Remise de la médaille de l'Ordre National du Mérite à Luc Hardy par François Delattre.

Mon cher Luc, chère Marie, chère Aïnoa, madame la conseillère culturelle, chère Bénédicte, qui est ici, et qui est de Mont-Laure. C'est ainsi que notre, I know that our consultero, qui a

aussi

essayé de nous rejoindre. Bienvenue

à France,

bienvenue à France,

mais

c'est sûr. Soon to be ambassador, it's not a secret, chère Bénédicte, congratulations. Dear friends, it's such a pleasure and privilege to welcome you here all tonight to the French mission to the UN, as we honor our dear friend Luc Hardy, a veteran French-American entrepreneur,

a

passionate explorer and environmental advocate, Anne Taimé, an extraordinary individual whom I'm honored to consider a friend. I would like to extend a warm welcome to Luc's family and friends who are joining us here this evening to express their support and admiration with a special word of appreciation to his dear wife, Mary, our co-hero this evening, if I may. And of course their daughter, Aïnoa, and Aïnoa will also raise her hands. As you know, the national order of merit, that I'm going to discuss on Luc in a few minutes, is one of France's very highest distinctions.

It was established by General de Gaulle in 1963 to reward major services rendered to France on the basis of personal merit. I don't resist mentioning General de Gaulle to tell you the story about President Kennedy and Madame Kennedy going to France for a state visit a long time ago. And for whatever reason, Madame Kennedy was very much impressed and intimidated by General de Gaulle.

So here she comes, Jackie Kennedy, stark, here she comes, and he said to General de Gaulle, Mon général, and she wanted to break the ice in the world, Mon général, you know I have French roots, and she was expecting a kind of warm American welcome, and General de Gaulle, Louvre, only looked at her and said, I have two,

Madame.

So

welcome. Mon cher Louis, before presenting you with the insignia,

I would like to take a moment to retrace your truly unique and fascinating journey. You were born in Lyon, in 1956, when your father was fashioned here.

But

your true origins are in Brittany, near Saint Valo, where you spent most of your early years

when

not studying in Paris.

You

had quite a cosmopolitan childhood,

in

no small part, thanks to your father,

who

was in the military.

After

serving in Vietnam,

which

was then part of

French

and China,

you

traveled a lot for his various assignments.

With

him, you developed a particular interest in photography and stamps,

as

well as a passion for travel.

During

the summer of your baccalaureate at 18, you drove from Paris to Greece, through the former Yugoslavia.

Your

brilliant academic achievements got you into Central Paris, one of France's very top engineering schools and one of the very top engineering schools in the world. And

at Central,

and I know that several of you also went to Central, you did your two internships in Nigeria and then South Africa.

This

passion for travel has become very much part of your DNA, and it goes hand in hand within insatiable curiosity. Intellectual curiosity, for sure, but also a curiosity about unknown countries, and first and foremost, curiosity about people. And I'm glad also to welcome Marie Monique Steckel,

the

head of the French Institute of Alliance Francaise, who joined us.

You

love people.

You

simply love people who love you right back. And altruism and serving others are second nature for you, mon cherub.

You've

had a remarkable career path,

and

I could speak volumes about it.

You

got your start at Colgate-Palmolive

in

1979,

and

were recruited two years later by Mars & Co., an international consulting firm where you worked on the American, European, and Asian markets. You soon, very soon, actually discovered a taste, a taste for entrepreneurship.

And

in 1987, you founded your old venture capital company, Sagax,

if

I pronounce correctly, based here in New York, with branches in Paris and Silicon Valley. The company was a great success story from beginning, and specializes in financing start-ups and innovative projects, particularly in the internet and high-tech world.

This

is how you became an angel investor,

and

as I said,

a

veteran French-American entrepreneur,

reminding

us all

that

entrepreneur is a French word.

You

have been

advising innovative

start-ups for almost

30

years,

with

an emphasis on French tech start-ups, willing and able to expand into the American market.

Over

the years, more than 100 entrepreneurs have benefited from your advice, and have literally created thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of value.

But

this spectacular success

was

not enough for you. At heart, you are an eco-adventurer,

an

explorer,

and,

as I said, an environmental advocate. When you are not relaxing in your teepee in Connecticut, you pursue the personal goal of traveling extensively across the globe, photographing and reporting from remote places,

in

order to raise awareness for global causes.

It's

your secret garden, or rather, your secret ice flow.

Over

the years, you have led several expeditions, indeed, in polar and glacier regions, combining your travels with meaningful research.

To

mention just a few,

actually,

I could mention really a lot,

but

to mention just a few, otherwise you would not come again if I'm too long. In 2003, you went to Antarctica to highlight the region's importance as a regulator of global weather systems. In 2007, you led a team of scientists to Greenland to explore the effects of climate change on local wildlife. Other expeditions included the Himalayas in 2009, and an expedition to the North Pole in 2011,

with

a focus on Greenland.

Speaking

of Greenland, and there is really no relationship, I would also like to greet my dear friend, the ambassador of Morocco, who is here with us this evening. Mon cher Omar, thank you very, very much for sharing this very important moment with us. And I know Luc and you have been friends for

a

lot of years.

In

the fall of 2014,

you

led a nine-person expedition in the Antarctic Ocean,

in

the footsteps of one of the greatest legends of the golden age of polar exploration, Sir Ernest Shackleton.

In

1914, for those of you who may have

a

doubt about Sir Shackleton's

action, in

1914, after the sinking of his ship, the Endurance,

this

hero saved his entire crew

from

certain death.

One

hundred years later,

your

expedition brought to the heart of the Antarctic, nine adventurers from very different backgrounds, but with a common passion for testing the limits. They experienced, you experienced, an extraordinary adventure.

