Dubai's Princess Haya gets Italian honour for humanitarian work

Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday received the prestigious 2015 Giglio d'Oro Award at a ceremony held in Florence, Italy. The Award was presented to her for her outstanding contributions in the humanitarian field. 

The Giglio d'Oro is awarded annually by the Italy-based Galileo 2000 Foundation to individuals who make significant contributions to peace, music and art.

In her acceptance speech, Princess Haya paid tribute to Shaikh Mohammed: "The recipient should have been my husband, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed - without his loving support and generosity, I would not have been able to do nearly so much.

I am deeply honoured by this recognition of my humanitarian work I do on behalf of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed and the United Nations. I will treasure this Award, not as a reminder of all that has been done, but as a reminder of all there is still to do."

Dubai and the UAE, she said, are at the forefront of the global humanitarian effort. "Few people know this, but the UAE has moved into the number one position among the world's donors, giving 1.2 percent of GNI every year to foreign aid in more than 100 countries - nearly $5 billion from a country of only 8 million people," she said in her speech.

Princess Haya further said that Shaikh Mohammed's recent humanitarian initiatives exemplify a creative and innovative approach to aid. She told the audience about his recently established Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, which will launch the largest and most comprehensive development programme in the Arab region.

Caption : Princess Haya receives the award

Report and image : KT