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UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence
The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.
Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence award ceremony on 16 November, UNESCOPRESS, 10 November 2009

François Houtart (Belgium) and Abdul Sattar Edhi (Pakistan) to share 2009 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence, UNESCOPRESS, 20 October 2009



The Prize, established through the generous donation of the UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Indian artist, writer and diplomat Mr Madanjeet Singh, honors his lifelong commitment to the cause of peace and tolerance.

The creation of the Prize in 1995 marked the United Nations Year for Tolerance and the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi.

Periodicity and value
Since 1996, the Prize has been awarded every two years and, since 2002, it amounts to
US $ 100,000. In 2009, the Prize will be awarded for the seventh time.

Who can win the Prize?
The Prize may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence.

Who can submit nominations?
In accordance with the Statutes of the Prize, nominations shall be submitted to the Director-General of UNESCO by Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, as well as by non-governmental organizations maintaining formal consultative relations with the Organization, especially those concerned with human rights. A self-nomination cannot be considered.

How to submit nominations
Each nomination must be submitted on the relevant form and shall be accompanied by a written recommendation of not more than five standard pages in length which should include a precise description of the activities accomplished and the results achieved and a definition of the candidate’s contribution to the promotion of tolerance and non-violence. A standard form for candidature presentation in English and French, as well as the Statutes of the Prize are available on the website of UNESCO.

A call for nominations is made in conformity with Article 6 of the Statutes of the Prize and can be found on the website of UNESCO. The deadline for submission of nominations to the Director-General of UNESCO is 15 July of the year the award is made.

Who designates laureates?
The laureate is chosen by the Director-General of UNESCO upon the recommendation of an International Jury comprising five members with internationally recognized reputation in the field of peace, human rights, tolerance and non-violence from different regions of the world.

Awarding of the Prize
The announcement of the name of the laureate is made in the form of a UNESCO press release disseminated around the world. This information is also available on the UNESCO website.
The prize is awarded by the Director-General at an official ceremony held for that purpose at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 16 November, International Day for Tolerance and the anniversary of the foundation of UNESCO.

Download the brochure on the Prize [PDF, 1.9 MB]

Contact:

Division of Human Rights, Human Security and Philosophy
1 rue Miollis 75732 Paris Cedex 15 France
Tel.: +33 (0)1 45 68 38 22 / 38 42 / 38 45
Fax: +33 (0)1 45 68 57 26
E-mail: i.zoubenko-laplante@unesco.org



Laureates of the Prize
    1996
  • Association of 32 non-governmental women’s organizations "Pro-femmes Twese Hamwe" of Rwanda

  • 1998
  • Narayan Desai, educator and peace activist of India
  • Joint Action Committee for Peoples Rights of Pakistan

  • 2000
  • Pope Shenouda III, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church

  • 2002
  • Aung San Suu Kyi of Myanmar

  • 2004
  • Taslima Nasreen, writer from Bangladesh

  • 2006
  • Veerasingham Anandasangaree from Sri Lanka, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF).
    A tireless defender of democracy and peaceful conflict resolution, Veerasingham Anandasangaree has helped improve knowledge of the Tamul cause, through dialogue, through the promotion of non-violent solutions in Sri Lanka and by taking a stand against terrorism.

  • 2009
  • François Houtart (Belgium) received the award for his life-long commitment to world peace, intercultural dialogue, human rights and the promotion of tolerance, and in recognition of his outstanding eff orts to advance the cause of social justice in the world. He is ardent promoter of North-South cooperation and the founder of the Tri-Continental Centre (CETRI), a non-governmental organization renowned for its work on development issues and in the International Council of the World Social Forum. Known throughout his life as a defender of human rights, he has contributed significantly to the advancement of the inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. As a noted sociologist of religions and theology, he has authored numerous publications and given lectures in over 100 universities around the world.
  • Abdul Sattar Edhi (Pakistan) received the award for his life-long eff orts to ameliorate the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia, and to promote the ideals of human dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance. He is one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan through his Edhi Foundation, which he created in 1957. A non-profit social welfare programme with over 300 centres across Pakistan, the foundation provides the needy with medical aid, family planning, emergency assistance and education. It sets up maternity homes, mental asylums, homes for the physically handicapped, blood banks and orphanages, among other services. Branches in several other countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia etc.) bring relief to refugees and other victims of strife and natural disasters. Dr Edhi is renowned for his active stand against extremism and his support of human rights as well as for his humanitarian efforts.



