World Peace & Liberty Award

The award is intrinsically linked to the history of the World Jurist Association. In the early 1960s, during the Cold War years, judges, lawyers, law professors and other legal professionals were demanding the organization of an open and free forum to work strengthening and disseminating the importance of the Rule of Law and its institutions around the world. In 1963, the World peace Through Law Center of the American Bar Association (today World Jurist Association), with the initial encouragement of Winston Churchill, Earl Warren and Charles Rhyne, President of the American Bar Association. Following its creation, the organization first awarded the World Peace & Liberty Award in 1965 to Sir Winston Churchill.

The next recipients of the award were René Cassin, main drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in 1972; and Nelson Mandela, who received it in 1997, during the World Jurist Association conference celebrated in Cape Town, South Africa.{{cite book | last1=Ajibola | first1=Prince Bola | last2=Zyl | first2=Deon Hurter Van | title=The Judiciary in Africa | publisher=Gaunt | date=1998 | isbn=978-0-7021-4673-2}}  

In 2019, the prize was awarded to King Felipe VI of Spain for his role in defending the rule of law in the face of the Catalan independence challenge.{{Cite web|date=2019-02-19|title=El 'World Law Congress' arranca este martes en el Teatro Real|url=https://www.antena3.com/noticias/espana/teatro-real_201902195c6bcfd20cf26d5f24785f99.html|access-date=2021-07-26|website=Antena 3 Noticias|language=es}} It was presented during the closing ceremony of the World Law Congress in Madrid.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice of the US Supreme Court, was awarded the prize in 2020 for her defense of gender equality and civil rights.{{Cite web|date=2020-02-07|title=Ruth Bader Ginsburg ganó el premio "World Peace & Liberty Award"|url=https://www.cambio16.com/ruth-bader-ginsburg-recibio-el-premio-world-peace-liberty-award/|access-date=2021-07-26|website=Cambio16|language=es}}{{cite web | title=Javier Cremades entrega el "World Peace & Liberty Award" a la juez de la Corte Suprema de EE.UU. Ruth Bader Ginsburg | website=Confilegal | date=February 11, 2020 | url=https://confilegal.com/20200211-javier-cremades-entrega-el-world-peace-liberty-award-a-la-juez-de-la-corte-suprema-de-ee-uu-ruth-bader-ginsburg/ | language=es | access-date=January 26, 2025}} The ceremony was held at the headquarters of the American Bar Association in Washington, D.C.American Bar Association (Sept. 28, 2020) [https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/publications/youraba/2020/0928/aba-presidents-remember-rbg/ "RBG: A special friend to the ABA"]

In 2021 it was awarded to "Colombian Society" (Sociedad Colombiana) on the 30th anniversary of its democratic constitution, received by its then president Iván Duque Márquez.{{Cite web |title=Site verification |url=https://www.europapress.es/la-rioja/noticia-rey-felipe-vi-presidente-colombia-ivan-duque-clausuran-world-law-congress-participo-unir-20211203192447.html |access-date=2023-02-13 |website=www.europapress.es|date=3 December 2021 }}

In 2023, the award was granted to Andrew Young, former mayor of Atlanta{{Cite web |date=2023-05-10 |title=His Majesty the King awards the World Peace and Liberty Prize to Andrew Young, icon of Civil Rights in US - World Jurist Association |url=https://worldjurist.org/2023/05/s-m-el-rey-entrega-el-world-peace-and-liberty-award-a-andrew-young-icono-de-los-derechos-civiles-en-eeuu/ |access-date=2024-09-16 |language=es}} for his role as a leader in the civil rights struggle and part of the contemporary history of the United States and the world in his fight for human rights.

Also in 2023, the award was granted to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-28 |title=Prime Minister's Laudatio at the World Law Congress: World Peace & Liberty Award to the European Commission |url=https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/speeches/2023/07/21/prime-ministers-laudatio-world-law-congress-world-peace-liberty-award |access-date=2024-09-16 |website=Prime Minister of Canada |language=en}}

• 1965: Winston Churchill{{cite web | title=The Nobel Prize in Law | website=World Jurist Association | date=May 29, 2023 | url=https://worldjurist.org/world-peace-liberty-awards/ | access-date=January 26, 2025}}
• 1972: Rene Cassin
• 1997: Nelson Mandela
• 2017: Luis Almagro
• 2019: Felipe VI of Spain{{Cite web|date=2019-02-19|title=El 'World Law Congress' arranca este martes en el Teatro Real|url=https://www.antena3.com/noticias/espana/teatro-real_201902195c6bcfd20cf26d5f24785f99.html|access-date= January 26, 2025|website=Antena 3 Noticias|language=es}}
• 2020: Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• 2021: Columbian society
• May 2023: Andrew Young
• July 2023: Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission.{{cite web | title=Speech by President von der Leyen at the award ceremony for the ‘World Peace & Liberty Award' to the European Commission | website=European Commission - European Commission | date=December 6, 2024 | url=https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/speech_23_3970 | access-date=January 26, 2025}}

{{reflist}}

• [https://worldjurist.org/ World Jurist Association]
• [https://worldlawfoundation.org/ World Law Foundation]

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Category:Legal awards