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[SBS NEWS] President Anote Tong and Dr. Gupta Selected as Dual Laureates of Sunhak Peace Prize
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.
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[SBS NEWS] President Anote Tong and Dr. Gupta Selected as Dual Laureates of Sunhak Peace Prize
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.
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[indiatimes] Noted Indian Scientist Honoured With First Sunhak Peace Prize
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 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 island 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 recognise 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.htmla
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[indiatimes] Noted Indian Scientist Honoured With First Sunhak Peace Prize
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
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[The Fiji Times] President Tong wins Sunhak Peace Prize
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
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[The Fiji Times] President Tong wins Sunhak Peace Prize
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
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[Washington Times] Peace prize winner urges investment in aquaculture to solve global hunger
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.”
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[PrepSure] First Sunhak Peace Prize awarded to Indian scientist
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 the criteria for the award the works of Dr. Modadugu Vijay Gupta, and President of Kiribati Islands in respective fields should also be taken note 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/
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[PrepSure] First Sunhak Peace Prize awarded to Indian scientist
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/
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[The Diplomat] Governments Need to Spend More on Fish Farming
An article written by Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta, one of the inaugural laureate of the Sunhak Peace PrizeEfforts to reduce malnutrition have resulted in 200 million fewer hungry people worldwide since 1990. But 805 million people still deal with chronic hunger every day. In the fight against poverty and malnutrition, smart nations have found success by developing self-sufficient food sources, promoting economic growth and engaging women in business enterprises.A leading example is Bangladesh, which used this formula to cut chronic hunger by more than half since 2000, according to the United Nations. The U.N. also says that Bangladesh has reduced the number of underweight children by 25 percent.Just four decades ago, Bangladesh was a newly formed, impoverished nation facing high levels of extreme hunger when floods and famine destroyed what few resources it had. With desperately high demand, imported food grew scarce and 1.5 million people died from famine and sickness. Those terrible times forced Bangladesh to take action to increase its food security and self-sufficiency.In the 1980s, Bangladesh started to build small-farm irrigation systems, increasing rice production and, most important, developing cutting-edge aquaculture practices. It also identified more than 1 million abandoned ponds, roadside canals, ditches and seasonally flooded pools as potential sources of fish production. Bangladesh, it turned out, was full of small bodies of water – some as small as a backyard swimming pool – that had the potential to become mini-fish-factories, churning out protein and income.By helping local residents develop effective aquaculture techniques, Bangladesh now has more than 500,000 previously unused seasonal ponds teeming with fish. These farms helped boost Bangladesh’s fish yields eight-fold in just the first year. Fish production grew at a 300 percent rate during the 1990s.[See the original article]http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/governments-need-to-spend-more-on-fish-farming/
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[YTN Radio] Metropolitan Dating with the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee chairman Il-Sik Hong
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.
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[Hankyoreh] Climate change, those of us on the frontline can survive?
Kiribati is located in the vicinity of the equator and the population is more than 105,000. It is considered very vulnerable to rising sea-levels because it consists of small islands with an average altitude above sea level of 2m. President of Kiribati Anote Tong has led the country since 2003. He has been speaking out the expected threat of his country people should leave their land by 2050 and sough for action by the international communities. President Anote Tong has been consecutively nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Last month, Indian biologist Dr. Modadugu V. Gupta and Pres. Tong have been selected the first dual laureates of the Sunhak Peace Prize through recognition of their sacrifices for peace. I met President Anote Tong in Kiribati with the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee and heard his thoughts on climate change. The interview took place at President Tong’s private house 10 minutes away from the office of the President in the capital Tarawa.Interview with President of Kiribati Anote Tong- I heard that Kiribati stands at the forefront of global climate change. What kind of practical effects have surfaced?“Villages are disappearing due to coastal erosion and the seawater has contaminated the freshwater and destroyed the crops. Earlier this year in March, we had the cyclone Pam which hit Vanuatu. Kiribati has never been subject to cyclones. We are on the hurricane-free belt on the equator so we should not be seeing these events. So these things are happening more frequently and it’s an experience totally new to us.