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Taking a photo this past August 28 during the Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony, in the picture are the founder of the Sunhak Peace Prize, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon (far left), laureate President Anote Tong (second to right), laureate Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta (third to right), Committee Chairman Dr. Il-Sik Hong (far right).Last August 28, the Sunhak Peace Prize Ceremony was held at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Seoul, Korea. President of Kiribati, H.E. Anote Tong, and Indian fisheries scientist, Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta, were selected as the inaugural laureates of the Sunhak Peace Prize which was established to promote world peace and human development.“I accept this prestigious award with the sincere hope that all who are here today and the world as a whole, have indeed taken heed of my people’s plight, my people’s fate. For their sake, let us do what is right for them.” - from the Acceptance Speech by President Anote Tong“This award gives me the added energy to pursue my life goals of contributing to a peaceful society through alleviation of hunger and poverty. I pay homage to Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon for the ideals he stood for and his vision of one global peaceful family. Let us all work together to bring his ideas to reality.” - from the Acceptance Speach of Dr. Modadugu V. GuptaOver 1,000 VIPs in attendanceTotal prize money 1 million US dollarsThe Sunhak Peace Prize was established to inherit the vision of Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon and perpetuate their legacy by recognizing individuals who have willingly sacrificed themselves for peace and awards 1 million US dollars, the highest amount for a single prize in the world. The co-recipients received a cash prize of $500,000 each.Including the founder of the Sunhak Peace Prize Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation Sun Jin Moon, and Korean National Assembly Speaker Ui Hwa Chung, approximately 1,000 delegates and VIPs, representatives of politics, academia, business, and religion came from across the world to attend the Ceremony.Committee Chairman Il-Sik Hong said, “The present generation has been given a historical calling for it to let go of its greed and selfishness, and transcend race, nation, ideals, and religion in order to create a peaceful civilization based on love for humanity,” and added, “Under the banner of ‘One Global Family, Making the World Better for Future Generations,’ The Sunhak Peace Prize will go beyond the limits of civilizations that humanity has constructed until now and create a new peaceful civilization based on love for humanity.”The audience was touched by the beautiful harmony of Soprano vocalist Su-mi Jo and the Little Angels chorus.After the ceremony, the laureates gave a special lecture during an international conference called “World Summit 2015.” It provided an opportunity for the attendees to address the issues of climate change and food insecurity.On June 8, the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee announced their first laureates at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., United States. The awardees are President of Kiribati H.E. Anote Tong, who raised the awareness of the international community on the serious impacts of climate change, and Indian fisheries scientist Dr. Modadugu Gupta who led relief efforts for the poor and the future food crises with a revolutionary method of aquaculture that produced enormous results.During the past year, 182 candidates from 66 countries were recommended to the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee by their nominators from around the world. Through complex evaluations and a scrupulous field researching process, President Anote Tong and Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta were selected as the inaugural dual laureates. They were recognized for their sacrificial efforts to find solutions to climate change and the looming food crisis which are the agenda of the Sunhak Peace Prize.To find solutions to climate change and the looming food crisisThey devoted themselvesAnote Tong was elected as the fifth President of the Southern Pacific island country of Kiribati and is currently serving the final year of his third term. During his tenure, he has made efforts to raise awareness of crises facing low-lying Pacific small island states due to climate change and has been urging for international cooperation.In 2010, Pres. Tong hosted the Tarawa Climate Change Conference (TCCC) and enacted the Ambo Declaration. Representatives of the world powers including China and vulnerable states participated in the conference. The main concerns there were agreeing to the 18 points of the Declaration, and urging concrete actions to find solutions to climate change. Developed countries who attended the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Mexico, promised their strong support to climate-vulnerable countries like Kiribati.Pres. Tong has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his achievements and received the Peter Benchley Ocean Award and Hillary Award in 2012 for climate equity.The co-recipient Indian fisheries scientist Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta pioneered the Blue Revolution through developing innovative aquaculture techniques as an alternative solution to the future food crisis. Dr. Gupta known as the ‘Saint of the Poor’ taught aquaculture methods to the extremely poor in Southeast Asia and Africa. He improved their nutritional status and cultivated a miracle of self-sufficiency. He also drastically changed the social status and rights of women. The World Food Prize, known as the Nobel Prize for agriculture, congratulated his awarding on their official website.[Original Article]

President Anote Tong of Kiribati and Dr. Modadugu. V. Gupta of India were selected as winners of the Sunhak Peace Prize, which is given to individuals who have significantly contributed toward the peace and well-being of future generations.The Award ceremony was held today at the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul.One of the winners, President Anote Tong was recognized for his work in raising awareness on the severity of climate change to the international community as President of Kiribati, an Oceania island nation vulnerable to the climate crisis.The joint Winner, Dr. Gupta. a fishery scientist of India was recognized for his work in developing aqua farming technology as an alternative for food crisis, and for widely disseminating the new technology in deprived areas.Each of The winners was awarded a prize of five hundred million won and a medal.

