On 20 July 2009 ACCORD hosted a delegation representing Nobel Peace laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma, one of the world’s most renowned advocates of non-violence. In 1991 the Nobel Peace Committee decided to award Aung San Suu Kyi the noble prize for her valiant non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.
The committee mentioned that “…Suu Kyi’s struggle is one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades. She has become an important symbol in the struggle against oppression…to honour this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means. “
The delegation, led by Mr Sein Win, (the Prime Minister of the Burmese government in exile) was in Durban to receive the Annual Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Peace and Reconciliation on behalf of Suu Kyi. The award is presented by the Durban-based Gandhi Development Trust on whose Board Vasu Gounden, the Founder and Executive Director of ACCORD, serves as a Trustee.
