Former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, has been officially announced as the recipient of the 2025 Founder’s Sunhak Peace Award, which is set to be conferred by the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation in Seoul, South Korea.
A statement made by his Special Adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, has revealed that the former Nigerian head of state has now become the third individual to receive this accolade and notably the first African leader to attain this distinction within the context of the Sunhak Award, succeeding former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.
According to reports, the award ceremony for 2025, marking the sixth iteration of the event, is scheduled to occur in Seoul on Friday, 11 April 2025, during which Dr. Jonathan and other distinguished laureates will be celebrated.
The Sunhak Peace Prize Committee has indicated that Jonathan is being honored with the Founder’s Prize due to his unwavering commitment to mediation and pro-democracy initiatives, which are directed towards promoting peace throughout the African continent. This dedication is particularly manifested through the various organizations he heads, including the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF), the West African Elders Forum (WAEF), and the International Summit Council for Peace (ISCP).
The Founder’s Sunhak Peace Award and the Sunhak Peace Prize represent two distinct categories of accolades that are bestowed biennially by the committee to individuals and organizations recognized for their significant contributions to global peace and human development.
Previous recipients of the second category, the Sunhak Peace Prize, encompass former Senegalese President Macky Sall; Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB); Dame Sarah Catherine Gilbert, co-creator of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine; and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
Jonathan will be honored with his award alongside three other individuals, who were recently unveiled by José Manuel Durão Barroso, Chair of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee and former President of the European Commission, as laureates in the alternate category.
The recipients include Patrick Awuah Jr., the Founder and President of Ashesi University in Ghana; Hugh Evans, co-founder and CEO of Global Citizen; and Wanjira Mathai, Regional Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute.
In her pre-event address, Hak Ja Han Moon, the founder of the Sunhak Peace Prize and a leader of an interreligious and international peace movement, articulated that the lives of the laureates exemplify a compelling testament to the feasibility of achieving peace through tangible actions and cultural transformation.
