Ex-Ambassador Samantha Power joins the Aurora Prize Selection Committee

December 1, 2017 By administrator

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announces Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power as the newest member of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Selection Committee. In an issued statement on Friday, the Prize website informs

Ambassador Power will join the other esteemed humanitarians, human rights activists and former heads of state as a part of the Selection Committee, to determine future recipients for the annual $1.1 million Aurora Prize.

“We are very excited to welcome Ambassador Power to the Aurora Prize Selection Committee. With her notable experience on the world stage, she has made great strides in aiding those in the developing world and standing up for the most vulnerable members of our global community,” said Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. “With her unparalleled expertise in human rights around the world, we are honored that she will review Aurora Prize nominations and help shape the future of the Aurora Prize.”

It is noted that Ambassador Samantha Power served as the 28th U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President Obama’s cabinet, and became known as one of the country’s foremost thinkers on foreign policy. Prior to her work at the United Nations, she served on the U.S. National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, where she focused on atrocity prevention, United Nations reform, LGBT and women’s rights and the promotion of religious freedom, among other issues. She also authored the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.” Given her influential work in human rights and democracy, she has been recognized several times over, including as one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” and Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers.”

“The Aurora Prize and its laureates recognize that, while it is essential to remember past atrocities, we each have the power to assist those who are saving lives in the present,” said Ambassador Power. “I take great pride in being part of the Prize’s Selection Committee, which seeks to honor those who make great sacrifices to help others, and who find a way to mobilize human kindness and persevere amid steep odds.”

She will join current Aurora Prize Selection Committee members Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo; human rights activist Hina Jilani; Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London Lord Ara Darzi; President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group and former foreign minister of Australia Gareth Evans; Medecins sans Frontieres Founder Bernard Kouchner; President of Carnegie Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian; and Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney.

The Aurora Prize, now in its third year, was founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors. The Selection Committee will convene in Berlin, Germany on December 4, 2017 to review nominations from this year’s process, which gathered 750 submissions from 115 countries. Concurrent to their meeting in Berlin, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will host its first Aurora Dialogues outside of Armenia, titled “Millions on The Move: Need for Development and Integration.” The Aurora Dialogues Berlin is a joint effort of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Global Perspectives Initiative, Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator, and will be held on December 4-5, 2017. Speakers will address the state of the global migration crisis and look at the role of different actors in advancing positive change.

The 2018 Aurora Prize finalists will be announced on April 24, 2018, the day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The Aurora Prize, established on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, provides the laureate with a $100,000 grant and the opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations to receive a $1,000,000 award. The third annual Prize will be announced on June 10, 2018, at a ceremony in Armenia.

2018 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Ceremony and 3rd Annual Aurora Dialogues Dates Announced

July 13, 2017 By administrator

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative today announced that the 2018 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity ceremony, Aurora Dialogues and weekend of inspirational events, will take place June 8-10, 2018 in Armenia.As the press release of the Aurora Prize website reported, pre-eminent humanitarians, academics, philanthropists, human rights defenders, government officials, journalists and business leaders from around the world will gather for the purpose of galvanizing action to address today’s most pressing humanitarian challenges and to celebrate the best of humanity. The weekend will culminate with the presentation of the third annual $1.1 million Aurora Prize, a global humanitarian award given to an individual for the exceptional impact their actions have had on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. The laureate is invited to share $1million with organizations which inspire their work.

To remind, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative was founded in memory of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in honor of their saviors by descendants of the survivors who wish to demonstrate their gratitude by action.

“We are gratified to be able to do this in their memory, and raise public consciousness about the humanitarian atrocities occurring around the world by rewarding those who are working to tackle those struggles in a substantial manner and at great personal risk,” said Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Co-Founder Ruben Vardanyan. “As a country that has prospered despite the atrocities suffered in the past, Armenia is emerging as a global hub for humanitarian thought, discussion and action. In hosting this important weekend of events again next year, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative seeks to continue to express Gratitude in Action by helping those who are most vulnerable today.”

The 2018 Aurora weekend of events will feature the Aurora Dialogues, an international platform for academics and practitioners who explore and debate humanitarian challenges. The conference will seek to better understand the issues, analyze lessons learned from the past, and encourage innovative action in the present to foster a better future. A schedule of events and additional information about the 2018 Aurora Dialogues and Aurora Prize weekend will be available in the coming months at www.auroraprize.org.

Nominations are now open for the 2018 Aurora Prize. Public nominations will be accepted through September 8, 2017 at https://auroraprize.com/en/prize/detail/nominatenow.

Singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour announced the 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate – Dr. Tom Catena – during the May 28 ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia. As the second Aurora Prize Laureate, Dr. Catena was awarded $100,000 in gratitude for his dedicated service as the sole surgeon operating in the war and famine-ravaged Nuba region of Sudan. In addition to the $100,000 prize awarded to Dr. Catena for his selfless efforts, $1,000,000 was designated to organizations of his choosing, which included the African Missionary Healthcare Foundation (AMHF), Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB), and Aktion Canchanabury. These organizations, in turn, will continue to offer help to vulnerable and victimized populations, thus continuing the cycle of giving.

