Five hundred forty-seven individuals have been bestowed with France’s highest national accolades this year. The new civilian appointments to the Legion of Honor were publicized on January 1st in the Official Journal.
This acknowledgment is notable not only for its commitment to gender balance—half the recipients are women—but also for its reflection of the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact. The list includes all members of the scientific council advising the government during the health crisis, alongside Mohamed Abdelatif, vice-president of the French Red Cross.
Agnès Buzyn, former Minister of Health and now executive director at the World Health Organization Academy, has been elevated to Knight of the Legion of Honor. She stepped down in February 2020 to pursue the Paris mayoral race, before facing indictment in September 2021 by the Court of Justice of the Republic for “Endangering the lives of others” in her handling of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Numerous elected officials and public servants honored
This latest bestowal of honors, the final one during Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term, significantly features public sector employees (30% of recipients), notably recognizing Bruno Lasserre, vice-president of the Council of State, with the rank of Grand Officer.
The roster also includes many current and former officeholders and high-ranking civil servants. Among them is Gérard Collomb, former Interior Minister under Edouard Philippe and former mayor of
