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Fulbright Association
1100 G Street, N.W.
Suite 525
Washington, D.C. 20005
Phone: (202) 347-5543
Fax: (202) 347-6540 |
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Coca-Cola Company Executive Vice President José Octavio Reyes
Presents
“Tribute” to Dr. Cardoso |
| Thank
you so much.On behalf of The
Coca-Cola Company it is truly an honor to join all of you in this tribute to
the former President of Brazil, His Excellency Fernando Henrique Cardoso. We all know that the J. William Fulbright Prize for International
Understanding was conceived as an homage to Senator Fulbright and his ideals
and especially to the Fulbright exchange program. |
| It
recognizes those special individuals who live up to the high standards he
set, those who devote their lives, their actions, their intelligence to
bridging historic divides, bringing people, cultures, institutions together.
Fernando Henrique Cardoso perfectly fits this description. Throughout his career, President Cardoso has been a firm defender of
democracy and a proponent of sustainable economic development, dignity among
people, and peace. |
| We
deeply, deeply respect what he has achieved in working for peace and for
prosperity, not only in
Brazil, but throughout
Latin America. We also deeply believe that we
should all try to emulate his example to the best of our abilities. At the risk of being repetitive, let me very quickly highlight some
of President Cardoso’s accomplishments because it is his remarkable
contribution to
Brazil
as a statement that really marks Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s trajectory. |
| Among
his many achievements, two stand out as most significant. As a minister of finance in
Brazil
, he did what very few had been able to do anywhere in the world.
He not only overcame an overwhelming inflation rate, but he did so
while simultaneously stimulating economic activity and increasing the income
of the average Brazilian citizen. Through
his personal creation, the Plano Real, he turned
Brazil
into an example of how to fight inflation and stabilize an economy. |
| And
yet there is another of his accomplishments, which is of huge importance for
all of us today. His ability to
turn
Brazil
into a key player in today’s international affairs. Brazil
gained its current place, thanks in many respects, to his unique personality
and the influence he gained throughout the world. |
| Fernando
Henrique Cardoso reformed—Fernando Henrique Cardoso refounded—his
country, lifting it up in the eyes of its own people and the world. |
| I
do not want to conclude without mentioning his contribution to stimulating
social responsibility. Here, as
in so many areas, Fernando Henrique Cardoso has led the way. During his tenure as the leader of
Brazil, he actively worked to provide a social component to the actions of his
government.And he did it not
only focusing on his administration, he actually expanded the vision of
social responsibility to include companies, such as ours, and civil society
as a whole.We know this,
because we, as The Coca-Cola Company, found in President Cardoso a perfect
reference for our own vision of what social commitment should be. |
| So,
on behalf of everyone of The Coca-Cola Company and of The Coca-Cola
Foundation, let me congratulate one more time our honoree and thank the
Fulbright Association for leading this effort to promote international
understanding. |
| I
am honored to join you in congratulating Dr. Cardoso. He has been, and continues to be, our leader in so many ways. This is a great prize. But
the greatest prize of all is the number of lives he has bettered and the
path that he has set for all of us to follow. The Coca-Cola Company is proud to follow this path and join with the
Fulbright Association to honor him today. Now let me present this beautiful statue. |
| Sir,
this sculpture is emblematic of the Fulbright Prize. It was created by
Atlanta
artist Sergio Dolfi, a retired member of The Coca-Cola Company, part of our
family, which means a great deal to us. The artwork is called “Tribute,” which is only fitting for
today’s activities. Thank you,
sir. |
| See also: |
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