2014 International Pfeffer Peace Award


The 2014 Pfeffer Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Widad Akrawi for her struggle against illicit arms trading and her fight for equal rights. According to the Fellowship of Reconciliation, she has created momentum in favor of a UN resolution on a strong and an effective Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons that might be used for acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, or terrorism, and lobbied for the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict and the UN Resolution 2117 dedicated to halting illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation, and misuse of small arms and light weapons around the world. Akrawi is an advocate for justice and peace, the first person from Kurdistan to win a Peace Prize, and the third person from Europe to win the Pfeffer Peace Prize after Diana Francis from England who shared the prize with Hildegard Goss-Mayr from Austria in 1990.

Motivation

In a press release, the Fellowship of Reconciliation indicated that it had chosen Dr. Akrawi for being the first young woman of Middle Eastern descent to advocate bans on the illicit trade of small arms and light weapons as well as sexual violence in times conflict. It stressed that "she has campaigned against gender-based violence, torture, and other human rights abuses" and is "an advocate of chemical and biological disarmament, conventional disarmament, and international peace and security." The Executive Director of FOR pointed out that the momentum Dr Akrawi created in favor of three UN resolutions "are outstanding contributions to shifting the current culture of violence," and that they were grateful for her work.

Dedication

Dr. Akrawi dedicated the award to the "50 million refugees who have been displaced as a direct result of conflict, persecution or the irresponsible transfer of conventional arms." She particularly mentioned the Yazidis, Christians, and all residents of Kobane region.