Rabat — The Royal family and the Moroccan people will celebrate the birthday of Princess Lalla Meryem on August 26th, who is deeply involved in multi-faceted actions for women and children.
Princess Lalla Meryem has always taken a special interest in the well-being of children and the empowerment of women, particularly within Moroccan society. In recognition of this, the Princess was awarded the Women Leaders Prize in May 2010, in her capacity as Chairwoman of the National Union of Moroccan Women (UNFM).
The award came in recognition of her untiring efforts to reinforce the status of Moroccan, Arab and African women and her remarkable actions to promote women’s participation in development and progress. It was also a tribute to the Princess’s contribution in promoting the image of Morocco as a key mediator for peace, development and intercultural events.
The Princess was appointed, in 1981 by the late king Hassan II, president of the Royal Armed Forces’ social services, then head of the Hassan II Foundation for Moroccan expatriates, which managed to overcome the difficulties facing the Moroccan community abroad and strengthen links with the homeland.
She is also president of the National Observatory of Children’s Rights (ONDE), the Moroccan Association for Support to UNICEF and the Child Parliament.
In July 2001, Director General of UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura designated Princess Lalla Meryem as Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO in recognition of her tireless work in favour of children’s cause and respect for their rights in the world.
During an official visit to Lebanon the same year, she was decorated by Lebanese President Emile Lahoud with the Wissam of Great Gordon of National Merit and received from Bahia Hariri the Golden medal of the Hariri Foundation, an award given to renowned personalities in various fields.
