George Clooney and his wife Amal accept their first joint award for humanitarian work

George Clooney and his wife Amal, a respected human rights lawyer who champions humanitarian causes, accepted their first joint award together. 

On Tuesday night, the couple were honored with a Catalyst Award for using their platforms to inspire social change during a virtual ceremony, shared on the Elevate Prize Foundation’s YouTube channel.

The two-time Oscar winner, 60, began their speech by stating the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ)’s mission is to ‘work to free the innocent and punish the guilty’ one case at a time.

His spouse, 44, added: ‘The funding we receive from this award will support our TrialWatch program, which monitors criminal trials around the world and defends individuals who are unjustly detained, including journalists, women, LGBTQ persons and minorities.’

‘Our goal at the foundation is to free the innocent and punish the guilty. I think we’re both inspired by the young people out there challenging injustice in their communities, a new generation that won’t accept the status quo,’ Clooney continued. 

They will reportedly use the $250,000 prize that comes with the Catalyst Award to fund its TrialWatch program, which fights for the ‘legal rights for those unfairly targeted by oppressive governments,’ according to ET.

In December 2020, George told People he felt ‘feel very lucky in so many ways to have met’ Amal, who he claims he’s never ‘had an argument’ with. 

‘You know, everybody’s been slammed together because of the coronavirus and a lot of friends’ relationships have been tested. For us, it’s been really easy.’

Always Hollywood’s most eligible – and arguably most desirable – bachelor, Clooney surprised many by proposing to Amal in April 2014, with the couple exchanging vows at Venetian palace Ca’ Farsetti just five months later.

And he says their shared passion for equality and philanthropy has only served to strengthen their relationship.

‘She succeeds in so many different ways and stands up for what she believes in,’ he said of his wife. ‘We didn’t fall in love because of our work, but it ended up being something unusual we [share]… we are really lucky and we know it.’

Their organization pushes for justice through accountability for human rights abuses across the world, and Clooney hopes their twins Alexander and Ella, four, follow their lead by taking on the same causes as they grow into adulthood.

He said: ‘I’m in the same situation as most fathers of 3-year-olds: I don’t want my children when they’re 15 years old to turn around and say, “There was a time when they were putting kids in cages?… And what did you do about that?”

‘And if the answer is “nothing,” then I would be ashamed.’

He added: ‘I hope that will be my wife’s and my legacy to our children. It just means standing up for things you believe in, standing up for equality. Who could be against equality?”