Adyan Foundation in Lebanon to Get 35th Niwano Peace Prize

TOKYO, Feb. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Niwano Peace Foundation will award the 35th Niwano Peace Prize to the Adyan Foundation in Lebanon in recognition of its continued service to global peace-building, notably its development of a program for children and educators offering guidance to peace and reconciliation for those affected by the Syrian war.

An award presentation ceremony will take place in Tokyo on May 9 at 10:30 a.m. In addition to an award certificate, the foundation will receive a medal and a cash prize of 20 million yen.

In 2013, Adyan responded to the Syrian crisis by offering interfaith mediation dialogue and peace education to vulnerable Syrian citizens both in Lebanon and Syria. In 2016, Adyan started intensive work in Iraq to build the capacities of journalists and civil society activists in spreading the values of inclusive citizenship and inter-religious solidarity, and healing the society from its ISIS traumatism. 

In selecting Adyan as a recipient for 2018, the Niwano Peace Prize Committee said the foundation has been "a visible and committed actor for peace" in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East region, focusing on both high-level and grassroots engagement, "demonstrating the inclusive and interfaith values/principles the Niwano Award seeks to recognize."

Niwano Peace Prize:
The Niwano Peace Foundation established the Niwano Peace Prize to honor and encourage individuals and organizations that have contributed significantly to inter-religious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace, and to make their achievements known as widely as possible. The foundation hopes in this way both to enhance inter-religious understanding and cooperation and to encourage the emergence of still more persons devoted to working for world peace. The prize is named in honor of the founder and first president of the lay Buddhist organization Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano.

Niwano Peace Foundation: 
The Niwano Peace Foundation was chartered in 1978 to contribute to the realization of world peace and the enhancement of a culture of peace. The foundation promotes research and other activities based on a religious spirit and serves the cause of peace in such fields as education, science, religion and philosophy.

Contact:
(Mr.) Seiji Hironaka
Niwano Peace Foundation 
Tel: +81-3-3226-4371
Fax: +81-3-3226-1835
E-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.npf.or.jp/english/