Glasgow Caledonian pay tribute to political figurehead

A former leader of the United Nations (UN) together with a renowned Scots singer-songwriter were among the eminent figures to be honoured by a Glasgow university last month.

Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws by Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) for his work to address international issues including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, poverty and human rights.

And former Eurythmics lead singer, activist and philanthropist Annie Lennox was conferred Scotland’s first International Humanitarian Award for Outstanding Achievement for her actions to promote health and human rights for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The pair were presented with the awards by GCU Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Pamela Gillies at the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI) Awards in Glasgow last month.

Dr Annan, the seventh secretary-general of the UN has driven forward initiatives to resolve conflicts around the world, established the Global AIDS and Health Fund and championed development through the Millennium Development Goals, targets set by world leaders in 2000 aimed at improving the health of women and children.

The event marked the first time Dr Annan has accepted an honorary award from a Scottish university and Prof Gillies said: “Dr Annan is one of the world’s most accomplished thought leaders and practitioners on human rights, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and global poverty alleviation.

"He is a truly inspirational international figure and a role model for our staff and students. We are delighted that he has accepted this award from our university.”

Meanwhile, veteran Lennox, who has enjoyed more than 80 million record sales to date and gleaned countless awards – earned praise for her charity work, which has included establishing the SING campaign that raises money via donations and the sale of merchandise to help prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa.

Gillies said: “Ms Lennox is a Scot we are all hugely proud of, not just for her extraordinary talent for music and poetry but for her tireless actions to promote health and human rights for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS.

"Her remarkable record of activity in this field is a true inspiration and the University is delighted to recognise her in this way."

Lennox added: “The work that I do is dedicated to women and children struggling to survive with HIV/AIDS. They don’t often have a voice and it is to them I’d like to dedicate this beautiful award.”