Wateler Peace Prize
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize is a biennial award presented by the Carnegie Foundation to individuals or institutions that have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of peace through words, actions, or writings.[1] The Wateler Peace Prize has been awarded at the Peace Palace since 1931 and is the second oldest permanent peace prize after the Nobel Peace Prize.[2]
On 16 November 1916, during the horrors of World War I, Johan Gerard Daniel Wateler, a banker from The Hague, decided to dedicate his fortune to the cause of peace. In his will, he stipulated that his wealth should be used to create a peace prize. Inspired by Alfred Nobel, he envisioned a recurring award to promote peace. Wateler initially wanted the Dutch government to present the prize, but the De Geer I Cabinet at the time found this inappropriate. Wateler had already taken this possibility into account in his will: if the State declined the inheritance, the funds would be transferred to the Carnegie Foundation.[2]
After Wateler's death in 1927, his estate went to the Carnegie Foundation who was assigned to regularly award the peace prize with the interest of the legate. The Wateler Peace Prize was first awarded in 1931 as an annual award with an interruption during and shortly after World War II. In the early years, the prizes were sent by mail without any formal ceremony. It was not until the 1970s that the award took its current form—a certificate bearing the motto "Pacis palmae digniores quam tropaea belli" ("The Palms of Peace are More Honorable than the Trophies of War").[2]
Award ceremonies
Since 2004, the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize has been awarded every two years under the name Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize. The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize alternates every two years between a Dutch and an international laureate. One edition honors a person or organization from the Netherlands, while the next recognizes an international recipient for their contributions to peace.[2]The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize is awarded biannually in the Peace Palace and can also be watched live via a live stream available on the website of the Peace Palace. Currently, is the prize money for the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize €35,000.[3]
Youth Carnegie Peace Prize
Since 2018, the Carnegie Foundation, in cooperation with the Youth Peace Initiative, also awards the Carnegie Youth Peace Prize to recognize inspiring peace building initiatives by young individuals in (post-)conflict scenarios.[4]
Provisions
Johan Wateler had stipulated in his will, that his estate should be used for the prize of the award:
The property as such of the capital ... as well as the remainder of my possessions ... I dote to the State of the Netherlands under the condition that ... the yearly revenue in round figures will be spent for the award of a prize to him or her, who in whatever way, through word, deed or example, literature, sculpture or painting, in the country or abroad, has been most meritorious in the furthering of the peace ideal, or in contributing to finding means to render the horror of war more and more impossible in the long run.[2]
Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize
The history of the Wateler Peace Prize and its recipients reflects how the concepts of peace building and conflict prevention have evolved over the past 85 years. Many distinguished figures and organizations have received the award, including Sir Eric Drummond (1931), the first Secretary-General of the League of Nations; Sir Baden-Powell (1934), founder of the Scouting movement; Jean Monnet (1953), one of the architects of the European Union; Coretta Scott King (1969), peace activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr.; and War Child (2012). In 2014, Lakhdar Brahimi was honoured for his role as a mediator in conflict zones and his contributions to peacekeeping. Sigrid Kaag received the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in 2016, while Rudi Vranckx was awarded the 2018 prize for his courageous reporting from conflict areas. The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue won the 2022 prize for its efforts in conflict resolution.[1]
Most recently, on 26 November 2024, the Netherlands Armed Forces were awarded the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in recognition of their participation in more than 80 peacekeeping missions worldwide.[5]
Laureates
| Year[6] | Recipients |
|---|---|
| 1931 | Eric Drummond, Secretary-General of the League of Nations and the Union internationale des associations pour la Société des Nations, Brussels[7] |
| 1932 | Association for the League of Nations and Peace (Dutch: Vereeniging voor Volkenbond en Vrede), The Hague[8] |
| 1933 | Arthur Henderson, president of the Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, Geneva[9] |
| 1934 | Dutch branch of the World Alliance for International Friendship through the Churches (Dutch: Wereldbond voor Internationale Vriendschap door de Kerken)[10] |
