The eleventh edition of the Taburiente Awards, held at the Teatro Leal in La Laguna, began with a moving minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the tragic railway accident in Toledo. With the theatre almost completely full, hundreds of people gathered for an evening marked by solidarity, remembrance and heartfelt condolences for those affected by the tragedy.
Organised by the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation, this year’s ceremony once again recognised individuals and organisations whose achievements extend far beyond their respective professional fields, leaving a lasting impact on society.
The awards brought together leading figures from culture, journalism, humanitarian action, international health, politics, business, literature, music and the arts. Despite their diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, the recipients shared a common commitment to making a difference through their work.
Whether through defending human rights, advancing scientific research, promoting culture, preserving traditions or encouraging dialogue, each of the honourees has demonstrated an ability to inspire change, challenge conventions and champion causes that transcend personal achievement.
Presented annually by the philanthropic foundation associated with DIARIO DE AVISOS, the oldest newspaper in the Canary Islands, the Taburiente Awards have become a celebration of excellence, originality, leadership and social responsibility. The national and international distinctions recognise people whose careers and contributions have set an example within their fields while encouraging others to pursue positive change.
An evening honouring humanitarian work, culture, science and leadership
The first distinction of the evening, the Jury’s Special Mention, was awarded to Open Arms, the humanitarian organisation dedicated to rescuing and protecting migrants undertaking dangerous sea crossings. Its founder and director, Óscar Camps, accepted the award in recognition of the organisation’s work saving lives along migration routes in the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Through its rescue operations, Open Arms has brought international attention to the dangers faced by people fleeing conflict, persecution and hardship in search of safety and opportunity.
The second award went to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose presence in Tenerife carried particular significance following the health emergency linked to the hantavirus outbreak reported in May.
His recognition celebrated not only his international leadership in public health but also the importance of cooperation and solidarity in responding to global health challenges.
The third recipient was Elsa Punset, the philosopher and writer widely recognised for her work exploring emotions, human relationships and the psychological resources people need to confront fear, uncertainty and adversity.
Her career has focused on helping people understand their emotional lives and develop practical tools for navigating the challenges of contemporary society. The fourth award was presented to the Isla Calavera Festival, which has established itself as an important cultural event since its creation in 2017.
Over the years, the festival has welcomed internationally renowned figures, Academy Award winners and prominent personalities from Spanish cinema, strengthening Tenerife’s position as a meeting point for filmmakers, performers and audiences.
Business excellence was recognised through José Ignacio Hernández, whose leadership of the Jesuman Group has made the company one of the Canary Islands’ major distribution businesses. With almost five decades of professional experience, Hernández used his acceptance speech to express gratitude to his family for their unwavering support throughout his career.
Music then took centre stage with Domingo Rodríguez, known as El Colorao, one of the most influential figures in traditional Canarian music. His award recognised a lifetime devoted to preserving, promoting and revitalising the sound of the timple, an instrument deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the Canary Islands.
The seventh award of the evening went to Josep Borrell, whose extensive political and diplomatic career has spanned more than four decades. Borrell has held some of the most prominent positions in Spanish and European politics, including government minister, President of the European Parliament and the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
In his diplomatic role, he dealt with major international crises, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and escalating tensions in the Middle East. Journalism was also represented among the award winners through Carmelo Rivero, whose relationship with the profession began at an exceptionally early age.
Rivero published his first articles in La Tarde when he was just twelve years old. Together with his brother Martín, he wrote under the joint byline Carmelo Martín for publications including El País, Diario de Barcelona and Triunfo. His career also included the founding of La Gaceta de Canarias, consolidating his contribution to the development of journalism in the archipelago.
The next distinction went to Noah Higón, a Valencian writer and public speaker who lives with seven rare diseases. Rather than allowing her personal circumstances to define the limits of her ambitions, Higón has transformed her experiences into a platform for raising awareness of rare conditions and campaigning for greater investment in scientific and medical research.
Her work has helped highlight the challenges faced by patients whose illnesses remain poorly understood and for whom effective treatments are often limited. Comedian Aarón Gómez was the penultimate recipient of the evening.
His award recognised a versatile career that combines acting, television presenting, comedy and digital content creation, through which he has established a distinctive presence in the Canary Islands’ entertainment industry.
The final award went to singer-songwriter Ismael Serrano, one of the most prominent voices in contemporary Spanish singer-songwriter music. His recognition brought the eleventh edition of the Taburiente Awards to a close, concluding an evening that celebrated talent, perseverance, cultural expression and commitment to society.
The ceremony was supported by the Port Authority; the town councils of Adeje, Arona, La Laguna and Santa Cruz de Tenerife; the Island Councils of La Palma and Tenerife; CaixaBank; the Camper Group; Hospiten; and the Canary Islands Tourism Board of the regional government.
Lucas Fernández: “It is always worth taking action, standing up for your convictions and never giving up”
One of the evening’s most powerful addresses was delivered by Lucas Fernández, president of the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation and the Plató del Atlántico Group. His speech went beyond the celebration of individual achievements to offer a broader reflection on the challenges facing humanity, the responsibilities of democratic societies and the urgent need to defend the values that underpin peaceful coexistence.
Fernández addressed armed conflicts, the climate crisis, the erosion of democratic principles and the growing threats to social cohesion. He began by recalling one of the most emotional moments of the previous edition of the Taburiente Awards, when the Foundation presented a special distinction to children who had become victims of war.
“There are moments when an honour, an award, ceases to be a mere accolade and becomes an imperative of conscience,” he said. His words established the tone for a speech in which humanitarian concerns and moral responsibility occupied a central place.
The Foundation’s president paid particular tribute to the thousands of children who have lost their lives in Gaza, condemning the continued violence and the suffering inflicted on innocent civilians. He also referred to the bombing of a school in Iran on 28 February, citing figures of more than 150 girls and 14 teachers killed in the attack.
For Fernández, such tragedies illustrate the consequences of a world in which the protection of human life and fundamental rights is too often subordinated to political and strategic interests. His reflections then turned towards the state of democratic societies and the gradual weakening of the principles on which they depend.
He warned that the erosion of shared values threatens not only social cohesion but also the institutions responsible for defending democratic freedoms. Journalism, he argued, is not immune to these pressures. In one of the most critical passages of his address, Fernández questioned the direction taken by parts of the media industry, suggesting that commercial interests increasingly risk overshadowing journalism’s fundamental responsibility to serve the public.
He expressed concern that some media organisations appear more focused on satisfying those who finance their operations than on fulfilling their essential role of informing society independently and responsibly. The remarks carried particular weight coming from the head of one of the Canary Islands’ leading multimedia groups.
Fernández reaffirmed the commitment of the media organisations belonging to the Plató del Atlántico Group to the principles that guide the DIARIO DE AVISOS Foundation, including independence, social responsibility and the defence of fundamental human values.
He also urged both individuals and institutions to recognise their responsibility to act before the consequences of political, social and environmental decisions become irreversible. “Perhaps the greatest moral challenge of our time is not learning to rebuild from the ruins, but having the courage to prevent disaster from occurring in the first place,” he declared.
The Foundation’s president then turned his attention to the award recipients, describing them as examples of perseverance, courage and the ability to transform their convictions into meaningful action. Their careers, he said, demonstrate that individual commitment can produce results far beyond the original ambitions of those who undertake it.
He stressed that the Taburiente Awards were created not merely to recognise talent or professional success, but to acknowledge the wider contribution that individuals and institutions can make to the advancement of society. For Fernández, the honourees embody the conviction that it is always worth taking action, defending one’s principles and refusing to give up in the face of adversity.
“None of us chose the complex era in which we find ourselves living. However, it is within our power to decide by which values we wish to be remembered,” he reflected. He concluded with an appeal for collective responsibility and the courage to translate words into action. “Let’s make things happen. It is still in our hands.”
Josep Borrell: “We used to think that peace was the natural state of affairs, but the world is increasingly rife with conflict”
Former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell used his acceptance speech to reflect on Europe’s place in an increasingly unstable world, warning that peace, democracy and prosperity cannot be taken for granted.
Drawing on his decades of experience in Spanish and European politics, including his time as President of the European Parliament and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Borrell spoke about the changing balance of global power and the responsibilities that accompany Europe’s privileged position.
He began by emphasising how fortunate Europeans are to live in societies characterised by relative peace, freedom and prosperity. At the same time, he warned that Europe’s demographic decline and ageing population present profound challenges for the continent’s future.
Borrell pointed out that Europeans now account for only around five per cent of the world’s population, compared with approximately 25 per cent in the aftermath of the Second World War, according to the figures he cited. This demographic transformation, he suggested, places Europe in an unusual position: prosperous and influential, yet increasingly vulnerable.
“We are becoming fewer in number and older, which places us in a special position – one that is both vulnerable and responsible,” he observed. He noted that Europe remains among the world’s wealthiest and most prosperous regions, a position that carries responsibilities towards people living in less fortunate circumstances.
At the same time, he linked Europe’s demographic challenges to migration, arguing that those who reach European shores in search of a better life are also part of the continent’s changing future. Borrell then turned to the wars and humanitarian crises he had witnessed during his diplomatic career.
His experiences in Ukraine and the Middle East, he explained, had profoundly shaped his understanding of humanity’s capacity for violence.
“I have seen the trenches in Ukraine and what is happening in the Middle East at close quarters,” he said, acknowledging that such experiences had left him with a degree of pessimism about what human beings are capable of doing to one another.
