On the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the Independence of Mozambique, during a solemn ceremony at the Presidential Palace, President Guebuza conferred Andrea Riccardi and mons. Matteo Zuppi the "Honorary Citizenship of the Republic of Mozambique".

He also awarded the Community of Sant'Egidio the Order "Quatro de Outubro", an award that is named after the date of the historic peace agreement signed in Rome thanks to the commitment of Sant'Egidio next to the Mozambican people.

The conferment of the honorary citizenship is to establish, as pointed out by the President in his speech, a recognition of the exceptional merit and the activities for the creation of a climate of peace and economic and social development in Mozambique. Andrea Riccardi and Matteo Zuppi, in fact, were mediators in the peace process of Mozambique, which took place at the headquarters of the Community of Sant'Egidio from July 1990 to October 1992.

In the reasons for the honor conferred on the Community it is read that it "aims to recognize and appreciate extraordinary acts in the fight for the preservation of peace, harmony and in the promotion of the values of peace, socio-political inclusion and citizenship in the country", referring not only to the commitment to peace, but also to what Sant'Egidio continues to do in the country, with the presence of more than one hundred Mozambican Communities committed to the poor, with the DREAM programme to fight AIDS and with the BRAVO programme, for the recording of births in the civil registry.

The highest awards were presented to a delegation led by Chiara Turrini, which included representatives of the Communities of Sant'Egidio from Rome and Mozambique and of the DREAM programme to fight AIDS, which has been active in the country since 2002. 

The Community of Sant'Egidio, for its part, while expressing his appreciation for the recognition received, confirms its commitment to stand with the people of Mozambique, especially in a time when there are new challenges for the peaceful development of the country. DOSSIER: PEACE IN MOZAMBIQUE 

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