Luxembourg Peace Prize
Luxembourg Peace Prize
Each year, since 2012, the Schengen Peace Foundation and the World Peace Forum award the Luxembourg Peace Prize, an award that honors the outstanding in the field of peace. The categories of the Luxembourg Peace Prize and their celebration amplify the aims and goals of the World Peace Forum.
Luxembourg Peace Prize Awardee 2025
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Luxembourg Peace Prize Awardee 2024
Federico Mayor Zaragoza
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Professor Mr. Federico Mayor Zaragoza has been a pioneer for peace activism on the global scale. He was the former head of UNESCO from 1987 until 1999. He was Minister of Education and Science from 1981 to 1982.Under Kofi Anan’s tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations, Professor Mayor served as the co-president for the UN High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC). This alliance aimed to end extremism by increasing intercultural and religious cooperation and communication. He led the mission to “build a bastion of peace in the minds of all people”. He carried forward this mission into his future positions in the Inter Press Services(IPS), Co-President for the UN High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) and President of the International Commission against the Death Penalty.He has been awarded multiple honorary doctorate degrees, the Madre Terra by the ONES Mediterránia Awards and by the Governing Council of the Junta de Andalucía in 2008.“What we have to do is to get involved, to make possible a future in which the social gap disappears, in which the word is used instead of the power.”
Loving World
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
David and Naomi Geffen, founders of Loving World, and the creators and authors of Loving Classroom, were inspired by a vision to build a loving world. How? By training teachers globally to cultivate loving classrooms built on 8 virtues: Respect, Compassion, Listening, Kindness, Gratitude, Love, Friendship and Care.Loving Classroom provides practical tools and experiential learning for students and teachers to get to the heart of the challenges they face, through its unique 4H methodology. Loving Classroom was piloted in Gauteng South Africa, through the leadership of Thulani Makhoba, Loving Classroom South Africa’s Director, and in collaboration with the Gauteng Department of Education. The results were profound: the independent evaluations showed the true effectiveness of Loving Classroom to realize sustainable change in the lives of students, teachers and the school. Incidents of bullying, alcohol and drug abuse, violence, racism and late coming all reduced by more than 80%, while pass rates increased over 13%.Throughout the Loving Classroom program, students interact while learning and experiencing the 8 virtues, discovering their own strengths and appreciating the strengths of their classmates; they deepen their learning and develop social conscience and responsibility, by collaborating with each other and their teachers to create and implement community enrichment projects. Loving Dialogue is then introduced, where students choose real life issues they face and engage in loving dialogue to explore new ways to work together to solve these problems. They live and relate from their internal empowerment, developed throughout the Loving Classroom program. They become the change.Loving World has received requests to implement the Loving Classroom program in Spain, France, Ireland, Hong Kong, Poland, Germany, the United States, Mexico, India, China, Jordan, and Egypt, supporting its plans for global scaling.
Mobaderoon
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Mobaderoon started working in Syria in 2010 before the war started to promote leadership and active citizenship.When the war started, Mobaderoon was able to maintain neutrality and support youth in different areas in the country. It started its peacebuilding program in 2013 “the peace ambassadors”. The organisation was able to promote diversity and mutual understanding between diverse Syrian and multiple backgrounds and political orientations.Mobaderoon supports more than 180 social action projects in Syria, and more than 24 grassroots organisations working towards peace building. Mobaderoon was the first organisation to talk about peacebuilding in Syria in 2013 and it promoted the concept in the country, motivating and advocating for accepting each other and working together for the future of Syria.Mobaderoon follows – in all of its work – approaches developed to empower individuals and groups with specialized knowledge that fits their local needs and enables them to activate their roles within their communities and their various fields of work.“The environment is like walking on a minefield. These mines could be societal, political or related to the security of individuals. [Which is why] justice is imperative in the peacebuilding process.”