Noted Indian agriculture scientist Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, who has done pioneering work in aquaculture in India, Bangladesh, and several Southeast Asian countries, was on Friday awarded the first Sunhak Peace Prize which he shared with the President of Kiribati Islands. Gupta, 76, shared the USD 1 million prize with the President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong at a glittering function in Seoul, which was attended by invitees from all over the world.  Tong, 63, the head of the Pacific Ocean island nation which is facing dire prospects of being engulfed by rising sea waters by 2050, was chosen for the award for his dogged fight to end carbon emissions which are spelling doom for small islands nations. Billed as an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize, the awards were presented by South Korean religious leader Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, the wife of late Rev Sun Myung Moon, who instituted the awards to recognize and highlight the work of individuals making big efforts for the betterment of the people.[Original Article]http://www.indiatimes.com/news/world/noted-indian-scientist-honoured-with-first-sunhak-peace-prize-for-exemplary-work-in-aquaculture-244658.html

SEOUL - Kiribati President Anote Tong has become one of two winners of a major new international peace award conferred in Seoul on Friday for his efforts to highlight the impacts of sea-level rise on his atoll nation.President Tong, 63, was awarded the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize along with Indian fisheries scientist Modagadu V Gupta. Mr Gupta is noted for his research, which resulted in significant increase in fish production and laid the foundation for the Blue Revolution, a possible solution said to address a potential food crisis.The event was attended by more than 1000 delegates from the around the world as well as Pacific dignitaries.The event was the highlight of the Third World Summit on Peace, Security and Human Development taking place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul.In his acceptance speech, laureate President Tong paid a special tribute to the late founder of the Sunhak Peace Organisation, Dr Sun Myung Moon, for his lifelong commitment working to achieve universal peace for all under the slogan \"one family under God\".\"I am honoured to receive this award and looking back the last 12 years to the challenges there were since being elected into power in 2003, my people had placed their hopes in me to guide them to a safe and secure future and to ensure that their voices were heard on issues they raised in the international arena,\" he said.For his part, fellow laureate Gupta urged global leaders to invest more heavily in aquaculture to address the rapidly growing challenge of hunger in developing countries.\"It has been estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations that to meet the demand of increasing population by 2050, we need to increase food production by 60 percent globally, by 90 percent to 100 percent in developing countries,\" he told the audience, according to remarks prepared for delivery.[Original Article]http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=320040

One of the winners of a major new international peace award on Friday urged global leaders to invest more heavily in aquaculture to address the rapidly growing challenge of hunger in developing countries.In accepting the first-ever Sunhak Peace Prize, Indian fisheries scientist Dr. M. Vijay Gupta told a prestigious gathering of leaders in Seoul, South Korea, that hunger already affects 800 million people worldwide and that number could rise sharply absent significant improvements in food production in developing countries.Mr. Gupta was selected as one of two winners of the 2015 prize, worth $1 million, for creating an aquaculture system tailored to poor, rural populations in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. His methods have allowed communities to feed themselves and empower women by teaching them how to raise and harvest the fish.He told the award ceremony audience that expanding the aquaculture movement — known in global circles as the Blue Revolution — was essential to meeting the future food demands of the world.The second winner of the prize, Anote Tong, is the president of the tiny Pacific island of Kiribati, which scientists predict one day may be erased by rising ocean waters blamed on climate change.According to remarks prepared for his acceptance speech, Mr. Tong urged global leaders to take more rapid action to address climate change.Sunhak Peace Prize Committee Chairman Dr. Il Sik Hong told the audience that unlike other prizes that celebrate past accomplishment the new award was designed to lean into the future, seeking to highlight solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges.“It does not confine the concept of peace to just the present or the past, but extends it well into the future to open new horizons of peace,” he said. “This also serves to awaken our moral responsibility as to the reason why we need to prepare peace for future generations.”

