CBD Briefs
Vol. 11, No. 1, December, 2005
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Stari Most Awards honor outstanding service

CBD Board Member Stephen Walker presents Stari Most Award to Ylber Hysa from Kosova

At a banquet held in conjunction with the conference, CBD presented the Stari Most Award to three people in recognition of their outstanding service toward achieving peace, reconciliation and economic development, and establishing long-term security in the former Yugoslavia. The awards were named after the famed Ottoman bridge of the same name in Mostar that was destroyed by Croatian nationalists in November 1993. It was finally restored at a ceremony in the summer of 2004.

Winners of the awards were:

Ylber Hysa, Kosova. A political analyst, parliamentarian, columnist, editor, and human rights activist, Hysa has tirelessly advocated for a multi-ethnic, democratic, and independent Kosova.

World renown architect, planner, and Stari Most Award recipient, Amir Pasic
Ambassador Swanee Hunt, featured guest speaker at theStari Most Awards, and panelist at conference.

Amir Pasic, Bosnia and Herzegovina.Dr. Pasic, an engineer, architect and urban planner–is internationally recognized for his monumental efforts to reconstruct the historic center of Mostar before, during, and after the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Senator Joseph R. Biden, United States. Senator Biden (D- Delaware) has earned national and international recognition for his strong support of U.S. involvement in Bosnia and Kosova to ensure peace in the regions and advocate for multi-ethnic and democratic societies.

CBD accepted nominations for the awards via a website. Nominations could be made for anyone in the world by anyone in the world. The final selections were made by a panel of judges (see list to right).

Delores Handy, News Anchor for WBUR Radio in Boston served as Master of Ceremonies. Sasha Toperich, President of the America-Bosnia Cultural Foundation performed on the piano. Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Founder and Chair of Women Waging Peace, was the featured guest speaker. Other speakers and award presenters included Glenn Ruga, CBD Director; Ria Kulenovic, CBD Volunteer Coordinator; and Stephen Walker, CBD Board Member and former Director of the American Committee to Save Bosnia.

Recognition for Outstanding Service was given to Christopher F. Bragdon, Director of Bosnia Projects. CBD also presented a video on the history and decade of work of the Center.

Stari Most Award Judges

Ellen Elias-Bursac
Instructor of Slavic Languages
Harvard University

Westy Egmont
Director, International Institute of Boston

Sheri Fink
Author of War Hospital, International Humanitarian Consultant, CBD Board Member

Paula Green
Director, Karuna Center for
Peacebuilding

Bruce Hitchner
Chairman, Dayton Peace Accords Project, Tufts University

Mary Ellen Keough
Treasurer, Center for Balkan
Development

Veton Kepuska
CBD Board Member

Ria Kulenovic
Volunteer Coordinator
Center for Balkan Development

Glenn Ruga
Director, Center for Balkan
Development

Cynthia Simmons
Professor of Slavic Languages
Boston College

Susannah Sirkin
Deputy Director
Physicians for Human Rights

Stephen Walker
CBD Board Member
Former Director, American
Committee to Save Bosnia