In a world marred by ongoing violence and division, human fraternity can seem so distant and impossible.

Yet, each year, a group of men and women are given the task of awarding the Zayed Award for Human Fraternity to one or more individuals or organizations who are working across different cultures, religions, and ways of life to create peaceful coexistence through concrete action.

This year, a record number of people were nominated for the 2026 edition, with more than 350 applicants from over 75 countries, which shows the global mission of building fraternity—even in the midst of division.

Are fraternity and reality compatible?

As conflicts—both national and international—continue to color the daily life of so many people around the world, the Zayed Award serves as a reminder of the power of examples.

Speaking to Vatican News, Charles Michel, one of the members of the judging committee, highlighted how these global challenges reveal why this generation has a responsibility to human fraternity.,

“We have to make decisions so that the world in the future will be better, will be fairer, with more opportunities for everyone all across the world” the former Belgian Prime Minister and former President of the European Council stressed.

To achieve this, he explained, everyone has to agree and believe in “some common-sense principles: fraternity, tolerance, peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and efforts for more mutual understanding.”

A mission for everyone

But human fraternity is not just for those involved with the Zayed Award.

As UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell—another judge on the commission—argued, everyone can do something in their communities to make a difference.

As head of the United Nations children’s agency, she stressed how important it is to place children as a priority in building a better world.

“Children often get caught up in so many things they have no control over; they never create a bad situation. But they are directly impacted,” she noted.

The only way to help care for and protect the future of these children is through creating better human bonds with one another.

“When you look at all these initiatives all across the world inspired by fraternity, inspired by the spirit of tolerance, inspired by the spirit of mutual respect, it shows that all of us are responsible,” Mr. Michel added to the UNICEF Executive Director’s words.

The two judges reiterated that the Zayed Award is an invitation for everyone to be part of the global team dedicated to breaking down barriers of discrimination, division, and violence and putting in its place pathways of openness, love, and fraternity.

Read more: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/world/news/2025-12/zayed-award-judges-human-fraternity-is-a-mission-for-everyone.html

By Kielce Gussie | vaticannews