Singer Cat Stevens is to receive a Man for Peace award from former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Wednesday.
The 57-year-old, who was refused entry to the US on national security grounds, will accept the honour at a ceremony in Rome tomorrow.
The Gorbachev Foundation, which gives the award annually, said it was for his dedication to promote peace, the reconciliation of people and to condemn terrorism.
The singer converted to Islam and changed his name to Yusuf Islam in the 1970s.
Past winners of the award include Italian actor-director Roberto Benigni.
A spokeswoman for the Foundation said Stevens was being honoured for his work as the chairman of charity Small Kindness to alleviate the suffering of thousands of children and their parents in countries including Kosovo, Bosnia and Iraq.
Stevens had a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s including 'Wild World' and 'Morning Has Broken'.
He abandoned his music career in 1977 when he converted to Islam.
