Daw Aung San Suu Kyi,  received the 2002 UNESCO-Mandanjeet Singh Prize for Tolerance and Non-Violence today.

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News Rangoon, Myanmar - 2nd March 2012

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar’s National League for Democracy received the 2002 UNESCO-Mandanjeet Singh Prize for Tolerance and Non-Violence today. The award was presented to her by Ryuhei Hosoya, head of the Office of the Director-General of UNESCO in Myanmar, where he is on an official visit. Mr Hosoya had met earlier with the Deputy Minister of Education, Ba Shwe and Deputy Minister of Culture Daw Sandar Khin in Nay Pyi Taw.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi was unable to receive the award in 2002 because of her detention under house arrest. She thanked UNESCO and Madanjet Singh for the prize.

“I look forward to the day when Burma and UNESCO can work together more closely than they have done until now,” she added.
 
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, welcomed Myanmar’s ambitious reform programme, which made it possible for Aung San Suu Kyi to receive the Prize: “UNESCO welcomes the government of Myanmar’s comprehensive programme of democratization and reform and we are determined to accompany this process in our fields of competence,” said the Director-General. “Together, we are working on projects in education, culture and media development, sectors which are essential for dialogue, reconciliation and development”, she said.