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TO RELIGION, AND SOCIETY EDITORS:
Appeal of Conscience Foundation Presents 2014 Awards to Mexican
President Enrique Pena Nieto, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Robert A. Iger, and General Motors Chief
Executive Officer Mary T. Barra
NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Appeal of Conscience
Foundation,an interfaith organization, and its president and founder
Rabbi Arthur Schneier, honoured Mexican PresidentEnrique Pena Nieto
with the World Statesman Award for his leadership of Mexico in making
hard choices that seek to propel his nation and his people forward.
The award was presented byDr. Henry Kissinger, the 1999 World
Statesman awardee, at the foundation's annual dinner held at the
Waldorf Astoria, on September 23rd.
The Appeal of Conscience Foundation also honouredRobert A. Iger,
Chairman andChief Executive OfficerofThe Walt Disney Company, and
Mary T. Barra, Chief Executive Officer of General Motors,with
theAppeal of Conscience Award.
Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola
Company and Co-Chair of the Dinner presented the award to Mr. Iger.
Jerry Speyer, Chairman & Co-CEO, Tishman Speyer and the Chair of the
Dinner presented the award to Ms. Barra.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the leader of the Archdiocese of New York
offered a prayer and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Secretary of State
of the Holy See extended greetings.
"President Pena Nieto was recognized for his vigorous leadership, new
vision and as a stakeholder in global responsibility committed to
economic and social development, peace, international and
inter-cultural co-operation anchored in human rights, freedom, and
tolerance," said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, President of the Appeal of
Conscience Foundation.
The World Statesman Award honours leaders who support peace, prosperity
and freedom by promoting tolerance, human dignity and human rights by
championing these causesin their homeland and working with other
world leaders to build a better future for all.
Rabbi Arthur Schneier also appealed to world leaders gathering at the
United Nations General Assembly to standup to those who are
endangering the peaceful coexistence of mankind. "The hijacking of
religion by barbarians is the greatest crime against religion and
humanity. We who enjoy religious freedom cannot be silent. In an
interdependent world, hatred can spread and engulf us all. The
sensibilities of mankind are being challenged on a daily basis.
Innocent men, women and children have been savagely attacked and
killed by those who corrupt and defile the name of God. They have made
the persecution of religious minorities the order of their day.The
plight of Christians in the Middle East, the rise of anti-Semitism
across Europe, the tension between Muslims and Hindus divide societies
around the world."
TheAppeal of Conscience Award:
"The Appeal of Conscience Foundation honoured Robert Iger for his
leadership, integrity, and ongoing philanthropy," said Rabbi Arthur
Schneier."Under his direction, The Walt Disney Company has become one
of the world's most admired companies, respected for its achievements
as well as its social responsibility and commitment to use its
resources and vast reach to create a positive impact in the global
community."
In comments made when accepting the award, Iger said, "Today we live
in an era where the miraculous is becoming commonplace, with an
unprecedented ability to connect with people around the world. We're
just beginning to realize the full potential of this global
connectivity, but we're already seeing remarkable change. Millions of
voices once silenced by oppression can now be heard and information
can now flow into the dark corners of the world where ignorance has
fueled intolerance for far too long."
Iger also stated, "Unfortunately, the global forces of hate and
violence are also using this technology to recruit and radicalize a
new generation uploading their rhetoric and brutality to a worldwide
audience with the push of a button. The same technology that brings
this darkness into our lives also gives us the means to find and
defeat the people behind it. The global communityhas the power and
the obligation to use these new tools to help undermine and eradicate
these forces."
Rabbi Arthur Schneiersaid, "The Appeal of Conscience Foundation
honoured Mary T. Barra, a woman of integrity, an advocate of change and
a corporate leader with a sense of social responsibility, who by deed
and action has advanced human dignity and social justice, by
encouraging a standard in which corporate America and global
corporations accept responsibility."
"On behalf of the entire General Motors team, I am deeply honoured to
receive this prestigious award," Barra said. "Under the visionary
leadership of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, the important work of the Appeal
of Conscience Foundation is needed now more than ever. With more than
200,000 employees globally, GM has made diversity a priority to
empower everyone on our team to contribute to his or her full
potential," she added. "As a global company, we also strive to serve
and improve the communities in which we live and work.Similarly, the
Foundation's efforts to promote human rights and individual respect
are timeless ideals for all of us to follow."
Michael Strahan, the co-host of LIVE with Kelly and Michael, and
special co-host of Good Morning America served as Master of
Ceremonies.
Carlos Slim Helu, President, Carlos Slim Foundation served as General
Chair, and Dinner Chairs were Jose Antonio Fernandez, Executive
Chairman, FEMSA; Manuel Medina-Mora, Co-President, Citi; and Jerry
Speyer, Chairman & Co-CEO, Tishman Speyer.
The Honorary Co-Chairs of the dinner were former Secretaries of
StateDr. Madeleine Albright, Hon. James A. Baker III, Dr. Henry
Kissinger, Hon. Peter Peterson, Hon. Colin Powell and Hon. George
Shultz. Hon. Peter Peterson and Hon. Paul Volcker also served as
Honorary Co-Chairs.
Other Co-Chairs included John Catsimatidis, Paul Fribourg, Alan Horn,
Muhtar Kent, Rupert Murdoch, Peter Thomas Roth, Adam Silver, Steven
Swartz, and Steven Schwarzman.
The invocation was delivered by H.E. Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick,
Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, and the benediction by Archbishop
Demetrios, Primate, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Past recipients of the World Statesman Award include: Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (2013), Canadian Prime Minister
Stephen Harper (2012), South Korean PresidentLee Myung-bak
(2011),Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh
(2010), British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2009), French President
Nicolas Sarkozy (2008), Chancellor Angela Merkel (2007) and President
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2006). Other recipients include former
Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, Romano Prodi, John Howard and King
Juan Carlos I.,President Mikhail Gorbachev and President Vaclav
Havel.
About the Appeal of Conscience Foundation:
Founded in 1965, the ACF has worked on behalf of religious freedom,
human rights and tolerance throughout the world. The interfaith
coalition of business and religious leaders promotes mutual
understanding, peace and interfaith dialogue. The Foundation believes
that freedom, democracy and human rights are the fundamental values
that give nations of the world their best hope for peace, security and
shared prosperity.
SOURCE Appeal of Conscience Foundation
-0- 09/23/2014
/CONTACT: Rubenstein Associates: Howard Cannon, 212-843-8072, hcannon@rubenstein.com; Brady Littlefield, 212-843-9220, blittlefield@rubenstein.com
/Web Site: http://www.appealofconscience.org
CO: Appeal of Conscience Foundation
ST: New York
SU: REL AWD
PRN
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0000 09/23/2014 22:30:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com
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