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By awarding today the Great Cross of
the Order of Archbishop Makarios III, to Professor Barry Bloom, Dean of
the Harvard School of Public Health, the Government and the people of
Cyprus fulfill a moral obligation towards a world-renowned personality, a
scientist of international standing who played a leading role in
undertaking and successfully completing an initiative on the environment
and public health, an initiative jointly by the Republic of Cyprus and the
Harvard School of Public Health.
I had the honour and joy to sign together with Professor Bloom the
relevant agreement, on June 1st 2004. At the same time, I had the honour
and joy to meet and talk with this outstanding man and academic, who is
internationally known for his scientific competence and ethos as well as
for his creative passion and devotion in protecting the environment and
promoting public health.
Professor Barry Bloom and the Harvard School of Public Health have from
the very first moment embraced and supported the aim of the Republic of
Cyprus to turn the island into a regional research centre on environmental
and public health issues. The result of this ambitious effort and
initiative was the establishment of the Cyprus International Institute for
the Environment and Public Health in association with the Harvard School
of Public Health. The School's Dean Professor Barry Bloom made a great
contribution to the success of this effort and initiative. We are grateful
to him for his contribution.
The Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health,
under the excellent guidance of Mr Philippos Democretou, is today a living
reality and a hopeful prospect. The Institute will soon move from its
current premises to the area where the Scientific Technological Park is
being developed. In the course of a recent meeting I had with the Cyprus
International Institute and all the services involved, decisions were
taken and instructions were given for the solution of all the procedural
difficulties that arose and for speeding up the design and construction of
the new and contemporary building of the Institute. Our aim was, and
remains to turn the Institute into a pioneering academic and research
Center, which will safeguard the environment and promote public health,
not only for the sake of our own people, but also for the peoples of
neighbouring countries. It is our belief that the decisive actions we take
will encourage Cypriot sponsors to financially support the Institute,
while at the same time we hope to get support from relevant funds that the
European Union has earmarked for Research Centers of this kind.
The issues that concern the environment and public health have neither
geographical boundaries nor time limits. They are issues that concern all
of us and are valid for life. They are issues that affect our life itself
and our culture. They are issues that demand universal awareness and
collective effort. The Cyprus International Institute is enlisted in the
effort to increase this awareness and render this effort successful. By
setting specific and attainable targets, by planning carefully its
activities and by taking the right initiatives, we hope that the Institute
will attract the interest and financial support of Cypriot sponsors.
In Professor Barry Bloom's CV, one can find a plethora of titles,
international recognitions and his scientific work. Today, another
honorary distinction is added, coming from a small country, Cyprus which
knows how to thank and honour people who have helped her through their
interest and contribution. A country which knows how to overcome the pain
caused by its national tragedy and the continuing occupation of part of
its territory, so as to achieve a better quality of life for all its
people and a better future for the generations to come, both in Cyprus and
our wider geographical region.
The Great Cross awarded today to Professor Barry Bloom reflects the
appreciation and grateful thanks of the Government and the people of
Cyprus to this great man and distinguished scientist.
I wish Mr B. Bloom good health and personal happiness and I hope that,
among the numerous international honours that he has deservedly gained, he
will remember this honour that small Cyprus, which has the foresight to
give priority to research, awards an internationally recognized scientist
who has proven that he shares the vision for Cyprus to become a research
center, in the fields to which he has dedicated his scientific work.
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