Alyn Ware receives 2009 Right Livelihood Award

Alyn Ware, a well known New Zealand Peace and Disarmament campaigner for nearly 30 years has been awarded the 2009 Right Livelihood Award - also known as the 'Alternative Nobel Peace Award'  - in recognition of "his effective and creative advocacy and initiatives over two decades to further peace education and to rid the world of nuclear weapons".

The only other New Zealander to receive this prestigious award is the late Rt Hon David Lange who received an 'honorary award' in 2003.  

Alyn Ware has played a leading role in many international movements for nuclear disarmament and peace over many years, including the World Court Project, Abolition 2000, the Middle Powers Initiative,International Peace Bureau, the International Assocation of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non Proliferation and Disarmament (PNND). 

Just two days ago, as head of the PNND delegation, Alyn presented UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon with the Parliamentarians’ Statement Supporting a Nuclear Weapons Convention during a 40 minute meeting ( see photo attached).  Over the next few days he will meet with key members of the US Congress in Washington to build political support for a Nuclear Weapons Convention. Nationally he holds many key positions as the Director of the Peace Foundation Wellington office, the New Zealand Coordinator of the World March for Peace and Nonviolence (which started in New Zealand on 2 October 2009)  and the Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace.                                          

Other 2009 Right Livelihood Laureates include David Suzuki of Canada, Rene Ngongo of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Catherine Hamlin of Ethiopia.

The Right Livelihood Award Jury gave the following explanation for its choice of Laureates:

"Despite the scientific warnings about the imminent threat and disastrous impacts of climate change and despite our knowledge about solutions, the global response to this crisis is still painfully slow and largely inadequate. At the same time, the threat from nuclear weapons has by no means diminished, and the treatable diseases of poverty shame our common humanity. The 2009 Right Livelihood Award Recipients demonstrate concretely what has to be done in order to tackle climate change, rid the world of nuclear weapons, and provide crucial medical treatment to the poor and marginalised."

"The principles of peace are the same whether it be in school, at home, in the community or internationally," said Mr. Ware. "These are primarily about how to solve our conflicts in win/win ways, i.e. in ways that meet all peoples' needs. My kindergarten teaching was thus good training for my international peace and disarmament work. And when I am back in the classroom, I can help students see that the ideas and approaches they are using to solve their conflicts are similar to the ideas and approaches we use at the United Nations to solve international conflicts."

» Read more about Alyn Ware's accomplishments in the field of disarmament and peace education :

http://www.rightlivelihood.org/ware.html

» Read the press release from the Right Livelihood Awards Jury

http://www.rightlivelihood.org/award.html?&no_cache=1

Both David Lange and Alyn Ware were nominated by Dr Kate Dewes, Director of the Disarmament and Security Centre in Christchurch.  
 
Kends

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