Angela Merkel to receive Félix Houphouët-Boigny-UNESCO Peace Prize in Yamoussoukro

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to receive Wednesday February 06 in the Ivorian capital of Yamoussoukro the Félix Houphouët-Boigny-UNESCO Peace Prize which she was awarded last year.
Audrey Azoulay, Director of UNESCO and Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara will hand the award to the former German state woman during a ceremony, the state-run news agency of the African country reports.
Merkel, according to UNESCO, was nominated for the award last year for her courageous decision in 2015 to welcome more than 1.2 million refugees, notably from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Eritrea. “This is the legacy she leaves,” Denis Mukwege, President of the Jury, gynecologist, Nobel Peace Prize Winner 2018 said on UNESCO website.
“Suffering is universal, which is why the solutions provided to suffering must also be universal. Peace-building is about opening doors to those who suffer. The decision of the jury has reminded us that the way in which we treat migrants and refugees is a critical issue,” Azoulay also added.
Created in 1989, Félix Houphouët-Boigny-UNESCO Peace Prize, honors an individual, an institution, or a private or public body which has significantly contributed to the promotion, research, safeguarding or maintenance of peace, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and the Constitution of UNESCO.
Previous awardees include Nelson Mandela, Frederik W. De Klerk, and Jimmy Carter, who was awarded the prize for his work in the field of education.