The King Abdullah International Foundation for Humanitarian Deeds has instituted the King Abdullah Humanitarian Prize in memory of the late king and his contributions in various fields nationally and internationally.

The international award will be given once in two years in four fields — dialogue and peace, innovation, childhood development, and individual and institutional excellence.

The announcement of the award was made by Prince Khalid, the oldest son of the late Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and chairman of the foundation, here on Saturday night.

“King Abdullah was a beloved ruler of the people and he greatly supported initiatives for stability, security and peace in the world. It is a pleasure to launch these four initiatives on the occasion of his first death anniversary, may Allah bless his soul,” Prince Khalid said.

The event was attended by Riyadh Gov. Prince Faisal bin Bandar, National Guard Minister Prince Miteb bin Abdullah, who is the vice-chairman of the foundation, and Prince Turki bin Abdullah, former Riyadh governor and CEO of the foundation, and a select gathering of princes and dignitaries.

Prince Miteb said the late king was a loving figure and always championed the cause of peace. “The announcement of the award comes as a manifestation of his vision and a continuation of his good work, whose results were felt by the citizens,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, the Riyadh governor expressed his happiness for patronizing the launch of the award. “This occasion is special and the foundation is really humanitarian because it bears the name of King Abdullah, who embraced the whole of humanity in his big heart. The whole world has benefited from his good deeds,” he said, thanking the sons and daughter of King Abdullah for their loyalty and dedication to their father.

Addressing a press conference later, Prince Turki elaborated some of the good deeds of his father that were pursued through the foundation during his lifetime. “His good deeds were not limited to a place or a field, but they included all. To mention a few, in the Kingdom for instance, he ordered the establishment of dialysis centers, housing projects and development of talent,” he said.

“And abroad, in Egypt, he ordered the renovation of the Al-Azhar Mosque and some of the institutions affiliated with it. In Pakistan, Yemen, India and Afghanistan, he ordered mobile clinics to treat the needy in remote areas; aid to the victims of the Sidr cyclone in Bangladesh; establishment of a girls’ school in Niger; digging of wells in Somalia; sponsoring of tsunami orphans in Indonesia; and efforts to fight Ebola in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia,” he said.

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