Progressive Alliance Award to Michelle Bachelet

The Progressive Alliance, a network of more than 130 social-democratic and progressive parties and organisations, honoured former President Michelle Bachelet with the Progressive Alliance Award 2018. The award is granted to Michelle Bachelet for her committed and successful struggle for freedom, justice and solidarity.

Throughout her political life and particularly during her two terms in office as Chile’s president, Michelle Bachelet has fought for the political implementation of the principles of our movement. She is a convinced democratic socialist, and in a country considered to be one of the most neoliberal and socially unfair countries of the world, she has not only promoted the debate on the value of public goods and social systems based on solidarity, but also initiated ground-breaking reforms to strengthen social cohesion. Examples of her progressive policies are a tax reform, pension reform, labour reform, electoral law reform, anti-corruption measures, among others.

Particularly outstanding is Michelle Bachelet’s struggle for gender justice which is a central pillar of our movement of socialists, social democrats and progressives. As the first president of UN Women she advocated women’s rights across the world and reached decisive successes in her own country as well. The establishment of a Ministry for Women’s Rights and Gender Justice for the first time in Chile is not only a symbolic achievement. Michelle Bachelet is strongly committed to feminist policies at all levels. As the first female president of her country, Michelle Bachelet is an important symbol for gender justice, which encourages women all over the world.