The return of war to Europe’s borders, he argued, has challenged assumptions that many Europeans had come to regard as permanent. For decades, peace had increasingly been perceived as the natural condition of European societies. Yet recent events have demonstrated how fragile that assumption can be.
“We thought that peace was the natural state of affairs and that we had returned to it, but the reality is that the world is increasingly rife with conflict,” he warned. Borrell referred to 56 active wars worldwide, a figure he presented as evidence of the scale of contemporary instability.
He argued that violence and conflict remain deeply embedded in human affairs, making the protection of peace an ongoing political and moral responsibility. In his view, the answer lies in strengthening the rule of law and the institutions that allow societies to resolve disputes without resorting to violence.
“To curb violence and conflict, we need the rule of law and more organised societies,” he said. He contrasted the insecurity experienced in many parts of the world with the freedoms and stability enjoyed across much of Europe. “Nowhere else in the world are people freer, or do they live in such peace and prosperity as in Europe,” he maintained.
However, Borrell cautioned that these achievements must be actively defended rather than assumed to be permanent. His international experience, he explained, had repeatedly exposed him to the suffering caused by conflict, displacement and political instability.
“When you travel the world, you see the open wound that is humanity,” he reflected. For that reason, he urged Europeans to appreciate the institutions, freedoms and social arrangements that make peaceful coexistence possible. His final appeal centred on the need to protect democracy from becoming an instrument of permanent confrontation and division.
“Let us make that effort so that democracy is not synonymous with division, but with thinking about the future and shaping it in peace.” His speech offered a sober reminder that the values celebrated by the Taburiente Awards – solidarity, responsibility and commitment to the common good – are particularly important at a time of growing international uncertainty.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “Solidarity is our best immunity”
The Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, transformed the presentation of the International Concord Award into a moving tribute to the people of Tenerife and their response to an international health emergency.
Speaking at the eleventh edition of the Taburiente Awards, Tedros emphasised that the distinction was not his alone to receive. Instead, he dedicated it to the society that had demonstrated compassion and humanity during the difficult circumstances surrounding the health emergency involving the MV Hondius.
“I owe this award to the people of Tenerife,” he declared. The WHO Director-General recalled the events of last May, when a hantavirus outbreak aboard the vessel prompted its crew to seek assistance from the Spanish and Canarian authorities. The ship needed a safe port where its passengers could receive appropriate medical attention. The situation, he explained, was marked by considerable uncertainty.
Those on board included people who were ill, frightened and far from home, while the authorities and residents of Tenerife faced understandable concerns about the potential health risks involved in receiving the vessel. Tedros acknowledged that the request for assistance had not been straightforward and that the prospect of a possible outbreak raised legitimate questions among the island’s population.
“Many of you were concerned. You wondered whether the virus might spread and whether your island was being exposed to a risk it should not have to bear,” he recalled. Rather than dismissing those fears, the WHO Director-General stressed that concern in the face of an infectious disease outbreak is a natural human response. What distinguishes societies, he argued, is not whether people experience fear, but how they respond to it.
“Feeling fear in the face of an epidemic outbreak is not selfishness. It is human. What matters is how we act afterwards. And what you did was extraordinary.” The statement captured the central message of his address: that compassion, cooperation and the willingness to help others are essential during public health emergencies.
Drawing on his experience leading the WHO, Tedros spoke of the dangers that fear and division can create when communities are confronted with unfamiliar health threats. During outbreaks, he noted, anxiety can lead to mistrust, exclusion and a reluctance to offer assistance to those who need it most.
Yet the response he witnessed in Tenerife offered a different example. He praised the island’s willingness to place humanity and solidarity at the centre of its response, even when the situation involved uncertainty and potential risks. For Tedros, the events demonstrated the importance of collective responsibility and the ability of communities to act with compassion during moments of crisis.
He emphasised that public health depends not only on medical expertise, scientific knowledge and effective institutions, but also on the relationships of trust and cooperation that allow societies to respond together. The lesson, he suggested, extends far beyond the particular circumstances of the MV Hondius emergency.
In a world where infectious diseases can cross borders and health crises can affect communities thousands of miles apart, international cooperation remains indispensable. The WHO Director-General condensed this message into the phrase that became the defining statement of his speech.
“Solidarity is our best immunity.” His words brought together the humanitarian principles underpinning the International Concord Award and the broader spirit of the Taburiente Awards.
By dedicating the recognition to the people of Tenerife, Tedros placed the island’s response to the health emergency at the heart of an evening devoted to those whose actions demonstrate the value of compassion, responsibility and service to others.
The tribute also reinforced one of the ceremony’s central themes: that meaningful progress depends not only on individual excellence, but on the willingness of people and institutions to act together in pursuit of a more humane and equitable world.
