Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Honored by Appeal of Conscience Foundation with World Statesman Award

NEW YORK, Sept. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, an interfaith organization dedicated to religious freedom and human rights and its president and founder Rabbi Arthur Schneier, presented the 2019 World Statesman Award to His Excellency Lee Hsien Loong, the Prime Minister of Singapore at the 54^th Annual Appeal of Conscience Awards Dinner held at the Pierre Hotel. The World Statesman Award honors leaders who support peaceful coexistence and mutual acceptance in multi ethnic societies.

Timotheus Höttges, the Chief Executive Officer of Deutsche Telekom AG, Stephen M. Ross, the Chairman and Founder of Related Companies and Susan Wojcicki, the Chief Executive Officer of YouTube received the 2019 Appeal of Conscience Award, which is presented to visionary business executives with a sense of social responsibility who use their resources and vast reach across boundaries to better serve the global community.

"Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was recognized for his skilled leadership in stewarding Singapore's development, for advancing regional and worldwide economic stability and peaceful coexistence and for fostering a society that embraces mutual acceptance and respect for all ethnic communities," said Rabbi Arthur Schneier, President of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. "For supporting a knowledge-based economy and an education system that provides its citizens with the necessary skills and knowledge to survive in a globally competitive environment."

"It is my honor to accept the World Statesman Award. Singapore has embraced diversity and multiculturalism as fundamental ideals of our society. We strive to build a multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religious society where people live peacefully and harmoniously together," said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. "Singapore shares the Appeal of Conscience's vision of a world underpinned by human dignity and respect."

According to Rabbi Arthur Schneier, "Timotheus Höttges was recognized for guiding and leading Deutsche Telekom Ag's significant support for education, culture, environmental sustainability and his dedication to improving digital literacy and high respect for human rights."

"I am profoundly honored to receive this prestigious award as I share the beliefs of The Appeal of Conscience Foundation with the deepest conviction," stated Timotheus Höttges. "Freedom, democracy and human rights are the core values of humanity, and for me they also define good corporate citizenship."

"The Appeal of Conscience Foundation honored Stephen M. Ross for his unparalleled support for higher education and the diversity of his philanthropy that has benefited communities across America," said Rabbi Arthur Schneier. "Mr. Ross has not only changed the skylines of America's cities but his support for the arts, culture, medicine, race-relations and future sustainability will leave a lasting impact on our society."

"I am honored to accept this award from an organization that has been on the forefront of developing greater understanding and advancing peace for over half a century," said Stephen Ross. "Now more than ever, the Appeal of Conscience's fundamental advocacy for supporting mutual respect and understanding is extremely important."  

"Susan Wojcicki has played a pivotal role in developing entirely new protocols for keeping children safe online and building safe communities free of hate-speech," stated Rabbi Arthur Schneier. "As our communication modes continue to evolve and so much of our interactions are online, YouTube's commitment to building communities of mutual acceptance, respect and understanding are essential for peace and stability."

"YouTube is committed to enabling understanding through dialogue," Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, said. "In this new digital era, we see an opportunity to promote peace, similar to the efforts of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, which has advocated for mutual understanding for more than 50 years. I'm honored to receive this award, and I thank the Foundation for encouraging all of us to do our part to make the world a better place."

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, 1999 Appeal of Conscience World Statesman honoree, delivered an address and the laudatio at the Awards Dinner.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican delivered greetings from Pope Francis. The invocation was delivered by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and the benediction by Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO and Co- Founder of Blackstone served as co-chair of the event and introduced Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.  Daniel L. Doctoroff, the Chairman and CEO of Sidewalk Labs introduced Stephen M. Ross. Timotheus Höttges was introduced by ACF Trustee, former United States Deputy Secretary of State, Ambassador John Negroponte, the Vice Chair of McLarty Associates. ACF Trustee, Maurice Lévy, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Publicis Groupe introduced Susan Wojcicki.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, provided words of welcome and support for the work of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. "As world leaders gather this week at the United Nations, we face numerous global challenges, from armed conflict to climate change and poverty. Hate speech and hate-based violence are on the rise, striking at the core of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation's work. That is why I am mobilizing the United Nations to support the protection of religious sites and combat hate speech worldwide." 

Previous Honorees:
Past recipients of the World Statesman Award include Presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Mikhail Gorbachev, Lee Myung-bak, Nicolas Sarkozy; Prime Ministers David Cameron, Stephen Harper, John Howard, Dr. Manmohan Singh and Margaret Thatcher. Other recipients include King Juan Carlos I, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dr. Henry Kissinger, and Madame Christine Lagarde. The ACF has also recognized prominent business leaders with the Appeal of Conscience Award including: Bernard Arnault, Mary Barra, Barbara Bush, Michael Bloomberg, Robert Iger, Muhtar Kent, Coretta Scott King, Brian Moynihan, Virginia Rometty, Stephen A. Schwarzman, Masayoshi Son and Paul Volcker.

About the Appeal of Conscience Foundation:
The Appeal of Conscience Foundation, under the leadership of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, has worked worldwide on behalf of religious freedom, human rights, peace and tolerance since 1965. To uphold the principle "live and let live" is the Appeal of Conscience Foundation's continuing goal. An interfaith coalition of business, religious and foreign policy leaders, this international organization promotes mutual understanding, peace and interreligious cooperation and provides a voice of conscience to protect minorities.  The Appeal of Conscience Foundation believes that freedom, democracy and human rights are fundamental values that give nations of the world their best hope for peace, security and shared prosperity. www.appealofconscience.org

SOURCE The Appeal of Conscience Foundation