Outstanding achievements in the field of human rights in the Republic of Moldova in 2012 were Monday evening recognized during a ceremony organized by the United Nations on the occasion of the Human Rights Day, marked annually on December 10, Info-Prim Neo reports. The UN Human Rights Gala of Awards brought together high officials, representatives of international organizations and diplomatic corps, civil society organizations and mass media. The 2012 edition included seven awards for outstanding achievements in the past year: Artiom Zavadovsky, member of the LGBT community, was awarded for his bravery in promoting the human rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people in Moldova. After congratulated, the awardee addressed Head of Parliament Marian Lupu, who was attending the event, remembering a previous statement of the official, when he said that he is different from the homosexuals, and asked that he renounce his salary of Speaker because it consists of taxes paid also by members of the LGBT community. Valeriu Caldararu, Romani activist and community mediator, was awarded for a range of activities combating discrimination and promoting social inclusion of Roma in Moldova. he said that it is for the first time that a Romani person in Moldova is awarded such a prize. The Association of Families with Children with Disabilities from Tiraspol, an organization in the Transnistrian region, was awarded for promoting the rights of children with disabilities and their families on the left bank of the Nistru River. Newspaper “Spros i Predlojenie” (SP) from Balti was awarded for excellent public service journalism, while Radio Free Europe received an award for human rights-based reporting, in particular in relation to their coverage of the Justice Sector reform. The Department of Social Assistance and Family Protection (DSAFP) from Ungheni district was awarded for its innovative approach in making human rights a reality by focusing on the implementation of the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children endorsed by the UN General Assembly in November 2009. The Information Centre “GenderDoc-M”, Moldova’s premiere LGBT rights organization, received an award for its work on combating discrimination through litigation, advocacy and awareness-raising activities. The UN Human Rights Gala of Awards is organized by the United Nations in Moldova annually on the Human Rights Day. The 2012 edition was supported by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).