“Today we witness in real time how the promise of ‘never again’ is broken and tested in the eyes of the world,” said the Commission’s chair Judge Navi Pillay, who will receive the Sydney Peace Prize in November. “The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a moral outrage and a legal emergency.”

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, has determined Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. 

At a press conference in Geneva, the Commission members Judge Pillay and Chris Sidoti said that their extensive investigation has led to the conclusion that Israeli authorities and security forces “committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”.

These acts are: killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians, and imposing measures intended to prevent births.

In an extraordinary moment of clarification, Chris Sidoti, noted that the fifth condition for genocide was not met – that is the transfer of children from one group to another. Rather, as the report noted, the genocidal intention of Israel has included the actual targeting of the children of Gaza as a way of ending any future for this community.

The Commission urged Israel and all countries to fulfil their obligations under international law “to end the genocide” and bring those responsible to account.

The Sydney Peace Foundation calls on the Australian Government to act on our international obligations: demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, restore UN-led humanitarian access, stop arms transfers and enabling inputs (like jet fuel and parts), investigate and sanction complicity. Nothing less will suffice.

“This report provides the clarity we need to courageously live up to our obligations under international law and act to stop the genocide. A failure to stand up for peace with justice in Palestine will ultimately be failure to stand up for peace with justice everywhere,” said Melanie Morrison, Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation.

Judge Navi Pillay will be in Sydney on 6 November to accept the Sydney Peace Prize at the Sydney Town Hall where she will be joined by Chris Sidoti and other experts in international justice.

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The trophy’s design was inspired by raindrops, which start off small, but send ripples outwards which overlap with one another. This reflects the interconnectedness of our lives; no action is isolated, and even the smallest of ‘drops’ can be significant.

“The idea was layers and layers of different rings, connecting and overlapping,” Mr McGinness says. “[It represents] the effect one drop has on other people.” Like ripples, every step towards peace has the power to radiate outwards, impacting lives far beyond our own.

Movement is central to his art. “That’s what I love about steel. You can sort of suspend pieces in animation,” he says. In this work, it reminds us that peace is carried forward by action and motion, and that rather than being fixed, peace is always evolving and changing shape.

When he was commissioned to make the trophy, Mr McGinness wanted to create something unique: “I didn’t want to make just a stock piece,” he says. “I was actually very honoured to make this trophy. I think [peace] is probably the most important thing we have at the moment.”

With stainless steel as his medium, he invented his own formula for steel dye which he makes himself. The process of creating his work involves hours of designing, making sure the intricate pieces will stay together. He then puts his designs into a program to be read by a laser, which cuts them with precision.

“I think my wife put it best once. She said that I’m trying to combine tradition with technology,” he says.

He developed his expert steel-working skills through a 21-year career as a steel fabricator working in mine sites, towns, and remote communities. In 2008, he wondered whether he could put his steel-working skills to a different use. Taking inspiration from his parents, both of whom were painters, he began by creating works of Australian animals.

“I wanted to do something a little bit different, and came up with the idea of doing my own style of Aboriginal art in steel,” he says. “I couldn’t see anybody else doing that.”

More of Wayne McGinness’ work can be found on his company website, Aboriginal Steel Art.

By Molly Teskey, University of Sydney Intern

The post The Story Behind The New Peace Prize Trophy appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

By Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees

In response to the announcement made by Melanie Morrison, director of the Sydney Peace Foundation and by Clover Moore, Lord Mayor of Sydney, patron of the Foundation, Navi Pillay said: “I am deeply honoured to accept Australia’s premier international prize for peace. The award is not mine alone. It belongs to all those who, across decades and continents, have stood up against injustice, often at great personal cost. It belongs to every survivor who found the courage to testify, to every human rights defender who remains steadfast in the face of threats of hostility and to every young person who dares to believe in a better, more just world.”

Commentators on the choice of Navi Pillay convey why her Sydney Peace Prize Lecture in the Sydney Town Hall, on Thursday 6 November, will show a life of courageous striving for the ideals of a common humanity, achievements which should give hope to generations and should be an inspiration to young people.

Professor Ben Saul, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms while Countering Terrorism, said, “Navi Pillay is an icon of the international human rights movement, from confronting apartheid and promoting gender equality in South Africa to serving on the highest national and international courts.’

Lord Mayor Clover Moore explains, ‘The Sydney Peace Foundation honours judge Pillay for her unwavering commitment to human dignity and her profound impact on international human rights law.’

Evidence of such judgments is easily found in Pillay’s career. Born into a Tamil family living under South African apartheid, she became the first non-white woman to open a law practice in Natal Province and the first non-white woman judge of the High Court of South Africa.

Attaining those positions required gutsy determination to overcome discrimination and prejudice. She recalls, “As a child in South Africa, I could not enter parks or beaches reserved for whites.

“When I became a lawyer, no-one would hire me because of my gender, the colour of my skin and my economic status. I was told that white secretaries would not like to take dictation from a black woman.”

Pillay came to global attention in her early 30s when she won a legal case for recognising the rights and better living conditions for South African dissidents jailed under apartheid’s Terrorism Act. In a subsequent Robben Island case, she challenged the Terrorism Act and, for the first time, provided concrete evidence that prisoners had been tortured.

