Queen Rania accepts Bambi
humanitarian award, urges collective action to help children of Palestine, Iraq
and beyond
November 29, 2007
(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department – Dusseldorf) Beyond the red carpet
glittering with star power and into the dazzling hall of the 59th annual Bambi
Awards, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah took center stage to accept the
distinguished humanitarian award, Thursday, for her tireless work in advocating
child welfare and promoting women’s issues.
True to her role as an advocate for children, the Queen highlighted the
humanitarian crisis for children in Palestine, Iraq and beyond and encouraged
collective action to better their lives, as she accepted the award.
Former German Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who referred to Her
Majesty’s humanitarian work as “the symbol of hope for the Arab world”,
presented the Queen with the award. Genscher lauded the value of Queen Rania’s
work, saying “she invests all her influence and strength to serve women and
children in her society…She is a Queen aware of her responsibility, who has
become a Queen of humanity in the best sense of the word – she builds brides
between cultures and religions.”
Each year, the ceremony draws attention to prominent charitable and advocacy
work for the benefit of children, and highlights causes such as cancer research
and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Past recipients include Her Majesty Queen Silvia
of Sweden, President Bill Clinton, President Anwar Sadat, Nelson Mandela,
Muhammad Ali, and Sophia Loren, who was also recognized Thursday night for her
lifetime achievements.
Playing on the link between the award and the iconic Disney deer, Queen Rania
warned that “Sad as it is, Bambi is only fiction… it is make-believe. But for
many children, some of its themes- sadness, loneliness, vulnerability, growing
up too soon, and struggling to survive-are tragically real.”
Queen Rania’s tone quickly turned serious as she detailed the plight of millions
of children suffering from preventable traumas. “Around the world today, there
are too many heartbreaking scenes and they are not being played out on cinema
screens or on DVDs. They are real stories. And for too many children, they are
playing out every minute of every day,” she said.
Emphasizing the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, the Queen reminded her
audience, of over 7 million viewers, of the children of Palestine and in Iraq
who are caught up in senseless tragedies and violence.
“[These scenes] are real for an entire generation of boys and girls growing up
in Gaza, Palestine, who are stunted physically for lack of food; stunted
emotionally because they live in a virtual prison; and stunted academically
because they are trying to learn in a climate of deprivation and fear that no
child should have to endure. They are real for the more than 1.6 million Iraqis
under the age of 12 who have been rendered homeless in their own country and now
depend on the Red Crescent for survival.”
Her Majesty also spoke on behalf of all the world’s vulnerable children as she
reminded her audience of “the 30,000 children under five who perish every day –
many for want of the basic childhood vaccines that Germans and Jordanians take
for granted... the 2 million children around the world trapped in dark corners
of sweatshops, their young shoulders burdened by the responsibility of feeding
their families on paltry wages, their small hands irreparably gnarled or burned
by chemicals and beatings. And they are real for the 58 million girls collecting
water and caring for siblings when they should be learning with their friends in
school.”
Still as she accepted the honour, the Queen shed an optimistic light on the
situation. “If we work together, we can change these stories and statistics; we
can lift the lives of our most precious citizens,” she said, “So tonight, as we
celebrate individuals’ achievements, let us remember we belong to one family,
and that the children who do not have anyone to hug them when they are sick, or
the children who are doing housework not homework, or the children who are
missing out on their childhoods are our children and our responsibility.”
“Let us pledge to give all of them our full attention. Let us pledge to take a
lead role in their futures. Let us leave this room with the resolve to make
their lives better, safer, and healthier,” said the Queen to an audience of
international movers and shakers including the Prime Minister Jurgen Ruttgers,
Bambi founder and media mogul Hubert Burda, and a number of high profile
business leaders., “And let us ensure that more children get the healthy
beginnings they deserve, and the happy endings they dream of.”
Other attendees this year included famous personalities such as Sophia Loren,
Eva Longoria, Boris Becker, Tom Cruise and Katie Holms, and musical performances
by Jon Bon Jovi, James Blunt, Rihanna and even a surprise appearance by Andrea
Bocelli and Sarah Brightman.