This year Indira Gandhi Global Peace Prize will be awarded to Maestro Daniel Barenboim and Ali Abu Awwad for their contribution to promoting amity among the Israeli and Palestinian people, through non–violent tools of music, dialogue, and people’s participation.
Maestro Daniel Barenboim is an Argentine-born distinguished classical pianist and conductor renowned for performing with and directing some of the leading orchestras in the world. Apart from his musical achievements, he is also known for his relentless endeavor in using music to foster harmony in South Asia. His friendship and partnership with Palestinian literary scholar Edward Said shaped his vision of a peaceful resolution of the Israel-Palestinian conflict through respect, discourse, and dialogue.
Similarly, Ali Abu Awwad is an eminent Palestinian peace activist who was been working tirelessly with the people of Palestine and Israel for a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Awwad was born in 1972 and raised in a politically –active refugee family. Unable to meet each other while in prison for 3 years. Awwad and his mother undertook a 7-day hunger strike, which resulted in achieving permission for a visit. This success was a watershed moment in Awwad’s realization that non-violent action along Gandhian principles could be the way forward for achieving one’s goals of freedom and dignity.
The international jury for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development chaired by former Chief Justice of India Shri T.S. Thakur made an official announcement for the award of the Prize for 2023 to Barenboim and Awwad.