AWARD LAUREATES | Yolanda Moreno

Yolanda Moreno

First Dancer of Venezuela

Yolanda Moreno was the prima ballerina of Venezuela. Born in San Juan, she started dancing aged 13 and her talent was soon recognised. She quickly became an international star and later became a choreographer as well. During her career she gained the title of “The Venezuelan People’s Ballerina”. Over the course of her career she has performed in more than 500 choreographies and reinvigorated the public interest in Venezuelan dance and folklore. She also founded one of the most successful dance schools in Venezuela.

AWARD LAUREATES | Urho Kekkonen

Urho Kekkonen

Former President of Finland

Urho Kekkonen was the former Prime Minister and President of Finland. Born in 1900, in the Savo region of Finland, he fought for the White Guard during the Finnish Civil War. Once the war was over and Finland had become independent in 1921, Mr Kekkonen began his career as a journalist before moving to Helsinki in order to study law. During this period of study he also worked for the security police EK, which familiarised him with anti-Communist policing. In 1927, following his graduation from university, Mr Kekkonen began practicing as a lawyer, working for the Association of Rural Municipalities. In 1936 he undertook his Doctorate in Law at the University of Helsinki, soon becoming involved in the Northern Ostrobothnian Student Nation. He also served as Editor in Chief of the student newspaper during this time. He became actively involved within the student political scene, particularly right wing movements. In 1933, Mr Kekkonen became a civil servant within the Ministry of Agriculture and was subsequently elected to parliament in 1936. Upon his election he became Justice Minister and remained in the post for one year. Following this, he served as Minister for Interior from 1937 to 1939. During the Continuation War, Mr Kekkonen became the Director of the Karelian Evacuees Welfare Centre and also served as the Ministry of Finance’s Commissioner for Co-ordination. By 1944 he had become a leading politician within the Peace Opposition, once again being appointed Minister of Justice where he was given the task of dealing with the war trials. From 1948 to 1950 his success and knowledge led to him becoming Speaker of Parliament and eventually Prime Minister. He was then elected President in 1956, yet it was not until his re-election that he began to drastically alter existing policies. Some of the foreign policy initiatives that he instigated included the Nordic nuclear free zone proposal, a border agreement with Norway and a conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. He did not, however, alter his predecessors policies of neutrality. He was elected for a third term in 1968 and again for a fourth in the 1978 Presidential election. During these terms he continued to strive for improved Finnish-Soviet relations and closer military cooperation. He was forced to resign due to ill health in 1981 before his death in 1986.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund)

Fund of the United Nations

UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) is a United Nations organisation which works to defend and promote children’s rights through specific programmes and delegations. It is the world’s leading advocate for children and operates around the central notion that all children should have several basic rights. These include: a right to adequate nutrition, a right to education, a right to health, a right to participate, a right to protection and a right to clean water. UNICEF was formed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946 (becoming a permanent member in 1953) in order to provide food and healthcare to those children whose countries had been heavily affected by World War Two. In 1959, UNICEF worked to adopt the Declaration of the Rights of the Child which acted to establish children’s rights to protection, education, healthcare, shelter and nutrition; principles which continue to define the organisation today. In 1965, UNICEF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the ‘promotion of brotherhood amongst nations’. In 1979, the same year that marked the International Year of the Child and saw countries reaffirm their commitment to children’s rights, Gold Mercury International recognised UNICEF for their sustained efforts in upholding children’s rights. In 1982 UNICEF launched the Child Survival and Development Revolution which was based on four simple techniques: growth monitoring, oral rehydration therapy, breastfeeding and immunisation; these would assist in saving the lives of millions of children each year. In 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child was adopted by the UN General Assembly. The popularity of the treaty made it the most widely accepted human rights treaty in history. The following years were focused on setting goals for children’s health as well as attempting to draw attention to the effect of war and conflict on children. Today, with staff in over 390 countries and territories, most of UNIECEF’s work is done in the field and lends to a more practical hands on approach as they seek to uphold children’s rights on a global scale.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

Former President of the United States of America

Ronald Reagan was a former President of the United States. During his illustrious career he also served as Governor of California as well as working within the radio, television and film industries. Born in Tampico, Illinois in 1911, he studied Economics and Sociology at Eureka College. Following his graduation he became a radio broadcaster, specialising in announcing sporting matches. While working as a broadcaster he took a screen test which won him a seven year contract with Warner Brothers Studios and a chance to break into Hollywood. Over the next twenty years he appeared in 53 films including Kings Row, Dark Victory, Santa Fe Trail and John Loves Mary. In the midst of his film career he was ordered to serve for four years, in a limited service role, in the United States Army. President Reagan, in 1941, was initially elected to be on the Board of Directors of The Screen Actors Guild; however, upon his return from military duty he was elected President of the Guild. He served for another seven consecutive one year terms as President and led through many periods of dispute. During this period his political views shifted from liberal to conservative and he began touring the country as a television host espousing conservatism. In 1966, he became Governor of California, elected by a significant margin of votes and was again re-elected in 1970. In 1980 President Reagan gained the Republican presidential and was elected President after winning the 1981 election. During his presidential term President Reagan managed to obtain legislation to stimulate economic growth, reduce inflation and increase employment. He was re-elected to a second term in 1984 and at the end of his administration the United States was experiencing its longest ever recorded period of peace time prosperity without recession or depression. President Reagan’s foreign policy stance is also admirable as was his desire to improve relations with the Soviet Union and his ability to negotiate a treaty with them that would eliminate intermediate range nuclear missiles. It was because of these foreign policy feats that President Reagan was awarded the Peace Award by Gold Mercury International. President Reagan also sought combat the spread of drugs as well as international terrorism, as shown by the harsher penalties for drug importers and his handling of the Libyan attack in 1986. After leaving office in 1989, President Reagan continued to make appearances on behalf of the Republican Party as well as establishing the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award before his death in 2004.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | Professor Thomas Risley Odhiambo

