President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has been named this year’s recipient of the Eisenhower Medallion for his efforts to promote regional peace, according to the US-based People to People International (PTPI) organization.
The award, presented by the organization founded in 1956 by then-US president Dwight D. Eisenhower, recognizes Ma’s East China Sea peace initiative that seeks to resolve territorial disputes in the area through peaceful means.
The 2012 initiative advocates that all claimants to disputed areas refrain from antagonistic actions; set aside their controversies and engage in dialogue; observe international law and resolve disputes through peaceful means; seek consensus on a code of conduct in the region; and establish a mechanism for the joint exploration and development of resources.
Ma, 64, was nominated by the PTPI’s Greater Tainan chapter and is to receive the award on Friday at the PTPI’s 21st worldwide conference that is being held from today until Sunday in Greater Tainan.
Tainan PTPI official Chang Fu-chuan (張富全) said Ma’s peace initiative, which urges trilateral discussions among Taiwan, Japan and China to reach an agreement on territorial disputes, was recognized and praised at a PTPI board meeting.
The award is presented to an internationally known individual or organization in recognition of their exceptional contribution to world peace during a period of at least five years, according to PTPI’s Web site.
Ma is the second Taiwanese to receive the honor, after Master Cheng Yen (證嚴法師), founder of the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, in 1994.
Past Eisenhower Medallion recipients include former South African president Nelson Mandela (2010), tenor Luciano Pavarotti (2004), King Hussein I of Jordan (2002), archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu (2000), Medecins Sans Frontieres (1992), Mother Teresa (1988) and Neil Armstrong (1969).
PTPI promotes international understanding and world peace through cultural, educational and humanitarian activities.
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