Niwano Peace Prize

Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those who are devoting themselves to interreligious cooperation in the cause of peace,and to make their achievements known. The Foundation hopes that the prize will further promote interreligious cooperation for peace and lead to the emergence of ever more people devoting themselves to this cause.

The award is given annually and consists of a certificate, Gold Medal and an amount of 20 million Yen (roughly USD$210,000). The screening committee which decides the award is made up of religious leaders of international stature, and they select the recipient from among candidates nominated by religious leaders and other persons of intellectual stature around the world.

The Tokyo based Niwano Peace Foundation was initiated by the Japanese citizen Nikkyo Niwano, founder of the buddhist lay organisation Rissho Kosei Kai; he was one of the few non-Christian observers of the Second Vatican Council. His son Nichiko Niwano is his successor as chairman of the movement, which is dedicated to the interreligious dialogue.

Laureates

2013: Gunnar Stålsett,^[1] Norway

2012: Rosalina Tuyuc, Guatemala

2011: Sulak Sivaraksa

2010: Ela Bhatt, India

2009: Reverend Canon Gideon Byamugisha, Uganda

2008: Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Jordan

2007: Master Cheng Yen, founder of Tzu-Chi, the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, Taiwan

2006: Rabbis for Human Rights, Israël

2005: Dr. Hans Küng, Germany

2004: Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative (ARLPI), Uganda

2003: Dr. Scilla Elworthy

2002: Samuel Ruiz García, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico

2001: Elias Chacour, bishop of the Melkite-Catholic Church in Israel

2000: Dr. Kang Won Yong, Korea

1999: Community of Sant'Egidio, Italy

1998: Maha Ghosananda, Cambodia

1997: Corrymeela Community, Northern Ireland

1996: Marii Hasegawa, USA

1995: M. Aram, India

1994: Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, Archbishop of Sao Paulo (Brazil)

1993: Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam, Israel

1992: A. T. Ariyaratne, Sri Lanka

1991: Dr. Hildegard Goss-Mayr, Austria

1990: Norman Cousins, USA

1989: Etai Yamada, Japan

1988: not awarded

1987: World Muslim Congress, Pakistan

1986: Philip A. Potter, Dominica

1985: Zhao Puchu, China

1984: Homer A. Jack, USA

1983: Dom Hélder Câmara, Brazil

References

External links

• Niwano Peace Prize