What is the SYDNEY PEACE FOUNDATION?
The Sydney Peace Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation
which was created eight years ago within the University
of Sydney. The Foundation aims to raise the agenda of peace
with justice in the Australian community. Peace with justice
is a way of thinking and acting which promotes non-violent
solutions to every day problems and provides the foundation
of a civil society.
The Sydney Peace Foundation:
- selects and awards the Sydney Peace Prize;
- develops corporate sector and community understanding
of the value of peace with justice in diverse contexts
and countries;
- sponsors peace initiatives, particularly the work
of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies at the University
of Sydney;
- teaches peace and conflict studies and creates jobs
for young people in areas of peace research, conflict
resolution and the promotion of human rights;
- awards scholarships and internships in peace, human
rights and conflict resolution.
What the Sydney Peace Foundation Does
Signature Events
Every year in the first week of November, the Sydney
Peace Foundation presents the Sydney Peace Prize.
The Sydney Peace Prize Award Ceremony
The premier annual event of the Sydney Peace Foundation,
this gala dinner attracts the an audience of 400 of Sydney's
top business, government, NGO and university leaders and
well as diverse community members.
In 2003, the Award Ceremony was held at the NSW Parliament
with Jennifer Byrne as MC. Premier Bob Carr presented the
Sydney Peace Prize to Dr. Hanan Ashrawi.
In 2004, the Award Ceremony returned to the University
of Sydney. The Governor of New South Wales, Professor Marie
Bashir AC, presented the Sydney Peace Prize to Indian Writer
and human rights activist Arundhati Roy in McLaurin Hall.
The City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture
Each year on the evening before
the Award is presented, the Sydney Peace Prize recipient
presents the City of Sydney Peace Lecture in the Seymour
Centre at the University of Sydney.
This popular event is often a sellout and a spillover
audience may be accommodated in a second theatre. The lecture
transcript is available after the event.
In 2004 Arundhati Roy's lecture, Peace and the New
Corporate Liberation Theology, was broadcast repeatedly
on ABC Radio National and has been in high demand with
audiences requesting recordings and copies of the transcript.
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Calendar of Events
Throughout the year the Sydney Peace Foundation presents
special events and seminars with distinguished guests.
In past years we have conducted seminars with
- Gareth Evans, President of the International Crisis
Group, on the international responsibility to protect
- Margaret Reynolds , President of the United Nations
Association of Australia, on the 2004 UN Commission on
Human Rights
- Jeff McMullen, award-winning journalist and foreign
correspondent
- Father Frank Brennan
- Hugh Mackay
- Bryce Courtenay AM
Special Visitors to the Sydney
Peace Foundation
Since the inception of the Sydney Peace Foundation, Partners
in Peace have had the opportunity to meet some of the world's
most inspiring leaders and advocates of peace with justice.
Visitors to the Foundation have included:
Nelson Mandela
 On 4 September 2000 former president of South Africa,
Nelson Mandela, presented Dr Stella Cornelius, founder
of the Conflict Resolution Network, and Faith Bandler,
campaigner for indigenous rights in Australia, with certificates
for their dedication and achievements in conflict resolution
and education. The Sydney Peace Foundation was proud to
have such an honoured guest.
 His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet
On 25 May 2002, Councillor Kathryn Greiner, then Chair
of the Sydney Peace Foundation, presented His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet with
the Sydney Peace Foundation Medal. The presentation was
in recognition of his untiring work for human rights, non-violence
and world peace.
Research
The Sydney Peace Foundation provides support to the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. Research projects include:
- Lebanese Youth in Sydney project - examining the effects
of racism on young people.
- Global Action for the Prevention of War - an international
collaborative campaign with other educational institutions.
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