President of France awarded UNESCO peace prize
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President François Hollande of France. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine
The annual Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize of UNESCO, the UN cultural agency, is to be awarded to the President of France, François Hollande for his "valuable contribution to peace and stability in Africa."
The award, created in 1989 by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), honours people, institutions and organizations that have contributed significantly to the promotion, research, preservation or maintenance of peace.
The prize is named for the first president of Côte d'Ivoire.
According to the Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize, conflicts in Africa were of great concern as it met to decide on this year's winner.
It chose the President of France for his country's support of Mali following Northern Mali's occupation by radical Islamists.
The conflict uprooted hundreds of thousands of people and prompted the Malian Government to request assistance from France to stop the military advance of extremist groups.
Gerry Adams, United Nations
Duration: 1'05"
