People in Need’s Šimon Pánek gets top French honour

The director and co-founder of the Czech NGO People in Need, Šimon Pánek, has been presented with the Legion of Honour, France’s top order of merit. Speaking at the bestowal ceremony at Prague’s French Embassy on Thursday evening, the country’s ambassador, Alexis Dutertre, said that Mr. Pánek shared the same values as France and advocated for human rights, freedom, solidarity and humanitarian work.

Šimon Pánek was a student leader of the Velvet Revolution before helping set up People in Need, one of Czechia’s most important aid organisations in 1992.