The Aurora Prize Selection Committee includes Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; human rights activist Hina Jilani; former foreign minister of Australia and President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group Gareth Evans; former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo; President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian; and Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney. The late Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Elie Wiesel served as the Selection Committee’s inaugural co-chair.

Chulpan Khamatova joins the Aurora Prize expert panel

November 7, 2016 By administrator

kaamatova-aurora Chulpan Khamatova, the co-founder of Gift of Life Foundation has joined the Independent Expert Panel of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The famous Russian actress, who has been involved in humanitarian activities for years, will take part in the assessment of the 2017 Aurora Prize nominations.

The Independent Expert Panel is part of the Aurora Prize Secretariat. The members of the Expert Panel assess all eligible nominations in accordance with the Aurora Prize Selection Criteria to narrow the overall list to 20-25 nominees for the Selection Committee’s attention.

“It is horrendous to read about the suffering of people who, even in this age, live on the line between life and death but it is also heartwarming for me to learn about these modern day heroes. Their existence, brave and committed actions prove that nothing is lost and human life still has an absolute value”, said Chulpan Khamatova. “I am extremely honored having an opportunity to become part of this humanitarian movement and contribute to the process of pre-selection of the 2017 Aurora Prize’s laureate. This is a very important and challenging experience.”

The Expert Panel is comprised of humanitarian professionals and leaders of humanitarian organizations. The members of the 2017 Aurora Prize Expert Panel are Dr. Comfort Ero, Crisis Group’s Nairobi-based Africa Program Director, Dr. Jonathan Fanton, President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Mr. Stephen Kurkjian, journalist, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Ms. Lesley-Anne Knight, Mr. Pedro Mouratian, Expert-Consultant to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Former CEO of The Elders, Dr. Aryeh Neier, President Emeritus of the Open Society Foundations, Prof. Michael Posner, Co-Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights of New York University Stern School of Business, Ms. Nicola Reindorp, Campaign Director of Crisis Action, Mr. Eric Schwartz, Former US Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration and Dr. Mego Terzian, President of Medecins Sans Frontieres France.

The pre-selected nominees of the Aurora Prize are being considered by the Selection Committee chaired by Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney. The Selection Committee will announce?the 2017 Aurora Prize finalists in February.

Armenia: Four Humanitarians Chosen as Finalists for Aurora Prize

March 16, 2016 By administrator

Top l to r: Marguerite Barankitse and Dr. Tom Cartena.
Bottom l to r: Syeda Ghulam Fatima and Father Bernard Kinvi

YEREVAN — The Aurora Prize Selection Committee announced the four Aurora Prize finalists as Marguerite Barankitse, from Maison Shalom and REMA Hospital in Burundi; Dr. Tom Catena, from Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan; Syeda Ghulam Fatima, the General Secretary of the Bonded Labor Liberation Front in Pakistan; and Father Bernard Kinvi, a Catholic priest in Bossemptele in the Central African Republic.

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a new global award that will be given annually to individuals who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive. Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes, having overcome significant challenges along the way. One of the four finalists, the ultimate Aurora Prize Laureate, will receive a grant of $100,000 and the chance to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations that inspired his or her work for a $1 million award.

The Aurora Prize was created by the co-founders of 100 LIVES, a pioneering global initiative seeking to express gratitude to those who put themselves at risk to save Armenians from the Genocide one hundred years ago. On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, the annual Aurora Prize aims to raise public consciousness about atrocities occurring around the world and reward those working to address those issues in a real and substantial manner.

“All four finalists are being recognized because they have found the courage to fight against injustice and violence inflicted upon those most vulnerable in their societies,” said 100 LIVES Co-Founder and Aurora Prize Selection Committee Member Vartan Gregorian. “We created the Aurora Prize not just to honor, but to support the unsung heroes who reclaim humanity and stand up to such oppression and injustice. One hundred years ago, strangers stood up against persecution on behalf of our ancestors, and today we thank them by recognizing those who act in the same spirit in the face of modern atrocities.”

THE FINALISTS

Marguerite Barankitse, from Maison Shalom and REMA Hospital in Burundi, saved thousands of lives and cared for orphans and refugees during the years of civil war in Burundi. When war broke out, Barankitse, a Tutsi, tried to hide 72 of her closest Hutu neighbors to keep them safe from persecution. They were discovered and executed, whilst Barankitse was forced to watch. Following this gruesome incident, she started her work saving and caring for children and refugees. She has saved roughly 30,000 children and in 2008, she opened a hospital which has treated more than 80,000 patients to date.

Dr. Tom Catena is the sole doctor at Mother of Mercy Hospital in the Nuba Mountains in Sudan. An American physician, Dr. Catena is the only doctor permanently based near the country’s border with South Sudan, and is therefore responsible for serving over 500,000 people in the region. Despite several bombings by the Sudanese government, Dr. Catena resides on the hospital grounds so that he may be on call at all times. His selfless acts have been brought to light by a number of media and aid organizations, and he was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in 2015.