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Center for European Women's Studies
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Centre d’Estudis de les Dones d’Europa (CEDE), is an organization that promotes gender equality, and human rights. It is private, but acts in the interest of the public. It provides real solutions to problems that exist in society, with a success rate of 90% to 100%. It is aimed at companies, educational centers and institutions, with a human centric approach. They tackle these issues with a full 360° process: engaging in legal, economic, labor, mental health and emotional wellbeing, communication and educational support. Their mission is to “Build a better world alongside people.”Their programmes in operation are: “Woman Reinvent Yourself”, an emergency plan for covid in Catalonia targeting women entrepreneurs, freelancers and business owners. With support from the Generalitat de Catalunya, it gives aid in the form of strategic and process consulting. Using this program women entrepreneurs and business owners can augment their businesses via a tailor made improvement plan.CEDE has many professional programs designed to support women, “Woman Grows Up”, and men and women indiscriminately, “People Grow”. These programs give career advice and professional mentoring.The “Giving Voice” program gives access to the media sector through internships and jobs in management positions. Inserting people with disabilities or who have faced ageism into the labor market.‘Make Way’ & ‘Seduction of Talent’ targets university students by offering them real internship opportunities in managerial positions and giving access to a younger workforce for the company.CEDE also has a range of non professional support programs, including: “Sport & Women” , “Gives Health”, “School of Equity, Diversity and Gender” and “Give Human Rights” to support victims of war, human trafficking, abuse, gender-based violence, workplace harassment and single-parent families to restore their personal dignity through legal, psychological and employment support.CEDE uses artificial intelligence as a lever for change with a data driven approach. They also carry out studies and publish articles to spread awareness of the gender divide, how we can combat it, and to make the world a better world for all people.
Nadia Alexandria Kendall
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Nadia Alexandria Kendall, academic and activist, graduated from the Netherlands with an LLM in International Law and Global Governance where she did a double specialization in “Human Rights and Human Security” and “Global Sustainability and Environmental Law”. Her mission is to make Luxembourg and eventually Europe more aware and inclusive of hidden disabilities. She is the leader of the “Hidden Disability Inclusion” program at We Belong Europe. Nadia classifies Hidden Disabilities as neurological differences that are perceived as a lack of functioning and productivity. However these disabilities can be mitigated through proper accommodations and processes. This would create workspaces free of ableism creating an equal opportunity workforce. “Hidden Disability Inclusion” aims to create a safe supporting environment by assisting institutions and companies to be more inclusive as well as giving safe spaces for neurodivergent individuals. This twin sided approach creates both the short term solution of assisting people with disabilities today and the longer term creation of a world where they will not have to face hardships or prejudice due to their disabilities. All of this is to fulfill her mission and end goal to foster a neuro inclusive, resilient, and communal society.“My passion for advocacy was sparked by witnessing the disparities around me, from the forced head-covering in Iran to the precarious environments of my black and brown friends. These questions led me to delve into research and activism, ultimately aiming to create a more inclusive and just society. Activism, for me, is about amplifying marginalized voices and driving policy change to address inequalities.” – Nadia Kendall in “For Many Years From Tomorrow”
Marina Abramovic
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Marina Abramović is a Serbian Conceptual artist and performer who comes from a family of peace makers. Her parents were awarded the Order of the People’s Hero distinction by the Yugoslav government thanks to their efforts in ending the war.Continuing this legacy she has pursued the arts to raise awareness of the horrors of war and why it must end with our generation. She is now branching into the world of Web3 and NFTs to create a collection called Hero 25FPS. Showing the film The Hero (2001) in 25 Frames Per Second where each frame will be sold as an NFT. She founded the Marina Abramović institute which teaches her method and is geared towards creating an inclusive artistic process through its projects and workshops. Her work has pushed the bounds of what was considered allowed, even going to the lengths of standing still for seven hours straight each day for 3 three months in Rhythm 0 and drawing blood in Rhythm 10.She is considered a pioneer in performance art and her work is inspiring a new generation of artists to this day to cover controversial and important topics.
Salvatore Benintende
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
TVBoy, Salvatore Benintende, is an Italian neo-pop street artist. He focuses on current affairs and local icons. Having begun his street art work in 1996, he has been described as “the Banksy of Barcelona”, one of the cities, along with Milan, he is known for decorating.His style is influenced by American Pop Art, in particular by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Keith Haring, and at the same time is inspired by the work of the great artists of the past, such as Leonardo, Botticelli, Michelangelo.TVBoy’s work has been recognized by the humanitarian organization Cesvi to visit the war torn areas of Ukraine to promote positivity, peace and the unifying potential of football. His murals depict children as well as flowers and the colors of the Ukrainian flag.He is currently back in Barcelona to raise awareness of the current situation in Gaza, contributing to the “Unmute Gaza” art movement.
