Irish schools to compete for Maltese Cross Award

The Maltese Cross Award for the promotion of human rights has been launched in Ireland by Ambassador of Malta Richard Muscat at the embassy in Dublin.

By promoting human rights through education, the embassy hopes to multiply the number of students who will be committed to respecting the dignity of the human being.

The award addresses about 800 second level schools in Ireland. For its first edition, the participating schools are asked to choose one right from the following four human rights: a right to cultural identity; a right to asylum; a right to gender equality; and a right to health and human development.

The schools must then present a project on the chosen right by May 2007, which will be examined by the panel of judges using set criteria.

The winning school will receive the Maltese Cross Award, while additional prizes will be presented to the schools in second, third and fourth places.

Speaking at the launch, Foreign Affairs Minister Michael Frendo said the embassy's initiative further proved Malta's strong commitment to joining other forces in promoting respect for human rights as a basic requirement to achieve dialogue and peace among nations and peoples. Irish President Mary McAleese, to whom the Committee of Honour and the panel of judges, led by Ambassador Muscat, paid a courtesy visit, spoke highly of the award and with great enthusiasm, Mr Muscat said.

"She appreciated that the human rights award was aimed at involving the youth of Ireland," Mr Muscat said. This embassy initiative is being done in collaboration with the Irish Association of the Knights of Malta.

A number of important personalities have accepted the ambassador's invitation to sit on the Committee of Honour and the panel of judges. President Mary McAleese is in Malta on a State Visit until tomorrow.