GOLDEN HONORARY MEDAL OF THE I.P.O. AWARDED TO PUBLIC FIGURES FROM TURKEY AND THE PHILIPPINES

 Vienna/Ankara/Manila, 7 November 2005/RE/19435c-is

On the basis of a recommendation of the Executive Board, the President of the International Progress Organization has today signed the decrees awarding the Golden Honorary Medal of the International Progress Organization to two distinguished international citizens from the Turkey and the Philippines.

Dr. Türkkaya Ataöv, Professor emeritus of International Relations and former Director of the Department. of International Relations at the University of Ankara (Turkey), is being honoured for his lifetime achievement in the field of international relations theory, his commitment to the search for historical truth and his active and courageous contribution to the liberation of oppressed peoples; he was an influential voice in support of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa in particular. He has excelled as author of hundreds of scholarly articles and books on, inter alia, issues of contemporary international relations, international law and global justice that have drawn worldwide attention. As member of the Executive Council of the International Association for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Geneva) Prof. Ataöv has combined his theoretical work with the global struggle for human rights.

Dr. Fatemah Remedios C. Balbin, Founder-President of the Foundation for Social Justice and former Senior Commissioner of the National Amnesty Commission of the Philippines, has distinguished herself as champion of civil liberties and social and economic rights in the Philippines and has been an outspoken advocate of democracy and the rule of law in her country and South-East Asia. She has contributed substantially to the efforts at a just settlement of the problem of Muslim Mindanao and, in numerous cases, offered legal assistance to people defending the rights of Muslims and indigenous people in the Philippines. She has further excelled through her analysis of international affairs in the context the worldwide movement for social justice.

The Golden Honorary Medal of the I.P.O. was created in 1982 on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the foundation of the International Progress Organization. It is a special award to honour those who have contributed in a substantial manner to the advancement of the organization’s goals and ideals. Previous recipients are Prof. Dr. Hans R. Klecatsky, former Minister of Justice of Austria, and Mr. Robert Thabit, Esq., Permanent Representative of the I.P.O. to the United Nations in New York. In conformity with I.P.O. regulations, the number of bearers of the medal shall not exceed seven at any given time.

END/ Golden Honorary Medal of the I.P.O. Awarded to Public Figures in Turkey and the Philippines/2005-11-07/RE/19435is