Professor Thomas Risley Odhiambo

Entomologist and Environmental Activist

Professor Thomas Risley Odhiambo (February 4, 1931 Alego, Nyanza Province – May 26, 2003) was a Kenyan entomologist and environmental activist who directed research and scientific development in Africa. He was described as a “Visionary entomologist harnessing science for Africa’s poor”. Odhiambo was the founding director of the Nairobi-based International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) and a leading figure in African science for several decades.

He encouraged the younger generation of thinkers to venture into the fine arts, investigate its relation to history of life sciences and to go out and create global academies and research institutions using technology. His inspiring effect led to the re–emergence of accumulated indigenous knowledge and technology systems in the modern African world. He led visions on agricultural development in Africa by initiating effective scientific projects leading to advancement in growing indigenous crops and disseminating methods of insect control.

“Thomas was a special man on a mission to improve Africa’s food sustainability and the wellbeing of its people. He is one of our most deserving laureates.”
– Eduardo De Santis, Chairman of Gold Mercury International, remembering Odhiambo

Professor Odhiambo published several books focused to improve sustainable food production and the african crisis including:

Land-Use Literacy for Sustainable Food Production in Africa, 1994
Science for Development in Africa : Proceedings of the Consultation on the Management of Science for Development in Africa, Duduville, Kasarani, Nairobi, Kenya, November 21-24, by Turner Timinipre Isoun, 1988
Hope Born Out of Despair : Managing the African Crisis, by United Nations University.

Shem Wandiga, former president of the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS), said that Odhiambo had been a “giant of a scientist” in Africa. “We might have underestimated his accomplishments in this part of the world but internationally he was recognised and respected,” he said. “Our efforts now should be to further his dream for a science-led African development.”

Link to The Guardian Obituary

Moments in History: Corporate Award Ad honorem Don Jose Ignacio Domecq

Don Jose Ignacio Domecq (left) in May 1970 at the Capitoline Hill in Rome with Don Manuel Domecq-Zurita, after receiving the Gold Mercury Corporate Award for his contribution to developing international cooperation through trade.

One of our historic Laureates is Don Jose Ignacio Domecq who won the Gold Mercury Award in May 1970. The award was presented at the Gold Mercury annual ceremony at the Capitoline Hill (Campidoglio) in Rome.

I remember Pedro with incredible love. He was an intelligent man of great human values. It was an honour to present him with the Gold Mercury Award”

says Eduardo De Santis, Chairman Gold Mercury, who presented Domecq the Award in 1970.

Jose Ignacio Domecq Gonzalez, was the aristocratic head of the Spanish wine-making family who owned Pedro Domecq, one of Spain’s oldest and largest sherry and brandy shippers, from 1816 until 1994, when it was merged with Allied Lyons P.L.C., the beverages giant based in London. It is now known as Allied Domecq P.L.C.

The tall, lean Mr. Domecq was known throughout the international wine trade as ‘El Nariz’ for literal as well as figurative reasons. His hawk like nose, endlessly caricatured in profile, was memorably large. It was also his fortune, an indispensable gift in the blending necessary for creating fine sherries.

From childhood on, he said, he memorized aromas and tastes ranging from those of the freshly pressed must of palomino grapes to those of the rich, old dry sherries called olorosos dating to 1730, when the company was founded. Its rise began in 1816 when a forebear, Pedro Domecq, acquired it and gave it his name.

Sherry, like port and madeira, is a fortified wine, which means that alcohol is added for body and strength. The name is an Anglicization of Jerez, the capital of sherry production. Mr. Domecq’s skills as a blender were outstanding. In an essay for ”Christie’s Wine Companion” (Salem House, 1987), he wrote:

Strolling through a bodega, dipping out old sherries which have rested undisturbed for generations, must be one of the most satisfying encounters a man can have with wine”.

It was this relationship to sherry, perhaps Spain’s unique contribution to wine culture, that led Mr. Domecq’s competitors and admirers to observe that he was a man of long views. In his essay, he offered his perspective this way: In ancient bodegas

One watches human egos come and go — all talking loudly about market trends etc., in the jargon of the moment — while the wine ignores them all and silently ages, turning itself with our tactful guidance into the same lovely old perfection enjoyed by our ancestors”.

Mr Domecq died in 1997 at his home in Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Spain. He was 82.

Don Jose Ignacio Domecq (left) in May 1970 at the Capitoline Hill in Rome with Don Manuel Domecq-Zurita, after receiving the Gold Mercury Corporate Award for his contribution to developing international cooperation through trade.

