IDU Awards Inaugural Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom
The IDU, the world’s global alliance of the centre-right, is pleased to announce the creation of the Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom as the IDU’s highest honour. This award bears the name of two of the IDU’s principal founders, both historic leaders of their time, whose legacies embody the IDU’s core mission of supporting freedom and democracy globally: President George H.W. Bush and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. President Bush and Prime Minister Thatcher led the creation of the IDU in 1983 and were signatories to the London Declaration, the document that brought the IDU into existence.
The IDU’s Bush-Thatcher Award for Freedom recognizes outstanding contributions made by an IDU member-party or individual towards advancing the core values for which the IDU stands; freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. The IDU is deeply grateful to the custodians of President Bush and Prime Minister Thatcher’s legacies for their collaboration in establishing this honour.
At the IDU Forum 2019 Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony held December 5th, 2019 in Washington, D.C., IDU Chairman Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Canada’s 22nd Prime Minister, announced the winner of the inaugural Bush-Thatcher Freedom Award is the Maldivian Democratic Party.
IDU Chairman Harper stated: “Since his election in 2018, President Ibrahim Solih and the Maldivian Democratic Party have restored the Maldives to a democratic path, returned to a balanced foreign policy and are again working to entrench a democratic future. The IDU is pleased to bestow the inaugural Bush-Thatcher Freedom Award on the MDP in recognition of their important accomplishments.”
“I also want to acknowledge the tremendous support provided by the International Republican Institute and IDU Vice Chairman Chris Fussner to the Maldivian people in aid of their efforts to build a better future” he added.
The award was presented to the Maldivian delegation to IDU Forum 2019: MDP Secretary General, Anas Abdul Sattar, Deputy Secretary General Afshan Latheef, Chief Campaign Strategist Ahmed Shahid, and Maldivian Ambassador to the United Nations and United States, Hon. Thilmeeza Hussain.
The IDU is a global alliance of more than 80 centre-right political parties created in 1983 to build relationships, share best practices, and support the spread of freedom and democracy around the world.