Jordan Times
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Queen receives Bambi humanitarian award
AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania on Thursday received the Bambi Award for her work advocating child welfare and promoting women’s issues.
In her address at the 59th annual Bambi Awards in Düsseldorf, the Queen highlighted the humanitarian crises affecting children in Palestine, Iraq and beyond and encouraged collective action to better their lives.
Playing on the link between the award and the iconic Disney deer, Queen Rania warned, “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.”
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 told an audience of over seven million viewers.
Emphasising the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, the Queen reminded them of the children of Palestine and 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 the world’s vulnerable children, 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 two 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”.
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,” the Queen said.
“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. And let us ensure that more children get the healthy beginnings they deserve, and the happy endings they dream of,” she told the audience, which included Prime Minister Jurgen Ruttgers, Bambi founder and media mogul Hubert Burda, and several high-profile business leaders.
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 award to the Queen.
Each year, the ceremony draws attention to prominent charitable and advocacy work for children and highlights causes such as cancer research and the fight against HIV/AIDS. Past recipients include Queen Silvia of Sweden, Bill Clinton, Anwar Sadat, Nelson Mandela, Mohammad Ali and Sophia Loren, who was also recognised Thursday night for her lifetime achievement.
Also on Thursday, the Queen met with Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf Joachim Erwin to reaffirm ties between Amman and Düsseldorf and discuss cooperation and exchange of expertise between the two cities.
Erwin expressed hope that twinning of the two cities would be completed by the end of 2008.
Highlighting the historical friendship between Jordan and Germany, Queen Rania highlighted the common ties between the two cities. “Both our peoples are proud of our historic traditions and cultures… and at the same time, open to the rich diversity the world has to offer,” she said.
“We both are determined to help our countries make the most of the global economy - and at the same time, working to ensure that no one gets left behind. Both our peoples put family at the centre of our lives, with strong and enduring emotional bonds across the generations. And especially in this season of peace, we both are determined to finding a just and lasting solution to the Middle East conflict,” she added.
Also present at the meeting were the Jordanian Ambassador to Germany Issa Ayoub, Jordanian Honorary Consul Klaus Gelish and Burda.