AWARD LAUREATES | Leonid Brezhnev

Leonid Brezhnev

Former General Secretary of The Central Committee Communist Party of the Soviet Union

Leonid Brezhnev was the former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Born in Ukraine in 1906, within the Russian Empire, Mr Brezhnev worked as land surveyor in the 1920′s before becoming a full member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1931. Following his graduation from the Metallurgical Institute in Kanenskoye, he worked as a metallurgical engineer in the iron and steel industries, as well as acting as the director of a technical school. In 1935 he served his compulsory military service and in 1936 he became Party Secretary in Dnipropetrovsk, which led to him being in charge of the city’s defence industries. During World War Two Mr Brezhnev became a political commissar in the Red Army, rising to eventually become a Major General in 1943. Following the war he was appointed to several positions within regional party committees that were based in the Ukraine. In 1952 he became a member of the Central Committee of the CPSU and a candidate member of the Politburo. Following Stalin’s death, Mr Brezhnev was forced to accept the position as Deputy Head of the Political Department of the Ministry of Defence. When Nikita Khrushchev came to power in 1954, however, he was appointed Second Secretary of the Kazakhstan Communist Party and was soon promoted to First Secretary a year later. By 1964 he had become Second Secretary of the Central Committee and soon after he helped lead the coalition which removed Khrushchev from power, which allowed Mr Brezhnev to become Head of the Party. He became committed to foreign policy and military reforms, developing the ‘Brezhnev Doctrine’, which outlined the right to Soviet intervention when other socialist countries are threatened. He strived to work with the United States through the policy of détente; his major foreign policy innovation. Under his leadership, the Soviet Union achieved a balance with the United States in its nuclear weapons programme as well as overtaking their space programme. This build-up of military assets, however, left the economic, agricultural and health care sectors deprived and led to a depressed standard of living. In 1979 he worked with Jimmy Carter to achieve the bilateral Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT 2), but soon after, in one of his last major decisions as leader, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to save the regime. He held on to power until his death in 1982.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | Kurt Waldheim

Kurt Waldheim

Former Secretary General of the United Nations

Kurt Waldheim was an Austrian politician who served as Secretary General of the United Nations and President of Austria from 1986 to 1992. Born in 1918, Mr Waldheim was enlisted into the Austrian Army before studying at the Vienna Consular Academy and later graduating in 1939. His father was actively involved in the Christian Social Party and due to his known criticisms of the Nazis was arrested twice and later forced out of his job following the German occupation of Austria in 1938. In 1941 he served on the Russian front until he was wounded. Upon regaining his health he later returned to service from 1942 until 1945, a subject which would later become an issue of international dispute. In 1945 he began working in diplomacy, serving in Paris from 1948 to 1951 before becoming head of the Personnel Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vienna from 1951 to 1955. In 1955 he led Austria’s first delegation to the United Nations (UN), before serving as the Austrian Ambassador to Canada. He was then appointed Director General for Political Affairs in the Austrian Foreign Ministry and then in 1964, became Austria’s Ambassador to the UN. From 1968 to 1970 Mr Waldheim served as the Austrian Foreign Minister. Following an unsuccessful Presidential election attempt in 1971, he was chosen as the new UN Secretary General in 1972. Under his leadership the UN undertook effective relief efforts in Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Guatemala as well as peacekeeping missions in Cyprus, Yemen, Angola and the Middle East. As Secretary General, Mr Waldheim was particularly interested in ensuring future stability for Namibia and South Africa. In 1976 Mr Waldheim was re-elected despite some element of opposition, later becoming the first Secretary General to visit North Korea in 1979. In 1986 he ran a successful campaign for the presidency of Austria, yet after completing his six year term did not seek re-election. Mr Waldheim was later knighted by Pope John Paul II in 1994 for his political success before passing away on the 14th of June 2007.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | José Figueres Ferrer

José Figueres Ferrer

Former President of Costa Rica

José Figueres Ferrer was a moderate Costa Rican politician who served as President of a governing Junta and then later as constitutional President. He studied at universities in Costa Rica and Mexico before also being educated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Upon his return to Costa Rica in 1928, Mr Figueres Ferrer bought a farm and became a successful coffee grower and rope manufacturer, whilst also building houses and providing medical care for his workers. In 1942 his criticism of the government forced him to become an exile in Mexico for two years. When he returned to Costa Rica he formed the Democratic Party, which eventually became the Social Democratic Party. Mr Figueres Ferrer then began training the Caribbean legion, a force of 700. Following the 1948 presidential election where Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia sought reinstatement after being defeated by Otilio Ulate Blanco, Mr Figueres Ferrer obtained the arms and ammunition he had hidden on his plantation and led an uprising in support of President Ulate. After two months of civil war, the Costa Rican army was defeated and Mr Figueres Ferrer became the President of the provisional Junta, who wrote a constitution which abolished the army and granted women the right to vote as well as guaranteeing public education for all. He handed power over to President Ulate after serving as provisional President, yet he was elected President in 1953 after President Ulate had completed his term. During his term in office he vowed to follow a pro-United States policy due to his strong anti-communist stance. He also nationalised banks and implemented numerous social reforms. He was elected for a second term in 1958 and during this term he worked with several UN agencies to improve conditions in Costa Rica, as well as writing articles on Costa Rica and Caribbean politics. He became a symbol of the ‘democratic left’ in Latin America and became one of the first Latin American presidents to embark on diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. During his third term as President from 1970 to 1974 Mr Figueres Ferrer prevented an economic collapse by discovering a new market through which Costa Rica could sell 30,000 tonnes of coffee to the Soviet Union. He also managed to sustain Costa Rica’s volatile economy during this period by negotiating with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to receive aid. After his presidency he became an Ambassador for subsequent administrations and supported the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua. He also rallied against U.S policy to support Nicaragua’s contra guerrillas.

