New Delhi: Former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet will receive 2024 Indira Gandhi Award For peace, disarmament and development, Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust announced on Friday. The awardee was selected by a jury chaired by a former National Security Advisor and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon.
The award honors Bachelet’s contributions to human rights, peace and equality. The Trust emphasized her role as the first UN Women Director, UN High Commissioner for Human Rightsand two-term president of Chile. The award also recognized “his contribution to India’s relations with Chile”.
“International Jury of the Indira Gandhi Award is pleased to announce the Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development, 2024, chaired by Sivashankar Menon, better known as Michelle Bachelet. “President Bachelet is one of the world’s most prominent voices for human rights, peace and equality,” the trust said in a press release.
Bachelet served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018. During her tenure, she implemented education and tax reforms, and a free trade agreement was signed between India and Chile.
She led UN Women from 2010 to 2013 and later served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. The Trust emphasizes her global advocacy for women, LGBTQ rights and human rights.
The Indira Gandhi Award includes a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh and a citation. Established in 1986, the prize is awarded annually to individuals and organizations that promote international peace and development.