The award was established on February 4, 2019, to mark the historic meeting in Abu Dhabi between His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb and the Head of the Catholic Church His Holiness Pope Francis to co-sign the Document on Human Fraternity.
The Document on Human Fraternity is a visionary joint declaration built upon friendship and mutual respect, with the Document calling for increased human fraternity and world peace.
In recognition of this historic signing and their respective lives being dedicated to efforts for global peace and co-existence, His Holiness the Pope and His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar were the first honorary recipients of the award in 2019.
From the 2021 edition onwards, the award opened annually to nominations of individuals or entities, from anywhere in the world.