Honor Committee

All of them are tireless workers in the cause of peace, dialog and development.

They have all played an eminent role in their respective countries or at the head of international organizations.

Together they represent the diversity of experience and cultures that can give balance to the world.

They bring inestimable human capital to the fondation Chirac.

	Kofi Annan Former Secretary General of the United Nations, he fulfilled two mandates as head of the Organization from 1997 to 2006. In 2001, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his personal commitment to the fight against poverty and the mobilization of the planet’s leaders in favor of peace. He currently heads several organizations in the domain of development (AGRA, Alliance for a green revolution in Africa) and human rights as President of the “Foundation to support the World Organization against Torture.” In 2007, he founded the World Humanitarian Forum, whose work focuses on the human consequences of global warming. He is also President of the prize committee of the “Fondation Mo Ibrahim.”

	Fernando Henrique Cardoso Prior to his two mandates as President of the Federal Republic of Brazil from 1995 to 2002, he was senator from the state of São Paulo, Minister of Foreign Affaires then Minister of Finance. A sociologist by training, he was a professor at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en sciences sociales and the Collège de France. Following his presidency, he created the “Brazilian foundation for sustainable development” and has given many lectures, notably on the theme of deforestation.

	François Cheng A member of the Académie Française since 2001, he was born in China into literary family and settled in France after World Wart II. He is a translator, calligraphist, academic and author of numerous essays on Chinese thought, esthetics and art. Awarded the Femina Prize for the Dit de Tanyi in 1998, he received the grand prize of the French-speaking communities of the Académie Française in 2001 for the body of his work.

	Joaquim Alberto Chissano President of the Republic of Mozambique from 1986 to 2005, he currently heads the “Chissano Foundation,” supporting development projects involving the active participation of populations involved and designed to promote reconciliation following the civil war. Fully engaged in the service of the culture of peace, in 2007 he received the Mo Ibrahim prize, awarded to African leaders who distinguish themselves by their good governance and the quality of their management of public affairs.

	Jean Chrétien Prime Minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003, this lawyer by training held his first elected office in 1963. During his mandates Canada ratified the Kyoto Protocol and created the Bureau charged with resolving territorial claims of native peoples. In October 2002, he announced that Canada was committed to the creation of ten new national parks over the next five years to ensure, through sustainable management of forest resources, the safeguard of unique landscapes and the protection of the fauna of the second largest country in the world, which is model in the subject.

	Abdou Diouf In 1981, he was elected to succeed Léopold Sédar Senghor as President of the Republic of Senegal after serving as its Prime Minister. He stepped down from this function in 2000. In 2002, he was unanimously elected Secretary General of the International Organization of French-speaking communities, and was reelected in 2006. An ardent defender of French-speaking peoples in the service of democracy and human rights, he has made cultural and linguistic diversity a strategic priority of his action.

	Vigdís Finnbogadóttir With her election as President of Iceland in 1980, Vigdis Finnbogadottir became the first female head of state in the world. She was subsequently reelected three times. She took an active role in promoting the country, acting as a cultural ambassador, and enjoyed immense popularity. Speaking French fluently, she is the founding chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. Currently, she is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and a member of the Club of Madrid. Vigdis Finnbogadottir holds honorary Degrees from 15 universities around the world. Involved in protecting children and youth, in protecting the environment and particularly in reforestation, she was awarded the Ceres Medal from the FAO that distinguished women working in favor of food security. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir actively takes part in the creation of an International Center of Languages from all the World at University of Iceland.



	Enrique Iglesias President of the InterAmerican Development Bank from 1988 to 2005, he turned this institution into the main source of multilateral development financing in Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to this role, he was Minister of Foreign Affaires of his adopted company, Uruguay. In 1981, he served as Secretary General of the United Nations conference on New and Renewable Energies. He is currently serving as Secretary General of the Ibero-American Secretariat, based in Madrid, which provides its expertise for the organization of conferences and summits gathering Spain and the Spanish-speaking countries of the Americas.

	Lee Kuan Yew Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore from 1959 to 1990, he is currently its Minister Mentor. Under his impetus, the city-state of Singapore has become a model of prosperity and stability in Asia. Of Chinese origin, educated in the English tradition, he successfully transformed his country by respecting local cultures and by making the balance between the Malay and Chinese communities the key to harmonious development.

