Former President of Ireland and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, centre, congratulates actor and diplomat, Sidney Poitier, left, after he received the Medal of Freedom from United States President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room at the White House on 12 August 2009. Fellow recipients looking on are Archbishop Desmond Tutu, right, and back row, left to right are: Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Chita Rivera, Dr. Janet Davison Rowley, and Muhammad Yunus. The medal is the highest civilian honour in the United States.