Preparation NotesThe news Indian Scientist awarded the first Sunhak Peace Prize is important in International Affairs. The news is important for candidates appearing in competitive exams, the candidates should take note of the personality, event, and criteria for the award the works of Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, and President of Kiribati Islands in respective fields should also be taken note of by candidates.Noted Indian biologist Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, who has done pioneering work in aquaculture in India, Bangladesh, and several Southeast Asian countries, was awarded the first Sunhak Peace Prize which he shared with the President of Kiribati Islands in Seoul the capital of South Korea.Gupta, 76, shared the USD 1 million prize with the President of Kiribati Islands Anote Tong at a function which was attended by invitees from all over the world. Tong, 63, the head of the Pacific Ocean island nation which is facing dire prospects of being engulfed by rising sea waters by 2050, was chosen for the award for his dogged fight to end the carbon emissions which are spelling doom for small island nations.[Original Article]http://www.prepsure.com/news/first-sunhak-peace-prize-awarded-to-indian-scientist/

The Sunhak Peace Prize, the Korean Nobel Prize, will spread its vision of peace.The chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee is Il-Sik HongMC:The awards ceremony for the Sunhak Peace Prize will be held on August 28. We invited the chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee, Il-Sik Hong, to further explain what the Sunhak Peace Prize is and its meaning.Chairman Hong, could you please explain what this prize is? Chairman:Yes, it is an international peace prize which will be awarded for the first time this year. It honors individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to peace. Particularly, the Sunhak Peace Prize has a concept of peace for future generations and we are focusing on people who make efforts to bring peace to the world. This year’s theme is ocean. We announced our inaugural laureates on June 9 at the National Press Club in Washington D.C., U.S. The awards ceremony will be held this coming August 28 in Seoul. MC:What does “Sunhak” stand for? Chairman:Similar to the Nobel Peace Prize, it is after the founder’s name. ‘Sunhak’ is composed of the first names of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, who have devoted their lives for the peaceful vision of one family under God. MC:If the Sunhak Peace Prize starts this year, then will it be awarded annually? Chairman:Yes, each year we will focus on a particular peace theme. MC:Since this is the first awards ceremony to be held, as the chairman you must feel a heavy responsibility.. Chairman:Yes, I feel a very heavy responsibility as the first chairman of the committee. Especially, in Korea, there are many people who do not know much about the Sunhak Peace Prize yet, so I have the responsibility to publicize it and make it well known. I’m very dedicated to this task. MC:Who else is involved in the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee.? Chairman:Various kinds of people in the world are involved in our committee. Including the former Secretary General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the former Japanese Defense Minister Ohno Yoshinori, and the Big Chief monk of Bulguksa Temple, Jogye Order Venerable Seong-Ta, there are 15 committee members who are representatives of politics, media, education and religion. MC:You mentioned the theme of this year is the ocean. Is there any reason for this? Chairman:Yes, so far we have a stereotyped thinking that peace is the opposite meaning of wars. But in fact, there are a plethora of catastrophes which bring more serious worries and misfortunes to human societies and we thought we have to change our perception of peace. In the 21th century, not a war but climate change like the tsunami phenomenon happened in 2009 is more severe threat to future peace. The El Niño phenomenon and environmental disasters due to energy depletion are the main issues. Oceans cover 71% of the earth. There are vast resources and ocean regulate climate. This  being so, the Committee decided on the ‘Ocean’ which is an alternative solution of peace for human beings and a treasure house for future generations as the theme for the inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize.MC:You mentioned the Committee already announced the laureates, President of Kiribati Anote Tong and Indian Dr. Modadugu Gupta as the dual recipients. Would you like to tell us the reason for the selection of President Anote Tong? Chairman:First of all, the Republic of Kiribati is an unfamiliar country so many people do not know about it. Kiribati is an island country located on the vicinity of the equator in the South Pacific. The citizens have not done anything wrong, but due to global warming, their land is in danger of being submerged. H.E. Anote Tong is the president of this small island country. He raised awareness of the importance of climate change and sought action by the international communities. He gave a warning to the wealthy countries emitting lots of carbon dioxide and urged the international communities to take action to protect the people struggling at the frontline of climate change. Furthermore, Pres. Tong is a global leader who devoted himself to passing down a clean earth to future generations. MC:Would you like to introduce the other laureate, Dr. Gupta?Chairman:Yes, he is a professor at Calcutta University and he has dedicated his whole life to leading a Blue Revolution by developing aquaculture techniques as an alternative solution to future food crises. The Blue Revolution is the significant increase of aquaculture production due to innovative techniques while the Green Revolution is the rapid growth of agricultural output. Dr. Gupta has been a pioneer of the Blue Revolution since the 1960s. He taught his aquaculture methods to the extreme poor in Southeast Asia, in places such as Bangladesh, and in Africa. He improved the nutritional status, the rights of women, and the self-resilience of those living in poverty through his training.MC:Will the laureates will receive cash prize? Chairman:Yes, the laureates of the Sunhak Peace Prize will receive the Sunhak Peace Prize medal, a certificate and a cash prize of Korean \\1 billion (~USD $1 million).MC:What is the distinct characteristic of the Sunhak Peace Prize? Chairman:Most peace prizes award the peace dedications of the past. However, the Sunhak Peace Prize focuses on the contributions for future peace. Future peace may seem a bit distant, what the current generation has done will negatively or positively affect future generations. That is why the future is always up to the people who are preparing. God never gives future glory to those who are not preparing. The Sunhak Peace Prize focuses on climate change based on this peace vision. The Sunhak Peace Prize will continue to search for individuals and organizations that have contributed to the peace and create a peaceful civilization for future generations.