See also:

Prize Awarding date November 16
Periodicity Biennial. The prize is awarded on 16 November, International Day for Tolerance and the anniversary of the foundation of UNESCO.
Value 100 000 USD
Funding Source Funds donated by the South Asia Foundation (SAF), established by Mr Madanjeet Singh, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Keywords tolerance, non-violence, violence
General Rules Article 1 - Purpose
The purpose of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence is to honour significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication field aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. The prize, which was established in 1995 on the occasion of United Nations Year for Tolerance and the hundred and twenty-fifth anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, may be awarded to institutions, organizations or persons who have contributed in a particularly meritorious and effective manner to tolerance and non-violence, and to the families of intellectuals who have fallen victim to intolerance. The contribution should be in line with the Charter of the United Nations and UNESCO’s Constitution and should fully correspond to the principles and standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant international instruments.

The objective of the Prize conforms to the UNESCO Strategy on Human Rights, the UNESCO Integrated Strategy to Combat Racism, Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance, adopted by the General Conference at its 32nd session in 2003, and the policies and priorities for the entire Organization [the Medium-Term Strategy 2008-2013 (34 C/4).
Article 2 - Designation, amount and periodicity of the Prize
2.1 The Prize shall be entitled “The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence”.

2.2 The Prize and all expenses related thereto shall be funded by the Donor - the South Asia Foundation (SAF), established by Mr Madanjeet Singh, and shall consist of a sum of a recurrent payment of US$150,000. The value of the Prize shall be determined by the Director-General in consultation with the Donor on the basis of the contribution received from the Donor, the interest on the sum deposited in the Special Account, in accordance with the Financial Regulations of UNESCO, and the charges to be borne by the account for the cost of administering the Prize.

2.3 The financial contribution for the Prize shall be made by the Donor every two years in two installements: the first installement shall be equal to about US$50,000 to cover the operating and overhead costs of the Prize and shall be transferred by the Donor during the first trimester of the year of the award of the Prize. The second installement shall be equal to US$100,000 to cover the Prize and shall be transferred by the Donor before 31 March of the year of the award of the Prize. All funds received and the interest accrued thereon shall be kept in the Special Interest-Bearing Account for the Prize in conformity with its Financial Regulations (see Annex I).

2.4 The full staff support and operating/management costs of the Prize, including all costs related to the meeting of the International Jury, award ceremony and public information activities shall be fully covered by the contribution from the Donor, received to the Special Account for the Prize. To this end, the Director-General will determine a mandatory overhead cost amount to be applied and charged against the funds in the Special Account, which is to be established under the Financial Regulations for the Prize.

2.5 The Prize shall be awarded every two years, or once every UNESCO biennium. In exceptional cases, the Prize amount may be equally divided between two winners, each of which is considered to merit the Prize.

Article 3 – Conditions/Qualifications of candidates
3.1 Candidates shall have made exceptional contributions and demonstrated leadership in the field of the promotion of tolerance. The prizewinners shall be required to have taken one or more particularly remarkable initiatives to promote the development of tolerance and non-violence, namely:
(a)
• by directly carrying out an educational activity;
• by implementing international, national, regional or local programmes aimed at the promotion of tolerance and non-violence;
• by mobilizing initiatives and/or means likely to contribute to the implementation of such programmes;
• by producing teaching materials or other special aids designed for the development of programmes to teach tolerance and non-violence;
• by undertaking, coordinating or encouraging research in those fields or fields related to specific aspects of tolerance;
• by conducting special surveys or launching original undertakings that have made for significant development in the promotion of tolerance and non-violence.

(b) In addition, the following criteria will be taken into consideration:

• the activity must have lasted long enough for its results to be evaluated and its effectiveness verified;
• it must represent an outstanding contribution to the fundamental objectives of UNESCO and the United Nations in the fields of tolerance and non-violence;
• the work accomplished must be exemplary and likely to instigate similar initiatives;
• it must have shown itself to be effective in mobilizing new intellectual and material resources;
• it must represent a contribution to the understanding and solution of international or national problems in a spirit of tolerance and non-violence.