| 1935 | Radio Nations of the League of Nations, Geneva[11] |
| 1936 | The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague[12] |
| 1937 | Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell[13] |
| 1938 | Dutch Youth Hostel Center (Dutch: Nederlandse Jeugdherberg Centrale) and the Ecumenical Association in the Netherlands (Dutch: Oecumenische Vereeniging in Nederland)[14] |
| 1939 | American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia; Friends Service Council, London[15] |
| 1947 | Henri van der Mandere, writer and peace activist, co-founder Association for League of Nations and Peace[16] |
| 1948 | World Council of Churches, Geneva[17] |
| 1949 | The Hague Academy of International Law, The Hague[18] |
| 1950 | Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales, Geneva[14] |
| 1951 | Dirk Stikker, former foreign minister, co-founder of NATO and the European Communities[19] |
| 1952 | Jean Monnet, Paris[20] |
| 1953 | Dutch Council of the European Movement (Dutch: Nederlandse Raad der Europese Beweging), The Hague[14] |
| 1954 | Anthony Eden, London[21] |
| 1955 | Gerrit Jan van Heuven Goedhart[22] |
| 1956 | UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund)[23] |
| 1957 | Adriaan Pelt[24] |
| 1958 | Georges Moens de Fernig, Brussels[25] |
| 1959 | Foundation for the Development of Youth Hostels (Dutch: Stichting Opbouwfonds Jeugdherbergen)[14] |
| 1960 | Marguerite Nobs, Genève, founder of World Union of Women for International Concord (UMFCI)[26][27] |
| 1961 | Willem Visser 't Hooft[28][29] |
| 1962 | Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, Stockholm[30] |
| 1963 | Youth Volunteer Programme[14] |
| 1964 | World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA), Geneva[31] |
| 1965 | Eduard van Beinum Foundation, Breukelen[32] |
| 1966 | Taizé Community, France[14] |
| 1967 | I.K.O.R., the Committee for Wild Geese Broadcasting[14] |
| 1968 | Coretta Scott King, U.S.A.[33][34] |
| 1969 | Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (Dutch: Nederlandse Vereniging voor Internationaal Recht), Utrecht |
| 1970 | International Social Service, Headquarters, Geneva[35] |
| 1971 | Bert Röling, Groningen[36] |
| 1972 | Alva Myrdal, Stockholm, Swedish representative at UN Disarmament Conference, treaty against nuclear proliferation[37][38] |
| 1973 | Addeke Hendrik Boerma, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), initiator of world campaign to combat hunger.[39] |
| 1974 | Henry Kissinger, Washington, peace agreement negotiator for the Vietnam War[40] |
| 1975 | Max Kohnstamm, Rome, co-founder of the European Communities[41] |
| 1976 | Manfred Lachs, Former President and Judge of the International Court of Justice, The Hague[42] |
| 1977 | The Salvation Army, The Netherlands[43] |
| 1981 | Danny Kaye, first Goodwill Ambassador of the UN Children's Rights Organisation (UNICEF)[44] |
| 1982 | Kees Brouwer, Representative of the High Commissioner for Refugees, The Hague |
| 1983 | Hermann Gmeiner, SOS Children's Villages International, Austria[45] |
| 1984 | Herman van Roijen, former foreign minister and ambassador of the Netherlands[46] |
| 1985 | International Commission of Jurists, Geneva[47][48] |
| 1986 | Dutchbatt, UNIFIL, UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon |
| 1986 | Verghese Kurien, Chairman of National Dairy, India, known as the "Father of the White Revolution"[49] |
| 1987 | Dutch Council for the Disabled (Dutch: Stichting Nederlandse Gehandicaptenraad), Utrecht |
| 1988 | Brian Urquhart, former under-secretary-general U.N.O.[50] |
| 1989 | Médecins Sans Frontières, Netherlands |
| 1990 | Jiří Hájek, Czech and Slovak Federal Republic[51] |
| 1991 | Municipality of Leiden, City of Refugees initiative |
| 1992 | Wilhelm Huber, SOS Children's Villages International[52] |
| 1993 | Mr. Eelco Krijn, Mrs. Karin Krijn-van Goudoever and their child (posthumously) |
| 1994 | The Jewish Cultural and Humanitarian Society La Benevolencija, Sarajevo[53] |
| 1995 | Max van der Stoel, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High Commissioner on National Minorities[54] |
| 1996 | Rolf Ekéus, Chairman of the UN Special Committee on Iraq (UNSCOM)[55][56] |
| 1997 | Jaap Ramaker, Permanent Dutch representative at UN Disarmament Conference |
| 1998 | Permanent Court of Arbitration[57] |
| 2000 | Liliane Fonds |
| 2001 | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) |
| 2004 | Theo van Boven, Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Commission |
| 2006 | Javier Solana, former secretary-general of NATO |
| 2008 | Patrick Cammaert, former commander of UN peacekeeping missions |
| 2010 | Peace One Day and its founder Jeremy Gilley[58] |
| 2012 | War Child |
| 2014 | Lakhdar Brahimi, special envoy for peacekeeping missions |
| 2016 | Sigrid Kaag, UN, special envoy to the Middle East |
| 2018 | Rudi Vranckx, war correspondent |
| 2022 | Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) |
| 2024 | Netherlands Armed Forces |