Order (honour) - Orders Worldwide

Orders Worldwide

Today many countries have some form of order of merit or national decorations. Both Thailand's Order of the White Elephant and Japan's Order of the Rising Sun are over 100 years old. Canada has the Order of Canada as well as provincial orders such as the Order of Nova Scotia; Australia and New Zealand have the Order of Australia and Order of New Zealand respectively; the Order of Mapungubwe is the highest honour in South Africa, while the Orders of Luthuli, and the Baobab exist alongside other decorations. The United States awards the Medal of Honor to members of its military for particular acts of valour. The Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal are the highest awards presented by the United States to civilians. The Legion of Merit is the only United States decoration which may be issued in award degrees (much like an Order of chivalry or certain Orders of Merit), but this is only done in the case of awards to foreign nationals (typically senior military officers or government officials). When awarded to U.S. military personnel the Legion of Merit is presented without reference to degree.

Switzerland does not award any orders, and the Swiss Constitution excludes Swiss citizens accepting orders from foreign governments from holding any sort of public office.

In 1974 the Cabinet of Sweden passed a regulation forbidding the Monarch of Sweden from awarding membership in orders to Swedish citizens. This did not formally abolish the orders themselves, but today only the Royal Orders of the Seraphim and the Polar Star (both established in 1748) continue to be awarded, and only to foreign citizens and stateless individuals. In 1995 this regulation was altered, allowing the Monarch to bestow the two remaining active Orders to members of the Swedish Royal Family.

Modern orders are usually open to all citizens of a particular country, regardless of status, sex, race or creed (although some countries require their citizens to have reached a certain age before becoming eligible). Nominations are either made by private citizens, or by government officials, depending on the country. Once awarded, an order may be revoked if the individual dies, commits a crime, or renounces citizenship. Rarely, a dissident is named for an award, and due to personal beliefs refuses to accept it.