NEW YORK – September 29, 2012 – On
Friday, the Rafik Hariri Foundation in
partnership with UN-Habitat hosted the 2nd
Rafik Hariri UN-Habitat Memorial Award
Ceremony at the New York Public
Library. The event honored the legacy of
the late Lebanese Prime Minister, Rafik
who was assassinated in a Beirut bomb
attack in 2005. The ceremony celebrated
the accomplishments of individuals,
organizations and institutions that are
working to rebuild, reform and modernize
their nations.
In a time when political and economic
stability remain a top concern
throughout the Middle East, the legacy
of the late Prime Minister, through the
Rafik Hariri Foundation, aims to inspire
the next generation of leaders to
rebuild and further the goals of their
nations.
In her opening speech, Mrs.
Nazek Rafik Hariri, President of the
Rafik Hariri Foundation said, “Today I
feel confident more than any other time
that we can rely on our friends in the
world to end a long tradition of
impunity in Lebanon and beyond. The
world will stand united against terror
and violence.”
During the ceremony,
the foundation honored
the humanitarian efforts of Dr. Mahathir
Bin Mohamad, former Prime Minster of
Malaysia who was presented with the
Rafik Hariri UN-Habitat Memorial Award.
“This award is more for Malaysia than it
is for me.
Without their love for peace and
stability Malaysia would not be able to
grow as it has,”
said Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad, former
Prime Minster of Malaysia. “Violence
breeds destruction. Only peace and
stability can be a win-win formula.”
“I
believe any country can be run the way
Lebanon and Malaysia are run in the
vision of Rafik Hariri, said Dr. Joan
Clos,” said UN Under-Secretary-General
and Executive Director of
UN-Habit.
Rafik Hariri, the five time Lebanese
Prime Minister played a vital
behind-the-scenes role in ending the
Lebanese civil war in 1989. Under his
leadership the Downtown district of
Beirut was reconstructed after 16 years
of ruinous war. He was a formidable
leader who believed in promoting peace
and investing in his nation’s youth.
The Hariri Foundation
was established in 1979 as a non-profit
organization that has helped educate
more than 33,000 Lebanese students at
universities in Lebanon, the United
States, the United Kingdom, France and
Canada. It also provides health, social
and cultural services to the
disadvantaged in Lebanon and promotes
cultural issues and children’s welfare.
If there is anything that helps define
the character of Prime Minister Rafik
Hariri, it is the work of the
foundation, one of his proudest
achievements.