- Please explain the current efforts and future plans of the Kiribati government and its citizens in response to the climate change situation. “We are hoping that the international community will assist in building our resilience so that after what arises, we will be able to continue to survive on these islands. But at the same time, we’ve got to be realistic that it is very highly unlikely that the international community will come up with the level of resources that would be required to raise all the islands. So whilst we are committed to ensuring that our islands, in one way or another does not disappear, that we remain as a nation, a viable nation in the future in whatever form, we have to accept the reality that some of our people would also have to be prepared for migration. We cannot build our resilience on our own, because we do not have the resources. If the international community does not come forward, then we are talking about our entire population having to relocate.”- I think that is why you are preparing the ‘immigration with dignity.’ So please explain what ‘immigration with dignity’ is and what some of the challenges in preparing for it are.“What I don’t want is for our people to become climate refugees. I reject the notion of refugees. It’s degrading and undignified. It is not because we have mismanaged our economies, our politics. We would have lost our homes, but we do not want to lose our dignity as well. We would prepare our people to migrate as trained and skilled people, people who when they migrate to whatever community they do, will come in as citizens with skills, worthwhile citizens who will make a contribution to the community they are coming to. They will not be a burden to whichever society they decide to go to. They will go as dignified people. Not as second-class citizens in the countries they go to looking for special consideration.”- How have you been using the purchased land in Fiji up until now? And what are your future plans for this land?“The way I\'ve been explaining about the land is that it is an investment. It’s an investment in establishing some degree of food security in the future. I’m often asked by many journalists, “so you’re going to relocate your people to Fiji?” and my answer has always been no. Why I say that is because I am fully appreciative of the political sensitivities with this large number of people migrating to one area. Somebody else might make that decision in the future. The Fiji government has expressed their willingness to accommodate our people if and when it becomes necessary. And this is the kind of humanity that I’ve been challenging the international community to come up with. - Is there any technological solution such as the method to elevate the islands that will allow the people to continue to live on the islands of Kiribati despite the rising sea-levels?“I have no doubt that the solutions are there. In fact, I’ve asked the Korean government to assist on this and we’ve had technical people come to visit to do assessment. But we cannot do it on our own; we do not have the capacity to do it. We need supports from the international community. Kiribati needs a special approach because our problem is very urgent and serious. Otherwise, we have no other choice except to migrate.”- What is the future of Kiribati as a sovereign state? Please share your opinion.“I can assure you that we have made a commitment that we will continue to have a nation, in whatever form, in whatever scale. If it’s just a piece of land, it’s important that we have this. It may not be able to accommodate everybody. But it’s got to be able to provide somewhere to be pointed to and say “that is our country.” And we will do whatever it takes to maintain our sovereignty over the seas that are part of our Exclusive Economic Zone because there are huge resources there. So yes, we will continue to exist as a nation.”- Do you believe that the global community will emerge victorious in the war against climate change eventually?“The entire destruction of the planet is not an acceptable option. So we have to win this war, but the question is those people who have the ability to make the most significant impact, are they going to be willing to sacrifice their welfare and luxuries, in order for those of us on the frontline can survive?”- How would you evaluate the UN in the international community’s response to climate change thus far?Well up until now the rate of progress under the negotiations have been very disappointing. We don’t have to think of it from a national perspective. We have to regard ourselves as global citizens with a single planet, a single home. But if we continue to talk about our GDP, what will happen if we agree to do this. What will happen to our GDP? These are unfortunately what guide much of the discussions. No matter what level of greenhouse gases are agreed in Paris, no matter what Celsius degree we agree for the temperature rise, it will not make a difference to us. What I’ve been asking is that we need special progression for that. Don’t say that it is too late for you. No, that is not acceptable.- Out of the 196 nations in the climatic change convention, the Republic of Korea is a nation with the 7th highest output of carbon dioxide emissions. In the quantity of its green-house gas and the emissions per capita is greater than twice the global average. Is there anything you’d like to say or request to the Korean citizens?“Climate change is not entirely about its impact on the environment. We’ve gone past that. Now it’s about survival of nations like mine and other nations that are very vulnerable on the front-line. The issue here is the corporations are thinking in terms of their profit and loss statement and they are not thinking about people. But I understand we have very different circumstances. Korea is a country with extreme weather conditions. Very cold, you need energy in order to survive the winter and we don’t. We should be trying to do that rather than going ahead and doing things regardless of what its consequences are for the rest of humanity.”[source: http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/environment/701187.html]
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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.