The centrality of human rights

Pillay’s career and the achievements which impressed a Sydney jury revolve around a commitment to a philosophy, language and practice to promote universal human rights. She explains, “There can be no lasting development in a given society without respect for all human rights, economic, social and cultural as well as civil and political rights.”

Armed with that philosophy, she has campaigned against violence against women and the need to abolish harmful practices, female genital mutilation and forced child marriages. In her hopes about the future, she imagines, “The world needs coalitions to create a more values-led, ethical globalisation, and, in particular, in a century when women can make a difference.”

Promotion of human rights as the means of attaining human dignity echoes a theme expressed by Pillay’s illustrious predecessor, Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize in 2002. In Sydney, 23 years ago, Robinson was rewarded for “courage in standing up for the powerless against the interests of powerful individuals and institutions”.

She reminisced that in Ireland, human rights abuses had precipitated the conflicts and in the eventual process of peace through reconciliation and bridge-building, restoration of human rights became both goal and potential panacea. The Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, confirmed Robinson’s judgment.

Never shirking responsibility to adjudicate abuses of power

Exercising similar views and skills, from 1995-2003, Pillay became a judge and then president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, created to adjudicate people charged with the Rwandan genocide and other human rights violations. Other positions with worldwide responsibilities included her appointment as a judge in the International Criminal Court and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights 2008-2014.

An Australian audience in November will also be able to hear Pillay’s judgment about death and destruction in Gaza and on the West Bank. As chair of the UN Commission inquiring into war crimes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Pillay has found that Israeli forces have committed gender-based violence with intent to humiliate and further subordinate the Palestinian community. UN experts have concluded that genocidal acts were evident in the destruction of maternity wards in Gaza, of reproductive health care facilities and embryos at a fertility clinic.

Chris Sidoti, the Australian lawyer colleague of Pillay’s on the Commission, concludes, “Sexual violence is now so widespread that it can only be considered systematic. It’s got beyond the level of random acts by rogue individuals.”

Pillay writes, “The evidence collected reveals a deplorable increase in sexual and gender-based violence to terrorise Palestinians and perpetrate a system of oppression that undermines their rights to self-determination.”

In this most recent, demanding judicial role, Pillay displays her life enhancing manner of exercising power, not from the top down but always with respect to evidence, to the needs and hopes of vulnerable usually powerless people.

She also has a reputation for kindness and warmth to all whom she encounters, whatever their status. Her courage in public life appears influenced largely by her legal knowledge and judicial skills, but to emphasise that dimension of her work would mean overlooking the tenets of humour, humility and a basic humanity, without which we are all lost.

That will no doubt be her message to Australians at an award dinner in Sydney on 5 November and at the Sydney Peace Prize Lecture. Both events could generate optimism, offering a sense of hope and each would show, in memorable ways, the style and content of visionary leadership.

This article was originally published in Pearls and Irritations on 5 June 2025.

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A former judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court, and the first woman of colour to serve as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Judge Pillay has consistently championed international justice, truth-telling, and the protection of human dignity.

The Peace Prize jury selected Judge Pillay from a field of strong and venerable candidates “for a lifetime of advocating for fundamental human rights, peace with justice and the rights of women, all of which serves a clarion call in the face of a growing culture of impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, towards accountability and responsibility”.

Judge Pillay was officially announced as the 2025 recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday 22 May. The announcement ceremony was hosted by Sydney Peace Foundation patron and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, and attended by distinguished guests from the international legal, diplomatic, and human rights communities. 

On accepting the prize, Judge Pillay said: “I am deeply honoured to accept Australia’s premier international prize for peace, awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation. To be recognised for a lifetime’s work devoted to human rights, peace, justice and equality is both humbling and profoundly meaningful. This award is not mine alone. It belongs to all those who, across decades and continents, have stood up against injustice – often at great personal cost. It belongs to every survivor who found the courage to testify, to every human rights defender who remains steadfast in the face of threats and hostility, and to every young person who dares to believe in a better, more just world. We live in a world today still marred by war, poverty, racism and inequality. But we also live in a world where voices for justice are louder, more connected, and more courageous than ever before. The path ahead is neither easy nor short, but it is a path we must walk together – with integrity, with compassion, and with determination.”

City of Sydney Lord Mayor and Sydney Peace Foundation Patron Clover Moore said: “In a world where human rights are too often disregarded and justice delayed, Navi Pillay stands as a fearless defender of the rule of law. From challenging apartheid in South Africa to holding war criminals accountable on the global stage, her lifelong pursuit of justice reminds us that peace is not passive – it demands courage, integrity, and action. The Sydney Peace Prize honours her unwavering commitment to human dignity and her profound impact on international human rights law. As victims of wars across the globe continue face intolerable suffering, it is hard to remain optimistic and to believe that the rule of law will triumph. This award, and Navi’s extraordinary lifelong contribution to peace, remind us that we all have a responsibility to speak up about violations to human rights, corruption, repression, discrimination and inequality and that when we do, we can shape a better world.”

