12th Luxembourg Peace Prize Honours 8 Laureates

The 12th Luxembourg Peace Prize took place on Friday 14 June 2024 at MUDAM in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

The event marked the anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Treaty and provided an opportunity for peacemakers from all over the world to gather for an awards ceremony honouring eight Peace Prize Laureates.

At 10:00, the attendees gathered together for the inaugural World Peace Flag Mandala activity which entailed placing country flags on the floor in a circular manner whilst saying: "May prevail in (country)". The touching tradition commemorated global unity and prompted reflection on the violent reality in many of the countries.

The President of Schengen Peace Foundation and Luxembourg Peace Prize, Vicki Hansen, began the event by explaining the history of today's gathering and embracing internationalism in the auditorium filled with people of 34 nationalities. She then went on to applaud the work of the laureates, saying the event aims to bring "their expertise in peacemaking and amplify their voices". First keynote speaker Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Honorary Minister of Culture and European Cultural Parliament Senator, further emphasised the enduring importance of peace and the need for collective action to achieve it.

A statistical presentation on Global Peace Index (GPI) was given by Steve Killelea, Executive Chairman and founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP). His "sobering" findings included a variety of data analyses and country comparisons based on economic, political and cultural factors, among many others. He concluded that there is an indisputable economic impact of violence, asking the audience: "How can you build peace if you don't invest in it?" Mr Killelea and his team proceeded to answer a few questions from the audience.

At 11:30, a panel discussion titled "Non-violent Resolutions to War" took place including the following guests: Carlos Guadamuz, Executive Director of The Hague Peace Projects, Netherlands; Els Debuf, Head of International Committee of the Red Cross (IRIC), Luxembourg; Steve Killelea, Executive Chairman and founder of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Australia; and moderator William Jones, founder and managing partner of Beaumont Governance, Luxembourg.

Following a quick recess, the event continued with a performance by Olena Afanasyeva, a Ukrainian vocalist, performing a lullaby by American composer Andriy Lehkі. The song was dedicated to all children affected by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Another music performance by violinist David Bubani took place in the afternoon.

Felix Bentz, President of the 2023 World Peace Forum Barcelona, Spain made an announcement of the 2024 World Peace Forum at the closing ceremony.

See the list of Peace Prize Laureates honoured at the event: https://chronicle.lu/category/international-news/50140-luxembourg-to-honour-8-peace-prize-laureates-on-14-june