OREANDA-NEWS. October 08, 2013. More than 350 distinguished guests - top global government, business, military, media, and civil society leaders, including the Chairperson of the Council of Baltic International Bank Valeri Belokon joined the Edison Ballroom in New York City for the fourth annual Global Citizen Awards, where the Atlantic Council honored Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski for his pivotal role in Poland’s extraordinary evolution; Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for her promotion of human rights and cross-cultural dialogue; and a renowned Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa for his inspirational and historic contributions to the arts.

“Each one of them has contributed significantly to making a better world,” the council’s interim chairman, Brent Scowcroft, said. “Each of them has inspired thousands of others to rise above day-to-day challenges to seek historic opportunity.

Now in its fourth year, the Global Citizen Awards recognizes visionary leaders who embody the Council’s mission to renew the transatlantic community for global challenges. 

Previous honorees include Nobel Peace Prize laureate Henry Kissinger - a German-born American statesman and . He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. After his term, his opinion was still sought by some subsequent US presidents and other world leaders.

About the Atlantic Council

The Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic Community in meeting global challenges.

Founded in 1961, the Council provides an essential forum for navigating the dramatic shifts in economic and political influence that are shaping the twenty-first century by educating and galvanizing its uniquely influential, nonpartisan network of international political, business, and intellectual leaders. Through the papers we write, the ideas we promote, and the communities we build, the Council's ten regional centers and functional programs shape today's policy choices and foster transatlantic strategies to advance international security and global economic prosperity.