Bahrain’s UN envoy participates in 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize selection committee

New York, July 19 (BNA): Ambassador Jamal Fares Al Rowaiei, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United Nations in New York, participated as the Asia-Pacific Group representative in the selection committee for the 2025 United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize.

His participation came during the award ceremony, held in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly’s annual observance of Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18, 2025.

The ceremony was attended by António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, and Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, who jointly presented the 2025 prize to this year’s laureates.

The award was granted to Brenda Reynolds, a social counsellor supporting the health and wellbeing of Indigenous communities in Canada, in recognition of her work establishing a health support programme related to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement. It was also awarded to Kennedy Odede, founder and CEO of Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO), a community based Kenyan organisation providing services in urban informal settlements. SHOFCO’s humanitarian impact currently reaches more than 2.5 million people across Kenya.

The United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize is awarded every five years to two individuals who have dedicated their lives to the service of humanity, in line with the principles of the United Nations and the legacy of Nelson Mandela.