On 8 December, the INMP was greatly honoured with the 2013 Peace Prize (Human Rights Section) of the No Gun Ri International Peace Foundation. This was the result of a submission by INMP board member Clive Barrett, which detailed the many ways in which the network was contributing towards the creation of a global culture of peace and human rights. In the words of the Foundation:

“The INMP has greatly contributed to helping peace museums in the world share exhibitions, practical knowledge and information with each other, thus playing an important role of agent for peace and human rights. In addition, the association has worked hard to change the existing recognition toward peace in the international society, and to promote peace through exchanges and cooperation among peace museums. On the occasion of the Peace Palace Centenary in The Hague, the INMP also contributed to the longterm welfare of those who have been working for peace and human rights. In recognition of the contribution to world peace, the INMP was chosen winner of the 6th No Gun Ri Peace Prize in the Human Rights section.”

The award ceremony was held at the Conference Hall of the No Gun Ri Peace Park, the same location as the 8th INMP Conference in September 2014. Kazuyo Yamane went as INMP representative to receive the award, where she gave a short acceptance speech written by Peter van den Dungen and herself. She is pictured with Dr. Chung Koo-do, chairman of the No Gun Ri Peace Foundation.

Peace Philanthropy Symposium

The two-day symposium entitled Celebrating Peace Philanthropy and Furthering Peace Education – In the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie took place in the Peace Palace on 2-3 September 2013. Several leading peace philanthropists participated in a review of the nature, variety and extent of peace philanthropy today.

The symposium was organised in cooperation with the Carnegie Foundation, and was held in the Academy Hall of the Peace Palace. It was opened by the honorary president of the Carnegie UK Trust, and great-grandson of Andrew Carnegie, William Thomson. Participants were also welcomed by the mayor of The Hague, Jozias van Aartsen.

Among the invited speakers were several founders, presidents, or senior officers of leading peace foundations and similar organisations such as Steve Killelea (Institute for Economics and Peace, and founder of the Global Peace Index); Federico Mayor (Foundation for a Culture of Peace, and former Director-General of UNESCO); Jennifer Allen Simons (The Simons Foundation, promoting and funding work for nuclear disarmament); Gillian Sorensen (United Nations Foundation); Sakuji Tanaka (President, Rotary International 2012-2013); and Cora Weiss (Hague Appeal for Peace).

20130902 Peace Philanthropy Symposium – programme

Peace Philanthropy Gala

A very special Peace Palace Philanthropy Gala was held in the Ridderzaal in The Hague on Monday 2 September 2013. It was a fantastic evening with inspiring speeches, a wonderful dinner (inspired by the menu of the first Hague Peace Conference in 1899) and special entertainment.

Hague historian and Netherlands-America expert Willem Post presented the evening. Under the central theme of peace and philanthropy, speeches were given by leading international speakers including Gillian Sorensen (United Nations Foundation), William Thomson (Carnegie United Kingdom Trust) and Cora Weiss (Hague Appeal for Peace). In between courses, the guests were treated with performences by the world whistling champion Geert Chatrou, piano-player Jan Vayne and the 2013 winner of Dutch talent search ‘The Voice Kids’ Laura van Kwaam. Benthe Tupker from Christie’s hosted a special auction.

The Peace Philanthropy Gala supported the activities of War Child International and the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). For pictures of the evening, visit our Flickr photo album.

20130902 Peace Philanthropy Gala – invitation

Peace Philanthropy – Then and Now Exhibition

The pursuit of world peace takes many forms. This is reflected in the various ways in which philanthropy (love of mankind) manifests itself, when focussed on bringing about a world without war.

This exhibition shows past and present examples of charitable giving to promote a peaceful world. While Carnegie’s Peace Palace and Nobel’s Peace Prize are well known, other durable investments in peace-making are little known. Underlying many projects is the need for education – that war is not inevitable, and that peaceful conflict resolution is possible and indeed vital. We can all work for peace and will be more successful if the resources necessary are available.

The exhibition, consisting of 26 panels, was first on display in the large Atrium of The Hague city hall from 15 August until 29 September 2013. It is also available as a traveling exhibition and as an e-book. More information is available from the INMP website.

The centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, on 28 August 2013, was an auspicious occasion for celebration and reflection. It also presented INMP, whose secretariat overlooks part of the Palace, with an opportunity to promote greater awareness of peace museums and museums for peace, and increase support for them.

The Peace Palace, home of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations, ranks among the world’s oldest, grandest and most important buildings devoted to world peace, international justice, the rule of law, and the abolition of war. It is the result of a major gift by the Scottish-American iron and steel industrialist, and president of the New York Peace Society, Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). The Peace Palace is one of three ‘Temples of Peace’ that he financed. A strong opponent of war, Carnegie believed that the two Hague Peace Conferences (1899 & 1907), which had resulted in the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and a convention on the peaceful resolution of conflicts, showed that the abolition of war was a realistic goal. As a result, he directed much of his unprecedented philanthropy to the development of a culture of peace.

Official centenary celebrations at the Peace Palace included the presentation of the official book 100 Years Peace Palace to His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of The Netherlands. A speech was given by Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon. Afterwards a bust of peace activist Bertha von Suttner was unveiled by 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Leymah Gbowee, in the main hall of the Peace Palace.

INMP initiated two projects as part of the centenary celebrations,  a two-day symposium entitled Celebrating Peace Philanthropy and Furthering Peace Education – In the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie, and an exhibition entitled Peace Philanthropy – Then and Now.

Sources and related links:

Government of the Netherlands – Peace Palace centennial celebrations (including a short video with transcript)

Municipality of The Hague – Video: Ban Ki-moon feliciteert Den Haag (YouTube)

UN WEB TV – Video: Peace Palace 1913-2013, The Hague (Netherlands)

Peace Palace Library – Peace Palace Centenary, 1913-2013: Programme

Piece of the Palace – A constellation of activities celebrating the centenary of the Peace Palace

This book was published to mark the centenary of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, and in conjunction with the symposium Celebrating Peace Philanthropy and Furthering Peace Education – in the Footsteps of Andrew Carnegie held in September 2013.

“These pages are a feast for the eyes. Peruse them quickly or slowly. Either way, you will marvel at the beauty, the creative genius, and the legacies of peace which the constructors of peace monuments and museums have bestowed on us, their heirs.

Peace monuments and museums celebrate the end of war and the expectation of peace and prosperity. They express peaceful human aspirations such as justice, tolerance, and reconciliation. They celebrate such achievements as the abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage, defeat of tyrannical and murderous regimes, declaration of human rights, respect for conscientious objectors, end of apartheid, non-use of nuclear weapons, racial integration, recognition of international interdependence, reconciliation of divided nations, and struggle for gender equality.

Unfortunately, peace monuments and museums are largely underappreciated because they are overwhelmed by the vastly superior number of war monuments and museums everywhere in the world.

This is the first book to reveal the beauty, the variety, and the meanings of peace monuments and museums. Arranged chronologically, it shows a selection of 416 peace monuments and museums from 70 countries and from all eras, as far back as the Greeks and Romans.

Fortunately, more peace monuments and museums are being constructed today than ever before. This creates yet another reason to study the past — so we can know better how to build our own peace monuments and museums. What peace achievements and events do we want to memorialize? What legacies of peace do we want to bestow on future generations? A Peace Partners International book.”

Monumental Beauty is available via Amazon.com