AWARD LAUREATES | Jean Rey

Jean Rey

President of The European Commission

Jean Rey was a Belgian politician who served as the President of the European Commission. Born in 1902, he obtained a PHD in Law from the University of Liège in 1926. He initially embarked on a law career, serving as a Barrister at the Court of Appeal. He soon became, however, more actively involved in politics and in 1935 he joined the Liberal Party and was subsequently elected City Councillor of Liège. In 1939 he rose to obtain a seat in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives. He became increasingly active in his opposition of the Belgian policy of neutrality during the Second World War and after becoming a reserve officer he was captured by the Germans and taken to a Nazi concentration Camp where he spent the duration of the war. Following the conclusion of the war he returned to his political career, and in 1947 in strongly supported passing a bill which would see Belgium become a federal state. In 1949 he was appointed the Minister of Reconstruction and from 1954 to 1958 he served as the Minister of Economy. In this role he was involved in the development of the European Coal and Steel Community as well as the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). During his time at the EEC he played an active part in Walter Hallstein’s merger treaty, which saw the three communities being combined to form the European Commission. Due to the lead role he eventually came to play in the merger, he was appointed President of the European Commission shortly after its formation. The Commission eventually increased to fourteen members and oversaw the completion of the Community’s Custom Unions in 1968. At the Summit of The Hague in 1969, whereby European leaders had met to reinvigorate European integration, Mr Rey played a key role and was an influential member in the eventual decision of admitting the United Kingdom to the Commission. In the final year of his presidency Mr Rey also won the support of European governments for his idea to allow the community their ‘own resources’, which meant the European Commission could gain revenues from custom duties and levies on agricultural products. Mr Rey continued his goal for an integrated Europe by leading the European Movement from 1974 to 1978 and in the following year he became a member of the first European Parliament. He continued to remain involved within politics until his death in 1983.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | International Red Cross

International Red Cross

International Humanitarian Movement

The International Red Cross is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation and aims to provide assistance without discrimination regarding nationality, race, religion, class or political position. It is comprised of several organisations which are legally independent but united under the movement’s common principles. The International Red Cross was created in 1863 when five Swiss men, including Henry Dunant, formed the International Committee for Relief for the Wounded which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross. A flag was adopted, a red cross on a white background, an inversion of the Swiss Flag which served as a protective emblem. In 1864, 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention which signalled a milestone for humanity and which also granted neutrality for those who were providing medical services on the battlefield. In 1899, The Hague Conventions were adopted at the Second International Peace Conference in The Hague. The laws covered by these conventions extended to wars on land and at sea. The International Red Cross became especially active during World War One as it provided assistance to prisoners of war as well as providing information on captured military personnel. In 1917 their efforts were recognised when the movement won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1929 the Geneva Conventions were revised to include references to wounded armed forces in the field and prisoners of war. By 1960 there were over 100 National Societies associated with the Red Cross movement, including in former colonies in Africa and Asia. In 1963, in celebration of its centennial, the Red Cross was awarded their third Nobel Peace Prize. In 1990, the UN General Assembly allowed the International Red Cross observer status for its assembly and subcommittee meetings, This was the first time observer status had been granted to a private organisation. In 2004, following the tsunami in South Asia, the International Red Cross embarked on its largest task to date. More than 22,000 volunteers assisted victims who were without food or shelter and in danger of epidemics. Their Strategy 2020 is currently implemented as the guiding principle for relief activities this decade. It includes strategic aims on saving lives, protecting livelihoods, strengthening recovery from disasters, enabling healthy and safe living, promoting social inclusion and promoting a culture of non-violence.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

In Memoriam, Gold Mercury founder, Eduardo De Santis (1929 – 2019)

by Enrique Baron Crespo former President European Parliament

Eduardo de Santis, founder of Gold Mercury International was born in Positano (Italy) in 1929. He passed away on March 25 in Madrid. Entrepreneur and visionary, he was a creator of global iconic brands and a champion of governance and sustainable globalization.

He began his film career in the fifties, first as an actor in more than 20 films and then as a screenwriter and producer, a bridge between Europe and America with great co-productions. During the shooting of Las aeroguapas he met the Spanish actress María Cuadra, with whom he married and had three children, Natasha, Nicolas and Antonella.

His remarkable business career in the sector of corporate identity and brand development began in the seventies with the help of his partner Walter Landor, founder of Landor Associates. Together, they developed the most iconic brands in the world in various sectors and fields.

A, visionary, he always anticipated trends and, in that spirit, in the nineties he set up his company and developed, together with his son and partner Nicolas, the concept of Corporate Vision. “A brand and company without strategic vision will not get far,” he said.

His footprint in the world of brand creation and corporate vision has been historic. He worked with the creative genius Joan Miró in the creation of the brand of the star of La Caixa savings bank, created those of Iberia, Campsa, Argentaria, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Coca Cola, Banamex and developed corporate visions that continue today, such as Cepsa, Santander, Iberdrola, Campofrío, Puleva, Prisa, CEU, Alitalia, Santillana, Scottish Power and many more.

His contribution to sustainable globalization, peace and cooperation was very important. In Rome in the sixties, with the help of Italian President Giuseppe Saragat, he created the Gold Mercury International think tank, focused on improving peace, cooperation among peoples, global governance and corporate responsibility. As chairman of Gold Mercury until his death, he worked with personalities such as US Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford, Soviet leader Leonidas Breznev, King Juan Carlos, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe Vélez or Kerry Kennedy , daughter of Bob Kennedy. In the business world he collaborated with Emilio Botín, Akio Morita or Gianni Agnelli.

