French President Hollande to receive Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

Chaired by Joaquim Chissano, former President of Mozambique, the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize on Thursday decided to award the Prize to French President François Hollande for his valuable contribution to peace and stability in Africa.

At the end of the meeting, President Chissano made the following declaration:

“After analyzing the global situation, it is Africa that held the attention of the Jury with the various threats affecting the continent.

“Having assessed the dangers and the repercussions of the situation on Africa, and on Mali in particular, as well as on the rest of the world, the Jury appreciated the solidarity shown by France to the peoples of Africa.

“The Jury condemns the violation of Mali’s territorial integrity, the violation of human rights, the taking of hostages and the destruction of the cultural heritage of humanity in Timbuktu.

“The Jury therefore decided to award the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize to Mr François Hollande, President of the French Republic, for his great contribution to peace and stability in Africa.”

The Felix-Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize—created in 1989—is intended to honour living individuals and active public or private bodies or institutions that have made a significant contribution to promoting, seeking, safeguarding or maintaining peace, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations and the Constitution of UNESCO.

Former laureates of the Prize include Nelson Mandela and Frederik W. De Klerk; Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Pérès and Yasser Arafat; King Juan Carlos of Spain; and former President of Brazil, Luis Inázio Lula da Silva.

The date of the award ceremony of the Prize—which consists of US$150,000, a peace diploma and a gold medal—will be determined shortly with the laureate.


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