Goodluck Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been named the winner of the 2025 Sunhak Peace Founders’ Prize.
In a statement on Monday, the Sunhak Peace Prize committee said Jonathan is being honoured with the Founders’ Prize for his consistent mediation and pro-democracy activities on the African continent.
The committee cited the associations he chairs, including the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), and the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP), as notable instruments for his contributions.
Jonathan will be presented with the award on Friday in Seoul by the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation in South Korea.
This makes Jonathan the third person and the first African leader to win this category of the Sunhak Award after Ban Ki-Moon, former United Nations (UN) secretary-general; and Hun Sen, prime minister of Cambodia.
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The Sunhak Peace Prize was established to continue the legacy of Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Church.
It is awarded biennially in recognition of individuals and organisations that have made contributions to peace and human development.
It was founded at the behest of Hak Ja Han, Moon’s widow, as an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize, and is divided into two categories: the Founders Sunhak Peace Award and the Sunhak Peace Prize.
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Prominent past winners of the second category include former Senegalese President Macky Sall; Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Sarah Catherine Gilbert, co-developer of Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine; as well as GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Bola Tinubu congratulated Jonathan, describing the award as a landmark achievement.
“The President states that Dr Jonathan’s winning the Sunhak Peace Award affirms his bold efforts in peace-building and promoting democracy in Africa and beyond,” a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesperson, reads.
“The President recalls the former President’s historic acceptance of the results of the 2015 presidential election and his peaceful handover of power to an opposition party, which bolstered the nation’s democratic profile.”
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Tinubu also thanked the award committee for recognising the efforts of those working hard to improve the world.
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