Brussels — The Swiss organization, the Crans Montana Forum, on Friday awarded its "Crans Montana Prize 2009" to Mozambican President Armando Guebuza and his wife, Maria da Luz Guebuza, for their contribution to the fight against poverty.

Immediately after Princess Astrid of Belgium delivered the prize to Maria da Luz Guebuza at a ceremony in Brussels City Hall, the founder and chairperson of the Forum, Jean-Paul Carteron, said "The African continent is sunk in poverty and it is difficult to record progress. President Guebuza and his wife have made progress in their governance".

In response, Guebuza said she was dedicating the prize to the Mozambican people, and declared "I want to promise here, to all of you, that we shall continue to promote peace, stability and development".

Though unable to be present in person, President Guebuza sent a message by video to the ceremony, in which he declared that, despite the progress made in the fight against poverty, there are still enormous challenges to be faced, concerned with such matters as the impact that climate change will have on Mozambique.

The Crans Montana Forum also distinguished seven other personalities, including US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan, and the Queen of Bahrain, Sheika Sabeeka gint Ibrahim al Khalifa.