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LAUREATES

Making the World Better for Future Generations

2025Laureate
Announcement

Date
2025 Jan. 15
Location
Korea Press Center, Seoul, Korea
2025 Laureate Announcement
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Laureate Announcement Video
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Announcement

The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee has decided to award the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize to three extraordinary leaders who have provided innovative and practical solutions for achieving peaceful and harmonious coexistence for all humanity.


This year’s laureates have made significant and lasting contributions in the fields of education, global citizen movements, and environmental conservation, addressing some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including poverty, inequality, and climate change. Their achievements present a compelling vision of a global community thriving through collaboration and mutual support. 


With this in mind, we proudly announce that The 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize is awarded to the following:Patrick Awuah, who has led the transformation of education in Africa and fostered ethical leadership for future generations; Hugh Evans, who has established a new paradigm for collective action through global citizenship; and Wanjira Mathai, who has created a model for sustainable development by integrating environmental conservation with economic empowerment.


Patrick Awuah has transformed higher education in Africa, establishing it as a beacon of ethical leadership and technological advancement. As the founder of Ashesi University in Ghana, he introduced an innovative curriculum that seamlessly integrates ethical principles with cutting-edge technological training. Under his visionary leadership, Ashesi University has become a leading institution, producing graduates who tackle systemic challenges such as poverty, corruption, and inequality. Patrick Awuah’s contributions reaffirm the transformative power of education as a cornerstone for societal progress and sustainable development, leaving an indelible mark on the global education landscape.


Hugh Evans is a pioneering leader who has mobilized a global movement to address poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation. As the founder of Global Citizen, he has galvanized collective action, securing over $43.6 billion in commitments that have positively impacted the lives of more than 1.3 billion people worldwide. By leveraging digital platforms to inspire action, his groundbreaking efforts have redefined global citizenship, demonstrating the extraordinary potential of unity in confronting humanity’s most pressing challenges. Hugh Evans’ work exemplifies a bold new model of international collaboration, underscoring the power of collective action to create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.


Wanjira Mathai has been a trailblazer in integrating environmental conservation with economic empowerment, driving sustainable development across Africa. Through the Green Belt Movement, she has facilitated the planting of over 51 million trees, addressing deforestation and soil erosion while empowering communities and advancing women’s economic self-reliance. Additionally, her leadership in the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100) aims to restore 100 million hectares of degraded land by 2030, making a significant contribution to combating climate change. Wanjira Mathai’s achievements highlight the vital synergy between environmental sustainability and community development, offering a powerful global model for achieving harmony between human prosperity and ecological balance.

 

The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee extends its deepest respect to the 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize laureates, Patrick Awuah, Hugh Evans, and Wanjira Mathai, for their vision and dedication. They have offered innovative solutions to today’s urgent global challenges—poverty, inequality, and climate change—through the cultivation of ethical leadership in education, the transformation of societies via global citizenship, and the harmonious integration of environmental sustainability with community regeneration.


This year’s laureates have based their work on universal values such as human dignity and sustainable development, demonstrating that humanity can indeed realize the ideal of "One Family Under God." Their achievements stand as a testament to the power of hope and unity in addressing global challenges, illuminating the path toward peaceful coexistence and shared prosperity.


The 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize honors their outstanding leadership and commitment, serving as an enduring milestone on humanity’s journey toward a better world.

Award Direction

Innovation for Peace


The 6th Sunhak Peace Prize highlights the challenges and achievements of leaders who have overcome global crises through creative and sustainable solutions under the theme of “Innovation for Peace.”

 

The complex challenges facing humanity todaysuch as climate change, conflicts and humanitarian crises, economic inequality, and worsening povertydemand creative and inclusive solutions that go beyond conventional approaches. Considering the pace of change and the complexity of these issues, traditional methods alone are insufficient to effectively address such problems.

 

Innovation extends beyond technological advancements to include a “Shift in Mindset”, “Policy Evolution”, and “Innovation in Collaboration”. These innovative approaches are essential not only for effectively responding to global crises but also for laying the foundation for sustainable peace.

 

Achieving sustainable peace requires innovative actions to address real-world problems, cross-border cooperation that transcends national boundaries, and inspiring leadership that motivates global citizens to drive change.

 

In this spirit, 2025 Sunhak Peace Prize recognizes leaders who have proposed creative and sustainable solutions amidst global crises and achieved extraordinary accomplishments that transcend limits.

Sunhak Peace Prize

Future generations refer not only to our own physical descendants
but also to all future generations to come.

Since all decisions made by the current generation will either positively
or negatively affect them, we must take responsibility for our actions.