On Tuesday, the 29th of October, the Latvian government approved the decision on the list of Laureates of the Cabinet of Ministers Award 2024. One of them is ex-President of Latvia Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga for her contribution to Latvia joining the European Union and NATO, as well as for the progress made in protecting the values of a democratic state governed by the rule of law and in strengthening social justice, moral values.
The Cabinet of Ministers Award, or the government’s highest award, is presented annually to no more than six outstanding people and organisations. The Cabinet of Ministers Award is the highest award of the Latvian government and is the next highest after the Order of the Three Stars. This year, the award has been given to six outstanding personalities and organizations for significant merits in the areas of democratic value protection, national security, science, violence reduction and culture.
The Cabinet of Ministers Award will be presented to the former President of Latvia (1999-2007) Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga for her significant contribution to the protection of the values of a democratic state governed by the rule of law, strengthening of social justice and moral values, as well as to the formation of the international image of Latvia by promoting Latvia’s membership in the European Union and NATO.
In turn, for an outstanding contribution to the national security of Latvia in difficult geopolitical circumstances, this year the Cabinet of Ministers award will be awarded to the Chief of the State Border Guard, General Guntis Pujāts, as reported by the government.
Among the laureates of the Cabinet of Ministers Award is the foundation “Centrs Dardedze”, which has made a long-term and significant contribution to reducing violence against children, defending the interests of children and raising the issues in this field. The publishing house “Big and Small” will also receive the high award for its achievements in the development of high-quality children’s and youth literature in Latvia.
The President of the Latvian Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Professor of the Latvian University of Biosciences and Technology, a member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, and habilitated Doctor of Economics Baiba Rivža will also receive the highest award of the Latvian Government for outstanding achievements in scientific work.
Andris Vilks, the long-term Director of the National Library of Latvia (from 1989 to 2024), has been awarded the Cabinet of Ministers Award for his outstanding contribution to the operation, development and promotion of international recognition of the National Library of Latvia.
The winners of the Cabinet of Ministers Award will receive an Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers, a breast badge of the Cabinet of Ministers Award and a cash prize in the amount of EUR 10 000. The award will be presented at a solemn ceremony in the last week of November.
The Cabinet of Ministers Award was established in 1995, after the restoration of Latvia’s independence, symbolically restoring the Fatherland Prize, which was established in 1937 by then President of Latvia Kārlis Ulmanis. Proposals for the Cabinet Award may be submitted annually until the 15th of September by both members of the government and local governments and non-governmental organisations, and they shall be examined by the Cabinet Awards Council.