Singer Annie Lennox has been awarded for her advocacy work in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS.
The humanitarian was awarded the prestigious Royal Scottish Geographical Society’s Livingstone Medal for her tireless efforts as an activist for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Previous winners have included Neil Armstrong, David Attenborough, and Sir Edmund Hillary. The award was first presented in 1901.
The Eurythmics singer said she was honoured to be given the award.
“I’m truly honoured to receive such a significant and historical award as the Livingstone Medal,” Lennox said.
“There have been numerous social and medical transformations since David Livingstone’s lifetime, yet there is still so much more to do before we can see the end of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which has ravaged the lives of millions of men, women and children across every region of Sub Saharan Africa.
“My contribution has been small, but my dream would be to see the end of AIDS in the not too distant future.”
Alongside her HIV/AIDS activism, Lennox was also praised for her work with the charities Oxfam and the Red Cross.
The Livingstone Medal is named after Dr David Livingstone who was a pioneer medical missionary in Africa and a crusader against slavery in the late 19th century.
Mike Robinson of Royal Geographic Society of Scotland said Lennox’s achievements had been widely recognised by members of the public through the nomination process.
“Our medal nomination process is open to the public but it is unusual to see a name put forward as often as Annie Lennox’s.” Robinson said.
“We are very happy to be able to recognise the outstanding contribution that Annie has made championing critical global issues over the past three decades, in particular in raising awareness of the plight of those suffering HIV/AIDS and of those living in the world’s most vulnerable areas.”
OIP Staff
