King to receive Lamp of Peace award for harmony, human rights efforts

AMMAN — The Franciscan Friars of the Sacred Convent of Assisi announced on Wednesday that His Majesty King Abdullah is the 2019 recipient of the Lamp of Peace award, in recognition of his relentless efforts to promote human rights, harmony and peace in the Middle East and the world, in addition to Jordan's role in hosting refugees.

The announcement took place in the Italian Foreign Press Association in Rome, in the presence of Jordan’s Ambassador to Italy Fayiz Khoury, Ambassador of Italy to the Holy See Pietro Sebastiani, spokesperson of the German embassy in Rome Fabrizio Micalizzi and Director of the Press Room of the Sacred Convent of Assisi Father Enzo Fortunato, a Royal Court statement said.

Award organisers said His Majesty will receive the prize at a ceremony later this month, to be held in the Italian city of Assisi, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was awarded the Lamp of Peace in 2018, and Italian Prime Minister Guiseppe Conte, according to the statement.

The award recognises global figures for their work towards promoting peace and harmony, the organisers said.

Since its launch in 1981, the award has been given to a number of political and religious leaders, most notably former Polish president Lech Wałesa, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, former Colombian president and Noble Prize Laureate Juan Manuel Santos, Pope Francis, Pope John Paul II, the Dalai Lama, and Mother Teresa, the statement added.