	Wangari Muta Maathai In 2004, Wangari Muta Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work protecting the environment. Her movement, the Green Belt Movement, the largest reforestation project in Africa, was founded in 1977 and began its activity in Kenya, on a national scale, before crossing its borders by means of the Panafrican Green Belt Network. The movement combines the protection of the environment with the feminist struggle, another cause Wangari Maathai is extremely committed to. It allows women to reach a better standard of living by offering them a job and professional training. It contributes to the protection of the environment by planting thousands of trees in Kenya, and by prompting its neighbours to take example/do the same. Through her/the movement and the various positions she has held worldwide in institutions and organisations over the years, Wangari Maathai leads an active and passionate struggle for environmental conservation, human rights and, more specifically, the rights of women, good governance, equity, and peace.
	Federico Mayor Director General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999, he founded the “Culture of Peace Program” and succeeded in having the General Assembly of the United Nations declare the year 2000 “International year for the Culture of Peace.” In 2000, he created the “Foundation for a culture of Peace”. Designated co-president of the “high-level group” for the Alliance of Civilizations by the Secretary General of the United Nations in 2005, he is President of the “Initiative pour la Science en Europe” network. Born in Barcelona, Doctor of Pharmacology, professor of biochemistry, Federico Mayor was cofounder of the Center of Molecular Biology of the Autonomous University of Madrid, in 1974, and served as Minister of Education and Science of the Spanish government as well as member of the European Parliament.

	Rigoberta Menchu Tum In 1992, at the age of 33, she became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. Hailing from an impoverished Guatemalan village, she was confronted early on with the injustices perpetrated against the Mayan people. Her mother and brother were assassinated by military forces. These same forces also burned down the Spanish embassy where her father was at the time. Emblematic figure of the struggle for the respect of indigenous peoples, she denounces injustice, explains its origins, demands redress and embodies resistance. Through the foundation that bears her name (the FRMT Foundation), she continues her work to carry out programs and actions in support of human rights, the rights of indigenous people and the promotion of dialog and negotiation as solutions to conflicts.

	Youssou N’Dour Today, Youssou N’Dour is the world’s best-known African artist. His hit song “7 seconds,” a duet song with Neneh Cherry, made him famous around the globe. A very engaged singer with a magical voice, he is also a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, the FAO, and Amnesty International. He created a foundation whose priorities include the rights of children in Africa and fight against malaria. In 2008, he also created the “Birima” micro-credit company.

	Rajendra Kumar Pachauri President of the intergovernmental panel of experts on climate (IPCC), set up by the UN in 1988, he shared the Nobel peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007 for his organizing of the work of the climate experts’whose findings concluded with the probability that human activity is responsible for global warming. He is also Managing Director of the Resource Systems Institute in New Delhi. This Indian economist grew up in the “perfect nature” of the Himalayan foothills before dedicating himself for decades to environmental conservation. His Nobel Prize acceptance speech in December 2007 was a cry of alarm about the tragic consequences global warming will have for human societies if urgent and major steps are not taken right away.

	Andres Pastrana Arango Prior to his election as President of the Republic of Colombia from 1998 to 2002, he was the Mayor of Bogota. The dialog opened with guerilla forces, with whom he signed a humanitarian agreement, the positions he took regarding protection of the environment, notably concerning deforestation and soil and water pollution where the hallmarks of his termin office. In 2000, he co-wrote the “Manifesto of a culture of peace and non-violence,” under the aegis of the United Nations and UNESCO. Andrés Pastrana is a jurist and a journalist.

	Andrea Riccardi Professor of contemporary history at the University of Rome III, he founded in Rome in 1968 – in the wake of the Vatican II council – the catholic community of Sant’Egidio whose deep engagement in social life is directed towards support for the poor, dialog between religions and peace. Sant’Egidio has undertaken efforts in conflict mediation in Lebanon, Albania, Kosovo, Mozambique and Guatemala.

	Ismaïl Serageldin Ismaïl Serageldin is Director of the library of Alexandria. A Harvard University and Cairo University graduate, he is a professor, architect andwriter. He worked many years at the World Bank where he notably headed the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP). From 1996 to 2000, he chaired the “Global Water Partnership,” and, from 1998 to 2000, he “21st Century World Water Commission” He cochaired the “African biotechnology panel.” Ismaïl Serageldin is a member of the Egyptian Senate.

	Ely Ould Mohamed Vall President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania from 2005 to 2007, he ensured the transition to democracy and organized the elections in which he chose not to participate. He enabled his country to regain the trust of international institutions by laying the foundations of a genuine democracy and by restoring the structures of the state. A career military officer, he is both a man of action and an intellectual with an unusual background. Today, he dedicates his time to mediation missions in African countries prey to latent strife.

	Vaira Vike-Freiberga President of the Republic of Latvia from 1999 to 2007, this French-speaking psychologist did her secondary studies at the Lycée Français of Casablanca and lived in Canada for twenty years. Elected President of Latvia, she led her country to participate in the constitution of the New Europe by convincing it to join the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, The WTO, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, as well as NATO and the European Union in 2004. Vaira Vike-Freiberga served as Vice President of the Scientific Council of Canada and has chaired diverse organizations in the social sciences field. Her research is focused largely on traditional Latvian literature, culture and identity. She has published nine books.

	Muhammad Yunus Founder and Director of the Grameen Bank, dubbed the “Banker to the poor,” he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Born in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus is a PhD in economics. He compelled acceptance of the notion of micro-credit, which now benefits several hundred million people around the globe, by going against economic rules of thumb. His most recent publication, Creating a World without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism, (Public Affairs, January 2008), calls for a revolution in the free enterprise system..