The Harvard Foundation will confer its 2016 Humanitarian of the Year Award on State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi on September 17, according to her Facebook page.
Each year, the Harvard Foundation at the legendary university presents its Humanitarian Award to an individual whose works and deeds have served to improve the quality of lives and have inspired people to greater heights.
Meanwhile, as Suu Kyi arrived at the White House, President Barack Obama announced that he would reinstate Myanmar to the Generalised System of Preferences, which provides duty-free treatment for goods from poor and developing nations. It would help the government create jobs and reduce poverty in Myanmar.Suu Kyi met Obama at the White House on Wednesday.
Suu Kyi arrived at Dulles International Airport in Washington via London on September 13. The delegation is staying at Blair House, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Blair House has accommodated visiting leaders and their delegations since 1942. National flags are flown above the building during a visit. An invitation to stay at Blair House was seen as a great honour, the US Embassy in Yangon's Facebook page said.
They were welcomed at Dulles by the ambassador to the US Aung Lin, chief of protocol of the United States ambassador Peter Selfridge and military attaché’s office in Washington.
The "Cardin-McCain Burma Strategy Act of 2016" was also due to be introduced ahead of Suu Kyi’s meetings with Obama and members of Congress.
On May 17, the US government extended its sanctions for another year. The US Treasury removed seven state-owned enterprises from the specially designated nationals list: Myanma Timber, Myanmar Pearl, Myanmar Gem and No.1, No.2 and No.3 Mining and Co-Operative Export-Import enterprises. Three state-owned banks were removed: Myanma Economic, Myanmar Foreign Trade and Myanma Investment and Commercial banks. And the Innwa and Myawaddy banks are also being delisted.
In May, Suu Kyi held talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Nay Pyi Taw a few days after the US extended some sanctions while removing others.
At the time, Suu Kyi told the media that the extension of US sanctions would not hurt the country as they were imposed for a particular reason which would be removed in time. The sanctions were not a big problem and would not hurt the people, she said. "We have the strength and the means to overcome any obstacles that may be imposed," Suu Kyi told the press, adding that the US was a "good friend" and would remain so.
While in the UK, she met British Prime Minister Theresa May, Priti Patel, the Secretary of State for International Development, and John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons. Suu Kyi will attend the 71st United Nations General Assembly.