List of Foreign recipients of the Ordre national du Mérite

The Ordre national du Mérite (National Order of Merit) is an Order of State with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The Order was established to replace the large number of ministerial orders previously awarded by numerous ministries, and to create an award for French citizens as well as foreign nationals for distinguished civil or military achievements, though of a lesser level than that required for the award of the Légion d'honneur.

Albania

• Ferit Hoxha

Australia

Grand Officer;

• Penelope Wensley Australian state governor

Knight;

• Tina Arena Singer-songwriter, recording artist, musical theatre actress, record producer.
• [{Chris Perrin]} Australian Naval Veteran, Investiture 25 April 2014

Commander;

• Vice Admiral Russ Crane, former Chief of the Australian Navy

Austria

• Felix Ermacora Austrian politician and human rights expert.

Brazil

• Prof. Nelson Maculan Filho, D.H.R., Brazilian scientist

Canada

• Roméo LeBlanc Former Governor General.
• Marlène Harnois Olympic medalist.

Haiti

• Gary Victor (2001) award-winning writer, playwright

India

Officier

• Villoo Morawala-Patell (2008)

Indonesia

• Muchtarudin Siregar Former Secretary General of Ministry of Transportation.

Ireland

Chevalier

• Professor Kathleen O'Flaherty (1972), Academic. Writer and Professor of French at University College Cork.

Kenya

Commander

• Dr.Njoroge Mungai Kenya Foreign Affairs Minister and Businessman

Lebanon

Officier

• Adnan Kassar
• General shamel roukoz

Chevalier/Knight

• Nada Sardouk
• Nora Joumblatt

Malaysia

Chevalier / Knight

• Alvin Michael Hew (2004) - L'Oreal Managing Director Malaysia & Taiwan - awarded by President Jacques Chirac
• SM Nasarudin SM Nasimuddin - NAZA bizman.

Commander

• Airasia CEO Tony Fernandes

Mexico

Grand Officier

• Lic. Víctor Manuel Villaseñor (1970), Mexican politician and industrialist. He manufactured Renault automobiles in Mexico from 1960 to 1970.

Officier

• Mr. Ángel Barraza y del Toro (1975) Commercial attaché to the Mexican embassy in France from 1974 to 1975 awarded under registry seal Nº 40 E 76

New Zealand

Officier

• Professor Keith Val Sinclair, New Zealand born academic and Professor of French at the James Cook University of North Queensland.

Chevalier

• Mr Reece Discombe (1966), New Zealand engineer and diver for re-locating Comte de la Perouse’s two lost vessels in 1962. He was awarded by President Charles de Gaulle in 1966.
• Mr Dermot Neill (1979).
• Mr Robert Kingscote (1982).
• Mr Lloyd Upton (1997).
• Ms Beverley Randell Price (2005), in recognition of her role in the development of relations and friendship between New Zealand and France by offering Randell Cottage as a writer’s residence.
• Professor Jocelyn Harris (2006), French Honorary Consul to Dunedin.
• Ms Martine Marshall-Durieux (2008), High School French teacher and President of the Alliances Francaises of Christchurch.
• Ms Frances James (2010), French teacher and journalist in recognition of work to present a positive image of France and awaken people’s interest and love for that country.
• Ms Judith Trotter CMNZ (2010), New Zealand’s Ambassador to France from 1987 to 1992, and chair of the France-New Zealand Friendship Fund from 2002 to 2008.
• Ms Marie Brown (2010), teacher of French and French literature from 1977 and especially president of the Alliances Francaises of Wellington from 2002 to 2004.
• Mrs Stephanie Richards (2011), for contributions to the strengthening of ties between France and New Zealand, especially during her time as the head of Thales NZ.

Netherlands

• King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

Niger

• Mariama Hima, ambassador of Niger in France between 1996 an 2003

Norway

• Queen Sonja of Norway.

Pakistan

• Riaz Piracha - Foreign Secretary of Pakistan.
• Major General Rehmat Khan.
• Commodore Suhail Hameed.

Portugal

Chevalier

• Rogerio Walter Carreira, Directeur ALSTOM au Mozambique

Romania

Chevalier

• Radu Mircea Berceanu

Saudi Arabia

Grand Officier

• Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Senegal

• Léopold Sédar Senghor Poet, politician, and cultural theorist.

Serbia

Commander

• Pavle Janković, Diplomat.

Officer

• Ivan Vejvoda, Social scientist.
• Colonel Slavoljub Dabić, Former military attache in Paris.

Knight

• Predrag Marić, Civil servant.
• Colonel Vojislav Krstović, Military officer.
• Nataša Vučković, Parliamentarian.
• Dubravka Stojanović, Historian.

South Africa

• Rear Admiral Paul Alexander Wijnberg

Spain

• Juan Carlos I of Spain.

Sweden

• Henrik Ekstrand.

Thailand

• Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Naradhiwas.

United Arab Emirates

• Jamal Sanad Al-Suwaidi, Director-general of the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.

United Kingdom

• John Barbirolli Conductor and cellist.
• John McManners Clergyman and historian of religion.
• Sir John Chalstrey Surgeon and former Lord Mayor of London
• Capt. John Colin Rye, R.A. M.D. of Compagnie Française de l'Afrique Occidentale, U.K. Branch.
• Ann Kenrick Secretary-General, Franco-British Council
• Ian Reed Director, Allied Air Forces Memorial

United States

• William Bergman, US Army LtColonel, Diplomat, Scholar.
• Wesley Clark, US Army General.
• Bruce Jackson, US scholar.
• James L. Jones, USMC General.
• Theodor Meron, President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, President of the Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals, Scholar, Judge.
• Sumner Shapiro, RADM, USN.
• Anthony Zinni, USMC General.
• Chris Braun, adVINture, USA
• Martha Carolyn Matheny, The World Bank and IMF, received July 7, 2014
• Thomas A. Benes, Major General, USMC, received 26 January 2007

Yugoslavia

• Marshal Josip Broz Tito.
• Jovanka Broz.
• Asllan Fazlija.