The ceremony in pictures
Presentation of the title and insignia of Doctor Honoris Causa to Dr Denis Mukwege
5 May 2022
The University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour had the pleasure of honouring Dr Denis Mukwege, during the Ceremony for the award of the title and insignia of Doctor Honoris Causa, on Thursday 5 May 2022 on the Nive campus in Bayonne, in the presence of:
- Denis Mukwege, doctor and 2018 Nobel Peace Prize winner;
- Claudio Galderisi, rector in charge of higher education and research and innovation for the New Aquitaine academic region;
- Laurent Bordes, President of the University of Pau and Pays de l'Adour (UPPA);
- Philippe Zavoli, Director of the College of European and International Studies of UPPA ;
- and Jean-Pierre Massias, head of the UPPA's "International Humanitarian Aid" DU and president of the IFJD - Louis Joinet.
Denis Mukwege, doctor and Nobel Peace Prize winner 2018
Denis Mukwege is a doctor of medical sciences from the Université Libre de Bruxelles. He began his medical studies in Burundi before specialising in gynaecology and obstetrics in Angers. A doctor and evangelist pastor, his career is particularly notable for his work on behalf of women victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo and, in particular, with the creation of the Panzi Hospital for which he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018.
Dr Denis Mukwege's mission is to heal women victims of rape by providing them with holistic care, a therapy that considers the human being as a whole in the physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, environmental and socio-cultural sense. Nicknamed "the man who fixes women", he created the Panzi Foundation in 2008 to support women victims of sexual violence and give them access to medical and psychological care, legal and judicial assistance and support for socio-economic recovery.
Dr. Mukwege has received numerous awards and honors, including the following:
- 2018 Nobel Peace Prize, Norway
- 2014 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, France
- 2014 Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for the Advancement of Women in Peace and Security, USA
- 2013 Knight of the French Legion of Honour, France
- 2013 Fondation Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention, France
- 2008 United Nations Human Rights Award, USA
At a time when the guns are firing on European soil, already revealing atrocities of which women are the first victims, we are honoured to award the honorary doctorate to Dr Mukwege, who has fought so hard in his country and throughout the world against sexual violence against women," emphasises Laurent Bordes, President of the UPPA.
