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."