The Order of Merit for the People with a Gold Star was an award given to individuals in the former Yugoslavia for their achievements in strengthening the state, civil defence, national security and independence, as well as in the fields of economy, science and culture. It was officially established by the Act on Orders and Medals, which was adopted by the Anti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) on 9 June 1945. Until 1961, it was known as Order of Merits for the People, 1st class. It was designed by the painter Đorđe Andrejević Kun. With the order, the recipient received a red ribbon bar with a single blue stripe down the centre, which was worn in place of the order on certain uniforms
In the former Yugoslavia, 4,668 such honours were awarded. One of the recipients was Boris Šnuderl, who received the award in 1978 for his contribution to the Treaty of Osimo. It was signed in November 1975 and established the state border between Italy and Yugoslavia under international law. Up to that point, this had still been the only unresolved border issue in post-war Europe. Although President Josip Broz Tito and Foreign Minister Miloš Minić played the leading roles in decision-making, it was the Slovenian diplomats, led by Boris Šnuderl, who took the lead in the negotiations.
