Late UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello honoured with peace building award

Sergio Vieira de Mello, the late United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights who was killed last year while serving as the Secretary-General's envoy for Iraq, has been honoured by the East West Institute (EWI) with its annual 2004 Peace Building Award.

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette accepted the honour on Mr. Vieira de Mello's behalf at the Institute's annual awards dinner last night in New York, saying his work epitomized everything the UN stands for. "He dealt willingly with the most daunting challenges, undertook the most uncomfortable assignments, tackled the toughest missions," she said.

Ms. Fréchette also recalled that Mr. Vieira de Mello reached out to local communities in everything they did, making them true partners in the United Nations' work. "He sought to ensure that the United Nations was not simply implementing projects, but helping to build the basis for good governance and long-term peace," she said.

According to its web site, EWI is "an independent, not-for-profit, European-American institution working to address the most dangerous fault lines of the 21st century and to help build fair, prosperous and peaceful civil societies in those areas."