Armenia–Azerbaijan peace agreement

Afghan girls’ education advocate Zarqa Yaftali

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates / January 19, 2026—The Zayed Award for Human Fraternity announced today the honorees of the prize’s 2026 edition: the historic peace agreement between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Afghan girls’ education advocate Zarqa Yaftali – marking the first award recipients from the Caucasus and Afghanistan, respectively.

A landmark decision guided by visionary leadership toward ending decades of conflict and humanitarian suffering in the Caucasus, the Agreement on Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan is being honored as a process of peace, dialogue, normalization, and conflict resolution undertaken by the two states, which underscores that reconciliation is not a single act, but a sustained journey.

A woman of courage with a lifelong dedication to protecting the right to education for women and children, Ms. Zarqa Yaftali is being honored for providing educational resources, psychosocial support, and community-based services to over 100,000 people in Afghanistan and beyond – providing hope and knowledge to girls living in restrictive environments.

H.E. Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, called the award a “great honor” in recognition of the efforts undertaken to help establish peace in the Caucasus region, and a sincere acknowledgement of everyone who contributed to bringing this historic agreement to fruition.

H.E. Pashinyan expressed confidence that this recognition will have a tangible impact both within Armenia and beyond, and will contribute to strengthening trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasizing that this historic shared moment of recognition is of great significance and will support the path to peace.

He stressed that this achievement is not the result of an individual effort, but rather the outcome of collective work involving many inside and outside Armenia, adding that the essence of this achievement is due, first and foremost, to Armenia’s political team, government, parliament, and the society that supports the peace agreement. “That we [Armenia and Azerbaijan] are sharing this award reflects a mutual and collective achievement,” H.E. Pashinyan added.

H.E. Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, expressed his appreciation for the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity’s recognition of the peace agreement and extended his gratitude to the 2026 award judging committee for honoring efforts to establish peace in the South Caucasus region and the world.

H.E. Aliyev noted that the recognition holds special significance as the award bears the name of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates, in addition to the support of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, making the recognition by this global award a “double honor.”

For her part, Zarqa Yaftali said she felt “deeply excited and overwhelmed with emotion,” expressing sincere gratitude to the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity judging committee.

Ms. Yaftali said that being selected as a 2026 honoree represents “a powerful and meaningful message” for women in Afghanistan, bringing hope and encouragement to many Afghan women—especially students in online schools and young women enrolled in peace, security, and leadership courses.

The 2026 honorees were selected by an independent global judging committee composed of distinguished figures and experts in dialogue and coexistence, namely: former President of the European Council and former Prime Minister of Belgium His Excellency Charles Michel, former Chairperson of the African Union Commission and former Prime Minister of Chad His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Her Excellency Saida Mirziyoyeva, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education at the Holy See His Eminence Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, and Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity His Excellency Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam.

H.E. Judge Mohamed Abdelsalam, judging committee member and Secretary-General of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity, said: “This year, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity committee selected the historic peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which embody the award’s mission and objectives in promoting and fostering a culture of dialogue and coexistence, marking a pivotal milestone in advancing global peace and a major diplomatic achievement – turning the page on nearly four decades of tension and conflict in the Caucasus and laying a strong foundation for a safer, shared future for both peoples.”

For her part, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: “The committee was honored to recognize Ms. Zarqa Yaftali for her tireless efforts and leadership to protecting Afghan girls’ right to education and advancing women’s empowerment, despite facing tremendous challenges.”

H.E. Saida Mirziyoyeva affirmed that the announcement of the 2026 honorees embodies a global moral commitment to the principles of peace and human dignity. She emphasized that this recognition conveys a renewed message of hope to the international community and reaffirms the capacity of human fraternity to foster meaningful and enduring change.

The 2026 recipients will be honored on February 4, 2026 – coinciding with UN-recognized International Day of Human Fraternity – at the annual award ceremony, to be held at the Founder’s Memorial in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at 7 p.m. UAE time. The ceremony will be livestreamed on the award’s social media channels: Zayed Award for Human Fraternity – YouTube

Inspired by the signing of the Document on Human Fraternity by the late His Holiness Pope Francis, 266^th head of the Catholic Church, and His Eminence Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi in 2019 and the humanitarian legacy of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates, the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity recognizes individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to building a more peaceful, harmonious, and compassionate world based on the values of human fraternity.