Syeda Ghulam Fatima has worked tirelessly to eradicate bonded labor, one of the last remaining forms of modern slavery. Fatima is the general secretary of the Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan (BLLF), which has liberated thousands of Pakistani workers, including approximately 21,000 children, who were forced to work for brick kiln owners in order to repay debts. The interest rates are too high for workers to pay off, trapping the workers in forced labor and poor-often brutal-conditions. Fatima has survived attempts on her life and repeated beatings during the course of her activism.

Father Bernard Kinvi became a priest at age 19, after losing his father and four sisters to prolonged violence and illness. Father Kinvi left his home country of Lome, Togo to Bossemptele, a small town just inside the border of the Central African Republic, to head a Catholic mission which consisted of a school, church and the Pope John Paul II Hospital. In 2012, civil war broke out in the Central African Republic between Muslim Seleka rebels and the anti-balaka (anti-machete) Christian militia. Amidst the violence, Father Kinvi’s mission provided refuge and health services to those on both sides of the conflict, saving hundreds of people from persecution and death.

From July to October 2015, nominations were received from around the world through a public portal on www.auroraprize.com.

One of the four finalists will be announced as the inaugural Aurora Prize Laureate during a ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia on April 24, 2016. Selection Committee Co-Chair George Clooney will present the award. The Aurora Prize finalists will be celebrated as part of a weekend of events bringing together leading voices in the humanitarian field, including the International Center for Journalists, International Rescue Committee and Not On Our Watch to discuss some of the most pressing humanitarian issues the world is facing today, and acknowledge those confronting them.

Aurora Prize, Public Radio of Armenia team up for new project

March 10, 2016 By administrator

Aurora-Prize-e1457618717760-620x300 By Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Aurora Prize and the Public Radio of Armenia team up to present a new project titled “With gratitude from Armenian Genocide survivors.”

The program launched on March 10 will air twice a week on Tuesdays (5:12 p.m.) and Thursdays (5:27 p.m.) and will be repeated on Wednesdays and Fridays at 11.12 a.m. and 11.27 a.m. respectively.

In the leadup to the inaugural award ceremony scheduled for April 24, 2016, the program will present the goals and mission of the initiative and will tell stories of Armenian Genocide survivors.

The co-founders of 100 LIVES and the Aurora Prize Selection committee – co-chaired by Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney – will honor the Aurora Prize finalists for their exceptional acts of humanity with a weekend of events from April 22 through April 24, 2016.

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and in gratitude to their saviors, the Aurora Prize celebrates the strength of the human spirit that compels action is the face of adversity.

Recipients will be recognized for the exceptional impact their actions have made on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes. On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, an Aurora Prize Laureate will be honored each year with a US$100,000 grant as well as the unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by nominating an organization which inspired their work for a US$1,000,000 award.

The Aurora Prize will be awarded annually on April 24 of each year in Yerevan, Armenia.

George Clooney, Elie Wiesel to Co-Chair Award on Genocide Centennial

March 11, 2015 By administrator

George Clooney and Elie Wiesel will serve as co-chairmen of the Aurora Award

NEW YORK–The 100 LIVES initiative is launching today, featuring the announcement of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The initiative expresses gratitude to the individuals and institutions whose heroic actions saved Armenian lives during the Genocide 100 years ago.

The purpose of the 100 LIVES initiative is to address the issues of genocide, human rights violations and the power of positive action through three key elements:

Learning from the past by issuing a global call to unearth the untold stories of survivors and saviors from the Armenian Genocide that will be brought to life on 100LIVES.com;

Delivering for the present by introducing the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, a new global humanitarian award that will be given to people who put themselves at risk to enable others to survive and thrive; and

Shaping a better future by administering Gratitude Projects to organizations and in communities that played a prominent role in saving Armenian lives a century ago.

The 100 LIVES initiative was founded by international businessmen and philanthropists Ruben Vardanyan and Noubar Afeyan and humanitarian Vartan Gregorian to demonstrate the impact of the Armenian Genocide and how many of the survivors and their families went on to lead successful lives making significant contributions to global culture, the arts, sports, science and business.

“The humanity, generosity, strength and sacrifice shown by those who saved so many Armenians compels us to tell these stories,” said Ruben Vardanyan, co-founder of 100 LIVES. “Now is the time to shine a light on those most extraordinary lives, to build on the lessons they teach us, and to express our gratitude for what they did.”

Along with honoring past survivors and saviors, the program will establish the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity as a means to empower modern-day saviors. The annual grant of $1 million will be awarded to a recipient who will, in turn, present it to the organization identified as the inspiration for their action.

The Aurora Prize brings together leading human rights luminaries from around the world including Academy Award winner George Clooney, Nobel Peace Prize winners Elie Wiesel and Oscar Arias, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, UN Secretary-General Advisor on Genocide, Gareth Evans, globally respected human rights activist Hina Jilani and President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Vartan Gregorian, to serve on its Selection Committee. Mr Clooney will award the inaugural Prize at a ceremony to be held in Yerevan, Armenia on 24 April, 2016.