State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi has been honored as the 2016 humanitarian of the year by Harvard University. The Harvard Foundation’s director Dr. S Allen Counter presented the award to the State Counsellor.
“I believe that fear is at the root of all division, because fear leads to hatred, and hatred leads to division,” Suu Kyi said, reiterating that there is a “vein of goodness” in everyone, and mining it will help us overcome fear.
“I look upon this prize not as a reward for what I have done, but as a happy omen for what we are trying to achieve in the future,” she said as she accepted her award that consisted of a gold medal on a red plaque. “In my country, there is still a long way to go before I can say that our people are both free and secure.”
“The faculty and students of the Harvard Foundation are pleased to honor Aung San Suu Kyi as the 2016 Humanitarian of the Year,” said Dr Counter, director of the Harvard Foundation and professor of neurology. He continued, “Her courageous struggle for democracy, human rights, and peace in her nation inspired the world. We are delighted that she will engage our students through intellectual exchange about our collective vision for the peaceful uplift and betterment of humanity.” The award is given in memory of the Rev. Professor Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor and Minister in Harvard’s Memorial Church, who died in 2011, and is authorized by the Dean of Harvard College and the President of Harvard University. Past award recipients include Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai and United Nations Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon
