On Tuesday 16 April 2014, Mr. Theodor Meron, President of the ICTY (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia), was awarded the insignia of Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite by the Ambassador of France, Mr Pierre Ménat, on behalf of the President of the French Republic. This distinction, which was created by Général De Gaulle, is a recognition of President Meron’s life dedication to international law, as “one of the main actors of the emergence of international justice”. It is also the acknowledgement of “un grand ami de la France, de sa langue et de sa culture”.