Hessian Peace Prize
The Hessian Peace Prize was founded on 16 October 1993 by the former Prime Minister of the state of Hesse, Albert Osswald, and his foundation.
The Hessian Peace Prize is awarded to individuals who have rendered outstanding service to furthering mutual understanding among nations and peace. Each year, an awardee selected by the Hessian Peace Prize committee receives the award of 25,000 Euro.
PRIF advises the committee in the selection of awardees and documents the award ceremonies.
Members of the Committee of the Hessian Peace Prize
Prof Dr Nicole Deitelhoff
Executive Director of the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF)
Heike Hofmann
Vice President of the Hessian State Parliament
Michaela Jäckel-Osswald
Astrid Wallmann
President of the Hessian State Parliament
Prof Dr Conrad Schetter
Director for Research at the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
Prof Dr Ursula Schröder
Academic Director at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH)
Karl Starzacher
Minister of State (retired), Chairman of the Committee of the Hessian Peace Prize
Peter von Unruh
Director at Hessian State Parliament
PD Dr Ines-Jacqueline Werkner
Senior Researcher at Forschungsstätte der Evangelischen Studiengemeinschaft e.V. (FEST). Institut für interdisziplinäre Forschung
Veronika Winterstein
Vice President (retired) of the Hessian State Parliament
Awardees of the Hessian Peace Prize
| 2023 | the Canadian-Israeli peace and human rights activist Vivian Silver posthumously to honor her commitment to peaceful and equal coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians |
| 2022 | Somali-Canadian human rights activist Ilwad Elman for advocacy for the victims of gender-based violence and for peace in Somalia |
| 2020 | Zoran Zaev, Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, and Alexis Tsipras, former Prime Minister of Greece, for settling the name dispute between the two states |
| 2019 | Abiy Ahmed Ali, Prime Minister of Ethiopia, for his outstanding achievement for a historic peace declaration with Eritrea – Because the awardee acted against the principles of the prize during the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray province, the prize was withdrawn in 2021. |
| 2018 | Şebnem Korur Fincancı for her great commitment to the documentation and clarification of torture and human rights violations |
| 2017 | Swiss lawyer and diplomat Carla del Ponte for her relentless commitment to the enforcement of international criminal law and her firm conviction that only law can establish sustainable peace |
| 2016 | Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for her achievements as mediator in the nuclear deal between Iran and US |
| 2015 | The Russian Ella Mikhaylovna Polyakova for her campaign against degrading conditions, violence and abuses in the Russian Army |
| 2014 | The Brasilian Rubem César Fernandes for his commitment towards peace and against the violence in Brazil |
| 2013 | The Nigerian Imam Dr. Muhammad Ashafa and the Pastor Dr. James Wuye for their cooperative initiative against the interreligious conflict between christians and muslims in Nigeria and further countries |
| 2012 | Elisabeth Decrey Warner, co-founder of human rights organisation "Geneva Call" for her fight against land mines and for persuading several violent non-state actors to accept international humanitarian law |
| 2011 | Sadako Ogata, former UN High Commissioner for Refugees for her dedication to help people in humanitarian crises |
| 2010 | Palestinian Ismail Khatib for his efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East |
| 2009 | Kenyan Peace Activist Ms. Dekha Ibrahim Abdi for mediating in interreligious and interethnic conflicts on a local level worldwide |
| 2008 | US Senator Sam Nunn for his commitment to nuclear disarmanent and for combatting nuclear terrorism |
| 2007 | High UN Representative to Bosnia and Hercegovina Christian Schwarz-Schilling for mediating in the Balkans |
| 2006 | Conductor and pianist Daniel Barenboim for his efforts for mutual understanding in the Middle East |
| 2005 | His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for his dedication to a nonviolent solution of the Tibet-China-conflict |
| 2004 | Hans Blix, former Executive Director of the UN Monitoring, Verfication and Inspection Commission in Iraq (UNMOVIC) and former Swedish Foreign Minister, for his steadfastiness in his work as Head of UNMOVIC |
| 2003 | UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan, the Algerian Lakhdar Brahimi, for his benefits in the Afghan peace process |
| 2001 | Former High Commissioner of the OSCE for National Minorities Max van der Stoel of the Netherlands for his politics of prevention, that had contributed to solving conflicts in Estnia and Latvia, in Slowakia and in Romania peacefully |
| 2000 | Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish President, for his mediation efforts to end the Kosovo War |
| 1999 | US-Senator a. D. George J. Mitchell for his mediation efforts to end the Cnflict in Northern Ireland |
| 1998 | General a. D. Alexander Lebed, Gouverneur of the Krasnojarsk Region, for his mediation efforts to end the First Chechenyan War |
| 1997 | Hans Koschnick for mediating as EU-Administrator in Mostar |
| 1996 | Monsenior Gregorio Rosa Chavez for mediating between the Guerilla and the government in El Salvador |
| 1995 | John Hume of Northern Ireland for mediating between the IRA and the British government |
| 1994 | Marianne Heiberg-Holst of Norway for mediating between Israel and the PLO |