Suu Kyi Named 'Voice of the Decade'-Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards are unique,The awards provide additional credibility ” Friday, April 8, 2011

Suu Kyi Named 'Voice of the Decade'

By LALIT K JHA Friday, April 8, 2011

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WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will honor Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy icon of Burma, with the Global Trailblazer Award and named “Voice of the Decade” at a glittering ceremony in Washington on April 12.

Aung San Suu Kyi will not be attending the ceremony, said organizers of the event, Vital Voices, the international NGO dedicated to empowering women leaders around the world. The awards honor and celebrate women leaders on the front lines of positive political, social and economic change who are strengthening democracy, increasing economic opportunity, and preserving human rights.

Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the Burmese democracy movement, Suu Kyi will be honored with the Global Trailblazer Award. The gala will feature a special on-camera interview with Suu Kyi conducted last month by Vital Voices in Rangoon.

Suu Kyi, released from years of house arrest last November, is not guaranteed entry back in to Burma if she leaves the country.

“Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards are unique,” said Vital Voices board of directors chair Susan Ann Davis.

“The awards provide additional credibility and often additional security for courageous women leaders, helping to strengthen their leadership and accelerate progress in their communities,” Davis said.

Among other honorees are: Sunitha Krishnan of India, an anti-human trafficking pioneer and co-founder of the NGO, Prajwala; Liron Peleg-Hadomi and Noha Khatieb of Israel, who have defied the Zionist regime by reaching across the cultural barriers dividing Jewish and Arab Israelis; Kah Walla of Cameroon, a businesswoman and elected official working to advance the economic status of the women in her country; and Fatema Akbari of Afghanistan, an entrepreneur who uses her carpentry business to promote economic independence for the women in her community.

“It is humbling to share a stage each year with these incredible women,” said Vital Voices president and CEO Alyse Nelson.

“They are social entrepreneurs, political representatives, businesswomen, human rights defenders and civil society advocates. From remote villages and wired cities, they are innovators who transcend barriers to move whole communities forward.” Nelson said.