President Yushchenko to receive prestigious Liberty Medal (07/03/05)

President Yushchenko to receive prestigious Liberty Medal

PHILADELPHIA - Viktor Yushchenko, the president of Ukraine, whose courageous fight for free and fair elections inspired millions in his country and around the world and led to the end of a corrupt government, has been named the recipient of the 2005 Philadelphia Liberty Medal by its distinguished International Selection Commission. The announcement was made on June 28.

President Yushchenko will accept the medal and its accompanying $100,000 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on September 17, America's Constitution Day.

The Philadelphia Liberty Medal, established in 1988 to heighten recognition of the principles that founded the United States and to serve as a lasting legacy to the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution, honors an individual or an organization from anywhere in the world that has "demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of liberty of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance, or deprivation." It is administered by the non-profit, non-political, Philadelphia Foundation, the region's foremost community foundation.

Prof. Martin Meyerson, chairman, since the medal's inception, of its International Selection Commission and president emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania, said, "President Yushchenko's courageous leadership in guiding the Orange Revolution is reminiscent of the heroism of Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia and is likely to inspire other freedom-seeking, democracy-loving people. Now, as a charismatic political leader, he is transforming his country into a modern civil society. As a shaper of a new nation, he merits being seen as the Ukraine's George Washington."

H. Craig Lewis, chairman of The Philadelphia Foundation, commented, "We are delighted to make the announcement of President Yushchenko's selection on June 28, Ukraine's Constitution Day, and will welcome him to Philadelphia on our national Constitution Day, September 17. The National Constitution Center is an ideal venue and partner for this year's presentation because it so ably teaches the same values of freedom and democracy that President Yushchenko stands for."

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The following biographical information was provided by The Philadelphia Foundation.

Mr. Yushchenko was born in 1954 in the Sumy region of northeastern Ukraine. After studying economics at the University he began a financial career, starting as a rural accountant and progressing in 1993 to head the National Bank of newly independent Ukraine. There he played an important role in overcoming hyperinflation in the country and establishing a stable national currency.

His success led to his appointment as prime minister in December 1999 by President Leonid Kuchma. Dismissed by President Kuchma in 2001 because of his rising popularity, Mr. Yushchenko became head of the Our Ukraine opposition bloc, and, as Mr. Kuchma's term ended in 2004, he announced his independent candidacy for president.

The presidential campaign was contentious. Mr. Yushchenko had great popular support, but the state-run television channels and Russian President Vladimir Putin continually touted his major rival, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Among the "dirty tricks" was dioxin poisoning of Mr. Yushchenko, allegedly by government officials, which left his face disfigured and pockmarked just weeks before the election.

The official tally awarded a narrow victory to Mr. Yanukovych, but allegations of widespread fraud prompted Mr. Yushchenko and his supporters to refuse to recognize the results. There were massive popular protests around the country, and thousands camped out in the main square of Kyiv in bitter winter weather while wearing orange as a sign of solidarity. Finally the Supreme Court overturned the election results, and Mr. Yushchenko won the repeat ballot.

As president he has begun to expose the massive corruption of the Kuchma regime, replacing thousands of bureaucrats, and pledging financial reforms, new jobs and a higher standard of living. He is also aggressively pursuing membership in the European Union.

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Mayor John F. Street will present the 2005 Liberty Medal on Saturday, September 17, at the National Constitution Center on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. Mayor Street said, "Viktor Yushchenko is an inspiration to people all over the world because of his brave and powerful reform movement in Ukraine, leading to his election as president in 2004. I salute the Liberty Medal Commission on his selection as the winner of the Liberty Medal for 2005, and look forward to welcoming President Yushchenko to our city in September for the presentation ceremony."

Past recipients of the Philadelphia Liberty Medal are: Polish Solidarity founder - and then President - Lech Walesa in 1989; former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1990; former Costa Rican President Oscar Arias and the French medical and human rights organization Médecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) in 1991; the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1992; South African Presidents F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1993; Czech President Vaclav Havel in 1994; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata in 1995; former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the late King Hussein of Jordan in 1996; the global news network CNN International in 1997; Irish Peace Negotiator Sen. George Mitchell in 1998; South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in 1999; Drs. James Watson and Francis Crick, co-discoverers of the structure of DNA, in 2000; United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2001; U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2002; U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in 2003; and, Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2004.

Six former recipients of the Liberty Medal have subsequently won the Nobel Peace Prize.

The International Selection Commission is made up of leaders from government, world affairs, education, culture and business. The current members of the commission are: Martin Meyerson, commission chairman, president emeritus and university professor, University of Pennsylvania, honorary president, International Association of Universities, Paris; Oscar Arias, former president of Costa Rica, Nobel Peace laureate, 1991 Liberty Medal co-recipient; Joanne de Asis of the Philippines, chairman, Globe Capital Partners; William H. Gray III, former president, College Fund/UNCF and former U.S. representative; Peter Harf, former CEO, Joh. A. Benckiser, GmbH, Frankfurt; Shirley Hufstedler, Esq., first U.S. secretary of education; Jeane J. Kirkpatrick, American Enterprise Institute and former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Robert McNamara, former president, Ford Motor Co. and World Bank, and former U.S. Cabinet member; Mary Patterson McPherson, vice-president, Mellon Foundation, former president, Bryn Mawr College; Andrea L. Mitchell, chief foreign affairs correspondent, National Broadcasting Co.; Joseph Neubauer, chairman and CEO, ARAMARK Corp.; Ambassador Olara A. Otunnu, U.N. High Commissioner for Children in War, former foreign minister of Uganda and former head of the U.N. Security Council; Ambassador Hisashi Owada, president, The Japan Institute of International Affairs and former permanent representative of Japan to the United Nations; P. Anthony Ridder chairman, president and CEO, Knight-Ridder Inc.; Jerome Shestack, Esq., past president, American Bar Association; Adele Simmons, former president, MacArthur Foundation; Maurice F. Strong, senior advisor to the president, World Bank, and chairman, Earth Council; Richard Thornburgh, Esq., former U.S. attorney general and former governor of Pennsylvania; and Henry Wendt, former chairman, SmithKline Beecham.

The Liberty Medal administrator, The Philadelphia Foundation, was established in 1918 as Southeastern Pennsylvania's community foundation. The $275 million foundation manages more than 650 charitable trust funds. Distributions from these funds support humanitarian, cultural and educational programs throughout the region.

The National Constitution Center is a non-partisan and non-profit interactive museum and education center dedicated to increasing public understanding of, and appreciation for, the U.S. Constitution and the ideas and history that continue to make it relevant today.

The jewelers Bailey, Banks and Biddle design and strike the Philadelphia Liberty Medal.

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