Archbishop Desmond Tutu has been awarded the Chartered Institute of Public Relations’ President’s Medal on Sunday 12th June in a Harrogate ceremony. The award was presented to the renowned Anglican leader by Anne Gregory FCIPR, the Institute’s President in 2004, to mark his outstanding, lifelong commitment to work for democracy through open, clear and honest communication.

Gregory testified Tutu saying, "Archbishop Tutu has dedicated years of his life to the pursuit of justice and racial harmony through communications. He has placed communications at the heart of everything he does and by doing so has harnessed its power."

Tutu’s work for South Africa, in particular, has been noted as he played an instrumental part in bringing democracy to the country, and promoted a system to be implemented where communication is two-way and transparent.

Gregory continued, "The bold approach he takes and the issues he raises for discussion, diversity, politics, religion and disease, have sometimes led to controversy and yet he has had the courage never to fall into the trap of being silent. He is a positive voice, highlighting the need for understanding, reconciliation and liberalisation, in a media age that often focuses on the negative aspects of difference.

"These are, to name but a few, some of the reasons why Archbishop Tutu is a worthy recipient of this award," she concluded.

In response to receiving the award, Archbishop Tutu commented, "I am delighted to receive this honour. Communication is a great force for good in society. It allows us to reach, learn, understand and respect one another. It is through communication that we can progress: overcome obstacles, achieve our goals and generate new ones."

As he received his award he received a great round of applause from those gathered and he concluded his speech by talking about the important role that the Institute was playing, "Good communication, therefore, should be prized and nurtured. The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has an important role to play in doing this, as it exists to advance and raise the standards of communications practice through sharing knowledge."