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Pope Leo XIV released a statement on the occasion of the International Day of Human Fraternity and the awarding of the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity 2026, which was also bestowed upon Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“Our laureates – His Excellency Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, His Excellency Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Zarqa Yaftali and Palestinian organization Taawon – are sowers of hope in a world that too often builds walls instead of bridges,” the Pope said in the statement published by the Vatican. “By choosing the demanding path of solidarity over the easy path of indifference, they have demonstrated that even the most deep-seated divisions can be healed through concrete action. Their work bears witness to the conviction that the light of fraternity can prevail over the darkness of fratricide.”
Both Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have been named 2026 honorees of the Zayed Award in recognition of the peace process between the two countries. The awarding ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi on February 4.
The other two laureates are Zarqa Yaftali, an Afghan girls’ education advocate, and Taawon, a Palestinian welfare organization.