31 January 2016
Statement from the Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu, Executive Director of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
ARCHBISHOP TUTU ENDORSES THREE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE 2016 NOMINATIONS
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has endorsed three competing but complementary nominations for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. The nomination process closes tomorrow (1 February).
The three nominations are:
- The Aegean Solidarity Movement, in acknowledgement of the compassion of the people of the Greek Islands in opening their hearts and homes to hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn lands in 2015.
- The Club of Rome, Dr Herman Daly and Pope Francis, for their significant contributions to global understanding of sustainable development: The Club of Rome is the think tank that commissioned the seminal 1972 study, The Limits to Growth. Dr Daly has developed critical understanding of the ecological limitations on economic growth, and co-founded the journal, Ecological Economics.
- The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, which has campaigned globally to abolish nuclear weapons since 1982.
Archbishop Tutu said: “What the nominations have in common is that they represent collective responses to the realities of globalisation, finite resources and security. They underscore the inter-dependent nature of our human family.
“The manner in which so-called ordinary residents of the Greek Islands rallied to provide for an estimated 900 000 refugees last year was quite extraordinary. Just imagine 900 000 visitors in desperate need arriving at the door of your reasonably modest establishment. Hungry, exhausted and in a state of acute emotional distress… They don’t speak the same language as you or ascribe to the same cultural or religious beliefs. What do you do? You open the door. Incredible!”
On the nomination of the Club of Rome, Dr Daly and Pope Francis, Archbishop Tutu said: “These are people at the forefront of global thought and consciousness about the ecological necessity to curb human consumptiveness and greed. They are pioneers. We salute their work, and pray that their wisdom will find its way into policies and practices that can sustain us all.”
Archbishop Tutu is a member of the Nuclear Peace Age Foundation’s Global Advisory Council. The organisation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons, and to empower peace leaders.
Archbishop Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.
With Archbishop Tutu’s endorsement, this is the time for ISEE members to check the NP4SD.org website, and either endorse or nominate if they are qualified (the requirements being provided right on the website).
‘Late’ nominations and endorsements are still valuable as a) they are held over for next year’s Peace Prize and b) they may influence the critical first month of deliberations in this year’s prize.
