The Forum of Presidents of Legislative Powers of Central America, the Caribbean and Mexico (FOPREL) awarded, Thursday, to King Mohammed VI of Morocco, the "Esquipulas Peace Prize", the highest distinction of this regional parliamentary organization.
This distinction was awarded to the Sovereign following a resolution adopted at the opening of the work of the 26th extraordinary session of the Forum held from 19 to 21 May in Rabat, at the headquarters of the Parliament.
The awarding of this prize comes as a sign of "homage and consideration to the wisdom and courage the King, who carries high the general interest, to reject differences and work constantly to achieve peace between peoples," according to the text of the resolution.
The FOPREL, which has Morocco as an observer member, stresses, in this sense, that King Mohammed VI is "a model to follow" for all those who work to respect and preserve the values of peace among different cultures and peoples of the world.
This award also comes in recognition of the sustained efforts that the Sovereign has made, since His accession to the Throne, in the service of the promotion of peace, adds the same source.
The "Esquipulas Peace Prize" aims to promote the ethical and spiritual values of civic friendship, understanding, tolerance and solidarity among peoples, as well as respect for human rights, which are components of the authentic culture of peace.
The award is named after the Guatemalan city of Esquipulas, where five Central American countries (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) signed a Declaration (1986) and later the Peace Accords (1987), which marked the beginning of the march towards peace in the region.
Created in 1994, FOPREL is an organization that aims to strengthen the development and harmonization of legislation in member countries and to develop mechanisms for consultation among the presidents of their legislative institutions to address the challenges facing the region, in addition to supporting legislative studies at the regional level.
