Salamaalakum…. And Good Afternoon! Please accept the warm greetings of the Afghan people and the government.
I feel very honored and proud to be selected for this year’s Ramon Magsaysay Award. I would like to sincerely thank this esteemed Foundation for the recognition. I also want to thank those who believed in me and my work and nominated me.
This Award also is your recognition of the citizens of Afghanistan, and especially women who have dedicated their lives and services to building our country through their daily hard work with great honor, dignity and perseverance.
As citizens of the world, we can aspire to live a happy and simple life and yet achieve great heights. That is what President Ramon Magsaysay, as well those who lived during his generation, proved. In today’s complex world ravaged by geo-political interests and conflicts resulting in economic hardships to the poor, we need to emulate such values of humility, simplicity, justice and dignity.
I feel honored because with this Award, I am also being associated with my personal passion and goal for a greater role for women in my transitioning country. Women in Afghanistan today have risen above the confines of their homes. We have now prominent women politicians fighting for equality, housewives and businesswoman who are successful in their own rights, and activists and human rights champions who are working with a very proactive civil society. Within the government bureaucracy itself, we have raised ourselves above common expectations and worked hard to promote balanced development and good governance. That is why I feel this Award recognizes all of these achievements.
In accepting this Award, I call upon the people and governments of our two countries to further strengthen the bonds of friendship. Our two nations are located in the same continent, and we are bound much closer than we sometimes like to imagine.
Upon returning to my country, one message I want to take back is the importance of selflessness in public service. I want to convey to my friends, colleagues and the youth that we should never be selfish in our dedication to serve the people, even when we are faced with adversaries and challenges.
I will convey to my government to operationalize various good legislations that have been put in place so that they support wholesome development in a transitioning society. And I want to tell Afghan women to continue their quest for knowledge and learning to be competitive.
Within a year, my country will witness a turning point in our history. Again, women will be subjected to great tests. This period, without doubt, is a confusing period of uncertainty for us. But I am convinced that Afghans, both men and women, will prevail and democracy will succeed ultimately.
In conclusion, I like to say that this Award is one that I will cherish in my current work and future aspirations. The messages that this Award conveys will help me to commit myself to work harder to build an efficient bureaucracy and support a vibrant democracy in my country. In my humble words, I hope to serve as a role model to young men and women.
Last but not least, let me express that I commit myself to live up to the expectations and ideals of this esteemed Ramon Magsaysay Award, and I thank you once again for this great honor.