3.2 The Prize may be conferred upon an individual, a group of individuals, institutions and other entities or non-governmental organizations.

Article 4 – Designation/ Selection of prizewinner/s

The prizewinner/prizewinners [up to two laureates] shall be selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on the basis of the assessments and recommendations made by an international jury.

Article 5 - Jury

5.1 The Jury shall consist of five independent members of different nationalities and gender, appointed by the Director-General for a period of six years, eligible for re-election. Members of the Jury should have internationally recognized reputation in the field of peace, human rights, tolerance and non-violence. Representatives and alternatives of Members of the Executive Board may not serve as jurors. Jurors involved in a real or potential conflict of interest shall recuse themselves from further deliberations or be asked by the Director-General to do so. The Director-General may replace members of the Jury for reason.

5.2 The Jury shall elect its own Chair and Deputy Chair. Members shall receive no remuneration for their work, but will receive allowances for travel and accommodation, where required. A quorum of three jurors present will be required for jury deliberations to proceed. The working languages for deliberations by the Jury shall be English and French.

5.3 The Jury shall conduct its business and deliberations in conformity with these Statutes and shall be assisted in the performance of its task by the Secretary of the Prize (a member of the UNESCO Secretariat), designated by the Director-General. Decisions shall be taken by consensus to the extent possible and otherwise by secret ballot until a simple majority is obtained. A member shall not take part in a vote concerning a nomination from his or her country.

5.4 The Jury shall meet once every two years for two working days two months after the closing date for the submission of nominations, to make its recommendations to the Director-General for the selection of that year’s prizewinner.

5.5 The Jury shall send an assessment on nominations and accompanying recommendations to the Director-General of UNESCO following its meeting at UNESCO Headquarters and no later than 30 September of the year of the award of the Prize.


Article 6 - Nomination of candidates

6.1 When UNESCO has received the funding of the Prize, as indicated in Article 2 above, the Director-General shall officially invite the submission of nominations to the Secretariat of the Prize, by 15 July of the year of the award of the Prize, from the governments of Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, as well as from non-governmental organizations maintaining formal relations with the Organization.

6.2 Nominations shall be submitted to the Director-General by the governments of Member States, in consultation with their National Commissions, and by non-governmental organizations maintaining formal relations with UNESCO. A self-nomination cannot be considered.

6.3 Each nomination shall be accompanied by a written recommendation of not more than five standard pages in length, which shall include, in English or French, inter alia (all other materials may be attached as an annex; they will not be returned to nominators):
(a) a description of the candidate’s background and achievements;

(b) a summary of the work or the results of the work, publications and other supporting documents of major importance, submitted for consideration;

(c) a definition of the candidate’s contribution to the Prize’s objectives.

Article 7 - Procedure for the awarding of the Prize
7.1 The Prize shall be awarded by the Director-General at an official ceremony held for that purpose at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on the occasion of International Day for Tolerance, 16 November. UNESCO shall present to the prizewinner/s a check for the amount of the prize. UNESCO shall officially announce the name/s of the prizewinner/s.

7.2 If a work being rewarded has been produced by two or three persons, the Prize shall be awarded to them jointly. In no case may a prize amount be divided between more than three persons.

7.3 The prizewinner/prizewinners, if possible, shall give a lecture on a subject relevant to the work for which the Prize has been awarded. Such a lecture shall be organized during or in connection with the Prize ceremony.

7.4 The work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for a prize. If, however, a prizewinner dies before he has received the Prize, then the Prize may be presented posthumously (awarded to relatives or institution).

7.5 Should a prizewinner decline the Prize, the Jury shall submit a new proposal to the Director-General.

Article 8 – Sunset clause – mandatory renewal of the Prize

8.1 After a period of six years, the Director-General of UNESCO together with the Donor will undertake a review of all aspects of the Prize and decide about its continuation or termination. The Director-General will inform the Executive Board of UNESCO about the results of this review.

8.2 In case of termination of a Prize, the use of any unspent balance of funds shall be determined by the Director-General, in accordance with the financial regulations for the Prize.

Article 9 – Appeals

No appeals shall be allowed against the decision of UNESCO with regard to the award of the Prize. Proposals received for the award of the Prize may not be divulged.

Article 10 – Amendments to the Statutes of the Prize

Any amendment to the present Statutes shall be submitted to the Executive Board for approval.



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