Facing the worst often brings the best out of people, so through my work I meet outstanding individuals from all walks of life. But never before had I had a chance to meet a living legend, so I was excited to visit Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the symbol of democratic aspirations for millions in her country and all around the world.

I went to her home in Yangon. It is the same home in which The Lady (as she is known to her compatriots) spent most of the 15 years during which she was under house arrest, and from where she spoke to the whole world when she was finally released ten months ago. I entered the gate I had seen on TV so many times – the first EU commissioner to be allowed to visit. And then there she was, a gentle woman with a will of steel, and a mind focused not on the dark past but on the chance for a brighter future.

Few people today embody principles as much as Aung San Suu Kyi does. Principles are also the motor of humanitarian work, which is why I met her. We talked about the pressing daily needs of the people of Myanmar – schools, hospitals and roads. We talked about the wounds of conflicts in border areas, the tragedies caused by natural disasters and the difficulty of humanitarians to access the communities which need relief. We also spoke about the big picture – the glaring need for development, and the difficult road to building functioning institutions. Myanmar has substantial natural resources and huge human potential – no country so rich should have people so vulnerable and poor.

But to change their fortunes requires profound change in direction for Myanmar – towards democracy, economic reforms and the rule of law. In a society with so many minorities, and so little trust in the government, only an icon like Aung San Suu Kyi can serve as a unifier of the people and as a bridge to the rest of the world.

She is ready to play her role, and hopeful this may be possible. As someone who has lived under an oppressive regime in Bulgaria, where change long seemed unthinkable and who saw it happen after all, I also recognized the signs of change in Myanmar. Of course, I read them with caution, and even more so does Aung San Suu Kyi. Her country has lived in isolation and repression for so long, that just hearing the right words is not enough. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Seeing action. Seeing change. Seeing Aung San Suu Kyi in her rightful place as part of Myanmar’s democratic transformation. In the case of my work, seeing more humanitarian access and less human suffering.

Whenever I meet selfless people, dedicated to the improvement of others, I am more hopeful for the future of the world. I carried this hope when I left through the familiar gate, now open to Aung San Suu Kyi and her friends to come and go. The people of Myanmar – and the rest of us – are so lucky to have her. May she succeed in her aspiration to make her country a better place for all.

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Tags: Asia, Burma/Myanmar, disasters, Humanitarian Aid