PARIS, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali was named as laureate of this year's session of Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize to honor his efforts to end peacefully hostilities with the neighbor Eritrea, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Thursday.
"The jury recognizes the laureate's worthiness for the reforms undertaken to consolidate democracy and social cohesion (and) ... considers this distinction as an encouragement to pursue his commitment to the promotion of a culture of peace in the region and across the African continent," the Paris-based UN body said in a press release.
The jury, which includes former French president Francois Hollande and Noble Peace laureates Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former head of state of Liberia, and Bangladesh's professor Muhammad Yunus, met on Monday at UNESCO headquarters to designate the laureate of the 2019 edition of the prize, which will mark the 30th anniversary of its inception.
Created in 1989, Felix-Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize aimed at paying tribute to efforts made either by individuals or institutions to promote and restore peace in conformity with UNESCO charter.
