Washington, Aug 13 - President Barack Obama has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour, to 16 people who have made a difference in the nation and the world.

Among the four foreign winners was Bangladesh's Muhammed Yunus, the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who pioneered a way to lift people out of poverty through a community banking programme that gives small loans to entrepreneurs with no collateral.

The list of recipients includes activists, scientists, actors, humanitarians and athletes. They are all agents of change, Obama said at a White House ceremony Wednesday.

'They remind us that we each have it within our power to fulfil dreams, to advance the dreams of others, and to remake the world for our children,' he said.

'With his belief in the self-reliance of all people, Professor Muhammad Yunus has altered the face of finance and entrepreneurship. As an academic, he struggled with pervading economic theories and their effects on the people of his native Bangladesh,' the White House citation said.