Honored to be Awarded the “National Order of Merit” of Ecuador [2021/04/01]

It was a great honor for me to be decorated with Ecuador’s “National Order of Merit” in the grade of “Grand Officer.” The award was bestowed on me by Ecuadorean Ambassador to Japan Jaime Barberis at a ceremony at the embassy in Tokyo on March 29.

The National Order of Merit of Ecuador was established in 1921 to allow the president of the South American country to acknowledge work and service towards people's wellbeing, according to the embassy.

“In this context, President Lenin Moreno is pleased to pay tribute to Mr. Sasakawa's vision and his hearted passion for social work, which has without doubt led The Nippon Foundation to develop and conduct valuable and life-changing programs all over the world. We are all aware of Mr. Sasakawa's comprehensive experience,” the ambassador said at the ceremony.

In particular, he added: “Your work towards eradicating leprosy and to the improvement of living conditions for people with disabilities, are especially appreciated and recognized worldwide.”

The envoy was referring to more than 40 years of my global battle against leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, and the stigma and discrimination associated with it, as well as the foundation’s campaign to realize an inclusive society in which persons with disabilities can participate fully and are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

In my quest for a leprosy-free world, I have acted in my capacity as chairman of The Nippon Foundation, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination and the Japanese Government Goodwill Ambassador for the Human Rights of Persons Affected by Leprosy, the Ecuadorean government noted.

Ambassador Barberis also stated he must highlight that “along the path of your most distinguished career, you, Mr. Sasakawa and The Nippon Foundation have built alliances, cooperation linkages and friendships with countries, NGOs, international companies, and world leaders.”

“Ecuador is not the exception,” he said, noting: “Thus, a close relationship does exist. We have particularly converged on people with disabilities rights, a topic permanently promoted by Ecuador in international forums.”

In my remarks, I expressed my deep gratitude to Ambassador Barberis for hosting the ceremony despite the novel coronavirus pandemic and asked him to convey to President Moreno how honored I was to receive the award.

The Nippon Foundation and Ecuador share many goals. For example, I have been impressed by Ecuador playing a leading role in global efforts to conserve the ocean environment with its initiative to preserve the marine environment around the Galápagos Islands serving as a role model.

Conserving a healthy ocean environment is one of vital challenges in addressing climate change and environmental degradation, I said, and is seen as crucial for the survival of humankind over the next 500 to 1,000 years. I added that The Nippon Foundation has taken a leadership role as a private entity in this global campaign.

I have also been inspired by the South American nation’s commitment, led by President Moreno, to building an inclusive society in which every individual, with or without disabilities, has an active role to play－a movement which has now spread throughout the world under Ecuador’s leadership.

In this connection, I mentioned that The Nippon Foundation has joined “The Valuable 500” as a Global Impact Partner by providing support totaling $5 million over the next three years to the largest global network of CEOs committed to including persons with disabilities in business.

I look forward to further promoting private sector exchanges between The Nippon Foundation and Ecuador over the coming years.