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UNESCO bestows 2006
José Martí International Award
on President Chávez
PARIS, Dec. 14—Venezuelan
President Hugo Chávez Frías is the recipient of
UNESCO 2005 José Martí International Award, granted
by a jury made up of outstanding international
individuals, according to an announcement issued
today by that organization in this capital.
The José Martí Award was created
in 1994 by the UNESCO Executive Council in tribute
to Cuba’s national hero and founding father of its
independence. According to its guidelines, it is
“aimed at promoting and rewarding a particularly
meritorious activity that, according to the ideals
and spirit of José Martí and embodying the vocation
of sovereignty and independence struggle of a
nation, has contributed anywhere in the world to the
unity and integration of the nations of Latin
America and the Caribbean, and to the preservation
of the region’s identity, cultural traditions and
historical values.”
This is the fourth time that
UNESCO has bestowed this international award, which
was previously granted to Dominican historian Celsa
Albert Bautista (1995); Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo
Guayasamín (1999) and Mexican sociologist Pablo
González Casanova (2003).
According to the announcement,
President Chávez’s candidacy for such an important
prize and recognition was backed by several Latin
American governments, and approved unanimously by
the members of the prestigious international jury
that decided to grant it to him.
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