Brazilian President to receive UNESCO award

The jury said it had decided to give the 2008 Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize to the Brazilian leader for his actions in pursuit of peace, dialogue, democracy, social justice and equal rights, as well as for his valuable contribution to the eradication of poverty and the protection of minorities' rights.

UNESCO will present the award, instituted in 1989 and named after the First President of Cote d'Ivoire, at a ceremony in July.

The Prize honours people, organizations and institutions that have contributed significantly to the promotion, research, preservation or maintenance of peace.

Among the previous winners are Nelson Mandela, Frederik W De Klerk, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Yasser Arafat, King Juan Carlos of Spain, former US President Jimmy Carter, Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade and former President of Finland Martti Ahtisaari.