This year’s winner of the Muhammad Ali Humanitarian of the Year Award is Dr. Nisreen El-Hashemite. The granddaughter of King Faisal (I) Bin El-Sharif Hussein, the first King of Iraq, her royal highness El-Hashemite is being recognized for her work with the Royal Academy of Science International Trust. There, she has worked to encourage girls to enter the world of science. I spoke to her about her work and about being honored with an Ali Humanitarian Award. Listen to our conversation in the player above.
On involving more women and girls in science:
"If we want to move towards sustainable development, if we want to achieve peace and tolerance, if we want to achieve real development, we have to include women in science in all aspects and processes and decision-making of sustainable development programs. In environment, in economy, in technology, etc."
On how science can help rebuild communities:
"We can achieve the prosperity, the peace, the tolerance, and the real development for society by reducing the inequality between societies and among communities. And like this, imagine what a girl in 15 years can achieve and what she can bring — if she will be a mother, then we will have highly educated mothers to rebuild societies."
The Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Awards ceremony will be held at the Marriott Louisville Downtown, Saturday, September 23.