Professor Ben Saul from the University of Sydney Law School and United Nations Special Rapporteur said: “Navi Pillay is an icon of the international human rights movement, from confronting apartheid and promoting gender equality in South Africa, to serving on highest national and international courts, to leading the United Nations’ global human rights system. She has driven the law in progressive new directions, built lasting coalitions of human rights defenders, held the most powerful governments to account, and above all brought hope to victims.”

Melanie Morrison, Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation, said: “With the international rules-based order under threat, this year we acknowledge a beacon of integrity in global justice. Judge Navi Pillay has spent decades holding the most powerful to account and giving voice to the victims of atrocities – from apartheid South Africa and the Rwandan genocide, to ongoing human rights abuses in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Myanmar.” 

The Sydney Peace Prize will be formally awarded to Judge Pillay later in November 2025. She will travel to Australia to accept the Prize on Thursday 6 November at Sydney Town Hall.

About the Sydney Peace Prize

The Sydney Peace Prize is Australia’s international prize for peace, awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation at the University of Sydney. The Prize recognises leading global voices that promote peace, justice and nonviolence. Laureates include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professors Noam Chomsky and Joseph Stiglitz, Patrick Dodson, Naomi Klein, the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

For over two decades, the Sydney Peace Prize has been awarded with the generous support of the City of Sydney, the University of Sydney and a broad coalition of donors and partners. Please join us on this journey for a fairer, more just world. For more information email peace.foundation@sydney.edu.au.

Media enquiries:

Melanie Morrison, Director, The Sydney Peace Foundation

E: melanie.morrison@sydney.edu.au

M: +61 (0) 401 996 451

University of Sydney Media Office

E: media.office@sydney.edu.au

M:  +61 2 8627 0246 (diverts to mobile)

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For eight agonising days, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) repeated the same haunting words: “Their fate remains unknown”.

For eight days, I searched feverishly, refreshing news pages for updates, desperately seeking answers. We cannot simply bear witness. We must honour Mostafa Khufaga, Saleh Muamer, Ezzedine Shaath, Mohammad Bahloul, Mohammed Al-Heila, Ashraf Abu Labda, Raed Al-Sharif, and Rifaat Radwan, who paid the ultimate price, for the good of humanity.

Rules exist everywhere, even in war. The international rules-based order was founded on the promise that even in war, humanity would prevail. The wounded would be treated and people who save lives would be protected, not deliberately targeted.

But in Gaza, that promise lies in ruins. The medic massacre of eight PRCS workers is not merely a war crime; it is an assault on the very essence of international humanitarian law and justice. It is an attack on humanity itself, marking one of our darkest hours.

First responders take tremendous risks to reach the injured and the vulnerable. Yet, the PRCS has been obstructed by Israeli forces long before October 2023. Israeli tanks block their passage, and checkpoints force them to undergo searches to delay and deny them entry—obstacles no other ambulance service in the world faces.

On March 23, 2025, when the news first broke that PRCS teams had been besieged in Rafah, time froze. My heartbeat increased, my anxiety escalated, and yet, after bearing witness to atrocity after atrocity, nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming grief and mourning that would envelop me.

As Palestinians, we have been trapped in a constant state of grief and mourning. Israel had just unilaterally shattered the ceasefire and increased the scale of its genocide against Palestinians. Emboldened, my worst fears grew, and eight days later, reality shattered me.

It was far worse than I could have possibly imagined. Eight heroic PRCS volunteers were brutally massacred in a direct attack on medical workers, the Geneva Conventions, and International Humanitarian Law. They were found shot at point-blank range, buried under sand in a mass grave, some with their hands tied. Four ambulances were destroyed. Alongside them lay six Gaza Civil Defence members and one UN worker.

This is the largest massacre of humanitarian workers in modern warfare.

Since October 2023, 30 members of the PRCS have been killed. Each time they respond to an emergency, they know they are a target. They leave their homes with smiles, and some never return – killed in their own ambulances.

Yet, they endure – for the good of humanity.

The footage Refaat Radwan recorded of the massacre before his own death shook me to my core. The medics, knowing their fate, recited the Shahada, the Muslim declaration of faith. One asks, “Forgive me, Mother. Mother, forgive me. This is the path I chose. To help people. Forgive me, Mother. By God, I only chose this path to help people. Forgive me.”

This is what broke me. The raw, gut-wrenching truth. There are no words.

Hassan Hosni Al-Hilla was too sick to take his shift that night, so his 21-year-old son, Mohammad, covered it. Little did he know, it would be his last.

I ask: What could be more selfless than the men and women of PRCS—often entire families volunteering together—enduring the same brutal conditions as the rest of Gaza, yet risking their lives against a genocidal military, all to provide urgent, life-saving care?

The Red Cross and Red Crescent are universal symbols of hope, protection, and humanity. They are internationally recognised emblems of neutrality and protection during peace and conflict. They are meant to guarantee the safety of humanitarian workers. Yet, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the PRCS has continually been targeted.

Though neutrality remains a contested concept, it is crucial to ensuring humanitarian workers can deliver aid and maintain access in crises like this.

