UAE philanthropist honored by Arab American Institute and Foundation

Source: Embassy of the United Arab Emirates

Thursday April 22, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC (22 April 2010) — UAE Ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba recently attended the Arab American Institute and Foundation’s (AAIF) 2010 gala, where he accepted the Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Award for International Commitment on behalf of UAE philanthropist and businessman Juma Al Majid.

AAIF chose Mr. Al Majid as its 2010 honoree because of his exemplary dedication of financial, humanitarian, and academic resources in order to preserve the unique culture and heritage of the United Arab Emirates. Notably, in 1991, Mr. Al Majid established the Juma Al Majid Center for Culture and Heritage, a non-profit reference library and research institute that boasts a collection of more than 400,000 rare books and manuscripts. The Center also hosts a department dedicated to training preservationists from around the world in state-of-the-art restoration techniques. These techniques help cultures throughout the world to salvage and retain their recorded heritage.

Speaking on behalf of Mr. Al Majid, who was unable to attend the event in Washington, DC, Ambassador Al Otaiba said, “I hope that this award shines a light on an issue that is important to me – access to quality education. As a global community, we have a moral obligation to ensure that young people have substantial academic experience, which gives them the tools to make our world a more tolerant, sustainable, and peaceful place.”

Launched in 1999 by the AAIF, a non-profit organization that works to promote the policy and community interests of Arab Americans, the awards gala focuses attention on acts of leadership that promote the common good, and features prominent leaders from the diplomatic, business, philanthropic, and government sectors. The Kahlil Gibran “Spirit of Humanity” Awards are named for the Arab American poet and author.

Past “Spirit of Humanity” award recipients in the category of International Commitment, include: the United Nations Relief & Works Agency; American Near East Refugee Aid; Refugees International; the Aga Khan Foundation; HE Federico Mayor, Director General, UNESCO; and Women for Women International.

 

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