2020 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureate Announcement
The Sunhak Peace Prize was established to contribute to a peaceful future for all humanity, which is the vision of its founders, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
The year 2020 is a very significant year for the Sunhak Peace Prize. Not only does it represent the 4th award ceremony; it is the centenary year of the founders. For this reason, in addition to the 2020 peace prize, there will also be a special Founder’s Award that will be presented to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder, Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon.
The Sunhak Peace Prize committee carefully reviewed the achievements of many candidates, based on the principles of peaceful interdependence, mutual prosperity, and universally shared values.
After careful review, it was decided that the Founders’ Award will be presented to former U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon of the Republic of Korea. And the 2020 Sunhak Peace prize Award will be presented to two worthy individuals: H.E. Macky Sall, current president of Senegal, and Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Palestine.
Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the winner of the Founders’ Award is a leader striving to bring about a sustainable world. He was the first Korean to become the U.N. Secretary-General in 2006. He served two successful terms, and contributed greatly to peace and human development.
In particular, former Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon has pressed for international awareness of the seriousness of climate chance which resulted in the Paris Agreement, a landmark accomplishment for humanity and the entire planet. In addition, during his term, the UN adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS). He also contributed greatly to presenting and implementing a global strategy for promoting gender equality and child health.
Senegalese President Macky Sall, laureate of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize, is a leader who exemplifies good governance. Elected Senegalese President in 2012, and again in 2019, President Macky Sall has consistently upheld the rule of law and human rights, while working to eradicate poverty and to promote economic development, making Senegal one of the most stable countries on the continent.
As an advocate for democratic values, President Macky Sall is leading Senegal effectively, creating a stable democracy. Among other things, he has rejected the temptation to extend his rule by implementing reforms, such as shortening the presidential term from seven to five years. Thanks to President Sall’s fervent endorsement of the ‘Plan Senegal Emergent’ (PSE), his administration has greatly contributed to not only the prosperity of Senegal but also to West Africa’s economic development, giving great hope for the whole of Africa. Senegal’s experience serves as a good role model for neighboring countries that are also on the path of democratization and development.
In addition, the committee has selected Bishop Dr. Munib Younan as a 2020 laureate. Bishop Younan believes that interreligious dialogue and reconciliation are fundamental to peace for humanity. He has devoted his life to promoting religious harmony. Born in Jerusalem in 1950, Bishop Younan has been promoting harmony between religions for more than 40 years, since he was ordained as a Lutheran priest in 1976.
Most of all, Bishop Younan has promoted interreligious dialogue to bring peace to Jerusalem. He has promoted dialogue and reconciliation among Jews, Christians and Muslims in Jerusalem, a city that has been a center of conflict for centuries.
Furthermore, through continued dialogue with the Catholic Church, Bishop Younan was able to overcome difference and build mutual trust between the Catholic and Protestant churches, demonstrating the beautiful harmony that is possible between believers of different faiths. Pope Francis even attended the Lutheran Church’s 500th anniversary celebration of the religious reformation in 2016, declaring the “common path” which united Catholicism and Lutheranism. This was the fruit of his tireless efforts.
The crises facing the world today are problems that no single individual or even a few great powers can solve on their own. However, when we combine the actions of each and every one of us, working to help our neighbors in need, to care for nature, to make effort to understand the other person, we will be able to change the world little by little, moving in the direction of peace.
Together with the 3 laureates today, if we all associate the fate of the world with our own destiny, and if we unite and cooperate across borders, races, ideologies, and religions, the world will be able to move one step closer towards one prosperous peaceful community. Thank you.
October 5th, 2019
Il Shik Hong, Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee
