Photos by Lukas Bulicek

The 2024 Sydney Peace Prize Award Ceremony and Lecture was held on Monday 18 November  at the Sydney Town Hall to honour this year’s Peace Prize recipient, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement for their courageous and highly regarded humanitarian work in conflict zones in general and Gaza in particular during the past year.

The Peace Prize was presented by the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO to Mr Jagan Chapagain, CEO and Secretary General of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) who delivered the keynote lecture attended by more than a thousand people attending the highly anticipated yearly event.

Following the award ceremony, the Sydney Peace Foundation’s annual fundraising Gala Dinner was held on Thursday 21 November at Sheraton Grand Hyde Park hotel with speakers from the foundation and IFRC officials together with a lively panel discussion.

A not-for-profit organisation based at the University of Sydney, the Sydney Peace Foundation was founded in 1998 by Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees AM to promote public interest in peace, justice and universal human rights and is supported by the City of Sydney.

The inaugral Sydney Peace Prize was awarded to Dr Muhammad Yunus (currently the interim prime minister of Bangladesh) in 1998, founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh for his innovative work enabling the world’s poor to become independent through access to microfinance, and for his inspiring advocacy of view that poverty is the denial of all human rights and that peace is freedom from poverty.

Since then Sydney Peace Prize has been awarded to some of the world’s most effective peacemakers who have championed solutions to the most urgent global challenges and inspired change while  demanding justice for everyone, encouraging empathy, and advocating nonviolence.

The 2024 Sydney Peace Prize Award Ceremony and Lecture was MCed by Australian author and broadcaster Benjamin Law who welcomed the guests and thanked the partners and sponsors of the event.

The acknowledgement of country was delivered by Aurielle Smith who was joined later by Savanna Smith and Shanaya Buddingh (Arts Unit UNSW) presenting a dance to Mitch Tambo song.

Mr Mohamed Duar, currently head of philanthropy and a spokesperson at Amnesty International Australia spoke on behalf of the Sydney Peace Foundation recognising the extraordinary work that this year’s recipient the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement 16 million staff and volunteers are dedicated to.

“When awarding prize this year, the jury specially recognised and acknowledged the brave heroes of the Palestinian representatives who were operating on with dangerous the conditions in occupied territories and specially in Gaza,” Mr Duar said.

He further added, “In the occupied Palestinian territories, civilians, humanitarians, health care workers, journalists are all under attack, despite being protected under international humanitarian law where 300 humanitarian workers have been killed.”

“We have witnessed schools, hospitals, shelters, and refugee camps continue to be attacked or destroyed in Gazza, no one and nowhere is safe, and now the violence of aggression has filled into Lebonon threatening to engulf the entire region,” Mr Duar warned.

He concluded his address with an appeal, “While the Sydney peace foundation welcomes Australia’s recent development of recognising the sovereignty of the Palestinian resources, we call on Australia to take a stronger hands and do everything within its economic and diplomatic power to stop aggression, abuses, war crimes, and violations of the international humanitarian law and those responsible must be held to accounts and face trial regardless of who they are are.”

The Mayor of the City of Sydney, Clover Moore AO during her address praised the work of the foundation acknowledging the leadership of Professor Reece supported by Melanie Morrison, Director Sydney Peace Foundation and its members.

Ms Moore also praised the work of this year’s prize recipients, IFRC specially in Gaza saying “Through the recent escalation of violence 27 Palestinian Red Crescent society volunteers have been killed, giving their lives while working to provide a lifeline to 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.”

“We use this recognition of their selfless, brave and heroic service to call on our political leaders to put an end to the suffering and deliver lasting peace and justice for Palestinians,” she appealed.

After receiving the award from the Mayor, Mr Jagan Chapagain, CEO and Secretary General of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) delivered the keynote  annual lecture.

Acknowledging the award to IFRC, Mr Chapagain said, “It is an  honorr to accept the distinguished prize on behalf of the Red Cros and Red Crescent Movement on behalf 191 red cross societies around the world, more than 16 million volunteers and staff dedicated to humanitarian work under most difficult circumstances.”

The event concluded with a panel discussion involving Benjamin Law, Jagan Chapagain, Professor Emily Crawford and Mike Denison, Red Cross delegate from the Middle East.