Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet was on Wednesday awarded the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development. The award was presented to her by Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, which awards the Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Jury Chairman Shiv Shankar Menon were also present on the occasion. Presenting the award, Sonia Gandhi recalled her contribution not only to her country but also to global peace. She said Michelle Bachelet has seen harm, oppression, torture and exile in her formative years and recalled her journey of breaking barriers and becoming the first woman Defense Minister of Chile and Latin America.
Bachelet made history when she was elected president of her country on two separate occasions. Sonia Gandhi said Bachelet’s influence extended far beyond the borders of Chile and Latin America when she was appointed the first director of the UN Women agency in 2010 and later the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Sonia Gandhi said, “Her work has been based on efforts to ensure the rights of all, especially the rights of women. She believes that gender equality is essential to the solution of all our world’s problems. As President, she reformed her country’s healthcare system by improving access to primary healthcare facilities, targeting her government’s policies to vulnerable groups such as victims of sexual abuse, and promoting their rights to good health and well-being. She also improved the status and treatment of women in the military and police forces. Was also responsible for.”
She said Bachelet’s far-reaching tax reforms resulted in more inclusive pension plans and social security programs for women and children. Quotas were changed to increase women’s political participation. She said Bachelet’s far-reaching tax reforms resulted in more inclusive pension plans and social security programs for women and children, and quotas were adopted to increase women’s political participation.
“The laws introduced by her government have greatly contributed to promoting equality, rights and freedom for all,” she said. The former Chilean President praised India’s extraordinary cultural richness, deep history and vibrant diversity. He said that ancient civilization gave birth to science, philosophy and art. He said that tradition and modernity go together in India.
Bachelet said Indira Gandhi believed that nations would prosper only when they lived in harmony with each other. With so many conflicts and challenges around, no nation can solve them alone, she said. Bachelet said she was inspired by Indira Gandhi to join politics for the welfare of the people. He said peace and progress are integral to human dignity. The former Chilean President said multilateralism is needed today more than ever and underlined “the need to work together every day, regardless of countries, generations and differences”.