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ANNOUNCEMENT: Brazilian President Wins IPS Award

Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 16 2008 (IPS) - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, who has successfully championed the cause of fair trade, social justice and economic equity for the developing world, has been named the winner of the Inter Press Service (IPS) International Achievement Award 2008.

The decision to honour the Brazilian president was taken by the Board of Directors of IPS, chaired by Federico Mayor, a former director-general of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The award ceremony will take place at the U.N. delegates’ dining room on Monday, Sep. 22, at 5:45 p.m., on the eve of the high-level segment of the 63rd session of the General Assembly, which is expected to be attended by over 150 world leaders.

IPS Director General Mario Lubetkin said the decision to honour the Brazilian president was prompted by several reasons.

“President Lula da Silva is credited with lifting millions out of poverty at home,” Lubetkin said.

“We are also honouring him for having led an international campaign to fight poverty and hunger, which helped mobilise support from other world leaders and international organisations,” he added.

The Brazilian president was elected to office in October 2002 with approximately 53 million votes. He was re-elected in October 2006, garnering about 58 million votes.

Lubetkin said the Brazilian president has articulated the needs, desires and visions of the countries of the global South, and raised concerns about fair trade, multilateralism, globalisation, and more recently, about the food and energy crises.

“As a longstanding news agency of the developing world, we are privileged to honour the Brazilian president,” Lubetkin added.

The IPS International Award was created in 1985 primarily to honour journalists and world leaders who contributed to peace, human rights, gender empowerment, good governance and social and economic equity.

Past winners include First Lady of France Danielle Mitterrand (1991); President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari (1994); U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1996); Graca Machel, First Lady of South Africa (1998); and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (2006).