Nobel laureates honour Annie Lennox
Posted: 11 November 2009 2326 hrs

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BERLIN - Scottish singer Annie Lennox was presented with the 2009 "Woman of Peace" award on Wednesday at a summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Berlin for her work raising awareness of HIV/AIDS.

Lennox was chosen for her work in raising awareness of the impact on women and children, especially in South Africa, with her SING campaign enlisting 23 female vocalists to record a song of the same name.

"I want to express my profound gratitude and deep humility," the former Eurythmics singer said.

"I honour all the women working around the globe to reduce the effects of this pandemics. This is for them, they truly deserve it."

Since 2003, SING has raised two million dollars and through its partnership with the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) has helped to provide South Africans with treatment and testing, HIV education, and prevention programmes.

Lennox said she was inspired to act after witnessing former South African president Nelson Mandela describe the African HIV pandemic as a "genocide."

Lennox, 54, was also presented with a piece of the Berlin Wall.

"It looks inoffensive like this because it has been painted on, but for a long time this was part of a wall of fear," Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit said.

The two-day summit of Nobel Peace laureates, which ends on Wednesday, included former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former Solidarity trade union chief Lech Walesa. - AFP/vm