São Paulo – The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) awarded the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, for his work in fighting against poverty. According to information published by the UN news agency, Lula has been chosen for the Felix Houphouët-Boigny Prize.
The announcement was made this week in Paris, France, by the former president of Portugal, Mario Soares, as informed by Michele Montas, the spokesperson for the UN president, Ban Ki-moon. The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Prize, named after the first president of Cote d’Ivoire, formerly known as the Ivory Coast, was created in 1989 by the Unesco.
According to the board of jurors, Lula was chosen for the actions that he is implementing in order to promote peace, dialogue, democracy and social justice, and also for his contribution for eradicating poverty and protecting the rights of minorities in Brazil.
The prize is granted on an annual basis to persons and organisations that work for the maintenance of peace. It has been awarded to Nelson Mandela, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Jimmy Carter and Yasser Arafat, among others.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
