Syrian Civil Defence volunteers, known as the ‘White Helmets’, are to receive the 2016 Tipperary International Peace Award. The announcement was made today by the Tipperary Peace Convention.
The 2016 winners will formally receive their award on September 6th, 2017, at a ceremony in Tipperary; a further testament to their enormous bravery and hourly displayed courage.
With more than 50 rusty barrel bombs; same filled with nails and explosives, and as in the past sometimes filled with chlorine, landing daily on bakeries and markets in Syria (latter rolled out of the back of government helicopters), together with mortar fire; the ‘White Helmets’ stated mission remains to save the greatest number of lives in the shortest possible time. Their daily activities include search and rescue; the reconnection of electricity and water services; medical and civilian evacuation, and the securing of all ruined buildings.
The ‘White Helmets’ have saved well over 95,000 people, while, regrettably, 192 of their unarmed and volunteer membership to date have been killed. Responding to news of the selection, a spokesperson for the group said: “We are very happy to receive this peace prize because it means that there are still people around the world who support our mission to protect lives, and that the voices for peace are much stronger than the voices for war.”
The Tipperary Peace Convention was first set up in 1983 in an effort to promote peace and reconciliation. The first Peace Award was made in 1984; going to the late Seán MacBride; himself a founding member of Amnesty International.
Previous Winners of the Tipperary International Peace Prize include:-
Some of the previous winners of the Tipperary International Peace Award have included; ‘Live Aid’ organiser Sir Bob Geldof (1985); Mikhail Gorbachev (1988); South African president Nelson Mandela (1989); U.S. President Bill Clinton (2000); former President Mrs Mary McAleese and her husband Martin; late Senator Ted Kennedy and his sister Jean Kennedy Smith; US diplomat Dr Richard Nathan Haass; US Secretary of State and Democratic Party politician Mr John Kerry; United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and Nobel Laureate & Pakistani schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai (2012), to name but a few.
