7
P
rince
of
A
sturias
A
wards
1981-2014. S
peeches
Speech XXVI
Every year as autumn comes round, so many memories, hopes and —above all— aspirations
burgeon in our hearts when we return to these dearly-loved lands of Asturias to live the experience
of this grand ceremony, which is so emotive and so charged with profound symbolic meaning.
We return on this particular occasion as the splendour of our 25th anniversary begins to settle
in our memories and with the satisfaction of being able to look back on the path the Foundation
plotted and travelled over this first quarter century of existence. The journey has been a pleasant
one, replete with aspirations that seemed unachievable at the outset, but which are now the firmest
foundations upon which to continue with our exhilarating work.
We reiterate our infinite gratitude to the people who launched this Foundation and who make
it work day after day: those who manage it, its and Patrons, the members of the Juries, and all those
who enthusiastically join us, sharing our ideals and making
today a great festival of culture.
The achievements of our Foundation are in permanent debt
to this beautiful, beloved land of Asturias. We find one of the
deepest roots of Spanish culture in the Principality of Asturias,
which is also now giving contemporary Spain splendid
individual examples of success and outstanding demonstrations
of the spirit of solidarity. This is all driven by endeavour and
the desire to improve that are —and will always be— the
Principality’s finest asset.
A common denominator of the Awards and the Foundation is the unflagging defence of the
principles and virtues that set people apart and that generate each of the Awards.
Way back when the Asturian poet Carlos Bousoño collected his Award, he said that, “today
more than ever, we should feel proud of belonging to this useless yet glorious line of descent we
call
man.
” Man, after all, is at the very hub of our work.
This year’s 2006 Awards in all eight categories have gone to organizations and individuals
whose work is vivid testimony of a desire to know mankind and his environment better; that foster
values, that are epitomes of solidarity, that have made noteworthy contributions to the progress of
science, and that have pursued exquisiteness in expression and aesthetics.
We offer them out warmest congratulations. Their attendance and participation in this
ceremony are cause for real joy and sincere gratitude, for they enable us to highlight and emphasise
the sense and meaning of their priceless careers.
Bill and Melinda Gates, alongside their parents William and Mimi Gates, who accompany us
here today, showed clear-sightedness and extraordinary generosity in founding the exemplary
organization that bears their name and that has been granted the Award for International
Cooperation.
Our most reliable statistics indicate that over eight million people in the world, many of whom
are children, die every year of hunger and disease caused by living in extreme poverty. It is a state
of affairs that stirs our consciences, and obliges those of us who enjoy the privilege of living in
richer countries to eradicate an inhumane situation made even more intolerable when we realize
most of the innocents fall victim to diseases that can be prevented or treated with medicines that
are now readily available. Fighting this state of affairs is not only a duty. It is a
sine qua non
for a
better, safer world for all.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation currently leads endeavours to help people, particularly
children, who succumb to illness or are victims of war, injustice and abject poverty, with the
continent of Africa as a priority. In what is an unprecedented display of philanthropy, the Gateses are
“Our Awards have fostered generosity
over self-interests, concord over division,
peaceful coexistence over fanaticism,
commitment over indifference.”