Peace and Sport
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2024
Peace and Sport, “L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport”, is a Monaco based organization that participates in the construction of a culture of peace, through sport.Founded in 2007 by Modern Pentathlon Olympic medallist and World Champion Joël Bouzou, Peace and Sport is placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. The organization relies on a bottom-up approach to identify challenges, good practices and needs and proposes solutions to support the implementation of high-impact programmes that use sport to build peaceful, inclusive and equitable communities.Peace and Sport calls on international decision-makers to deploy the intentional use of sport as a tool for transmitting values for peace, relying on its universality, on its role models and on field actors trained with the day-to-day needs.“Sport is a great vehicle for respect and inclusion, because its rules apply equally to everyone. Throughout sport, we can build a culture of peace within communities.” Joël Bouzou President and Founder, Peace and Sport
Luxembourg Peace Prize Awardee 2023
Ali Abu Awwad
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
We are thrilled to announce that this year the Luxembourg Peace Prize will be honoring two peace activists, one Israeli and one Palestinian, in a powerful symbolic celebration of unity and hope. It is a momentous occasion to witness these two outstanding individuals, Gershon Baskin and Ali Abu Awwad, who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace, receive their awards side by side during the ceremony.Gershon Baskin is an Israeli peace activist and researcher of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is the International Communities Organisation Director for the Middle East, as well as the Director of the Holy Land Bond, a new investment fund set up by ICO and Gershon aimed at building shared societies, by investing in housing projects for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, housing projects between Jewish and Palestinians Israelis and cross-community technology businesses. Prior to his current position, Baskin was the esteemed founder and former co-chairman of IPCRI (Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information), an organization dedicated to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a “two states for two people framework”. According to him, “When there are no partners for peace, it is important to begin to plant the seeds of hope.”Ali Abu Awwad is a prominent Palestinian peace activist who has worked in peace-building in Israel and the State of Palestine for years. He has created a Palestinian non-violence movement called Taghyeer, which envisions a democratic, independent Palestinian society based on freedom, dignity, and security for all. By founding and organizing it, Awwad sees nonviolence as manifesting a lifestyle of successfully defending one’s rights. According to him, “Non-violence is the art of practicing your humanity, it is the art of being a human being. Peace is a place where we can live by accepting our differences and respecting each other’s rights.”
Gershon Baskin
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
We are thrilled to announce that this year the Luxembourg Peace Prize will be honoring two peace activists, one Israeli and one Palestinian, in a powerful symbolic celebration of unity and hope. It is a momentous occasion to witness these two outstanding individuals, Gershon Baskin and Ali Abu Awwad, who have dedicated their lives to promoting peace, receive their awards side by side during the ceremony.Gershon Baskin is an Israeli peace activist and researcher of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He is the International Communities Organisation Director for the Middle East, as well as the Director of the Holy Land Bond, a new investment fund set up by ICO and Gershon aimed at building shared societies, by investing in housing projects for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, housing projects between Jewish and Palestinians Israelis and cross-community technology businesses. Prior to his current position, Baskin was the esteemed founder and former co-chairman of IPCRI (Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information), an organization dedicated to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a “two states for two people framework”. According to him, “When there are no partners for peace, it is important to begin to plant the seeds of hope.”Ali Abu Awwad is a prominent Palestinian peace activist who has worked in peace-building in Israel and the State of Palestine for years. He has created a Palestinian non-violence movement called Taghyeer, which envisions a democratic, independent Palestinian society based on freedom, dignity, and security for all. By founding and organizing it, Awwad sees nonviolence as manifesting a lifestyle of successfully defending one’s rights. According to him, “Non-violence is the art of practicing your humanity, it is the art of being a human being. Peace is a place where we can live by accepting our differences and respecting each other’s rights.”