Last November, as a member of the Sydney Peace Prize Jury and Council, I proudly awarded the Sydney Peace Prize to the 16 million-strong network of volunteers and staff of the International Federation and Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. When awarding the 2024 Prize, the Jury particularly acknowledged the PRCS, which, operating in the most dangerous conditions, has been attacked, tortured, or forcibly disappeared, with ambulances and facilities damaged or destroyed. The jury was determined to honour their courage, determination, and resilience.

The PRCS has been working day and night to provide life-saving aid to two million women, men and children in Gaza, enduring relentless bombardment, displacement and starvation by Israel in what Amnesty International and the UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese have determined to be genocide.

Emergency Medical technician Hanadi says she has witnessed colleagues leave smiling only to return killed in their own ambulances. She knows they are a target whenever they are on a mission. They visit a site that has been struck, knowing they may well be struck too.

The Red Crescent symbol emblazoned on their ambulances and on their uniforms should guarantee their protection. They should never be a target.

The Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law distinguish between civilians and enemy combatants, defining the rules of war. Yet in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, international law has been defied over and over – horror after horror, war crime after war crime.

Civilians, humanitarians, medical workers and journalists are specifically protected, but no one and nowhere is safe in Gaza. Homes, schools, shelters, hospitals, and places of worship have all come under attack or been destroyed.

While we once debated who struck Al-Ahli Hospital in October 2023, today, the entire medical system in Gaza has collapsed.

Furthermore, Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, Director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, remains imprisoned.

We must demand justice. We must ensure that the perpetrators of the Gaza medic massacre, one of the most shameful periods in modern history, are held accountable. They must be brought to trial and face justice.

We must defend the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems. We must protect the brave, selfless teams that embody the best of us. We must uphold International Humanitarian Law and the promise of the Geneva Conventions because, for the good of humanity, we cannot afford to fail.

Mohamed Duar is a member of Sydney Peace Prize Jury and Council. He is also Amnesty International Australia’s Occupied Palestinian Territory Spokesperson. He holds a Master of Human Rights from the University of Sydney.

The article was originally published in The New Arab: The Gaza medic massacre is an attack on all of humanity on 25 April, 2025

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Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) will be in Sydney to accept Australia’s international prize for peace, which recognises leading global voices who advocate for peace, for justice and for our common humanity. 

As we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, we face unprecedented challenges to International Humanitarian Law. It’s in this context that the 2024 Sydney Peace Prize honours a remarkable movement of over 16 million people. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement are recognised for its advocacy for peace, for its work saving lives and preventing the suffering of people affected by armed conflict, and for its commitment to International Humanitarian Law.

Jagan Chapagain, Secretary General of the IFRC, said: “This award is a testament to the dedication of our 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ staff and volunteers. Many are working in some of the most challenging and dangerous environments in the world. Their dedication reflects the fundamental principles and values that define our Movement.”

Melanie Morrison, Sydney Peace Foundation Director, said: “In a year of immense humanitarian need and suffering, this international Movement is there to support those targeted in conflicts across the globe – from Sudan to Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel and Lebanon, and Ukraine, Afghanistan to Yemen. The Movement’s unwavering commitment to principles of international humanitarian law remind us that humanity must always come first.”

University of Sydney Vice-President, External Relations, Kirsten Andrews, said: “The University congratulates the Sydney Peace Foundation and City of Sydney in awarding this year’s Sydney Peace Prize to the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement, in recognition of the ongoing and vital importance of their work during a time of increasing global conflict.”

“The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is saving lives every day in more than 191 countries and is a deserving recipient of the 2024 Sydney Peace Prize,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO, said. “This movement of more than 16 million humanitarians works in shockingly difficult and dangerous circumstances to provide a lifeline to those suffering in over 100 armed conflicts around the world.

“My congratulations and thanks to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Your courageous and critical work is inspiring and reminds us of how precious it is to live in peace.”

The Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award ceremony is on Monday 18 November at 6:30pm at Sydney Town Hall and the Gala Dinner is being held on Thursday 21 November at the Sheraton Grand, Hyde Park.  This year the Sydney Peace Prize award funds will be directed to support the humanitarian work of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.

The Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award ceremony is on Monday 18 November from 6:30pm to 8pm at the Sydney Town Hall. Tickets are available here.

ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS AND RED CRESCENT MOVEMENT

191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies together constitute a worldwide humanitarian movement. Its mission is to prevent and alleviate human suffering wherever it may be found. It’s to protect life and health and ensure respect for the human being, in particular in times of armed conflict and other emergencies. It’s also to work for the prevention of disease and for the promotion of health and social welfare, to encourage voluntary service and a constant readiness to give help by the members of the Movement, and a universal sense of solidarity towards all those in need of its protection and assistance.

The Movement is guided by the Geneva Conventions and its Fundamental Principles: Humanity, Impartiality, Neutrality, Independence, Voluntary Service, Unity and Universality.

