Humanity United Senior Fellow Dr. John Paul Lederach to Receive 36th Niwano Peace Prize

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Humanity United (HU) today announced Dr. John Paul Lederach, HU Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus of International Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, has been chosen to receive the 36^th Niwano Peace Prize, an annual award that honors and encourages those who are devoting themselves to interreligious cooperation in the cause of peace. 

As part of the Niwano Peace Foundation's  annual process for the award, hundreds are contacted for nominations, and an international selection committee determines the final award. Dr. Lederach was selected for his achievements in mediating conflicts, building peace, and fostering international reconciliation and inter-religious cooperation for more than 30 years, often in some of the world's most violently-conflicted regions.

"I am grateful and humbled to receive this prestigious award. I owe so much to those who have influenced me along my journey, and now I hope this recognition is an opportunity to encourage others," Lederach said. "With complicated issues growing globally, now more than ever we must invest in future generations to help bring about peaceful change."

Dr. Lederach will accept the award at a formal ceremony on May 8, 2019 in Tokyo. There he will receive a traditional medal, certificate and 20 million yen as part of the award. He will deliver a speech to the Niwano Peace Foundation, Japanese dignitaries and global peace leaders that will be made available to the public.

"Dr. Lederach's work has been a significant source of inspiration for me and others, for many years. His principles, based on his deep experience, helped form the foundational approach of Humanity United's work," said Pam Omidyar, founder of Humanity United. "John Paul's ability to deeply listen, imagine possibilities, and commit to long-term engagement, has been instrumental in transforming violent conflict into stability and peace."

As Senior Fellow at HU, Dr. Lederach explores approaches to peacebuilding that emphasize the courage, imagination, and agency of local actors to transform cycles of violence into durable peace and human flourishing.

The Niwano Peace Prize

The Niwano Peace Foundation established the Niwano Peace Prize to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible. The Foundation hopes in this way both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace.

The Prize is named in honor of the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano. For Niwano, peace was not merely an absence of conflict among nations, but a dynamic harmony in the inner lives of people as well as in our communities, nations and the world. Seeing peace as the goal of Buddhism, Niwano devoted much of the latter half of his life to promoting world peace, especially through inter-religious discussion and cooperation.

About Humanity United 

Humanity United is a foundation dedicated to bringing new approaches to global problems that have long been considered intractable. We build, lead, and support efforts to change the systems that contribute to problems like human trafficking, mass atrocities, and violent conflict. HU is part of The Omidyar Group, a diverse collection of organizations, each guided by its own approach, but united by a common desire to catalyze social impact.

CONTACT: Liz Hamel, [email protected]

SOURCE Humanity United