The 2003 Fulbright Prize was awarded to Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Dr. Cardoso currently chairs the Club of Madrid and the High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society Relations and serves as the co-chairman of the Inter-American Dialogue and as coordinator of the working group in charge of reviewing the process of Ibero-American Summits. He is also emeritus professor of political science at the University of Sao Paulo. Dr. Cardoso served as president of Brazil from January 1995 to January 2003.
Sadako Ogata (2002)
The 2002 Fulbright Prize was awarded to Sadako Ogata. Mrs. Ogata is currently the Special Representative to the Prime Minister of Japan for Afghanistan Assistance and Co-Chair of the Commission on Human Security.? She was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 to 2000.
Kofi Annan (2001)
The 2001 Fulbright Prize was awarded to Kofi Annan. Secretary-General Annan is currently in his second term as head of the United Nations, a position he has held since 1997.
Martti Ahtisaari (2000)
The 2000 Fulbright Prize was awarded to Martti Ahtisaari. President Ahtisaari, a diplomat for over 30 years and president of Finland from 1994 to 2000, was honored for his work as peacemaker in some of the world?s most troubled areas.
Mary Robinson (1999)
The 1999 Fulbright Prize was awarded to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson.? Prior to joining the United Nations, Mrs. Robinson was President of the Republic of Ireland.? Mrs. Robinson donated the prize award of $50,000 to the United Nations Decade for Human Rights Education.
Patricio Aylwin Azocar (1998)
The 1998 Fulbright Prize was awarded to former President of the Republic of Chile Patricio Aylwin Azocar.? Mr. Aylwin served as president of Chile from 1990 to 1993 following the military regime of Augusto Pinochet.? Mr. Aylwin now serves as the president of the Corporation for Justice and Democracy.
V?clav Havel (1997)
The 1997 Fulbright Prize was presented to President of the Czech Republic V?clav Havel, a leader who has combined the skills of artist, scholar, and opposition leader to become one of the century's most compelling public figures.? In the process of ending communist rule and ushering in democracy in his country, he has promoted liberty and human dignity worldwide.
Corazon C. Aquino (1996)
In the 10th anniversary year after toppling 14 years of martial rule in her country, former Philippines President Corazon C. Aquino became the first woman to receive the Fulbright Prize.? She was recognized for her commitment to democratic ideals and as a "woman whose spirit and actions serve as a model for democratic reform worldwide."? Mrs. Aquino donated her $50,000 award to the Benigno S. Aquino Foundation, which promotes empowerment through education.
Franz Vranitzky (1995)
The former Federal Chancellor of the Republic of Austria, Franz Vranitzky, was awarded the Fulbright Prize for his work as a "quiet but powerful force for democracy, human rights and economic progress in Eastern and Central Europe."? At the ceremony, Chancellor Vranitzky announced he would honor the memory of Yitzhak Rabin by donating his $50,000 award to the Mideast Youth Peace Forum, an Austria-based organization that brings together youth from Austria, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt.
Jimmy Carter (1994)
On his 70th birthday, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter received the Fulbright Prize in recognition of his decades of public service and steadfast commitment to protecting human rights and his initiatives with the Carter Center, to which he contributed his $50,000 Fulbright prize.? "Jimmy Carter has done more for public service in general and for the promotion of mutual understanding among nations in particular than any American chief executive since John Quincy Adams," said Stanley N. Katz, president of the American Council of Learned Societies and chairman of the international committee that selected President Carter.? "His career constitutes a living example of the vitality of the principles which the Fulbright Prize honors."
Nelson Mandela (1993)
The inaugural J. William Fulbright Prize for International Understanding was presented to a leader with "personal courage and selfless determination to eliminate racial and political barriers in South Africa,"?Nelson R. Mandela.? He was honored for finding resolution to long-standing injustices in a peaceful manner, helping South African leaders reach an agreement in 1993 that ended 350 years of government-ordered racial separation.? His leadership and commitment to democracy brought about free elections with blacks voting for the first time in South African history.
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