Author(s):
Chayer Amelie <amelie@icbl.org> .
Wednesday 30 June 2010
Binalakshmi Nepram mailing a postcard to the Indian Prime Minister as part of efforts urging India to join the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Oslo, December 2008. Photo: Mary Wareham
The International Peace Bureau (IPB) announced on 25 June 2010 that ICBL member Binalakshmi Nepram, founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and Secretary-General of Control Arms Foundation of India, is to be awarded the Sean MacBride Peace Prize 2010. The prize is awarded in recognition of her extraordinary efforts to promote disarmament and an end to gun violence in India. According to the IPB, Ms Nepram's pioneering work has demonstrated deep determination and commitment - in particular to the linkage between disarmament and development. Her achievements offer an inspiring model for activists in other parts of the world.
Awarded annually by the IPB, founded in 1891, the prize is named after Sean MacBride, a distinguished Irish statesman who shared the 1974 Nobel Peace Prize. It is given to individuals or organisations for their outstanding work for peace, disarmament and human rights.
In a statement issued in New Delhi, Ms Nepram wrote: "I am deeply humbled to hear that I have been awarded the Sean MacBride Peace Prize for 2010. The journey for peace, justice, universal disarmament and a world free of war is long and challenging. But news such as this motivates me and my team at Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network and Control Arms Foundation of India to keep working for a peaceful world with dedication and strength in our hearts. I dedicate this award to the struggling people of Manipur in Northeast India and in other conflict zones around the world for whom a life in peace is still a distant dream. We have a long tiring road to walk together".
For additional information visit the IPB website at www.ipb.org
Nobel Peace Prize centenary conference, Oslo, 23-26 September 2010: http://ipb100.org
