Ogata receives Philippine prize

Ogata receives Philippine prize

MANILA (AFP): The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Sadako Ogata of Japan was named here yesterday as this year's recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for international understanding.

Ogata, 69, was honored for dealing with various refugee crises at a time when the world "was weary of refugees," the award foundation said.

It credited her with cultivating UN collaboration with governments by convincing them to provide assistance and asylum to refugees.

The foundation said the success of repatriation operations for refugees from Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, was largely due to Ogata's insistence that her office should "monitor the experiences of the returnees against reprisal and discrimination."