Eduardo de Santis was ‘Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana’ and was decorated several times by his country. In 2013 he received the ‘Order of the Italian Star’ from the hands of President Giorgio Napolitano, the oldest national honor in Italy, established by the newly born republic in 1947.

With his death we also lose a great European. Eduardo de Santis believed blindly in a united Europe and worked with me to promote his identity and launch the euro when I was president of the International European Movement and the European Parliament. But most important, he was a humanist who believed in the kindness of people. He was a good man through and through.

This ‘In Memoriam’ was published in the Spanish global newspaper EL PAIS. Link to article in Spanish.

AWARD LAUREATES | His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan

Imam of Nizari Ismailism

His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan is the Imam of Nizari Ismailism and the Chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network. Born in Geneva in 1936, he assumed the position of Aga Khan following his grandfather’s death in 1957. He also became the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, as he is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. He graduated from Harvard University in 1959 with a degree in Islamic History before continuing in his role of Imamat. In this role he stated he wanted to continue the work of his grandfather who had sought to build modern institutions in order to improve the quality of life of the Nizari Ismailis. He also advocated the importance of fostering co-operation and positive relations with different ethnicities and religions. His position also included a large degree of diplomacy, including when President Idi Amin of Uganda expelled Nizari Ismailis from the country in 1972. Prince Aga Khan enlisted the assistance of Canadian President Pierre Trudeau who allowed the Nizari Ismailis to migrate to Canada. Prince Aga Khan has also had an active interest in development programmes and has encouraged Nizari Ismailis to contribute to the progress of the developing world. In 1982 he was presented with the Gold Mercury International Award, which coincided, with his silver jubilee year of Imamat and the launch of many social and economic development projects. He founded the Aga Khan Development Network which has become one of the largest private development networks in the world and co-ordinates 200 agencies and institutions, with staff mostly based in developing nations. It operates in the fields of education, culture, health and economic development focusing on Third World countries, with its network operating in 35 of the poorest countries in the world. He is also a celebrated businessman, owning hundreds of racehorses and valuable stud farms. During the course of his career he has been bestowed with numerous honorary titles, degrees and awards.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | H.E. Zhao Ziyang

H.E. Zhao Ziyang

Former Premier of The People’s Republic of China

H.E. Zhao Ziyang was presented with the 1984 Gold Mercury International Peace prize for his implementation of ground-breaking reforms and his efforts to fight corruption. Zhao Ziyang began to play an active role in China’s politics in 1932 when he joined the Communist Youth League, becoming a full member of the party in 1938. Mr. Zhao achieved prominence as a Party leader in Guangdong in the early 1950′s, later following Mao in his Great Leap Forward and creation of an artificial famine. The severity of Mao’s actions during the Great Leap Forward, where rich peasants were tortured into revealing their food supply and millions died from starvation, led Mr. Zhao to support more moderate political and economic policies. One such policy was supporting a move to re-introduce limited amounts of private agriculture and commerce to people, a reform which was replicated throughout China. By returning private plots to farmers he helped reinvigorate China’s agricultural sector. In 1964 he became Provincial First Party Secretary of Guangdong province. He was dismissed from this position during the Cultural Revolution, due to his moderate political stance. Following Mr. Zhao’s lengthy political rehabilitation, he was appointed First Party Secretary of China’s largest province, Sichuan in 1975. It was here that Mr. Zhao introduced radical market oriented reforms, which significantly improved industrial production and agricultural output. This also led to his induction into the Politburo as a full member in 1979 and his appointment as Premier a year later. As Premier, Mr. Zhao oversaw the introduction of a new “market socialist” and “open door” economic programme. His aim was to develop a model for transforming the socialist system through the process of gradual economic reform. He also worked successfully to establish special economic zones in order to draw in foreign investments and create export hubs. It was his reform-minded political leadership and desire to rebuild the Chinese economy, which saw him become a Gold Mercury International laureate.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | H.E. Anwar El-Sadat

H.E. Anwar El-Sadat

Former President of Egypt

H.E. Anwar El-Sadat was an Egyptian politician and solider, who served as President of Egypt from 1970 until his death in 1981. Born in Cairo in 1918, he graduated from the Royal Military Academy in 1938 before joining the Signal Corps. Sadat joined the Free Officers Movement after this and in 1952 they launched a coup d’état against King Farouk I. Gamal Abdel Nasser was eventually elected President in 1956 and under his leadership Sadat was appointed Minister of State in 1954 and then Secretary to the National Union in 1959. He served as Vice President for two terms and then, when Nasser died in 1970; Sadat assumed the role of acting President. Following a general election a month later he was appointed President. Early in his presidency he sought to consolidate his power by performing a “Corrective Revolution” in which he aimed to purge the government, political and security groups of Nasserites. He also made moves to revolutionise the military in order to present a strong military front. In 1971 Sadat encouraged a UN initiative to achieve peace that required Israel to return to pre-war borders, however, due to U.S support of Israel this eventually fell through. In October 1973 Sadat launched an attack on Israel with Syria’s assistance, which became known as the October War or Yom Kippur War. Sadat’s idea was to force Israel into negotiating a peace deal regarding issues of the Sinai Peninsula. Following intervention by the UN, peace was eventually declared, however, tensions between the countries persisted. In 1977 Sadat visited Jerusalem in order to present his peace plan to the Israeli parliament. His work eventually led to the Camp David Accords, which were mediated by Jimmy Carter in 1978 and signed in 1979. The agreement effectively normalised Egyptian-Israel relations and to this day, remains the legacy for which many remember Sadat. On October 6, 1981 Sadat was assassinated on the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War during a military parade in Cairo.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani

