The Lebanese journalist Paula Yacoubian received the Order of the Belgian Crown on August 11, 2017 from King Philippe of Belgium.
The Belgian Ambassador Alex Lenaerts honored Paula Yacoubian at his headquarters in Yarzeh, and awarded her with the medal, which he said comes in recognition of her relentless efforts supporting the civil society and her progress in the media, humanitarian and environmental work and her role in empowering women.
Yacoubian thanked Ambassador Lenaerts for this honorary distinction on behalf of His Majesty King Philip, and dedicated the Royal Medal to all the women activists, especially women journalists in Lebanon and the Arab world. She spoke about the prominent relationship between Lebanon and Belgium stressing the fact that both countries are distinguished by their multicultural societies and languages.
She paid a tribute to Ambassador Lenaerts' advocation for women's rights in the Middle East and Lebanon, in cooperation with NGOs. She also urged him to continue his support for women in their battle to reach their rights to political decision-making, especially in the absence of equality between women and men in Lebanon.
She also added: "I am aware that I am receiving this medal for my work with the DAFA Association, in addition to my work with the World Bank".
She concluded by thanking all the stakeholders in DAFA campaign, and thanked everybody for their support and participation in this event.
