PRIME MINISTER ALKATIRI RECEIVES AWARD IN RECOGNITION OF HIS DEDICATION TO TIMOR-LESTE’S FREEDOM.
In a moving ceremony, Prime Minister Alkatiri was presented with a medal in the margins of the fifty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York yesterday, in recognition of his personal struggle for freedom and independence.In receiving the “Lifting up the world with a Oneness” – Heart Award, Mr Alkatiri joined the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa and Muhammad Ali. Inaugurated in 1988, the award ‘recognizes individuals whose efforts have inspired and uplifted humanity’.
Prime Minister Alkatiri said he was accepting the medal on behalf of each and every citizen of Timor-Leste.
“After struggling for our freedom for more than two decades, we now have a free, independent and democratic country founded on the respect for the rule of law.” He added: “Receiving this award has strengthened my determination to serve the people and contributes to my conviction that Timor-Leste has a bright future.”
The Award was presented to Prime Minister Alkatiri by his Excellency Sri Chinway, leader of the International Peace Center.