Dr. Mahmood was selected as the laureate of the first edition of the Award due to her continuous humanitarian work, which has included the establishment of a maternity and health center for women in Darfur, Sudan, in 2004. The center is now run by a local team. Under her leadership, MERCY Malaysia also rebuilt 13 health centers in cooperation with the Health Ministry in Myanmar, after Cyclone Nargis in 2008. After the tsunami disaster in December 2004 and the destructive earthquake that ensued in March 2005, Dr. Mahmood also helped the people of Banda Aceh, one of the poorest communities in Indonesia. She drew up a plan to provide the necessary healthcare, helped rebuild two health centers, and renovated the island’s Gunung Sitoli Hospital.
“Dr. Jemilah Mahmood’s selection as the laureate of the Isa Award for Services to Humanity reflects the impact of her work on Asian and African communities and the radical changes those regions have witnessed as a result. Her visionary work focuses not only on short-term and immediate assistance to disaster-stricken communities, but also on long-term rehabilitation and training of local workers to enable them to continue to help and provide recovery efforts after the completion of relief work. During the review of the candidates, the Nominations Committee realized the highly important role that Dr. Mahmood plays in providing such a unique humanitarian service, a role that has qualified her to be one of the most influential figures in this regard,” Professor Jan Paulsson, head of the Award’s Nominations Committee, said.
“Dr. Jemilah Mahmood was selected from among a large group of candidates who left a clear and sustainable mark on humanity. Her selection as the laureate of the Isa Award for Services to Humanity was the fruit of two years of persistent work that included intensive coordination among the Award’s General Secretariat, the Nomination Committee, the Jury, and other parties involved in humanitarian services,” Ali Abdullah Khalifa, the Award’s Secretary General, said.
“Dr. Mahmood was considered the most competent candidate for the Award as she often put her life in the heart of danger, which proves her determination and unlimited desire to help others and serve humanity,” he added.
“Through activities and interactions that transcended racial, ethnic, and religious differences, Dr. Jemilah Mahmood offered a great model. Her role is not limited to her personal achievements, but it also creates a new perspective for many humanitarian organisations, such as adapting charity work in disaster situations to the prevailing culture in the affected society, preserving the dignity of beneficiaries, and demonstrating maximum transparency about humanitarian activities to a world that closely watches those kinds of events,” Mohamed Benaissa, former Moroccan Foreign Minister and member of the Nominations Committee of the Isa Award for Services to Humanity, said.
Established by a Royal Decree in 2009, the Isa Award honours individuals and organisations around the globe that have provided outstanding services to humanity regardless of their race, religion, culture, beliefs, or locations. The award covers 11 categories including disaster prevention and relief, education, and human tolerance. The winner of the biennial award, the first of its kind in the Arab world, will receive a gold medal and a $1 million cash award.