The Krunoslav Sukić Accolade for Peacebuilding, Nonviolence, and Human Rights was presented on Wednesday, December 11, in Osijek, Croatia. Several partner organizations were in attendance. Our colleague Tanushree Nigam accepted the award on behalf of PAX.
The regional program, “Strengthening Inclusive Victims Voices’, for which we are receiving the award, focused on justice and peacebuilding, with the needs of conflict victims at its core. The program first mapped out the needs of the participating victim organizations in each country. The results were then compared, consolidated, and discussed. Based on these findings, two theater productions were created and performed in various cities. A regional photo exhibition of the program also toured the world, including being displayed in Strasbourg at the Council of Europe building.
The significant culmination of the program was the formulation of a set of principles for a policy of transitional justice and peacebuilding, which better addresses the needs and interests of victims. Too often, politicians and official institutions only pay lip service to victims and their associations, without taking concrete steps to solve their problems and take their demands seriously. The fact that it was possible to jointly write these policy principles is, in itself, a success. This project brought together victims from different armies and ethnic groups that had previously fought each other in armed conflicts during the Balkan wars.
We, along with our partners, are honored by this important award. The project has shown that with patience and well-organized activities, it is possible to bring together rival groups and engage in dialogue about the problems they face and potential solutions. They see the award as an encouragement to continue this program. We are confident that the experience and knowledge gained from this program can also be useful for similar processes in other countries and regions recovering from the consequences of violent conflicts.
About the ‘Peace Center Osijek’
The Peace Center Osijek was founded in 1991, as a citizens’ initiative, during the first year of the war in Croatia. It is one of the most respected peace organizations in the country, with an extensive track record in regional peace projects. The award is named after Krunoslav Sukic, a staff member of the Peace Center who tragically lost his life in an accident after the war. Since the 1990s, PAX has worked with the Peace Center and with Sukic himself on various projects, including those focused on youth work, inter-ethnic dialogue, and local democracy.