ABOUT THE SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE

The Sydney Peace Prize is Australia’s international prize for peace, awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation at the University of Sydney. The Prize recognises leading global voices that promote peace, justice and nonviolence. Laureates include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Joseph Stiglitz, Patrick Dodson, Naomi Klein, the Black Lives Matter Global Network and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

The Foundation advocates for peace with justice – recognising that to achieve true and lasting peace, we must, beyond ending war and violent conflict, address deep injustices and structural inequality.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Melanie Morrison, Director, Sydney Peace Foundation 

E: melanie.morrison@sydney.edu.au 

M: 0401 996 451 

University of Sydney media office

E: media.office@sydney.edu.au

M:  +61 2 8627 0246 (diverts to mobile)

Australian Red Cross Media

E: media@redcross.org.au 

Ph: 1800 733 443

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2023 was the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers and 2024 is on track to be even worse with escalating attacks in Palestine and Sudan, in Myanmar and Ukraine.

In a year marking 75 years since the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, we must uphold international treaties that contain crucial rules limiting the barbarity of war and form the basis of International Humanitarian Law. 

As the United Nations says: “Despite universally accepted international laws to regulate the conduct of armed conflict and limit its impact, violations of these laws continue unabated, unchallenged and unchecked. And while civilians, including aid workers, pay the ultimate price, the perpetrators continue to evade justice.”

In 2024, the Sydney Peace Foundation highlights the global work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a humanitarian network of 17 million volunteers and staff, “for saving lives and preventing the suffering of people affected by armed conflict, for its advocacy for peace, and for its commitment to International Humanitarian Law.”

There is an urgent need to refocus on foundational support for International Humanitarian Law and demand an end to escalating violations together with an end to impunity which has enabled these violations.

After 10 months of devastation in the Middle East, over 200 humanitarian aid workers and over 500 medical workers have been killed since the conflict in Gaza and Israel began and the region is now the deadliest place on Earth where nowhere is safe.

This year the Sydney Peace Prize award funds will be directed to the Red Cross Movement’s operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. More information can be found here.

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Bangladeshi students’ excitement that this Mandela like figure is their new leader may also encourage optimism from young people, in particular women, in other countries.

Australians who have been inspired by Yunus during his visits down under would understand why Bangladeshi students suddenly feel hope and confidence.

In late 1997 together with friends in the Forest Lodge pub in Sydney’s Glebe, we mulled over criteria to choose Australia’s first recipient for an international award for peace, which became the Sydney Peace Prize.

We decided that on a world stage, not just locally, potential recipients should show commitment to universal human rights, to the philosophy and practice of non-violence, and to ideals of a common humanity. We believed that peace was about ending poverty, racism and the violence inherent in discrimination, and from those deliberations emerged the crucial distinction between peace and peace with justice.

In mid 1998 the Sydney Peace Prize jury used those criteria to choose the Bangladeshi economist Professor Muhammad Yunus as the inaugural recipient of that Prize. The citation for Professor Yunus read, ‘for enabling the world’s poor to become independent through access to microcredit, for advocating the view that poverty is the denial of all human rights and that peace is freedom from poverty.’

On arrival in Sydney, Yunus’ humour, humanity and vision confirmed the wisdom of the Sydney jury.

In his 1998 Peace Prize Lecture, Muhammad recalled that despite all his years of study for a doctorate in economics at a prestigious US University, there had been nothing in his text books that addressed the living conditions of millions of poor people in his home country Bangladesh. He explained, ‘I was looking for an opportunity to see if there is any tiny way I could relate myself as a human being to one of those persons who were suffering from extreme poverty next door to my Chittagong campus.’

In his creation of the Grameen Bank for the poor, which has concentrated mostly on making small loans to women in rural areas, he has given hope, self respect and a degree of autonomy to millions. The ideals expressed in a Sydney theatre in November 1998 have led to microcredit banking operations in thousands of Bangladesh villages and in 27 countries, from south east Asia to South America, from sub Saharan Africa to the Middle East.

Yunus’ vision is marinated by humility, by his commitment to improving the lives of poor women to whom traditional banks would never give a loan. In 2006, – it took nine years for the Sydney choice to influence Oslo – his skills and humility were recognised with the award of the Nobel Peace Prize for which the citation said, ‘ for creating economic and social development from below.’

Since those awards, Professor Yunus has persisted in efforts to ‘create a poverty free world and to give peace a better chance than we have ever offered before.’ He has experienced disappointments, survived political persecution but still marshals sufficient courage to pursue justice.

This tribute to the new leader in Bangladesh must not be layered with hyperbole, not least because meetings with him always displayed his essential tenet, to relate to everyone, including the poorest of the poor as a human being.

In a world torn with conflict, there are few Mandela/Yunus like leaders able to retain the dignity of being human, as in addressing the needs of vulnerable citizens, as in leading by example but without fanfare. Impressed by such qualities, millions of students in Bangladesh have chosen an inspiring new leader.

In Australia twenty six years ago, Muhammad Yunus gave promise of a justice to come. That was exciting then and is creating optimism in Bangladesh now.

First published in Pearls and Irritations

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We, the undersigned, as laureates of the Sydney Peace Prize urge the Government of India to cease the unjustified and anti-democratic prosecution of globally renowned author and human rights activist, and fellow Laureate, Arundhati Roy.

