The Sanssouci Media Award 2006 is presented to the doctor and politician Dr. Bernard Kouchner.

Bernard Kouchner was chosen to receive the European press award because through his work, he has sensitised the media in Europe to the global suffering of mankind. As an European, he has shown that Europe is aware of its responsibility towards the humanitarian suffering in the world. In his role as UN Special Representative in Kosovo, he rendered outstanding services towards re-establishing peace in the Balkans. Mr Kouchner is dedicating his prize to his colleagues recently killed on a mission in Baghdad: “They are the best people on earth. And it’s always that the best people devoted to the others who are the victims. And I offer this prize for these four friends.” Before the official presentation ceremony, German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a speech for around 180 guests from Germany and abroad. The ceremony took place in the Raffael Hall of the Orangerie Sanssouci within the framework of the “M100 Sanssouci Colloquium”. The British publisher Lord Weidenfeld, who is also co-chairman of the M100 advisory board, together with the Premier of the State of Brandenburg, Matthias Platzeck, and the Lord Mayor of Potsdam, Jann Jakobs, presented Bernard Kouchner with the unendowed award. Born in 1939 in France, Bernard Kouchner is a founding member of Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors
without Borders) and Médecins du Monde (Doctors of the World) and has in the course of his extraordinary career been active in different ways all over the world in promoting humanitarian aid, human rights and politics. In times of so many theatres of war around the world, the media are aware that apart from those immediately affected, not only journalists are in the front line, but also the “soldiers of humanity”, said Lord Weidenfeld. The media and doctors are fighting on the same front, the former for information and explanations, the latter for humanity and aid. Also in attendance apart from the Federal Chancellor were the French ambassador Claude Martin, the French TV presenter Christine Ockrent, Friede Springer and Baroness Kennedy.
The “M100 Sanssouci Media Award” was conferred this year for the second time. The first award winner of this new European media award was British architect Lord Foster of Thames Bank.

 

BERNARD KOUCHNER

1939 born in Avignon
1971 Founding of Médecins sans Frontières
(Doctors without Borders)
1980 Founding of Médecins du Monde
(Doctors of the World)
1988 – 1992 French Secrétaire d’Etat
(Minister of State)
1992 – 1993 French Minister for Health and Humanitarian Action
1993 Establishment of the Foundation for
Humanitarian Action
1994 – 1997 Member of the European Parliament
1997 – 1999 State Secretary for Health
1999 – 2001 Special Representative of the
UN Secretary General in Kosovo
2001 – 2002 Minister Delegate with responsibility
for Health
since January 2006 Presidential candidate

Professor at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris

“Médecins sans Frontières“
The French non-governmental organisation (NGO) Médécins du Monde (MdM), founded in 1980 by Bernard Kouchner and 15 other French doctors, is with 100 international missions in 60 countries today one of the most important NGOs worldwide.