Mariia Levchenko
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
Dr. Mariia Levchenko is an inspiring peace worker engaged in Ukraine and globally. She is part of the first and largest peacebuilding initiative in Ukraine since the war began – Peace Support Ukraine. In her work, she educates youth, refugees, and women on themes of “Dialogue and Peacebuilding”, “Emotional Wellbeing and dealing with Trauma” and “Fighting Propaganda, Disinformation, and Extremism.” She implements social and emotional learning in education. Her specific expertise revolves around dialogue programs, facilitation, raising awareness, conflict resolution, and trauma healing.Mariia is a McCain Global Fellow 2022 and Peacebuilding Officer at the Romanian Peace Institute (PATRIR). She provides consultations for United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and BerghofFoundation on the topic of National Dialogue, and its perspectives in the post-war context. Before the war in Ukraine, she worked as a Dialogue Facilitation Officer at OSCE and as European Director of Outreach and Training at the River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding.According to her, “In a world divided by differences, peace is nurtured through the power of dialogue and the art of listening. When we open our hearts and minds to truly hear one another, bridges are built, and peace becomes not just a distant dream, but a tangible reality»
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Daniel Quintero Calle
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
With a lot of effort and working from a very young age, Daniel Quintero got ahead and became involved in Colombian politics with a single purpose: creating equal opportunities in his country. He is a believer that education is the main way to achieve any goal in a person’s life and is also the main agent of change in a society.In the last 3 years, during his term as Mayor of Medellín, he has distinguished himself by creating the first Secretariat for Non-Violence in Colombia. The responsibility of this office is to guide and coordinate the construction of territorial peace in the Municipality of Medellin, defining and implementing strategies for the prevention of violence and victimizing events that affect the lives and inhabitants of the city. Restorative justice and comprehensive human security are highly promoted, allowing the transformation of conflicts and the protection of life as a fundamental value. This office has done more than 300 actions in the last three years.The award bestowed upon Daniel Quintero as Mayor of Medellín, is a testament to his dedication and tireless efforts to promote peace.” Peace cannot be the victory of some against others, peace must be the victory of a country that decides to leave the past behind to build a better future.”
Carolyn Arguillas
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
Carolyn O. Arguillas of Mindanao, Philippines has emerged as a visionary leader in the field of Peace Journalism. She served as Editor-in-Chief of MindaNews until June 1 this year and now heads its Publications, Archives and Library. She also serves as its Special Reports Editor.With her unwavering commitment to journalism ethics and her contributions to constructive and inclusive media coverage, Carolyn has become an influential figure in the pursuit of peace in the Philippines.Over the past two decades, MindaNews under her leadership has earned recognition for its constructive coverage of peace efforts, fostering an environment of dialogue and understanding. It has played a significant role in achieving milestones in the country’s peace processes, including the signing of a peace agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro people in the southern part of the country and the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.Carolyn’s contribution to peace journalism has helped shape the media landscape towards a better reporting and understanding of Mindanao. Her commitment to responsible reporting combined with her unwavering dedication to peacebuilding, has made her an influential figure in the pursuit of a more inclusive society.“Peace is a process and not a mere event. In reporting peace and conflict, knowing history and upholding human rights and justice are a must.”
SIPRI
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control and disarmament. Established in 1966 and based in Stockholm, SIPRI provides data, analysis and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public.Peace operations and conflict management have been core elements of SIPRI’s work since the end of the cold war. Currently, SIPRI’s work within peace consists of three main pillars: (a) peace operations data and trends; (b) the future of peace operations in the New Geopolitics of Peace Operations Initiative; and (c) gender and peace operations and conflict management. In addition, SIPRI has taken on many evaluation and ‘lessons learned’ studies, as well as consultancies regarding topical peace operations issues.The recognition of SIPRI’s invaluable contributions to global peace and security through the Luxembourg Peace Prize serves as an inspiration and reaffirms the importance of sustained efforts in fostering a more peaceful and secure world. SIPRI remains steadfast in its mission to continue advancing peace through research, dialogue, and the promotion of multilateral cooperation.”We cannot have a peaceful world if we continue to destroy the natural foundations on which our lives together are built. Ecological disruption is a threat to human security and to national security. An essential part of building peace, therefore, is greater care for the natural environment”.
