Wateler Peace Prize
The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize is a biennial award presented by the Carnegie Foundation to individuals or institutions that have made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of peace through words, actions, or writings. The Wateler Peace Prize has been awarded at the Peace Palace since 1931 and is the second oldest permanent peace prize after the Nobel Peace Prize.
History
On 16 November 1916, during the horrors of World War I, Johan Gerard Daniel Wateler, a banker from The Hague, decided to dedicate his fortune to the cause of peace. In his will, he stipulated that his wealth should be used to create a peace prize. Inspired by Alfred Nobel, he envisioned a recurring award to promote peace. Wateler initially wanted the Dutch government to present the prize, but the De Geer I Cabinet at the time found this inappropriate. Wateler had already taken this possibility into account in his will: if the State declined the inheritance, the funds would be transferred to the Carnegie Foundation.After Wateler's death in 1927, his estate went to the Carnegie Foundation who was assigned to regularly award the peace prize with the interest of the legate. The Wateler Peace Prize was first awarded in 1931 as an annual award with an interruption during and shortly after World War II. In the early years, the prizes were sent by mail without any formal ceremony. It was not until the 1970s that the award took its current form—a certificate bearing the motto "Pacis palmae digniores quam tropaea belli".
Award ceremonies
Since 2004, the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize has been awarded every two years under the name Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize. The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize alternates every two years between a Dutch and an international laureate. One edition honors a person or organization from the Netherlands, while the next recognizes an international recipient for their contributions to peace.The Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize is awarded biannually in the Peace Palace and can also be watched live via a live stream available on the website of the Peace Palace. Currently, is the prize money for the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize €35,000.Youth Carnegie Peace Prize
Since 2018, the Carnegie Foundation, in cooperation with the Youth Peace Initiative, also awards the Carnegie Youth Peace Prize to recognize inspiring peace building initiatives by young individuals in conflict scenarios.Provisions
Johan Wateler had stipulated in his will, that his estate should be used for the prize of the award:The property as such of the capital... as well as the remainder of my possessions... I dote to the State of the Netherlands under the condition that... the yearly revenue in round figures will be spent for the award of a prize to him or her, who in whatever way, through word, deed or example, literature, sculpture or painting, in the country or abroad, has been most meritorious in the furthering of the peace ideal, or in contributing to finding means to render the horror of war more and more impossible in the long run.
Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize
The history of the Wateler Peace Prize and its recipients reflects how the concepts of peace building and conflict prevention have evolved over the past 85 years. Many distinguished figures and organizations have received the award, including Sir Eric Drummond, the first Secretary-General of the League of Nations; Sir Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement; Jean Monnet, one of the architects of the European Union; Coretta Scott King, peace activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr.; and War Child. In 2014, Lakhdar Brahimi was honoured for his role as a mediator in conflict zones and his contributions to peacekeeping. Sigrid Kaag received the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in 2016, while Rudi Vranckx was awarded the 2018 prize for his courageous reporting from conflict areas. The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue won the 2022 prize for its efforts in conflict resolution.Most recently, on 26 November 2024, the Netherlands Armed Forces were awarded the Carnegie Wateler Peace Prize in recognition of their participation in more than 80 peacekeeping missions worldwide.