Former President Goodluck Jonathan has been named as the recipient of the 2025 Founders’ Sunhak Peace Award
The Sunhak Peace Prize committee said in a statement on Monday (yesterday) that Jonathan was 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.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has congratulated the laureate, describing the award as a landmark achievement.
The president said in a statement issued on Tuesday by his spokesman, Mr Bayo Onanuga that “Jonathan’s winning the Sunhak Peace Award affirms his bold efforts in peace building and promoting democracy in Africa and beyond.”
“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,” the statement added.
The former president is the third beneficiary and the first African leader to win this category of the Sunhak Award the former UN secretary general, Mr Ban Ki-Moon and the prime minister of Cambodia, Mr Hun.
The Sunhak Peace Prize was established in 2015 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.
Laureates are selected by the Sunhak Peace Prize Selection Committee, chaired by the former President of the European Commission and the first chair of the GAVI Board, José Manuel Barroso.
The Prize is organised by the Sunhak Peace Prize Foundation, chaired by Thomas G. Walsh.
The Prize is awarded by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF), founded by South Korean Unification Church leader Hak Ja Han.
Eligible laureates must be living at the time of the nomination in order to receive the award.
