizes the King’s leadership in promoting promoting cultural harmony not only in Morocco, but also internationally.
Bokova praised King Mohammed VI’s commitment to preserve Morocco’s cultural heritage. The UNESCO Director-General spoke about her visit to Fez in May, where she toured the city’s medina along with the monarch as he inaugurated renovated madrasas dating back to the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries.
@GHCHeroes honore Sa Majesté le Roi Mohammed VI pour promotion du rapprochement interculturel -merci Prince Moulay Rachid de votre présence pic.twitter.com/cwoHuPB5tJ
— Irina Bokova (@IrinaBokova) September 19, 2017
The renovation of those schools, which are part of Fez’s cultural heritage, could not have been made possible without the support of King Mohammed VI, Bokova affirmed.
GHC’s Honorary President also testified of the enthusiasm and love that she felt Moroccans hold for the King.
The monarch’s work to promote the values of tolerance and an image of a moderate Islam, suggested the UNESCO head, is an important response to extremism.
Monday’s ceremony was attended by high Moroccan officials, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, the kingdom’s representative to the United Nations Omar Hilale, and Morocco’s ambassador to Washington Lalla Joumala.
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, Afghani President Ashraf Ghani and Iraqi President Foaud Masum were also among the honorees.
The King has regularly been praised for “championing” and Islam of the middle ground and promoting inter-faith dialogue and tolerance.
In May a delegation of the Parliamentary Assembly of la Francophonie awarded the monarch the Grand Cross of the Order of la Pleiade.
The tribute was a recognition of “the King’s national and global initiatives, his efforts in strengthening the civilizational heritage of humanity, and his strengthening of Morocco’s status as a land of coexistence and cultural diversity.”