The Well Being Planet
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2023
Pioneering inner peace for a thriving global community.The WellBeing Planet, a non-profit foundation, has undertaken a transformative mission to enhance the well-being of the planet by exploiting the power of emotional and social neuroscience. With a holistic approach to global well-being, the foundation strives to cultivate inner peace, protect mental health, promote reforestation and actively engage in significant climate change discussions.At the core of the Well Being Planet’s vision is the belief that inner peace is the foundation for a thriving global community. The foundation seeks to empower individuals and communities with the tools and knowledge necessary to cultivate inner peace and holistic well-being.Koncha Pinos, the director of the Well Being Planet, with a deep commitment to mental health guides the foundation’s efforts to create opportunities for a mainstream education, planting trees and actively participating in climate change meetings. She envisions a harmonious future where the well being of humanity and nature are bounded.As the Well Being Planet continues to expand its reach through the establishment of new headquarters, the last one in the United Arab Emirates, their commitment to global well being remains unwavering.“There is no future, success or well-being if there is no inner peace”
Luxembourg Peace Prize Awardee 2022
Aminatou Haidar
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Aminatou Haidar is a prominent figure in the ongoing nonviolent resistance movement in Western Sahara in support for human rights. Haidar serves as the president of ISACOM, the Sahrawi Instance Against Moroccan Occupation. Widely known as “the Sahrawi Gandhi,” Haidar served as the president of the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA) until 2020. Born in 1966, she lives in El Aaiún in Western Sahara and received her baccalaureate degree in modern literature. In 1994 she became active in the committee of victims of forced disappearance and arbitrary detention in the Sahara as well as committees for detained and missing Sahrawis. Her nonviolent resistance activities are rooted in the broad-based democratic independence.Previous nonviolent resistance activities inside the territory led by Haidar had focused primarily on human rights. Despite continued disappearances, killings, beatings, and torture, Haidar has continued to advocate nonviolent action. In addition she raised awareness internationally to advocate for the Sahrawi people’s right to self-determination, emerging as the most visible international spokesperson for Western Sahara’s freedom.Her efforts have received international recognition. In 2008 she was the recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Haidar has also been the recipient of the 2006 Juan Maria Bandres Human Rights Award in Spain, the 2007 Silver Rose Award in Austria, and the Santa Lucia Prize in Italy. She has been a multiple nominee for the Sakharov Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize. In late 2009, Haidar received the Civil Courage Award from the Train Foundation in New York. https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/profile/aminatou-haidar
Kevin P. Clements
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Dr. Kevin Clements has a lifelong commitment to peace, having worked in the area for over 50 years. Dr. Clements was the Foundation Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies and Foundation Director of the National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (NCPACS) at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is the Director of the Toda Peace Institute in Japan. Prior to Otago University, he was a professor of peace and conflict studies and Foundation Director of the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Queensland. For several years he served as Secretary General of the International Peace Research Association (IPRA), President of the IPRA Foundation and Secretary General for IPRA’s Asia-Pacific region (APPRA). He was also Secretary General of International Alert based in London, Lynch Professor and Director of Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University, and Head of the Peace Research Centre at Australian National University. He directed the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva from 1982-1984.Professor Clements is an expert on academic analysis and practice in the areas of peacebuilding and conflict resolution. He has been a regular consultant to a variety of non- governmental, governmental and intergovernmental organisations on conflict resolution, peacebuilding, disarmament and arms control, and human security issues. He received the Soka University, Distinguished Scholar Award for Peace 1996, the UNAA Peace Award in 2007, the New Zealand Peace Foundations 2014 Peace Award and was made an Honorary Life Member of the NZ Peace Foundation in 2020. He was awarded the International Studies’s Association Distinguished Peace Scholar of the Year Award 2022. He is a member of the Research Committee of the Institute for Economics and Peace and an expert at the Toda Peace Institute in development and peacebuilding. He is the chair of the Archibald Baxter Trust which works to celebrate NZ’s conscientious Objectors to War and encourages conscientious objection nationally and globally. https://toda.org/experts/kevin-clements.html
Gaia Education
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Gaia Education is an international NGO and a leading-edge provider of Education for Sustainable Development. Their ethos is that education is the biggest tool in fighting for a more regenerative future and reversing our climate crisis.They focus on supporting indigenous and migrant communities, preserving their traditions, and helping them survive in a rapidly changing world. They empower these communities & their students to design an alternative future and see the interconnectedness of life – bridging the gap between modern society and ancient wisdom – sharing knowledge and skills needed to create resilient & regenerative communities.They expand their student’s minds by teaching a range of disciplines & alternative principles – how to use energy and resources with greater efficiency, distribute wealth equitably, work as a community and make our quality of life the focus of future thinking. Gaia Education welcomes students from every corner of the earth. www.gaiaeducation.org
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Peace Barcelona 2025
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
The Peace Barcelona 2025 association gives a lot of support for peacebuilding and is directly involved in supporting the peace process, especially for The Walk-Path to Peace.The Walk-Path to Peace is an international project, inspired in the city of Barcelona which aims to promote peace and strengthen cultural policies through three different implementation guidelines, using public space with the dual intention of recreational and cultural-educational activities, to make the Walk-Path to Peace a space of citizen participation that acts as ambassador to the outside world as a world reference for peace. The three guidelines are the Gate of Peace, the Walk-Path to Peace (a Mediterranean pathway) along with the “Peacekeepers Museum-Memorial, Centre for Peace Studies.”The proposal has been inspired by the Walks of Fame, which are usually open-air spaces; the Walk-Path to Peace would be based on the Nobel Peace Prize. The Walk-Path to Peace should be regarded as a future option for the promotion of Union, Peace and Fraternity between cities: Peace as the antidote for indifference. The Peace/Path Walk is not only a local proposal, it is a future option for the promotion of the Union, Peace and Fraternity among the citizens.