H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani

Former Minister of Petroleum Affairs and Minister in OPEC

H.E. Ahmed Zaki Yamani is a Saudi Arabian politician and a former Minister of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He was born in Mecca in 1930 and graduated with a Law degree from King Fouad I University in Cairo in 1951. He continued his education abroad in the United States and graduated from New York University in 1955 with a Master’s degree in Law and later a second Master’s degree in Law from Harvard Law School in 1956. After graduating from Harvard he was hired as a legal advisor for the Oil and Tax Departments at the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Finance. During this time he established a private law office in Jeddah and from 1958 to 1960 he served as a legal advisor to the Council of Ministers. In 1962, Mr Yamani was named Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. In 1962 the General Petroleum and Mineral Organisation (Petromin) was established in order to become the national oil company and from 1963 Mr Yamani served as its Chairman. In 1964, due in part to Mr Yamani’s influence, The University of Petroleum and Minerals was founded in order to provide younger Saudi generations with an education and technical knowledge of the oil industry. Mr Yamani took a lead role in the development of OPEC and by 1968 OPEC had been joined by Kuwait and Libya with Egypt, Syria and Iraq joining in the early 1970′s. From 1968 to 1969 he served as Secretary General of OPEC, working for price stability and energy conservation. Following the Yom Kippur War, Mr Yamani moved to drop oil production alongside other OPEC members in the aim of using the economic turmoil this would create as a weapon against Israel. This led to worldwide oil prices soaring to record levels and negatively affecting Western economies. It was the first time that oil-producing countries had independently set the price of their own oil. Over the following years Mr Yamani regularly sought to oppose sharp increases in oil prices for which he was accused of fostering pro-western policies. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the King demanded the Saudi Arabian oil quota be increased and the price be set at eighteen dollars. Mr Yamani refused to sign the agreement and he was dismissed and replaced as Minister of Petroleum. In 1988 Mr Yamani established the Al Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation and in 1990 he founded the Centre for Global Energy Studies in London.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

Gold Mercury President, Nicolas De Santis, speaks at the World Law Congress 2019

Nicolas De Santis, President of Gold Mercury International, gave a speech on UNIVERSAL VALUES AND THE LAW during the World Law Congress in Madrid in the presence of H.M. the King Felipe VI of Spain and other international authorities.

The World Law Congress of the World Jurist Association, gathered in Madrid more than 2,000 people from the international legal world and prominent figures from global civil society, to take the pulse of the most relevant issues of the international agenda.

“We support the mission and values of the World Jurist Association in promoting and defending democracy and liberty around the world. To achieve this we must guarantee for the respect and correct application of the rule of law. The World Jurist Association, organiser of this congress, is one of the global protectors of these values”

said Nicolas De Santis, President of Gold Mercury International.

Peace and Liberty Award Presented to the HM the King Felipe VI of Spain

During the Congress, the WJA World Peace & Liberty Award was presented to His Majesty King Felipe VI to distinguish the unwavering commitment of King to the Rule of Law and its prominent role at the international level as a leader in the defense of Democracy and Liberty. His invaluable contribution to the soundness and strengthening of the constitutional model, democratically approved by all Spaniards, makes him worthy of this recognition, making Spain a symbol for democracies in the world, with special emphasis on Latin America and Europe.

Full speech of Nicolas De Santis, President of Gold Mercury International, at the World Law Congress:

UNIVERSAL VALUES AND THE LAW

“Your Excellencies, local, national and international authorities, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is an honour to be here today at the World Law Congress, organised by the historic World Jurist Association, to present its new brand and vision based on Universal Values. This global event in Madrid is a historic moment for all people present here, but also for people around the world, as we will discuss the future of our planet.

Today, the structures of global governance are stretched to the limit as they try to resolve global issues, such as war, poverty, forced migration, degradation of our environment, global health, protecting human rights, and defending democratic principles. As the importance of non-state actors increases, year after year, and as our global population will reach 10 billion by 2050, our planet’s resources and social structures will face even bigger challenges and risks. We, as a planetary species, will know by then if we were able to work closer together, in peace and cooperation to guarantee our own future.

Within this narrative of global inter-dependence, law and justice will have to play a crucial role to support our sustainable future and create the basis for increased cooperation. We have now agreed 17 sustainable development goals of the UN, to achieve 169 targets by 2030.

To this challenge, I ask of all you here today, and the legal profession around the world, to keep innovating. Jurists and philosophers thousands of years ago, started the difficult road of defining crucial concepts. Law at its very core is originated and evolved from values. I ask of all of you, to think how law and justice can continue to define, defend and consolidate UNIVERSAL GLOBAL VALUES of equality, freedom, peace, fairness, mercy, respect and dignity for the individual and nature.

Universal values are a precious public good. And law and justice must go hand in hand in consolidating and protecting them. It is the only way in which power will be controlled and will be properly exercised for the benefit of all. The new brand of the world jurist association represents this new powerful mission. A beautiful mission for all of you to join.”

Thank you!

It is now time for me to present the new brand of the World Jurist Association.

