Last updated on 19 February 2024
D. Duarte Pio, claimant to Portugal’s former throne, has been awarded the Heritage Award for Peacemaker by the Sino-Phil Asia International Peace Awards Foundation.
He was recognised for his contribution to the independence of Timor Leste and his charitable work over the past decades in the Portuguese-Speaking world. Duarte Pio has been a longtime advocate for Timor Leste’s self-determination since the early years of Indonesian occupation.
The awards ceremony took place on Monday in Macau at the Artyzen Grand Lapa Macau hotel.
The president of the Foundation, Billy Chan, stated that the award, newly established, aims to recognise “extraordinary individuals who have made significant contributions to peacemaking.”
The Sino-Phil Asia International Peace Awards Foundation was launched in Manila in 2015, bringing together healthcare professionals, academics, artists, journalists, policymakers, and philanthropists from around the world.
In addition to D. Duarte Pio, among the laureates of this year’s edition of the Sino-Phil Asia International Peace Awards ceremony, held last week in Manila, are Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King; former Nevada Lieutenant Governor Brian Krolicki; former Prime Minister of Croatia Stjepan Mesić; Dame Tessy Antony-de Nassau, the former Princess of Luxembourg, recognised for her role in promoting education, empowerment, and charity work; Wang Xiaobing, Director of the Public Health Professional Committee of the China Primary Health Care Foundation; and Macau-based doctor Mário Évora, President of the Macau Cardiology Association and President of the Portuguese Speaking Physicians Association of Macau, among other individuals.
The Foundation has also been devoted to supporting low income families. Two days ago, they provided medical supplies, wheelchairs and hot meals to 250 families in Venezuela City, Philippines, Billy Chan said in his speech on Monday.