The medal was awarded by Croatian President Stjepan Mesic for Kandic's outstanding contribution to the restoration of ties between Croatia and Serbia after the 1991-1995 war.
"Natasa Kandic showed Croatia and other countries in the region that crimes, especially war crimes, have no nation, no religion, no race and no borders. She showed us all that, figuratively speaking, we all need to put our own houses in order first," Stanicic said at the award-giving ceremony in his Belgrade residence.
Accepting the medal, Kandic said it was a great honour to her and that it also gave credit to civil society in Serbia.
"This award and one from the City of Sarajevo have a special value because they come from the region and are a sign of hope," Kandic said, adding that it was also "a sign that Croatia can see (...) that there has always existed another Serbia that has never reconciled itself to the policy of war and crime."