Documentation of the 2011 Hessian Peace Prize

The latest Standpunkt issue includes the laudation for Sadako Ogata, the awardee of the Hessian Peace Prize 2011, her words of gratitude as well as further speeches

"There are no humanitarian solutions to humanitarian problems. There are only political solutions." This position has had significant influence on the life and work of Sadako Ogata, awardee of the Hessian Peace Prize 2011, which was awarded on 6th December 2011 for the 17th time.

 

The daughter of a diplomat began her academic education in Japan and received a PhD from the University of Berkeley in California, before returning to Tokyo where she taught international relations until 1991. She became  internationally renowned when she was assigned the post of High Commissioner for Refugees from 1991 until 2000. As High Commissioner she fought for the rights and protection of refugees from war zones. Furthermore, Ogata was significantly involved in the development of the concept of "human security": not a nation or state, single humans must be at the centre of diplomatic efforts, that is to say the protection of their physical and psychological integrity.

 

The latest issue of HSFK-Standpunkt Architektin internationaler Friedenspolitik – Dokumentation der Verleihung des Hessischen Friedenspreises 2011 an Sadako Ogata ("Architect of a politics of freedom – Documentation of the Hessian Peace Prize 2011 for Sadako Ogata") contains all speeches of the ceremony, especially the acceptance speech of Ogata, who expressed her gratitude and emphasized her continuing concern for the problems of refugees around the world as well as her wish for a long-lasting cooperation of Japan and Germany to free humans from fear and distress.

 

This HSFK-Standpunkt is available as free PDF download.

http://hsfk.de/fileadmin/downloads/report0811.pdf