Announcement of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureates
▲Chairman Hong Il-Sik announcing the winner of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize
The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee announced the winner of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize on Oct. 5 in Nagoya, Japan. Former Lutheran World Federation President Munib A. Youna (age 70) and Senegalese President Macky Sall (age 59) were selected as the winners. In particular, the “Founder’s Award” was added to the 2020 award to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon. The winner of the Founder’s Award was given to former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (age 76).
“In international relations, the principle of “national self-interest” takes precedent over norms of dialogue and cooperation.” said Hong Il-Sik, chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee. “In order to achieve peace, we must work to overcome the barriers that divide us. We must learn to see each other as members of one human family. Living in a global era, we must all strive for mutual prosperity and lasting world peace”.
“The crises facing the world today are problems that no single individual or even a few great powers can solve on their own,” Hong said. “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.”
▲More than 120 reporters from 79 media companies from 50 countries attended to cover the announcement of the winners of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize.
More than 120 reporters from 79 media companies from 50 countries, including Korea, the U.S., Japan, the Philippines, Nepal, Italy, Albania, South Africa, and Senegal, participated in the press conference.
Meanwhile, Nam In-seog, Secretary-General of the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation, introduced the selection process of the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize winners. “From March to the end of June, a total of 286 candidates have been recommended from over 45 countries, and from July to August, a strict screening of candidates’ qualifications through online and offline were conducted to select the final laureates,” Nam said.
Chung Tae-Ik (president of Korean Council on Foreign Relations, ), Moon Yeon-Ah (current chair of the Hyo Jung World Peace Foundation), and Yoon Youngho (Secretary-General of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification International Headquarters) attended the press conference.