Besides Zakaria El Hamel, this prize was awarded to six other finalists from Mexico, Pakistan, DRC-Congo, Belgium, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago in recognition of all their efforts and undeniable contributions to peace in their countries.

The distinction was awarded to Zakaria El Hamel for his commitment to peace and human rights, as well as for fostering dialogue that can strengthen understanding, respect and peace between people of different cultures and religions.

The PPP congratulates and notes the enthusiasm, courage, perseverance, dedication and determination of the true peace-builders, human rights activists, artists for peace and initiatives for peace social inclusion, empowerment or building social fabric. They focus their actions on groups of people of all ages in conditions of greater vulnerability. In many cases, they have become examples of resilience, resistance and dignity.

It also congratulates and recognizes them as peacemakers who carry out their work to challenge important issues in our world today. These issues have led our laureates to organize or take action to deal with poverty, economic marginalization or social exclusion, cultural or religious intolerance, fear, violence in their region, as well as serious and irreparable damage to the environment caused by resource extraction industries.

The PPP congratulates them for having succeeded in deconstructing these issues, proposing relations that favor ways of seeing the world with greater tolerance and dignity: education for peace and cooperation, reconciliation, social inclusion, interfaith dialogue, homeland defense and environmental protection, pluralist democracy, demilitarization, disarmament, and the defense of the lives of communities affected by violent conflict.

 They are building spaces to sow hope among people forced to cope with death, enforced disappearances and massacres perpetrated for decades. They are building new relationships between men and women on gender equality, respect, non-violence, non-discrimination, social justice and peace in a world in dire need.