Ms Roy has spent a lifetime advocating for peace, justice and non-violence. She is among India’s most celebrated authors, shining a light on untold stories and inspiring the imaginations of followers around the world. In 2004 Ms Roy was awarded the Sydney Peace Prize, Australia’s international prize for peace, “for her courage in campaigns for human rights and for her advocacy of non-violence”.

For 26 years the Sydney Peace Foundation has celebrated the achievements of peacemakers like Ms Roy for their courage, their compassion and their deep commitment to social justice.

Using draconian anti-terror laws to prosecute such a commendable and globally respected peace advocate, together with academic Sheikh Showkat Hussain, for remarks they made at a public event 14 years ago undermines India’s democratic institutions and fundamental freedoms. Indeed, punishing writers and scholars simply for their words runs contrary to the values and reputation of this great nation and its people.

We appeal to the Government of India to withdraw the charges and ensure that the right to free speech and freedom of opinion is upheld.

Signed Sydney Peace Prize Laureates

Professor Megan Davis and Pat Anderson AO, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2021 – 2022, Uluru Statement from the Heart

Tracey Spicer AM, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2019, Me Too Movement

Patrisse Cullors, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2017, Black Lives Matter

Naomi Klein, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2016

Dr George Gittoes AM, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2015

Julian Burnside AO KC, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2014

Sekai Holland, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2012

Dr Vandana Shiva, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2010

Olara Otunnu, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2005

Dr Hanan Ashrawi, Sydney Peace Prize Laureate 2003

I

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In a year marking the 75^th anniversary of the adoption of the Geneva Conventions, and amid unprecedented challenges to International Humanitarian Law, the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is as important as it has ever been.

The Peace Prize jury selected the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement from a field of strong and worthy candidates, recognising the impact and great significance of the humanitarian network of 16 million volunteers and staff spanning more than 191 countries. The prize will be awarded for “saving lives and preventing the suffering of people affected by armed conflict, for its advocacy for peace, and for its commitment to International Humanitarian Law”.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was officially announced as the recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize at an event held at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, 18 June during a ceremony attended by Sydney Peace Foundation patron and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore and Australian Red Cross Chief Executive Officer Penny Harrison.  

In accepting the award on behalf of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement Ms Harrison thanked the Sydney Peace Foundation for recognising the Movement’s longstanding commitment to alleviating human suffering during times of conflict and advancing international humanitarian law.

“There are currently more than 100 armed conflicts globally creating unprecedented humanitarian needs. Through our Humanitarian Principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement navigates where others cannot, providing vital protection and support to those most in need, including those in the world’s most volatile and complex humanitarian landscapes,” she said.

President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Kate Forbes said the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was humbled to accept the 2024 Sydney Peace Prize.

 “This award pays tribute to the dedication and bravery of our volunteers and staff who work tirelessly in the most challenging and dangerous environments, often risking their lives to help others. 

“It also acknowledges the courageous work of our National Societies, particularly during the ongoing global conflicts where tragically we have lost many of our people including 20 members of the Palestinian Red Crescent, four members of Magen David Adom and four members of the Sudanese Red Crescent since October of last year,” she said. 

Melanie Morrison, Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation said: “Wherever civilians are threatened by conflict, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is steadfast and courageous in its support for their rights and dignity even when facing increasing risk to their own safety and security. This year the Sydney Peace Prize particularly acknowledges the brave members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society working in Gaza under dangerous conditions.”

City of Sydney Lord Mayor and Sydney Peace Foundation Patron Clover Moore said: “Red Cross/Crescent teams are working tirelessly, in shockingly difficult and dangerous circumstances, to save lives and reduce suffering.

“Working in conditions unknown in modern times, 20 Palestinian Red Crescent Society volunteers have been killed, giving their lives while working to provide a lifeline to two million Palestinians. As the crisis in Gaza continues to worsen, the Sydney Peace Prize serves to recognise their selfless, brave and heroic service and repeat calls for leaders to put an end to this unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe and deliver peace and justice for all.”

The Sydney Peace Prize will be formally awarded to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement later in the year, when Kate Forbes, the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, will travel to Australia to attend the Sydney Peace Foundation’s annual lecture on 18 November at Sydney Town Hall. 

The Sydney Peace Foundation, supported by the University of Sydney and the City of Sydney, is now in its 26th year of promoting peace with justice.  Past laureates include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Joseph Stiglitz, Naomi Klein, Chair of The Elders Mary Robinson, Professor Noam Chomsky and The Black Lives Matter and Me-Too Movements.  We have also had the privilege of honouring Nelson Mandela, among others, with our Human Rights Award.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

To arrange an interview with Australian Red Cross Interim CEO, Ms Penny Harrison, please contact Australian Red Cross Media by calling 1800 733 443.

Melanie Morrison, Director, Sydney Peace Foundation 

E: melanie.morrison@sydney.edu.au 

M: 0401 996 451 

University of Sydney media office

E: media.office@sydney.edu.au

M:  +61 2 8627 0246 (diverts to mobile)

Australian Red Cross Media

E: media@redcross.org.au 

Ph: 1800 733 443

I

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October 31 marks 23 years since UN and Member States pledged their support for women’s full, equal, meaningful and safe participation in peace and security. Yet women’s rights today are under ceaseless attack in contexts marked by intensifying conflict, rising authoritarianism, militarisation. Women’s participation in peace processes remains unacceptably low and is decreasing.