Since 2019, the award has honored 19 recipients from 19 countries:  His Holiness Pope Francis (honorary recipient); Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb (honorary recipient); UN Secretary-General António Guterres; French-Moroccan activist against extremism Latifa Ibn Ziaten; Their Majesties King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein and Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; Haitian humanitarian organization the Foundation for Knowledge and Liberty (FOKAL); Italian organization the Community of Sant’Egidio; Kenyan peacebuilder Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil; Indonesian charitable organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah; Egyptian world-renowned cardiac surgeon Professor Sir Magdi Yacoub; Chilean NGO founder Sister Nelly León Correa; Prime Minister of Barbados the Honorable Mia Amor Mottley; American food relief organization World Central Kitchen; and Ethiopian-American teenage health innovator Heman Bekele.

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UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will begin a working visit to the Republic of India tomorrow.

During the visit, His Highness will hold talks with His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, to explore opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation, reflecting the longstanding ties and Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnerships between the two countries.

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The United Arab Emirates reported significant growth across its energy, infrastructure, maritime transport, housing and digital transformation sectors in 2025, underscoring its ability to pair long-term planning with execution on the ground.

The achievements reflect a government approach built on innovation, operational efficiency and improving quality of life, demonstrating the ability to translate national strategies into tangible results that strengthen the country’s competitiveness.

In the housing sector, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure issued 3,567 housing support decisions with a total value of AED2.546 billion. These decisions included housing grants, loans, and housing financing solutions.

These efforts contributed to an unprecedented achievement, as the homeownership rate among UAE citizens rose to 91 percent, one of the highest rates globally. The UAE also won, for the first time, the presidency of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) General Assembly and secured membership on its Executive Council.

As for the energy sector, 2025 marked the launch of the Global Energy Efficiency Alliance, which attracted the participation of more than 40 countries and international organisations—an initiative that underscores the UAE’s advanced role in leading global dialogues on reducing consumption and enhancing efficiency.

The year also witnessed the publication of the State of Energy Report 2025, the election of the UAE as a member of the Water Council of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the launch of a guidance manual for supporting domestic workers in eight languages to raise community awareness of responsible consumption practices.

The implementation of the National Energy and Water Demand Management Programme 2050 further reaffirmed the ministry’s commitment to reducing energy demand by 42 percent–45 percent by 2050, through a comprehensive portfolio of projects and initiatives spanning the industrial, agricultural, built environment, and transport sectors.

In the infrastructure and transport sectors, the Ministry worked on developing the National Agenda for Addressing Traffic Congestion, which includes a portfolio of national transport and road projects valued at over AED170 billion through 2030.

The Ministry’s plan targets a 73 percent improvement in the efficiency of federal roads over the next five years, through the implementation of the Emirates Road upgrading and capacity enhancement project, with an investment of AED750 million. The plan also includes increasing the capacity of Al Ittihad Road by 60 percent and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road by 45 percent.

Additionally, the plan includes a feasibility study for the construction of the Fourth Federal Road, extending 120 kilometres with a capacity of up to 360,000 trips per day.

Moreover, the Ministry completed five major transformational projects, which are the humanisation of buildings and their transformation into healthy, well-being–supportive environments, the development of the Green Recycling Yards Project, the advancement of green industrial transformation, the implementation of the Sustainable Farm Irrigation Project, and the recycling of electric and hybrid vehicle batteries.

The UAE also continued to strengthen its global maritime presence by hosting the World Maritime Day Parallel Event and launching the National Maritime Navigation Centre, in addition to being re-elected for the fifth consecutive term to Category “B” membership of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

The Ministry also won 41 local, regional, and international awards and obtained 19 ISO certifications, underscoring the maturity of its administrative systems and the quality of its operational processes.

In support of enhanced community engagement, the Ministry held 30 customer council meetings across the Emirates and signed 26 agreements and memoranda of understanding to expand partnerships, knowledge exchange, and amplify the impact of national projects. The year also witnessed the launch of the first fully integrated digital government services centre in Fujairah.

“The year 2025 represents an important milestone in the development journey of the energy, infrastructure, transport, and housing sectors in the UAE,” said Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. “We witnessed tangible progress in the implementation of strategic projects that reflect the vision of our wise leadership in building an integrated, more efficient, and sustainable ecosystem capable of supporting economic growth and enhancing quality of life.”

“Our efforts have focused on strengthening the readiness of federal infrastructure, improving the efficiency of the energy system, and developing advanced housing solutions that align with the needs of citizens and their future aspirations,” he said.

Al Mazrouei added that the achievements realised in 2025 confirm the Ministry’s ability to translate national plans into concrete, data-driven results by adopting a work model based on effective governance, efficient resource management, and the expansion of local, regional, and international partnerships.”

“We commence 2026 confidently, building on clear results and solid foundations, while reaffirming our commitment to supporting the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ Vision, on the path toward the UAE Centennial 2071. The Ministry will continue its work to ensure advanced infrastructure, a sustainable energy sector, and flexible housing solutions that collectively enhance the country’s competitiveness and leadership at both the regional and global levels,” he noted.

WAM