The city of Cologne has announced that 43-year-old Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko will be awarded the Konrad Adenauer Foundation prize in 2015.
The award committee in Cologne noted that they were impressed with his career, from world boxing champion to Kyiv’s mayor. The committee also noted his political achievements, in particular, “Klitschko’s unprecedented commitment to peace and democracy in Ukraine”, according to a statement on Cologne city’s website.
The award will be presented to Klitschko in the spring of 2015, during a ceremony at Cologne city hall.
The city of Cologne established the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in 2002, in memory of the city’s former mayor, and the first post-war Chancellor of Germany.
The prize is awarded every two years for “significant contribution and outstanding achievement in the organization of life and work in a major city, innovative and bold solutions to development, European integration, and the maintaining and strengthening of local government in Europe”.
This is not the first time Klitschko has received a German award. In September he received the M100 Media Award in Potsdam, for his contribution to the development of Ukrainian democracy, and for his efforts in finding a peaceful solution to the current conflict. The M100 Media Award was established in 2005.
