History of the Peace Prize Forum
In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America sponsor the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. This prestigious event is the Norwegian Nobel Institute's only such program or academic affiliation outside Norway.
The colleges, all founded by Norwegian immigrants, sponsor the forum to give recognition to Norway's international peace efforts and to offer opportunities for Nobel Peace Prize laureates, diplomats, scholars, and the general public to share in dialogue on the dynamics of peacemaking and the underlying causes of conflict and war.
Begun in 1989 with generous annual support from Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent Financial for Lutherans), the Nobel Peace Prize Forum's stimulating array of programs have involved over 21,000 participants and reached a much broader audience through national and regional media coverage.
Among the many who are inspired by the forums, students perhaps receive the greatest impact. Exposure to world leaders who work tirelessly for peace can be life-changing as young people learn that peacemaking is both possible and honorable. When students and other forum participants see and hear the likes of Elie Wiesel, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Jody Williams, and David Trimble, the messages of peace and peacekeeping become even more personal and powerful. In fact, the colleges note a connection between the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and the increasing number of their students studying abroad or pursuing volunteer service at home or overseas upon graduation.
With the invaluable assistance of Dr. Geir Lundestad, executive director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, the forums have benefited from the participation of a host of Nobel laureates and other thought-provoking speakers. The sponsoring colleges are indebted to Dr. Lundestad, Thrivent, and members of the Executive Committee for 15 years of support. The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is a unique, transformative learning opportunity for U.S. citizens; it provides an unparalleled opportunity to inspire future generations to become full participants in peacemaking efforts round the world.
Previous Forums
1989 Striving for Peace: Past, Present, Future
St. Olaf College
· Norman Borlaug, 1970 laureate
· United Nations Peace-Keeping Operations, 1988 laureate (group) represented by Marrack Goulding
1990 Striving for Peace: Human Rights in the Global Village
Augsburg College
· Dr. Andrei Sakharov, 1975 laureate, represented by widow Yelena Bonner Sakharov
· Amnesty International, 1977 laureate (group) represented by Peter Duffy
· Additional Speaker: President Jimmy Carter
1991 Striving for Peace: Leadership in Peacemaking
Luther College
· Oscar Arias Sanchez, 1987 laureate
· Betty Williams, 1976 laureate
· Additional Speakers: Vice President Walter Mondale and Luigi Einaudi, U.S.
Ambassador to the Organization of American States
1992 Striving for Peace: Resolving Cultural Conflicts Augustana College
· Elie Wiesel, 1986 laureate
· Mairead Corrigan Maguire, 1976 laureate
· Additional Speakers: Camelia Sadat, president, Sadat Peace Institute, and Cheryl Crazy Bull, vice president, Sinte Gleska University
1993 Striving for Peace: The United Nations in a New World
Concordia College
· UNICEF, 1965 laureate (group), represented by James P. Grant
· Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 1954 and 1981 laureate (group),
represented by Sadako Ogata.
· U.N. Peace-Keeping Forces, 1988 laureate (group), represented by Hisako Shimura
· Additional Speakers: Vladimir Petrovsky, Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs for U.N.
and Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali
1994 Striving for Peace: Sowing the Seeds of Global Justice
St. Olaf College
· Rigoberta Menchu, 1992 laureate
· Additional Speakers: Rev. Bernice King, orator and co-founder of AMEN, and Edgar
Stoesz, Chair, Habitat for Humanity International
1995 Striving for Peace: Searching for Common Ground
Augsburg College
· Speakers: The Hon. R.F. "Pik" Botha, South African Minister of Mineral and Energy Affairs, representing Nobel laureate Frederik deKlerk, the Hon. Franklin Sonn, South African Ambassador to the U.S., representing Nobel laureate Nelson Mandela, and Naomi Tutu, economist, daughter of Desmond Tutu
1996 Striving for Peace: From National to Common Security
Luther College
· Speakers: The Hon. Yehuda Avner, personal consultant to Nobel laureate Shimon Peres, Dr. Al-Kidwa, representing Nobel laureate Yassir Arafat, and the Hon. Samuel Lewis, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and past president of the U.S. Institute of Peace
1997 Striving for Peace: Science and Ethics in International Affairs Augustana College
· Dr. Joseph Rotblat, 1995 laureate
· The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, 1995 laureate (group),
represented by Dr. Francesco Calogero, general secretary
· Additional Speaker: Terry Waite, former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury
and hostage negotiator
1998 Striving for Peace: Visions of Authentic Development
Concordia College
· Jose Ramos-Horta, 1996 laureate from East Timor
· Additional Speakers: Nien Cheng, author and human rights activist, and Dr. Ishmael Noko,
General Secretary of Lutheran World Federation
1999 Striving for Peace: The Morality and Machinery of Modern Conflict
Augsburg College
· Jody Williams, 1997 laureate
· International Campaign to Ban Landmines, 1997 laureate (group), represented by Steve Goose
· Additional speakers: John Hamre, deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Defense, and
Larry Rasmussen, the Reinhold Niebuhr chair of Christian Ethics, Union Theological Seminary
2000 Striving for Peace: Risk and Reconciliation
St. Olaf College
· David Trimble, 1998 co-laureate
· Denis Haughey, representing Northern Ireland political leader John Hume, 1998 co-laureate
· Additional Speakers: J. Bryan Hehir, Harvard Divinity School, and Sissela Bok, Harvard
Center for Population and Development Studies
2001 Striving for Peace: Crossing Borders/Challenging Boundaries
Luther College
· Médicins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders, 1999 laureate (group), represented by Dr.
Morten Rostrup, International President
·Additional Speakers: Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, human rights activist, J. Brian Atwood, former
head of U.S. Agency for International Development
2002 Striving for Peace: Who is Responsible?
Augustana College
·Sung Chul Yang, South Korean Ambassador to the United States, representing 2000 laureate
Kim Dae Jung, President of South Korea
·Additional Speaker: Craig Kielburger, Free the Children founder and children’s rights
spokesperson
2003 Striving for Peace: A World Without Borders
Concordia College
·U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 2001 laureate (invited)
·Additional Speakers: Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, Dr. Geir Lundestad, and Vice President Walter Mondale
2004 Striving for Peace: Roots of Change A World Without Borders
St. Olaf College
·President Jimmy Carter, 2002 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Director-General of WHO and former Prime Minister of Norway; Eboo Patel, Director of Interfaith Youth Core
2005 Striving for Peace: Uniting for Justice
Augsburg College
·Shirin Ebadi, 2003 laureate (invited)
·Keynote speaker: Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
·Additional Speakers: Davar Ardalan, Producer, National Public Radio; Dr. Sima Samatar, chair, Afghanistan Human Rights commissions and Founder of Shuhada Organization; Frances Moore Lappe, author
2006 Striving for Peace: Uniting for Justice
Luther College
·Wangari Maathai, 2004 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and EPA Chief; Michael Osterholm, Director, Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
2007 Striving for Peace: The Impact of One
Augustana College
·Dr. Mohamed Elbaradei and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 2005 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Kjell Magne Bondevik, founder and president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, former Prime Minister of Norway
2008 Striving for Peace: Investing in Community
Concordia College
·Muhammad Yunus, 2006 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Greg Mortenson, executive director, Asia Institute, author; Jeffrey Sachs, director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University; Nicholas Kristof, columnist, New York Times
2009 Striving for Peace: A Climate for Change
St. Olaf College
·Al Gore (invited) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2005 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Richard Alley, professor of geosciences at Pennsylvania State University; Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator from Minnesota; Majora Carter, president of the Majora Carter Group
2010 Striving for Peace: A Question of Will
Augsburg College
·President Martti Ahtisaari, 2008 laureate
·Additional Speakers: Kjell Magne Bondevik, founder and president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, former Prime Minister of Norway; Christine Ingebritsen, professor of Scandinavian studies at University of Washington; Leymah Gbowee, founding director of Women Peace and Security Network - Africa