UNESCO Peace Prize for Judge Weeramantry

New Delhi, Jun 3 (UNI) Sri Lankan Judge C.G. Weeramantry, former Vice- President of the International Court of Justice, has been awarded this year's prestigious UNESCO Prize for Peace Education 2006, carrying a cash component of 40,000 US dollars.

Judge Weeramantry was nominated by the City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow for supporting the appeal by 30,000 school students on behalf of the world's two billion children asking that their future be safeguarded against the threat of nuclear holocaust and eco-catastrophe.

Since 2003, Judge Weeramantry has been regularly participating in the International Conference of Chief Justices of the World that CMS organises every December.

He is also the author of the famous 1997 decision by the International Court of Justice declaring as illegal even the threat to use nuclear weapons.

All member countries of the UN are eligible to nominate one person for this award. Previous awardees are also eligible to nominate a person. As the laureate of 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Eduation, CMS nominated Judge Weeramantry.

This is the first time in the history of this award that a Judge has been selected for this prize.

Judge Weeramantry is also the first Sri Lankan to receive this prestigious award. He is also the founder of the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education and Research (WICPER), Colombo.

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