Serageldin on the Jury to Select Winner of the First Conflict Prevention Prize
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Alexandria—
Ismail Serageldin, Director of the Library of Alexandria, met with the Jury Committee members of the Chirac Foundation on Friday, 6 November 2009, to select a winner for the Chirac Foundation Prize for the Prevention of Conflicts.
The Jury selects from a list of individuals or institutions that have taken exemplary and urgent action towards prevention of clash in areas of potential conflict. Serageldin believes this prize will better international recognition of the efforts of those who work to prevent conflicts.
The Jury was composed of personalities who have worked for peace and dialogue: Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former Secretary General of the United Nations; Michel Camdessus, Former Managing Director of The International Monetary Fund; Jacques Chirac, Former President of France and President of the Chirac Foundation; Joaquim Alberto Chissano, Former President of Mozambique; Federico Mayor, Former Director General of UNESCO; Andrea Riccardi, Founder of the Catholic Community of Sant’Egidio; Jorge Sampaio, Former President of Portugal; Simone Veil, Member of the Académie Française; and Ismail Serageldin.
The Chirac Foundation Prize went to Imam Muhammad Ashafa and to Pastor James Wuye for their efforts in Nigeria; and the Special Jury Prize went to Dr. Park Jae-Kyu for his work on the Korean peninsula.
The award ceremony was held in the Grand Amphitheater of the Sorbonne in Paris, and was attended by a number of high-profile guests, including UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and French President Nicolas Sarkozy.