The King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Prize was established in the year 2000 to honor His Late Majesty King Hussein’s unique gifts as a world, regional and national leader. His leadership style blended strength with moderation, deep faith with empathy for the views of others, and a commitment to peace, justice and equitable prosperity with a clear understanding of contemporary realities and peoples’ needs. His Late Majesty dedicated his life and work to peace and social justice for all. The Prize recognizes extraordinary contributions to the ideals which His Majesty’s leadership inspired in Jordan, the Middle East and the wider world.

The Prize is awarded annually by the King Hussein Foundation, which is chaired by Her Majesty Queen Noor, around the anniversary of the Late King’s birthday on November 14th, at a ceremony held under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah, the Patron of the King Hussein Foundation.

The King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Prize honors individuals, groups and institutions that have demonstrated exceptional humanitarian leadership in their efforts to advocate for and promote sustainable development, human rights, tolerance, equity and peace. For details on criteria, eligibility, and application and nomination procedures, click here.

The King Hussein Foundation extends the annual King Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Prize as a tribute to His Majesty’s vision, attempting to encourage leadership and civic responsibility at all levels of society. Firmly holding with His Late Majesty King Hussein's words, “Each man, low or high-born, has the same duty each day to contribute to the good of mankind.”

In its first year in 2000, the Prize was awarded to Professor Muhammed Yunus, founder and creator of the Grameen Bank, whose pioneering work and vision has contributed significantly in promoting credit-based small scale entrepreneurship, especially among women, and particularly among poor people in South Asia.

In its second year (2001), the Prize was awarded to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) which has been at the forefront of providing essential services for refugees for 52 years. In particular, it has dedicated itself to providing Palestinian refugees with humanitarian services in the areas of education, health, and social welfare.

In its third year (2002), the Prize was awarded to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for its outstanding relief work in the Middle East and the Muslim World. The Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization has also played a catalytic role in supporting victims of armed conflict during the Gulf crisis and in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and Palestine with a range of relief supplies and humanitarian assistance.

In its fourth year (2003), the Prize was awarded to Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, for her unrelenting efforts as an advocate of human rights in working to affect social change in her own country and in countries ravaged by conflict for the past 35 years.

In its fifth year (2004), the Prize was awarded to Medecins Sans Frontiers Organization for its work in providing emergency humanitarian and medical assistance to people in distress around the world. MSF's mission is to assist people in distress, and ensuring respect for human dignity. There are over 2500 volunteers joined by 16000 locally hired staff in the field to provide vital independent humanitarian and medical aid to victims of natural or man-made disasters and victims of armed conflict in almost 80 countries, regardless of their religion or political conviction.

In 2005, the Prize was awarded to four different recipients, The Arab Human Development Reports, Dr. Rola Dashti, Mrs. Sulha Djuderija, and OneVoice, due to their honorable dedication to development in the Arab and Muslim world. These recipients were presented with the 2005 Prize during KHFI's Inaugural Peace-Builders Dinner that was held in New York City, which also featured a dialogue among notable global leaders on leadership and peace-building.