APS : Wednesday, 14 December 2016
PARIS- Algerian novelist Ahlem Mosteghanemi will be named UNESCO Artist for Peace on Friday, the UN agency announced Wednesday in a statement.
“The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, will name Algerian author Ahlem Mosteghanemi UNESCO Artist for Peace in a ceremony at the Organization’s Headquarters on 16 December,” said the statement.
The Algerian author has been named in recognition for “her books’ advocacy for social justice, the education of young people affected by conflicts and her dedication to UNESCO’s goals and ideals,” added the statement.
“Ahlem Mosteghanemi was the first woman to publish a collection of poems in Arabic in Algeria in 1973,” said the statement.
Her numerous books, which sold millions of copies, have contributed to Arab literature and poetry and raised readers’ awareness of many issues such as corruption, injustice and women’s rights, added the statement.
Ahlem Mostaghanemi is also the ambassador of the Algerian foundation for children (FOREM), which cares for 13,000 orphans. She was elected the personality of 2015 by the Children of Peace in Yemen Foundation.
Forbes Magazine has described her as one of the ten most influential women in the Arab world
UNESCO Artists for Peace are internationally renowned personalities who use their influence, charisma and prestige to help promote UNESCO’s message and programmes.
