President Macron awards Aga Khan France’s highest honour

France has awarded Aga Khan with its highest honour, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour.

President Emmanuel Macron awarded him in recognition of his contribution to humanity and achievements in improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable populations around the world.

France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian bestowed him with the award on Friday at a ceremony in Paris in commemoration of the Aga Khan’s Diamond Jubilee, commemorating 60 years as Imam (spiritual leader) of the world’s Shia Ismaili Muslim community.

Minister Le Drian congratulated him for his "commitment and dedication towards the cause of peace, pluralism and development."

Earlier on Sep 18, President Macron received the Aga Khan at the Élysée Palace - the official office and residence of the President of France - where the two leaders discussed development initiatives in parts of the world where the Imamat and France collaborate as well as regional issues of importance.

In expressing his deep gratitude for the honour bestowed upon him, the Aga Khan spoke about the importance he placed on a partnership he felt was built on shared values.

“For years, we have worked together in different fields, in France, abroad and always in a close partnership, of common points of view, of common objectives and, above all, respect for all the great values of France,” he said.

"For me this partnership is particularly important. It is a partnership built on historical values. And these historical values have proven themselves around the world. These are values of French origin, but which today are universal values.”

The Aga Khan is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through his cousin and son-in-law Ali, the first Imam, and his wife Fatima, the Prophet’s daughter.

At the age of 20, he succeeded his grandfather, Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan as the Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims 60 years ago.

Today, the Aga Khan leads a global community of some 15 million Shia Ismaili Muslims, living predominantly in South Asia, Central Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, North America, and the Far East.

The Aga Khan Development Network or AKDN has been working for over six decades in Bangladesh across a broad spectrum of activities and programmes ranging from the promotion of the jute sector to early childhood development, primary and pre-tertiary education, and financial services.

Building upon bilateral agreements, the AKDN in Bangladesh is actively engaged with the government and a variety of development partners to help bring social and economic progress for all the people of Bangladesh.

The campus of the Aga Khan Academy, state-of-the-art teaching and learning facility, is under construction in Dhaka.