This is the third year in a row that the Nobel Peace Committee has chosen to honour human rights activism. This year’s award goes to Narges Mohammadi in recognition of her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. She is an outstanding individual who has shown extraordinary courage over more than a quarter of a century.

This year’s Sydney Peace Prize is awarded to Nazanin Boniadi, an Iranian-born human rights activist, for lending a powerful voice to support Iranian women and girls and the #WomanLifeFreedom movement. The Annual Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award Ceremony is on 2 November at Sydney Town Hall. Join us to recognise the contribution of Australian and Iranian women’s rights activists. Event details and registration link can be found here.

Recognising the outstanding contribution of women human rights defenders and women peacebuilders such as Nazanin Boniadi highlights the important issue of gender equality as an essential factor in a country’s stability and security.

 Women’s rights are the backbone of resilient, peaceful, and democratic societies. If our national commitment to women peace and security means anything at all we must stand together for human rights and justice and elevate the many voices of solidarity and peace.

The Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award ceremony is on Thursday 2 November from 6:30 to 8pm at the Sydney Town Hall.

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This year’s Sydney Peace Prize Lecture will be delivered by Iranian-born human rights activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi at the Sydney Town Hall on 2 November.

The Sydney Peace Prize is Australia’s international prize for peace, recognising leading global voices who promote peace, justice and non-violence.

This year’s laureate is Iranian-born human rights activist and actress Nazanin Boniadi.

Ms Boniadi’s lecture will be followed by a panel interview featuring Australian-born Middle Eastern political scientist Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert – recently released from 804 days of Iranian imprisonment, together with Iranian journalist and author, Shokoofeh Azar.

The 2023 Sydney Peace Prize recognises Ms Boniadi’s decades-long commitment to advancing women’s rights in Iran, and the importance of the female-led #WomenLifeFreedom movement.

Following the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini last year, Ms Boniadi was instrumental in bringing the human rights of women and others in Iran into sharp focus on the world stage, She has put the case before the UN Security Council, the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, the British Parliament, and forums across the globe.

The ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ movement has demonstrated the unifying power and potential of women’s rights as a lever for mobilisation and demands for change. The movement makes the pursuit of women’s rights an essential part of any pathway towards fundamental change in Iran.

Melanie Morrison, Sydney Peace Foundation Director, said: “In the Foundation’s 25th year, attention has turned to Iran and the powerful Woman, Life, Freedom movement. This year’s Sydney Peace Prize Laureate Ms Boniadi will provide a timely spotlight on Iran’s oppressive and violent actions against human rights activists. We call on all Australians to stand side-by-side with Iranians as they call for peace with justice in Iran.”

On accepting the Prize, Ms Boniadi said: “Receiving the Sydney Peace Prize is an extraordinary honour. As my compatriots in Iran are subjected to unspeakable assaults on their minds, bodies and souls and risk their lives to speak out against the injustices they experience daily, I can only dedicate this recognition to them and pledge to use this opportunity to further amplify their voices, centre them on the world stage, and support their dreams of a free, prosperous and secular democratic Iran.”

Sydney Peace Foundations’ partners in peace, the University of Sydney and City of Sydney, encourage the community to come together to talk about peace, justice and non-violence, and to honour one of the world’s most inspiring peacemakers.

Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Mark Scott AO, said: “Since its inception at the University of Sydney, the Sydney Peace Foundation has reminded us that the pursuit of peace is not a passive endeavour but an active, ongoing commitment to justice and cooperation. We are very proud to partner with Sydney Peace Foundation in awarding Nazanin Boniadi and recognising her efforts in demanding a safer world, particularly for women in Iran.”

Foundation Patron and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore AO, said: “For more than 20 years, the City of Sydney has partnered with the Sydney Peace Foundation to help create a peaceful, fair, just and compassionate world, I commend the Sydney Peace Foundation on its dedication to promoting peace and honouring champions of human rights, including this year’s worthy recipient, Nazanin Boniadi. Nazanin’s work resonates around the world. We congratulate and thank Nazanin for her long-time fight for justice and setting a shining example for turning outrage into action.”

The Sydney Peace Prize Lecture and Award ceremony is on Thursday 2 November from 6:30 to 8pm at the Sydney Town Hall.

The Sydney Peace Prize Gala Dinner is on Friday 3 November from 6 to 11pm in the Great Hall at the University of Sydney.

Tickets for both events are on sale now.

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She reminded us that we must side with “the child over the gun every single time, no matter whose gun and no matter whose child.”

As Gaza is bombarded, we feel we must now speak again.

The Sydney Peace Foundation has joined calls in Australia and around the globe for an immediate ceasefire. We call on the Australian Government do everything it can to support this.

In this latest round of violence in the Middle East we have seen the indiscriminate slaughter of innocents. We have seen civilians kidnapped and entire families murdered in their homes in acts of terror committed by Hamas militants.

Thousands of civilians have already lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes.

As the United Nations has pointed out, even wars have rules.

