Founder Hon. Robert Leggett with Israelis Prime Minister Golda Meir
World Peace Prize Since 1989
The World Peace Prize is a historical award founded in 1989 in Washington D.C., and has since been recognizing world leaders who contribute to the cultivation of peace for humanity regardless of personal cost and sacrifices, as well as individuals who offer exceptional vision and leadership for the development of a better world. For more than three decades, the World Peace Prize has been a prestigious prize well recognized internationally. Some of the past award recipients include President Ronald Reagan of the United States; Hon. Mahatma Gandhi of India; H.E. Yitzhak Rabin, former Prime Minister of Israel; President Fidel Ramos of the Philippines; President Kuniwo Nakamura of Palau; among others. Since the inception of the World Peace Prize Awarding Council as a non-profit organization in 1989, the World Peace Prize has been awarded to individuals contributing to the causes of world peace by preventing regional conflicts or world war; by settling the disputes of political, diplomatic and economic matters; and by developing new inventions to minimize threats and confusions within mankind.
The World Peace Prize was spearheaded by the late Hon. Robert L. Leggett (1926-1977) and Dr. Suzi Leggett in Washington D.C. in 1989. It operates with the core belief in peace and justice, and in the spirit of inter-religious collaborations. Hon. Robert Leggett served eight terms in the U.S. Congress and had worked with President John F. Kennedy in legislating the establishing of the U.S. Peace Corps. Hon. Robert Leggett was also the first member of the U. S. Congress to meet with Prime Minister Golda Meir of Israel, and led the first congressional delegation to visit Taiwan. During Leggett’s eight term in the Congress, he had been Chair to the House Armed Services Committee, the Subcommittee of Defense Appropriations of the House Budget Committee, the Subcommittee of Fisheries, Wildlife Conservation and Environment of the House Merchant Marines Committee. As a member of the Merchant Marines Committee, Leggett served as the Chair of the subcommittee on Panama Canal. He legislated into law the landmark 200 Mile Fishing Limit Law, and also created Wetlands, Environmental Protection Law. Hon. Robert Leggett created many agriculture programs that benefit the livelihood of the people of the United States and of developing countries.
The true spirit of peace is shared by people of all beliefs. The World Peace Prize is adjudicated by a distinguished panel of judges who come from diverse background, nationalities, faith and ethnicities. They stand to show the spirit of unity in mankind. The Chief Judge, Hon. Lester Wolff, former Chair of the Asian and Pacific Affairs Committee of the United States Congress, is an eminent peace maker himself. Being a member of the 1978 congressional delegation to China, he met with Deng Xiaoping, the paramount leader of China. The Deng-Wolff Conversation conducted during this time was credited for its particular importance in the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the People’s Republic of China and the United States. He also introduced amendments to the White House sponsored Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 to restore the initiative for direct peace talks between Israel and the Arab States. With the fast changes in our world, we are confronted by numerous challenges that require a great deal of collaborative efforts to bring peace and understanding. The World Peace Prize salutes our honorees for their devotion in cultivating good will and respect by embracing differences, and engaging in positive dialogues between nations, ethnicities, and religions.
