UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (AFP) - UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has been named the recipient of this year's Philadelphia Liberty Medal and will donate the 100,000-dollar cash award to fighting HIV/AIDS, his spokesman said Thursday.
The medal acknowledges Annan's "role in promoting peace, social justice and economic development," spokesman Fred Eckhard said.
The award dates from 1987, the bicentennary of the US constitution, and Annan will receive it in Philadelphia's Liberty Hall, where the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the constitution were adopted.
"The award includes a cash prize of 100,000 dollars which is raised privately and which the secretary general intends to donate to the global fund that he has proposed to deal with the fight against HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases," Eckhard said.
This will be the first donation to the global fund, "which is expected to cover a good portion of the 7-10 billion dollars required annually to deal with AIDS worldwide," he added.
The Liberty Medal honours the achievements of civic, government and business leaders.
Previous recipients include Czech President Vaclav Havel, South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung, the former Polish head of state, Lech Walesa, and the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata.
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