Sri Lankan judge nominated for 2006 UNESCO peace prize

New Delhi, Jun 17 (UNI) Sri Lanka judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry, former Vice- President of the United Nations International Court of Justice, has been nominated for the 2006 UNESCO peace prize.

Judge Weeramantry will be presented the award, which carries a cash component of 40,000 US dollars, on September 21 at a special ceremony organised at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.

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

Addressing a press conference, UNESCO representative to India and Sri Lanka Minja Yang said Judge Weeramantry's nomination was an affirmation that the rule of law is fair.

''The social order and societies can not be pulled apart as long as the rule of law is in place.... An we are happy that Judge Weeramantry has been nominated for this award,'' she said.

Judge Weeramantry is the first Sri Lankan to receive this prestigious award. In the history of the award, this is the first time that a judge has been nominated.

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 even the threat to use nuclear weapons as illegal.

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

UNI NR KD HT1557