The civilian population of over two million in Gaza has nowhere to escape to. There are reports of impending deaths by dehydration as the water runs out.

The innocent victims are human beings: mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children.

When war crimes are committed, they must be acknowledged. Those affected must be able to seek real justice and they must be able to safely mourn.

War crimes never justify ever more war crimes in retaliation. Justice and peace will not be found this way.

All people in Israel and in Gaza deserve justice. They deserve peace.

An immediate ceasefire is the first step.

The human rights of all people must be respected and international humanitarian law must be upheld.

The Sydney Peace Foundation acknowledges that we sit on the unceded lands of the Gadigal people, and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, and community that is deeply embedded in the spaces on which we work.

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The Sydney Peace Foundation stands in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to support their aspirations and the Yes vote in the upcoming Referendum. This is a historic and unprecedented moment in the ongoing struggle of Indigenous peoples for substantive constitutional recognition and empowerment. It provides all Australians with an opportunity to begin to address the unfinished business of the past and start to heal from the wounds of the past in order to move forward to a better future, for everyone.

In 2022, the Uluru Statement from the Heart was awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation’s Peace Prize:

“For bringing together Australia’s First Nations Peoples around a clear and comprehensive agenda; for facilitating healing and peace within our Nation; and for delivering self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, enabling Australia to move into the future with unity and confidence.”

Constitutional recognition through establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is not only a legitimate and pragmatic aspiration, but a modest one. Australia is the only nation with a comparable colonial history that does not recognise First Nations people in its Constitution or have a mechanism that gives them a say on matters that affect them in place.

The Voice brings Australia into line with international human rights law which recognises the right of Indigenous people to participate in decision-making processes on issues that affect them. This is a fundamental right for Indigenous people across the globe who have suffered displacement and discrimination.

People and nations have gone to war over these needs. The Voice allows Australia to move forward with a modest, humble offering of Peace.

To quote from the powerful Uluru Statement of the Heart:

“We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.”

The full implementation of the Uluru Statement will bring significant benefits to Australia and greatly enhance Australia’s international standing as an inclusive and respectful society where everyone can flourish.

We urge every Australian to reach out and accept this olive branch by writing Yes on 14 October.

The Sydney Peace Foundation acknowledges that we sit on the unceded lands of the Gadigal people, and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, and community that is deeply embedded in the spaces on which we work.

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Ms Boniadi is deeply committed to human and women’s rights advocacy and has used her public profile as an actress to campaign in solidarity with the people of Iran. Following the death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini last year, she was instrumental in bringing the human rights of women and others in Iran into sharp focus on the world stage, and has put the case before the UN Security Council, the US Senate Human Rights Caucus, the British Parliament, and forums across the globe.

The Peace Prize jury selected Ms Boniadi from a strong field of nominations “for drawing attention to human rights violations, for lending a powerful voice to support Iranian women and girls and their #WomanLifeFreedom movement, and for using a high-profile platform to promote freedom and justice in Iran.”

Joy Kyriacou and Felix Eldridge, co-chairs of the Sydney Peace Foundation, said: “We must continue to pay attention to the atrocities being faced by the people of Iran. The 2023 recipient, actress and activist Nazanin Boniadi, is a powerful advocate for the #WomanLifeFreedom movement, dedicating her platform to amplifying the voices of the brave protestors risking their freedom and their lives.”

The announcement ceremony was attended by Sydney Peace Foundation patron and Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore, along with gender and human rights expert Elizabeth Broderick.

“On behalf of the City of Sydney, we congratulate Nazanin for her long-time fight for justice. Her activism and advocacy for human rights and women’s rights in Iran is helping to turn outrage into action,” said Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore.

“Thank you Nazanin for standing in solidarity with the women of Iran, who are bravely raising their voices for freedom, equality and human rights,” said Elizabeth Broderick, gender equality and human rights expert. “Recognising the importance of this female-led movement through this year’s Peace Prize winner will contribute to the much-needed momentum for change in Iran.”

On accepting the Prize, Ms Boniadi said: “Receiving the Sydney Peace Prize is an extraordinary honour. As my compatriots in Iran are subjected to unspeakable assaults on their minds, bodies and souls and risk their lives to speak out against the injustices they experience daily, I can only dedicate this recognition to them and pledge to use this opportunity to further amplify their voices, centre them on the world stage, and support their dreams of a free, prosperous and secular democratic Iran.”

The Sydney Peace Prize will be formally awarded to Nazanin Boniadi later in the year, when she will travel to Australia to attend the Sydney Peace Foundation’s annual lecture at Sydney Town Hall and Gala Dinner at the University of Sydney.

ABOUT THE SYDNEY PEACE PRIZE

The Sydney Peace Prize is Australia’s international prize for peace, awarded by the Sydney Peace Foundation at the University of Sydney. The Prize recognises leading global voices that promote peace, justice and nonviolence. Laureates include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mary Robinson, Joseph Stiglitz, Patrick Dodson, Naomi Klein, the Black Lives Matter Global Network and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

For over two decades, the Sydney Peace Prize has been awarded with the generous support of the City of Sydney.  Your donation to the Sydney Peace Foundation helps Laureates continue their vital work for a fairer, more just world.

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