Dominicus Rohde
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Dominicus Rohde created and was President of the Schengen Peace Foundation and the World Peace Forum to educate and connect peace builders for generations to come. Dominicus’s profound qualities of joyfulness, vision and networking created a springboard for many projects around the globe. His indomitable spirit enabled him to lead from the front. Sadly he passed away in early 2022.The Schengen Peace Foundation was initiated in 2005 as a not-for-profit charity approved by his Royal Highness Henri the Grand Duke of Luxembourg on 19th Oct 2007. The three initiatives of the Schengen Peace Foundation are the World Peace Forum, Youth World Peace Forum and the Luxembourg Peace Prize. World Peace Forum connects peacemakers and gathers scholars, peace activists, executives, journalists, students, religious leaders and politicians, as well as any citizen having an interest in participating. Forums have been held in Luxembourg, Egypt, Romania, Brazil, Canada, Jordan, and Columbia. Youth World Peace Forum works to grow peacemakers and promote the skills and habits of peaceful resolution with the exuberance of creativity. The Luxembourg Peace Prize honors all those outstanding in the field of peace. The many categories of the Luxembourg Peace Prize and their celebration amplify the aims and goals of the World Peace Forum. https://schengenpeacefoundation.org/I Know that Peace is PossibleI am convinced, I know that peace is possible. It is a mathematical question and a question of time until we reach the “critical mass” to bring the “new-paradigm-barrel” to overflow.Crime is everywhere and it is well organized. The economy of war has broad shoulders. Yet an economy of peace will create so many more opportunities and bring about prosperity to all people. The day we get our act together and replace the old system by a structure of “organized peace,”we can open unheard-of, but long-sought-after new realities.Dominicus H. RohdePresident, World Peace ForumSchengen Peace Foundation
Frances Haugen
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Frances Haugen, a data scientist and algorithmic engineer, worked previously for Facebook, now known as Meta. In 2017 she raised concern that social media algorithms fuel violence.Since 2021, Ms. Haugen has worked tirelessly to raise awareness, assist and support policy-makers grappling with issues of how to change the incentive system that have led to the problematic priorities. She has committed herself to the cause of stopping Social media from profiting through the promotion of hatred, misinformation campaigns and manipulating vulnerable populations to obsess on the worst of human thoughts and emotions.She has worked with and continues to dedicate her life to supporting regulators, oversight agencies, investigative journalists, civil society groups, think tanks, human rights organisations, governments and survivors in navigating this minefield. Dozens of media pieces have covered Haugen’s work, her story and presented findings from her evidence to inform public discourse and shine a light on what has been in the dark. Ms. Haugen holds a degree in electrical and computer engineering from Olin College and an M.B.A. from Harvard.
