Hessian Peace Prize

The Hessian Peace Prize was founded on 16 October 1993 by the former Prime Minister of the state of Hesse, Albert Osswald, and his foundation.

The Hessian Peace Prize is awarded to individuals who have rendered outstanding service to furthering mutual understanding among nations and peace. Each year, an awardee selected by the Hessian Peace Prize committee receives the award of 25,000 Euro.

PRIF advises the committee in the selection of awardees and documents the award ceremonies.

 

Members of the Committee of the Hessian Peace Prize

Prof Dr Nicole Deitelhoff
Executive Director of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)

Heike Hofmann
Vice President of the Hessian State Parliament

Michaela Jäckel-Osswald

Astrid Wallmann
President of the Hessian State Parliament

Prof Dr Conrad Schetter
Director for Research at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)

Prof Dr Ursula Schröder
Academic Director at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH)

Karl Starzacher
Minister of State (retired), Chairman of the Committee of the Hessian Peace Prize

Peter von Unruh
Director at Hessian State Parliament

PD Dr Ines-Jacqueline Werkner
Senior Researcher at Forschungsstätte der Evangelischen Studiengemeinschaft e.V. (FEST). Institut für interdisziplinäre Forschung

Veronika Winterstein
Vice President (retired) of the Hessian State Parliament

 

 

Awardees of the Hessian Peace Prize

2022Somali-Canadian human rights activist Ilwad Elman for advocacy for the victims of gender-based violence and for peace in Somalia
2020Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, and Alexis Tsipras, former Prime Minister of Greece, for settling the name dispute between the two states
2019Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for his outstanding achievement for a historic peace declaration with Eritrea – Because the awardee acted against the principles of the prize during the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray province, the prize was withdrawn in 2021.
2018Şebnem Korur Fincancı for her great commitment to the documentation and clarification of torture and human rights violations
2017Swiss lawyer and diplomat Carla del Ponte for her relentless commitment to the enforcement of international criminal law and her firm conviction that only law can establish sustainable peace
2016Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for her achievements as mediator in the nuclear deal between Iran and US
2015The Russian Ella Mikhaylovna Polyakova for her campaign against degrading conditions, violence and abuses in the Russian Army 
2014The Brasilian Rubem César Fernandes for his commitment towards peace and against the violence in Brazil
2013The Nigerian Imam Dr. Muhammad Ashafa and the Pastor Dr. James Wuye for their cooperative initiative against the interreligious conflict between christians and muslims in Nigeria and further countries
2012Elisabeth Decrey Warner, co-founder of human rights organisation "Geneva Call" for her fight against land mines and for persuading several violent non-state actors to accept international humanitarian law
2011Sadako Ogata, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees for her dedication to help people in humanitarian crises
2010Palestinian Ismail Khatib for his efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East
2009Kenyan Peace Activist Ms. Dekha Ibrahim Abdi for mediating in interreligious and interethnic conflicts on a local level worldwide
2008US Senator Sam Nunn for his commitment to nuclear disarmanent and for combatting nuclear terrorism
2007High UN Representative to Bosnia and Hercegovina Christian Schwarz-Schilling for mediating in the Balkans
2006Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim for his efforts for mutual understanding in the Middle East
2005His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for his dedication to a nonviolent solution of the Tibet-China-conflict
2004Hans Blix, former Executive Director of the UN Monitoring, Verfication and Inspection Commission in Iraq (UNMOVIC) and former Swedish Foreign Minister, for his steadfastiness in his work as Head of UNMOVIC
2003UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan, the Algerian Lakhdar Brahimi, for his benefits in the Afghan peace process
2001Former High Commissioner of the OSCE for National Minorities Max van der Stoel of the Netherlands for his politics of prevention, that had contributed to solving conflicts in Estnia and Latvia, in Slowakia and in Romania peacefully
2000Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish President, for his mediation efforts to end the Kosovo War
1999US-Senator a. D. George J. Mitchell for his mediation efforts to end the Cnflict in Northern Ireland
1998General a. D. Alexander Lebed, Gouverneur of the Krasnojarsk Region, for his mediation efforts to end the First Chechenyan War
1997Hans Koschnick for mediating as EU-Administrator in Mostar
1996Monsenior Gregorio Rosa Chavez for mediating between the Guerilla and the government in El Salvador
1995John Hume of Northern Ireland for mediating between the IRA and the British government
1994Marianne Heiberg-Holst of Norway for mediating between Israel and the PLO