President of Kiribati Anote Tong and Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta have been selected as first dual laureates of the Sunhak Peace Prize which has $1 million US dollars prize. The Sunhak Peace Prize is established by the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. This award reflects her profound hope of continuing her husband’s legacy of peace and the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee (chairman Dr. Il-Sik Hong) annually selects the nominee. The award ceremony will be held this coming 28 August 2015 (Friday) in Seoul, Korea.The Committee held a press conference in Washington D.C., and announced, “We have selected His Excellency Anote Tong, President of Kiribati, for his efforts at the forefront of the climate crisis and Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta of India, for developing an alternative solution to the expected future food crisis.”President Anote Tong emphasized that his nation could be uninhabitable by the 2050s because of the rising sea levels caused by climate change, and urged the international communities to embark upon immediate and concrete action. He has been consecutively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.The ‘Pioneer of Blue Revolution’ Dr. Modadugu Gupta developed innovative aquaculture methods, and miraculously gave the poor in Asia and Africa a way to earn their independence. [Source - http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2015/06/10/2015061000129.html 

President of Kiribati Anote Tong and Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta have been selected as first dual laureates of the Sunhak Peace Prize.The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee (former president of Korea and chairman of the committee Dr. Il-Sik Hong) held a press conference announcing its inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize laureates on June 8 (Monday) in Washington D.C. The Sunhak Peace Prize was established by Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon to search for individuals and organizations that have contributed to the peace and welfare of the future generations.As a dual laureate President Anote Tong dedicated himself to raising public awareness of the severe impacts of the climate crisis to the international community in order to address its impacts on his country of Kiribati, which is gradually being submerged due to rising sea-levels caused by climate change. The ‘Pioneer of Blue Revolution’ Dr. Modadugu Gupta developed innovative aquaculture methods, and miraculously gave the poor in Asia and Africa a way to earn their independence.The laureates will share $1 million US dollars prize. The award ceremony will be held this coming 28 August 2015 (Friday) in Seoul, Korea.[source - http://article.joins.com/news/article/article.asp?total_id=17990875&ctg= ]

The Sunhak Peace Prize was established by Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon to search for individuals and organizations that have contributed to the peace and welfare of future generations.President Anote Tong has been regarded for his great effort to bring about a consensus by the international community concerning climate peace and urge for cooperation for the rights of climate refugees.Pres. Tong has led the world’s largest marine protection and ocean management initiative even as his own country faces submergence within the next 30 years due to rising sea levels, and consecutively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He created the ‘Phoenix Islands Protected Area’ the largest existing marine World Heritage Site and helped organize the Pacific Oceanscape.Dr. Modadugu Gupta has been widely recognized for developing innovative fish farming methods’ to address the food crisis of the poor, and known as the ‘Architect of the Blue Revolution’, and the ‘Saint of the Poor in Southeast Asia’. He successfully bred improved species of fishes such as ‘tilapia’ and ‘silver barb carp’ which he correctly identified would thrive in the Asian rural environment, and revolutionized the aquaculture industry with an explosive increase in production.In order to develop a regionally compatible method of aquaculture, he ignored threats to his life insisting on visiting war-torn conflict areas, and continues to devote himself to research, helping to spread his method of low-cost highly-efficient ‘IAA (Integrated Aquaculture-Agriculture).’Dr. Il-Sik Hong, Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee said, “the Sunhak Peace Prize is a peace prize for the future generations.” and further added, “to address the climate and food crises, I am very pleased to award President Anote Tong and Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta as dual laureates of the first Sunhak Peace Prize. These two laureates are even now strongly committed to defending the future peace of humanity.”The Sunhak Peace Prize annually awards $1 million US dollars, the largest of any prize money in Korea. The award ceremony will be held this coming 28 August 2015 (Friday) in Seoul, Korea.[Source - http://sbscnbc.sbs.co.kr/read.jsp?pmArticleId=10000738833 ]

