The International Children’s Peace Prize 2013

The International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who has made a significant contribution to advocating children’s rights and improving the situation of vulnerable children such as orphans, child labourers and children with HIV/AIDS.

The prize is an initiative of the KidsRights Foundation, an international children’s aid and advocacy organisation based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. KidsRights should not be confused with the group which grants the Nobel Peace Prize.

The first Children’s Peace Prize was launched in November 2005 during the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, an annual meeting of Nobel Peace Prize winners and international organisations such as UNICEF and Amnesty International.

“We welcome the launch of Children’s Peace Prize during our summit,” the summit’s closing statement said.

Mikhail Gorbachev presented the 2005 prize, which was posthumously awarded to Nkosi Johnson, a South African boy who brought international attention to children with HIV/AIDS and founded the Nkosi’s Haven home for HIV-positive mothers and children. The winner receives a 100,000 euro donation to benefit a charitable project for children, as well as a statuette which has been named the Nkosi in Nkosi Johnson’s honour.

The 2006 award was handed out by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Frederik Willem de Klerk in a ceremony at the Binnenhof, the seat of the Dutch parliament in The Hague. The 2007 was presented at the Binnenhof by Bob Geldof and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Betty Williams. The 2008 prize was presented by Desmond Tutu.

An International Children’s Peace Prize is also handed out by the Children as the Peacemakers Foundation. The World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child is awarded yearly by Swedish organisation Children’s World.

Malala Yousafzai, a teenage activist promoting girls’ right to an education, is to receive the 2013 International Children’s Peace Prize. She was shot in the head by the Taliban as she traveled to school in Pakistan. She received treatment at a hospital in Birmingham, UK, and now resides there.

When the youngest Nobel Peace prize laureate – and the first woman from the Arab world to win the distinction – presents a peace award to a teenager from Pakistan who survived an attack by the Taliban for championing girls’ right to education, it is a sign of changing times.

This is what happened when Tawakkol Karman, the human rights activist, journalist and politician from Yemen who won the Nobel in 2011, presented the International Children’s Peace Prize to 16-year-old Malala Yousafzai, in the medieval splendor of the Hall of Knights in The Hague on 6 September 2013. The prize, an initiative of the Dutch KidsRights Foundation, has been awarded every year since 2005 to a child for his or her dedication to children’s rights and improving the situation of the most vulnerable children

In a keynote address to some 400 guests, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova stated that Malala “has become the embodiment of the aspirations of millions of girls and boys. (…) Education opens minds, it is the most powerful path to peace, yet everywhere this human right is being violated. This is what Malala Yousafzai has brought to the world’s attention. Girls’ education is a human rights issue but in some parts of the world, it is also a security issue.”

Mrs Bokova spoke about the importance of raising awareness, more financing and putting education at the top of the political agenda to harness its full power.

Accepting the prize – a statuette of a child pushing a globe upwards – Malala affirmed that “for children in The Netherlands, or in the UK where I go to school now, or anywhere in Europe or America, education is something which is taken for granted – which is an entirely normal and expected part of growing up. That is exactly as it should be. I want to live in a world where education is taken for granted in every corner of the globe, because no-one is excluded from it.”

Citing evidence of a positive ‘Malala effect’ on girls’ schooling, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mr Mark Rutte, asserted that “Malala is fighting for something very important. Education is not only vital for individual children, but also for society as whole. It is an essential weapon in the battle against poverty, disease and conflict. And it is the key to democracy and economic development. That’s why the international community needs to have sky-high ambitions in this field.”

Praising Malala for “confronting tyranny with rare courage,” Ms Karman made an impassioned plea for women’s rights, affirming that “education empowers women politically, socially and economically, to make the world more just and prosperous.”

Marc Dullaert, chairman of KidsRights and founder of the International Children’s Peace Prize, said: “Malala is an inspiration for both children and adults. Her battle for access to education for girls all over the world has not escaped anyone’s notice. She shows that children can let their voice be heard at a young age and can set the world in motion. Even after an attempt on her life, Malala showed the courage to decide to continue unabated in her efforts.”

The Prize, always presented by a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is accompanied by an award of €100,000, which this year will be invested in projects to promote education for girls in Pakistan.

Congratulations to Malala Yousafzai, who was awarded the 2013 International Children’s Peace Prize in The Hague. She promised to continue campaigning for girls’ education “so that children all over the world can have a right to go to school.” Nobel Laureate توكل كرمان Tawakkol Karman presented her with the prize, telling Malala “you are my hero“.

The International Children’s Peace Prize – which includes a €100,000 project fund sponsored by AkzoNobel – was today officially awarded to 2013 winner Malala Yousafzai by Nobel Peace Prize winner Tawakkol Karman.

Malala (16), became widely known when, aged 11, she wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC highlighting her passion for school and the oppression of the Taliban in Pakistan. Following a targeted attempt on her life by the Taliban, Malala was severely wounded and fled to England, where she now lives and goes to school.

Established by the Dutch KidsRights Foundation, the award is accompanied by a prize fund which has been sponsored by AkzoNobel since 2012. This year, the fund will be used to support projects that aim to improve access to education for girls in Pakistan.

AkzoNobel CEO Ton Büchner was at today’s ceremony held in The Hague, The Netherlands, when Malala received her award.

“I was delighted to attend the ceremony and am grateful that I had the opportunity to congratulate Malala on her extraordinary achievements,” he said.

“Everyone should have the right to reach their full potential and she is an inspiration to young people everywhere. We are very pleased to be associated with such a special award and I’m sure the AkzoNobel Children’s Peace Fund will be of invaluable help to many deserving projects.”

Marc Dullaert, Chairman and Founder of the KidsRights Foundation, added: “The winners of the International Children’s Peace Prize have proven that any child is able to change and to move the world. Each one of them has successfully fought to solve problems such as child slavery, poverty and the lack of access to education and healthcare.”