Nicolas De Santis

President, Gold Mercury International

AWARD LAUREATES | Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford

Former President of the United States of America

Gerald Ford was the former President of the United States, rising from the position of Vice President to President following the Watergate scandal. Mr Ford was born in Omaha in 1913 and attended the University of Michigan, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1935 and later graduating from Yale Law School in 1941. He went on to open a law practice and worked there until he received a call to duty in the U.S Naval Reserve. During World War Two he earned the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. Upon his return from war, Mr Ford became actively involved in local Republican politics and was elected to Congress in 1948. In 1964 former President Lyndon Johnson secured a second term and chose Ford to become Minority Leader, a role he held for eight years. In 1973 Vice President Agnew resigned and Ford was chosen as the replacement Vice President. Then in 1964 following Nixon’s resignation, Ford assumed the presidency, during a time in which there were issues of inflation, a depressed economy, energy shortages and the on-going task of ensuring world peace. Seeking to calm the widespread domestic tension that had arisen over the issues plaguing America, President Ford granted Nixon a full pardon. His goal in his first year in office was to tackle inflation and implement measures that would stimulate the economy. In the realm of foreign affairs President Ford worked to maintain U.S power, as well as to prevent a new war in the Middle East. President Ford achieved the latter of these two issues by giving aid to Egypt and Israel, which in turn, led to the two countries accepting an interim truce agreement. He also worked with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev to set limitations on the use of nuclear weapons. Gold Mercury International formally recognised President Ford for this international act of peace by awarding him the Global Peace and Security Award in 1976. Mr Ford went on to gain the Republican nomination for presidency in the 1976 election, however he lost to Jimmy Carter. Following his defeat President Ford joined the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) as a fellow, as well as founded the AEI World Forum. His final act for America, before his death in 2006, was in 2004 when he became an Honorary Member of AEI’s board, whose main goal was to rebuild the World Trade Centre.

LAUREATE PHOTOS

AWARD LAUREATES | FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations)

FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations)

Specialised Agency of the United Nations

FAO (the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that is committed to achieving food security for the global population. Their mandate is to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural productivity and better the lives of rural populations, thus contributing to the growth of the world economy. FAO was created in 1943 following President Franklin D Roosevelt’s decision to call a United Nations Conference on Food and Agriculture. It was during this meeting of 44 governments in Hot Springs, Virginia that a permanent organisation for food and agriculture was created; the FAO. After the first session in Canada, the FAO was established as a specialised UN agency. In 1960 the FAO launched the Freedom from Hunger Campaign in order to mobilise non-governmental support for food security. Two years later, the FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission that set international food standards became operational. FAO then established a Technical Cooperation Programme, which allowed them greater flexibility and the ability to respond to urgent situations in a faster manner. In 1981 the FAO initiated the first World Food Day, which was observed by more than 150 countries and due to the success of this, in the following years, FAO’s programmes began directly targeting world hunger. This was illustrated by the launch of the Special Programme for Food Security to target low income food deficit countries and the hosting of The World Food Summit where 186 Heads of State and government representatives met to discuss the issue of world hunger. In 2007 FAO’s Committee on Fisheries in Rome, attended by 119 countries, agreed on a proposal to develop a measure to combat illegal fishing practices. In 2010 FAO played an important role following the Pakistan floods, which destroyed seed stores and killed millions of livestock. They distributed wheat seed to 500,000 farming families as well as providing feed, medicine and shelter for the animals of a further 235,000 families. FAO’s world headquarters are currently located in Rome and it has 191 member states, along with the European Union, Faroe Islands and Tokelau, which are associate members.

AWARD LAUREATES | Edward Philip George Seaga

Edward Philip George Seaga

Former Prime Minister of Jamaica

Edward Philip George Seaga served as the Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1980 to 1989. Born in Boston to Jamaican parents, he moved to Jamaica when he was three months old. He completed his schooling in Jamaica yet moved to America in the late 1940′s to complete his university degree at Harvard University. He graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Social Sciences. He then chose to accept a research post at the University of West Indies where his research instilled in him an interest in Jamaican music. From 1955 onwards he began to produce and supervise album recordings and subsequently formed West India Records Limited. He went on to become one of the most successful music producers in the region with his record company achieving great success. His focus then shifted to politics, and at the age of 29 he became the youngest member in the history of the Legislative Council to be nominated to serve in the Upper House of the Jamaica Legislature. In 1962 he was elected to the House of Representatives as a Member of Parliament for West Kingston, a seat he held for 43 years. Following his election he became the Minister of Welfare and Development from 1962 until 1967. He was then appointed Finance Minister before becoming the Leader of the Jamaican Labour Party. In the 1980 elections, the Jamaican Labour Party won the majority of seats and Mr Seaga was elected Prime Minister. During his presidency he established the Jamaica Festival, featuring an annual showcase of Jamaica’s music and culture. He was also instrumental in a number of successful anti-poverty, urban development and education aid programmes and was also one of the initiators of the Caribbean Basin Initiative which was sponsored by Ronald Reagan. He also implemented a range of new financial institutions which were aimed at building a financial market for successful economic growth and investment. These included the Agricultural Credit Bank, the Export/Import Bank and the Self Start Fund. In January 2005 Mr Seaga retired as Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, choosing to focus on research and writing.

