The W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award: 2004 Honorees
NDI celebrated its 20th anniversary by paying tribute to an era of democratic transformation through the eyes of those from different regions of the world who experienced its struggles and successes. The honorees included:
U.S. HONOREES
Senator Richard G. Lugar
for his role in monitoring the 1986 Philippine election, which helped forge a bipartisan consensus on democracy promotion by the U.S., and for his ongoing leadership in advancing democracy and human rights worldwide.
Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
for his early and outspoken advocacy of international engagement in places such as Bosnia and Sudan, and for his ongoing leadership in advancing democracy and human rights worldwide.
INTERNATIONAL HONOREES
President Abdoulaye Wade
for his promotion of democracy, good governance and the peaceful resolution of conflicts in Senegal and the West African region, and for his role in broader African initiatives that advance democratic leadership and accountability.
President Xanana Gusmão
for his role throughout the 1999 peace process and referendum, and his commitment to building democratic institutions as the president of Timor-Leste, the world's newest nation.
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania
on behalf of Georgia’s democratic forces that spearheaded the peaceful 2003 “Rose Revolution” and for the commitment of the new government to transform Georgia into a regional model of political and economic progress.
Former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino
for her role in the peaceful 1986 People Power revolution and the restoration of democracy in the Philippines, and for serving as an example of women's political leadership.
Minister José Miguel Insulza
on behalf of the political coalition that restored democracy in Chile and for the coalition government's continued efforts to rebuild the country's representative institutions.
Minister Amat Al-Aleem Alsoswa
for her commitment to democracy and women's political leadership as Yemen's first minister for human rights and first female cabinet minister.
Former Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek
for his unwavering commitment to Polish freedom—as an underground dissident, a Solidarity leader and a government minister in a democratic Poland, and for his leadership in building a Europe whole and free.
The awards were presented on December 6 at a dinner at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.
NDI's W. Averell Harriman Democracy Award is the Institute's highest honor, presented annually to individuals and organizations dedicated to democracy and human rights. Past recipients of the Award have included: Oswaldo Paya of the Varela Project in Cuba; the Organization of American States; Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations; the eight political party leaders who negotiated the Northern Ireland peace agreement; Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi; Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel; then-Vice President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa; former Argentine President Raul Alfonsin; Chile's 1988 Free Election Movement; former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter; former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale; Senator Edward Kennedy; former Senator George Mitchell; the late Lane Kirkland, president of the AFL-CIO; and Linda and the late Peter Biehl of the Amy Biehl Foundation in South Africa.
As in past years, the dinner was attended by approximately 800 guests, including senior officials from the U.S. government, members of Congress, representatives of the diplomatic corps, the press and members of the labor, business and foreign policy communities.
Contact Information
For more information, please contact:
Tammy Stolen at (202) 728-5599 or tstolen@ndi.org
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