The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee held a press conference announcing its inaugural Sunhak Peace Prize laureates on June 8 (Monday) 12pm at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. His Excellency Anote Tong, President of Kiribati (63), and Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, Indian fisheries scientist (76) have been selected as the first dual laureates to receive the award. The Sunhak Peace Prize was established by Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, the wife of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon and ‘Sunhak’ is the first letter of their names. This award reflects her profound hope of continuing her husband’s legacy of peace.As a dual laureate, Pres. Anote Tong has been regarded for his effort to protect marine ecosystems even as his own country faces submergence within the next 30 years due to rising sea levels, and consecutively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He improved global awareness of the severity of climate change and sought action by the international community for its solution like the ‘Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA)’, the largest existing marine World Heritage Site. He also contributed greatly in building up awareness on the protection of human rights for climate refugees through the ‘migration with dignity’ program.Dr. Modadugu Gupta has been widely recognized for developing innovative fish farming methods’ to address the food crisis of the poor, and known as the ‘Architect of the Blue Revolution’, and the ‘Saint of the Poor in Southeast Asia’. He successfully bred improved species of fishes such as ‘tilapia’ and ‘silver barb carp’ which he correctly identified would thrive in the Asian rural environment, and revolutionized the aquaculture industry with an explosive increase in production. Dr. Gupta’s advisory services have been taken advantage of by a number of international organizations such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).The laureates will share $1 million US dollars, the largest of any prize money awarded in Korea. The award ceremony will be held this coming 28 August 2015 (Friday) in Seoul, Korea.[Source - http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2015060989451]

President of Kiribati (62, left), and Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, Indian fisheries scientist (75, right) have been selected as the first dual laureates to receive the Sunhak Peace Prize.“We are honored to announce that the first Sunhak Peace Prize will be presented to these two deserving individuals,” said Dr. Il-Sik Hong, former president of Korea University and chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee. “President Tong and Dr. Gupta are worthy Laureates because they have made the world a better and more peaceful place. Hunger, poverty, and climate change lead to global conflict and human suffering, and both men have devoted their lives to furthering peace by finding sustainable solutions to these pressing problems.”President Anote Tong emphasized that his nation could be uninhabitable by the 2050s because of the rising sea levels caused by climate change, and urged the international communities to embark upon immediate and concrete action. The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee said, “Furthermore, Pres. Tong is devoting a significant amount of his energy to defending the rights of his citizens through the ‘migration with dignity’ program, which is a vocational training initiative for local residents who are forced to leave their homes due to climate change so that they will not be treated as ‘refugees’ but as valuable members of the work-force. The other laureate Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta successfully bred improved species of fishes such as ‘tilapia’ and ‘silver barb carp’ which he correctly identified would thrive in the Asian rural environment, and revolutionized the aquaculture industry with an explosive increase in production.”‘Sunhak’ is the first letter of the late Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his wife Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon. The Sunhak Peace Prize was established to search for individuals and organizations that have contributed to the peace and welfare of future generations, in order to inspire a new civilization of peace, annually awarding up to US$1 million. The award ceremony will be held this coming 28 August 2015 (Friday) in Seoul, Korea.[Source - http://news.khan.co.kr/kh_news/khan_art_view.html?artid=201506092121025&code=100100]

WASHINGTON, June 8 (Yonhap) -- The president of the Central Pacific island nation of Kiribati and an Indian scientist were named the inaugural winners of a peace prize established by the wife of late Unification Church founder Moon Sun-Myung, organizers said Monday.Kiribati President Anote Tong was selected for his role in the fight against climate change, while Indian biologist Modadugu Vijay Gupta was recognized for his development and dissemination of low-cost techniques for freshwater fish farming, organizers of the Sunhak Peace Prize said.\"Dr. Gupta and President Tong are worthy laureates because they have made the world a better and more peaceful place,\" said Hong Il-sik, president of the prize committee, in a statement. \"Hunger, poverty, and climate change lead to global conflict and human suffering, and both men have devoted their lives to furthering peace by finding sustainable solutions to these pressing problems.\"The prize was founded in 2013 by Han Hak-ja, the widow of the late Moon, \"to recognize individuals, who have willingly sacrificed themselves for peace, and praise them for their works,\" the organizers said.The winners will be given US$1 million in prize money.The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on Aug. 28 in Seoul.[Source - http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2015/06/09/0301000000AEN20150609000200315.html]