Fiocruz president will be granted the French Legion of Honor

Fiocruz president, Nísia Trindade Lima, will be receiving the degree of Knight of Legion of Honor, France’s order of merit (Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur), as an acknowledgment of her career in the world of science and health, in particular in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ambassador of France, Brigitte Collet, and president Nísia Trindade at the meeting where they discussed health, cooperation and human rights

The Légion d’Honneur order of merit was instituted in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte and is France’s highest distinction, granted by the Chief of State to personalities who have stood out for their activities in their area of actuation in the global scenario.

Lima has met with the French ambassador, Brigitte Collet, in the afternoon of July 21st, and discussed global health and the strengthening of international cooperation between the Foundation and French institutions. They also talked about human rights, an issue they have a shared interest in. Ms. Collet took the chance to congratulate Lima on the order.

On June 30th, Lima received a letter from the French embassy communicating she was being granted the National Order of the Legion of Honor, Knight class. In the letter, Fiocruz's president is commended for her commitment to the “defending of universal right to health and contributing in a significant fashion to strengthen international cooperation, especially with France”. The letter is also a reminder that this cooperation is historical, as described in the book “Louis Pasteur and Oswaldo Cruz: Innovation and Tradition in Health”, organized by Lima and by Marie-Hélène Marchand.

The order will be delivered in September, during a ceremony to take place at Fiocruz. In 1911, Oswaldo Cruz himself was also granted the Legion of Honor, at Officer class. See the document here.