Nicolas Maggi Berrueta
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
From a very young age, Nicolas “fell in love” with the violin. Despite coming from a poor family, he did his music studies in the city of Minas, graduating from Solfeggio at the Tarrega Conservatory at 10 years-old. When Nicolas finally bought his own violin, he went house to house to show it to his neighbours … and since then in his small-town people started calling him “Nicolas, the one of the violin.” His fame spread nationally and internationally. A university in Germany invited him to take specialisation courses. In 2019, Nicolas was nominated First Uruguayan Youth Ambassador for Peace and Life in Ecuador and Estrella del Sur Award, in Montevideo Uruguay. In 2020, the Universal Circle of Ambassadors of Peace (France-Switzerland) appointed him Young Ambassador of Peace. In 2021, he received the International Ibero-American Prize for the Trajectory “El Nevado Solidario de Oro” by the Chamber of Deputies of the Province of Chaco in Argentina. In the same year, he also became a very active member of Living Peace International, being part of the network in his country.Over the years a dream was born and grew in his heart: to create a music conservatory in the interior of his country for children who do not have the economic resources to travel to Montevideo and cannot afford the expensive music courses in a conservatory. Nicolas wants to prevent other children of low social status from having to undergo the same sacrifices he did.On 21 September 2021, World Peace Day, Nicolás’s dream came true with the inauguration of the Miguel de Cervantes Conservatory. Since then, 30 children with limited economic resources have studied at the Conservatory. He has changed the social and cultural life of his city and surroundings, communicating with his music, and living the values of peace. https://www.facebook.com/groups/950714649008741
Scherto Gill
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Scherto Gill is Professor of Research and Director of Global Humanity for Peace Institute, University of Wales Trinity St David. She directs the UNESCO Initiative on Collective Healing, Social Justice and Global Well-Being. Scherto is also Senior Fellow at the Guerrand-Hermès Foundation for Peace, a board member of Spirit of Humanity Forum, and a Trustee of Rising Global Peace Forum. Scherto is on the editorial board of a number of journals, including International Journal for the Study of Spirituality. She chairs the G20 Interfaith Forum’s Education Working Group, and is Life Fellow of Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).As a researcher, Scherto’s interests centre on understanding peace, human well-being and global flourishing as dynamic processes. The key concepts she is developing with colleagues include positive peace, human-centred education, relational evaluation in education, holistic well-being, deep dialogue, collective healing, and collaborative governance. Scherto has been actively exploring ways to apply these ideas in peacebuilding, educational innovation, community regeneration, and social transformation.Scherto has published extensively in the fields of education, well-being and peace, including Lest We Lose Love (forthcoming, Anthem Press); Beyond the Tyranny of Testing: Relational Evaluation in Education (Oxford University Press); Ethical Education: Towards An Ecology of Human Development (Cambridge University Press); Happiness, Flourishing and the Good Life: A Transformative Vision for Human Well-Being (Routledge); and Understanding Peace Holistically (Peter Lang).
F.C. Barcelona Foundation
Luxembourg Peace Prize 2022
Formed in 1994, the F.C. Barcelona Foundation is a pioneering and leading agency both within Spain and also worldwide in its strong advocacy of the power of sport to promote social inclusion, justice, development and peace. The work and methodology of the Foundation is guided by a set of values intended to define the ethos of the club and its members. The five values are humility, effort, ambition, respect and teamwork. Players, supporters and all people connected with the club are expected to follow these values. With this value-led approach, the Foundation has worked for over 26 years using sport for social transformation and change, and to enhance the development and well-being of the most vulnerable children and young people. Under its new Director, Marta Segú, the Foundation is exploring new and innovative approaches to conflict resolution, prevention of violence and peacebuilding.Demonstrating the international and humanitarian ethos of the club and Foundation, in 2006 the President of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, signed an innovative global partnership with the United Nations Agency for Children, UNICEF, and was committed to wear the UNICEF logo on the first team jersey. In addition, FC Barcelona Foundation donates 1,5 million euros per season to UNICEF projects aiming to improve the life of children. In 2009 the Foundation and the Club formed an agreement with UNESCO and with the Open University of Catalonia to create a UNESCO University Chair in Sport and Peacebuilding. One major outcome of this initiative was a full Master’s Degree in Sport, Social Inclusion and Conflict Resolution. After this 16 years of a successful global partnership with UNICEF, there is the improvement of thousands of children lives around the world.The Foundation works in contexts in which youth violence has become a structural phenomenon. The methodologies developed by the organization help the participants to gain personal and social skills for resolving conflicts peacefully, which encourages social reintegration, and promotes dialogue and reflection on and off the field to resolve conflicts and drive communities away from violence. The programmes against violence teach dialogue and conflict resolution skills and attempt to educate children and young people via the promotion of positive values and peaceful behaviour. The social inclusion and peacebuilding programme using the FC Barcelona methodologies especially serves to highlight the essence of the Foundation’s approach as paradigmatic in its use of sport to link the values of tolerance and inclusion in pursuit of development and peacebuilding goals.