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Speech by His Highness The Aga Khan V upon being honoured by the Government of Kenya with the title of Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart (CGH) by President Ruto.

Nairobi, Kenya

August 26, 2025

Bismillah-ir-Raheman-ir-Rahim

Your Excellency President Ruto, Honorable Ministers, your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests.

Speech by Prince Aly Muhammad Aga Khan
Global Encounters Festival held in Dubai, UAE
July 20, 2025

Bismillah-ir-Raheman-ir-Rahim

Your Highness Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al-Nahayan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, Excellencies, Athletes and Artists, Ladies and Gentlemen.
That we are here today was not a given. Thousands have offered their time, expended their effort and have sacrificed weeks and months to put this festival together.

SPEECH BY PRINCESS ZAHRA AGA KHAN AT CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, MONTREAL ON BEING ON BEING AWARDED AN HONORARY DOCTORAT
JUNE 9, 2025

Madame la Chancelière, Monsieur le recteur, invité d'honneur, chers diplômés, parents et amis. C'est un véritable honneur et un vrai plaisir pour moi d'être parmi vous aujourd'hui, en ce jour de célébration pour l'université de Concordia, pour l'Académie, pour toutes les familles et les amis des diplômés et surtout
pour tous les diplômés de 2025, bravo a vous tous, congratulations.

Address by Princess Zahra Aga Khan at the Global Convocation Ceremony of the Aga Khan University
26 February, 2022
Nairobi, Kenya

Our Chief Guest Mr Peter Kalmus, Climate Scientist, University of California, Los Angeles;

Our Guest of Honour Dr Peter Mathuki, Secretary General of the East African Community;

Chairman Zakir Mahmood and members of the AKU Board of Trustees;

Chairman Moyez Alibhai and members of the AKU Kenya University Council;

President and Vice Chancellor Sulaiman Shahabuddin;

Provosts, deans, faculty and staff;

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Our Chief Guest, Melinda French Gates
Chairman Haile Debas and the Members of the Board of Trustees
President Firoz Rasul
Provost, Deans, Faculty and Staff of the University
Generous donors and well wishers of the University from around the world
Distinguished guests
Parents, family members and Graduates​

It is a great privilege to join you today in recognising and celebrating the Class of 2020.

Opening Remarks by Prince Zahra Aga Khan
8th Annual Pluralism Lecture (Virtual event)
May 19, 2021

Bismillah hir Rahmanir Rahim,

Ms Mengiste, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my very great pleasure to welcome you on behalf of His Highness the Aga Khan, and the entire Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism to our 8th Annual Pluralism Lecture

9 April 2020

Dear Staff and Volunteers,

A Note of Appreciation and Well Wishes

When we opened Don’t Ask Me Where I Am From one month ago, I did not realize how quickly
the measures for containing COVID-19 would come into place and how soon, thereafter, the
Museum would have to close to the public. I feel great sadness that we have had to close after
five and half years of continuous and I believe successful operations. My hope is that this crisis
will pass swiftly.

Our priority at this moment is to contain the virus, and keeping the Museum closed is part of this

I would like to ABSOLUTELY thank Marta, who has been amazing and inspiring… encouraging and unbelievably supportive throughout.
And for giving me a platform and outreach capacity I never dreamed I might have.

It is such an immense honor for me to be here today… And it always feels like so many other people are more deserving, have been doing
this for longer and are more technically competent.

Never in my life did I dream I would become a wildlife photographer – despite spending hundreds of hours as a child looking at

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson,
The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean,
The Right Honorable Joe Clark,
The Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario,
Excellencies,
Friends of the Global Centre for Pluralism,

It is a great pleasure to welcome you this evening to the second Global Pluralism Award ceremony.

Thank you, Meredith, for the warm introduction. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are delighted that you have joined the Centre as Secretary General.

