Médecins Sans Frontiéres receives Tipperary Peace Award

Médecins Sans Frontiéres has received the Tipperary International Peace Award in recognition of the organisation's humanitarian work and the response of its teams to crises of both war and natural disasters.

The award was presented at a ceremony in Limerick Junction, marking the UN International Day of Peace.

The award was accepted by Dr Javid Abdelmoneim, who is the Medical Team Leader for MSF in Gaza.

Honorary Secretary of Tipperary Peace Convention Martin Quinn said: "I am delighted that Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders are being recognised with the Tipperary International Peace Award.

"It is a statement of support for an organisation that has brought medical care to the victims of earthquakes, nutritional crises, epidemics, conflicts and other disasters.

"From its evolution of being an organisation with little or no resources, to becoming globally recognised for its humanitarian work, MSF is a worthy recipient of the Tipperary International Peace Award.

"The ward, while recognising the work of MSF for 53 years, also remembers those who were caught up in war-torn situations and paid the ultimate price for their humanitarian efforts."

A spokesperson for MSF said: "We are sincerely grateful to be recognised by the Tipperary Peace Convention for our medical work and provision of humanitarian assistance to people affected by war, displacement, exclusion from healthcare and epidemics.

"MSF provides assistance to populations in distress, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to victims of armed conflict. They do so irrespective of race, religion, creed or political convictions."

Past recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award include the former South African president Nelson Mandela and former president of Ireland Mary McAleese.