Sean Penn awarded for Haiti work

Chicago - Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn has accepted an award from a gathering of Nobel Peace Prize laureates for his work in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

Penn received the 2012 Peace Summit Award on Wednesday in Chicago, where Peace Prize laureates have been gathered for a three-day summit. He said in an emotional speech that he's "humbled" by the honour.

Penn has become a major player in efforts to rebuild Haiti since the January 2010 earthquake that flattened thousands of buildings, killed more than 300 000 and left at least 1.5 million homeless.

Penn spends at least half his time in Haiti. He's CEO of the J/P Haitian Relief Organisation and is an ambassador-at-large for President Michel Martelly, the first non-Haitian to receive the designation.