Bismillah-ir Rahman ir Rahim
His Excellency Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of the Portuguese Republic,
His Highness the Aga Khan,
Minister of Health, Madame Marta Temido,
President of the Central Hospitals of Lisbon, Madame Rosa Valente Matos,
Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili Imamat to the Portuguese Republic, Comendador, Nazim Ahmad,
Member of the Portuguese Delegation to the Seat Agreement’s Joint Committee, Mr. João Pedro Antunes,
Leaders of the Aga Khan Development Network and the Ismaili Imamat,
Distinguished guests,

Bismillah-ir-Rahaman-ir-Rahim

As-Salam-Alai-Kum, Peace be upon you

Your Excellency Mintimer Shaimiev,
Your Excellency Eleonora Mitrofanova,
Respected Members of the Government,
Distinguished Guests

What an enormous pleasure it is to welcome all of you to this ceremony.

We gather today with a group of extraordinary people, in an extraordinary place, and for an extraordinary purpose.

The Aga Khan Award for Architecture is organised around a series of three-year cycles - each one culminating in the recognition of our Award recipients.

Prince Hussain Aga Khan held a beautiful speech on the main stage during EAT Stockholm Food Forum 2019 to bring awareness to the endangered species living in our oceans. Since the age of five, he has been a fan of the ocean and everything connected to it.

At 14, Prince Hussain Aga Khan started scuba diving, and by exploring the deep wide blue he developed a keen interest in conservation. He started traveling to the tropics frequently at secondary school and began taking photographs of fauna and flora on a trip to the Brazilian Amazon in 1996.

Focused On Nature

Prince Hussain Aga Khan held a beautiful speech on the main stage during EAT Stockholm Food Forum 2019 to bring awareness to the endangered species living in our oceans. Since the age of five, he has been a fan of the ocean and everything connected to it.

At 14, Prince Hussain Aga Khan started scuba diving, and by exploring the deep wide blue he developed a keen interest in conservation. He started traveling to the tropics frequently at secondary school and began taking photographs of fauna and flora on a trip to the Brazilian Amazon in 1996.

Focused On Nature

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim
Ms. Mohammed,
Your Excellency, the President of the Assembly,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to welcome you, on behalf of the Board of the Global Centre for Pluralism, to the 2019 Pluralism Lecture here at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon.

Your Highness, the Prince Aga Khan,
Prince Amyn Aga Khan,
President of the Porto Municipal Assembly,
Councillors, other elected representatives,
Commander Nazim Ahmad, Diplomatic Representative of the Ismaili Imamat in Portugal,
All other members of the delegation of His Highness the Aga Khan,
Members of the Parliament of the Consular Corps, civil, military, and the religious authorities,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Your Highness, your presence today in the Porto city is, for us, a moment of joy, not only for us who are here gathered together, but for the city.

Your Worship the Mayor,
Honourable Guests,

I would like to begin my comments this afternoon by saying how touched I am by the recognition that you have given to me this afternoon.

In my work I look at peoples from all environments — cities, rural urban areas, deserts, industrialised areas — and I look at how people live, and I ask myself, “How can we improve the living conditions of people in all these environments?”

Your Highness the Aga Khan, thank you very much
Princess Zahra Aga Khan
My dear friend, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Paulo Portas
Chairman Haile Debas
President Firoz Rasul, thank you for your introduction
My dear friend, Ambassador Nazim Ahmad, always a great friend for a long time and a great man
Honourable Trustees of the Aga Khan University

Dear Friends

Thank you so much for inviting me tonight. I have, let me tell you, a huge admiration, a huge admiration for your community, Your Highness, and for your leadership.

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

Your Excellency, President of the Republic, Professor Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa,


Your Excellency, Vice-President of the Parliament, Mr. Jorge Lacão,

Madame Isabel Mota, President of the Gulbenkian Foundation,


Members of Government and of Parliament,


Diplomats, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,


Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure - and a great honour - to welcome all of you who have come to this exceptional venue tonight, on this extraordinary occasion.

Madame President of the Gulbenkian Foundation, Ms. Isabel Mota,
Honorable members of the Government, of Parliament, State Authorities, and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Your Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen

Your Excellency Honorable Kassim Majaliwa, Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania
Honourable Ummy Ally Mwalimu, Hon. Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, the United Republic of Tanzania
Ambassador Clavier,
Mr Christian Yoka, Regional Director, Agence Francaise de Developpement
Distinguished Guests, Ladies, Gentlemen and Friends

Today is indeed a momentous day for the Aga Khan Development Network as we celebrate the inauguration of the Phase II expansion of the Aga Khan Hospital, Dar es Salaam.