Based

on this expedition, you co-authored and produced a wonderful film,

The

Pursuit of Endurance,

which

premiered at the focus of French cinema festival in Greenwich in April 2015,

and

was then screened at several prestigious

film festivals in France and in the US. And I had the privilege of attending each screening at the

UN here in New York on the eve of the opening of the General Assembly in September 2015. The screening was both a tremendous success and a very powerful and moving experience. Many of you were here, and I'm glad to see Catherine and Etienne Lamerez and many others representing the Greenwich Festival that I so much admire.

Most

of the expeditions you've led have included children

who

serve as youth ambassadors and witnesses to the dramatic climate changes occurring in these regions.

Indeed,

your commitments and your efforts are focused on bearing witness

to

the devastating impacts of the global warming.

This

is probably the fight of your life, amassing scientific proof through off-the-ground observation and thereby convincing policymakers

to

take the drastic measures that need to be taken

and

that are truly imperative. The success of the Paris Climate Conference this past December, which I had the privilege to attend, is an important step in that direction. But we all know it's not enough. It's only a step.

We

must continue our giant efforts to create a low-carbon economy. This is, I believe, this

is, I believe,

one of the challenges of our generation, and this is literally a vital challenge.

In

this period, your travels have been the subject of several fascinating books, including Antarctic Adventure in 2004, Greenland Impressions in 2007, and Arctic Transitions in 2008. You're also an avid and expert photographer, as I said, who has been published in many prestigious publications and exhibitions. And a selection of your Arctic work is, under your watch, currently available online and in galleries in France and New York via Yellow Corner, if I'm not mistaken.

To

promote,

so

this is the end of my introduction, to promote awareness

of

the threats facing the Arctic and polar regions,

in

2003,

you

founded your own organization, Pax Arctica Initiative, based here in New York, whose mission is to alert the public

to

the profound climatic transformations that are affecting, again, the most sensitive regions of

the

globe.

You're

also the Secretary General

of

Green Cross International France,

the

environmental NGO founded by former Russian leader, Michael Gopachev,

and

headed by famous Jean-Michel Cousteau.

And

you're a member of the New York Explorers Club, very famous club,

and

the American Father Society.

Mon

cher Luc, I hope, I truly hope, that someday, someone will write your biography.

And

actually, I volunteer.

And

there are witnesses. Indeed, your life is simply extraordinary. Your talents and achievements, multi-faceted.

And

your commitment to serving others, whether helping high-tech entrepreneurs,

or

working to save our planet,

is

a deep source of admiration

and

inspiration

for

many, many, and certainly

for

me.

So

on behalf of France's President, and in recognition of your many accomplishments, and your commitment to French-American friendship,

it

is now my privilege to bestow upon you the insignia of Chevalier in the Legion, in the National Order of Mary. I have to say,

I have to say,

I

have to say just

a few words in French.

Before

you, applaud me. Before you, applaud

me.

Luc Hardy, au nom du président de la République, et en vertu des pouvoirs qui me sont conférés,

je

vous fais chevalier

dans

l'ordre national du mérite.

Being here,

I

know you had some of you to shorten your vacation to be here tonight, or to meet the second half of the soccer game. So thank you all. It's just an excuse for

gathering

a few friends and wishing one another a great summer. Truly, I still don't know to this day where this nomination is

coming

from.

I

assume, you know, some polar bears, or whales, or penguins somewhere. Friendly? Friendly?

Maybe

some friendly diplomats as well. So thank you, François, very much. Thank you also Bertrand, or Consul General, soon to be ambassador to Vietnam, but it's a top secret. You've been very, very helpful over the years to promote the French tech here in the US, and especially New York,

of

course, which is very dear to me and a lot of us here in this room. And also, thank you for being part of the French effort to make sure that France is a leader in the fight against climate change, both in the US and over the world. So this really came as a surprise. Truly, I should really share this honor with the hundred-plus entrepreneurs I've helped over the years, mostly French entrepreneurs. You know, some of whom have failed, but have repeatedly tried, and eventually succeeded. Also, the 25-plus interns have literally tortured all the years. The latest of whom is Eliezer, who is in the back here, in hiding.

And also the many great scientists and NGO workers and volunteers whom have had the privilege to meet in many different countries over the years. with actually a special thank also to Michel Rocard, who passed away last week, as you know, and who was the French ambassador to Florida Polo regions, whom I had the privilege to meet a few times. One of them was near the North Pole

of

all places, and we had a few chats

a

few times, meaning that he did all the talking, as you know. And last but not least, I really want to thank my family. Mary here, I know her, and we thank Georgetown by the way, who promised a great future,

I

hope. And also our daughter Flamme is in California now studying agroecology at Santa Cruz University, studying on a farm.

And

last but not least, my parents. My mom, who never took the plane, and even though I told her, you know, it's a great thing. Maybe we should do something great though, even for that.

Stay

in Paris, enjoy it. But I'm not going

to

fly ever. And my dad, as Francois mentioned, is a great inspiration

in

photography, travel, and just

making

sure the three boys we were would stay curious and open.

So thank you all again.

And I know you didn't come here to hear me talk, but you have great champagne. and the legendary French food.

So here

it is. Enjoy, and have

a great summer,

and I hope

for

the summer of you, with some of you,

wherever

you are. Thank you again.

Thank

you.

I

thought it was a few. How

does it feel? You

have

a

few 60.

I

was happy with your daughter, just in front

of

me. So I was even more impressed. I

think it's a

good question

That's

a good question. Did

you

hear me .

You get to go

. I'm

just a good question. I don't know

who you are.

I

don't know

who

you are.

I

don't know

who

you are. I

don't

know

who you are. It's really good

stuff.

I

don't

know who you are. Sous-titrage ST' 501