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AWARD LAUREATES | Carlos Alberto Lleras Restrepo

Carlos Alberto Lleras Restrepo

49th President of the Colombian Republic

Carlos Alberto Lleras Restrepo was a Colombian politician who served as President from 1966 until 1970. Born in Bogota in 1908, he studied Law at the Universida Nacional de Colombia, obtaining his degree in 1930. In 1931 he was elected to the State Senate of Cundinamarca and subsequently became a Congressman in the House of Representatives. In 1938 he was appointed the Minister of Finance whilst also accepting the position of Chair of Public Finance in the Faculty of Law at the National University. In 1942 he was elected to the position of Senator and later, Chairman of the Liberal Party. He ran unsuccessfully for President in 1944 but went on to win the election in 1966. He became President during a difficult political situation which was due to the fact that he wanted to increase presidential powers so he could act independently. The economic situation was also fragile as the liberalisation of imports in 1965 meant that the cost of goods purchased abroad had dramatically increased. International reserves were low and the price of coffee, which was their main export, had indicated that a downward trend was beginning. Mr Lleras, however, implemented a programme of economic reforms to counteract this, including; controlling foreign investments, abolishing the system of free imports, creating the national savings fund and the agency to promote exports as well as the institute to protect non-renewable sources. He also embarked on an overhaul of social policies, creating the Colombian institute for Family Wellbeing, the National Agency of Colombian Culture and the National Agency for the Construction of Schools. His presidential term was, and still is, known for its constant activity and attempts to interact with the Colombian people. His foreign policy also sought to increase trade and diplomatic relations with a wider range of countries and he renewed Colombia’s relations with the Soviet Union.

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AWARD LAUREATES | Camilo José Cela

Camilo José Cela

Nobel Prize Winner for Literature

Camilo José Cela, 1st Marquis of Iria Flavia, was recongised with the Gold Mercury International Award for Culture & Media in 1986 for his significant literary contributions. He was born in 1916 in Spain and attended The University of Madrid, during which he spent a period of time in Franco’s army during the Spanish Civil War. He published his first novel, ‘La Familia de Pascual Duarte’ in 1942. This novel would later become one of his most well-known written works and its popularity was so great that post-war pieces of literature reflected Cela’s style and flair. The reason for its popularity was due Cela’s distinctive narrative style, known as tremendismo, which emphasised violence and graphic imagery through lengthy descriptive passages. Influenced by his travels through rural Spain and Latin America. Cela also published two travel books; ‘Viaje a la Alcarría’ and ‘Del Miño al Bidasoa.’ His second novel ‘La Colmena’, telling the story of post-war Madrid and featuring over 300 characters, achieved critical acclaim. Much of his work during this time, due to strict censorship laws in Franco’s Spain, was published in Latin America first. During this period his style continued to change and adapt as shown by ‘San Camilo, 1936’, which, when published in 1969, drew significant attention from critics who recognised a more avant garde and experimental novel than Cela’s past works. He soon founded the literary review agency Papeles de Son Armadans in 1956 and then in 1969 began to publish ‘Diccionario Secreto’; a dictionary of previously unprintable slang and taboo words and phrases. He was honoured several times in his career, including being appointed Royal Senator in the Constituent Cortes, a role which enabled him to influence the wording of the 1978 Spanish Constitution. Following his induction as a Gold Mercury Award recipient, he also won the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literature and was given the title First Marquis of Iria Flavia in 1996 by King Juan Carlos I.

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AWARD LAUREATES | Arturo Uslar Pietri

Arturo Uslar Pietri

Politician and Writer

Arturo Uslar Pietri was a renowned Venezuelan writer and politician. Born in Caracas in 1906, his interest in politics and literature began at an early age with examples of his work present in Venezuelan newspapers from 1922. He attended the Universidad Central De Venezuela, studying at the Faculty of Law and after graduating he formed the Avant Garde Valve Magazine with Fernando Paz Castillo and Miguel Otero Silva in 1928. To avoid the fate of imprisonment, which many other young writers were enduring due to protests against the Gomez regime, Mr Pietri began working at the Venezuelan embassy in Paris. He returned to Caracas in 1934 to continue his literary pursuits and to embark on his own political career. He served as the Education Minister from 1939 to 1941, as well as the Finance Minister in 1943 and the Interior Minister in 1945. He also held the position of Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic from 1941 to 1943 and was elected Deputy to the Legislative Assembly in 1944. Over a number of years he was also a regular contributor to the newspaper El Nacional. He also held many academic positions during his career, including Professor of Political Economy at Universidad Central de Venezuela and Professor of Spanish American Literature at Columbia University. His protest against political corruption in Spain led to his forced exile to New York in 1945. It was, however, during this time that he published the novel ‘The Road to El Dorado’ and the storybook ‘Thirty Men and Their Shadows’. Upon his return to Venezuela he served as Senator in Congress and later, unsuccessfully, launched a campaign to be President of the Republic in 1963. From 1975 to 1979 Mr Uslar Pietri served as the Venezuelan Ambassador for UNESCO. Over the subsequent years he devoted himself to his literature and in 1980 he published a collection of short stories, including what would become his most renowned pieces of literature; ‘Robinson Crusoe Island’ and ‘Visit in Time.’ The success and popularity of these two novels won Mr Uslar Pietri numerous literary awards and an increased international audience.

Georges Pompidou

AWARD LAUREATES | Georges Pompidou

Georges Pompidou

Former President of the French Republic

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Dr. Gustav Heinemann

AWARD LAUREATES | Dr. Gustav Heinemann

Dr. Gustav Heinemann

Former President of the Federal Republic of Germany

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Álvaro Uribe Vélez

AWARD LAUREATES | Álvaro Uribe Vélez

Álvaro Uribe Vélez

Former President of the Republic of Colombia

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