Archbishop Desmond Tutu To Hand Over Renconciliation Award

CAPE TOWN – The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) will present its annual Reconciliation Award to former constitutional Judge Albie Sachs for realising reconciliation through his life and work on the 11th of August 2010.

 

The Patron of the IJR, Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, will hand over the award to Judge Sachs on the evening of the 11th of August 2010 at the Kirstenbosch Old Mutual Conference Centre in Cape Town. Former colleague Justice Yvonne Mokgoro will do the tribute to Sachs.

 

In an era in which human rights and reconciliation are often seen as opposites, Albie Sachs’s life and work has shown that these goals are closely related. The Institute will honour Albie Sachs for his contribution to reconciliation, unwavering even in the face of intense personal sacrifice. As one of the principal architects

of the Constitution, Albie has helped to shape a society in which the reconciliation process is firmly founded in human rights. The success of the urgent struggle for social justice, which requires participation from all of us, will depend on whether this vision is taken forward or forgotten.

 

IJR will also celebrate its 10th anniversary at this event – by looking back on ten years of reconciliation and justice in South Africa and further a field on the continent. During its 10 years of existence IJR has built partnerships in more than 10 post-conflict countries in Africa, worked with many communities, policy makers and analysts in South Africa. IJR has also been able to consistently provide data on reconciliation and economic justice trends in South Africa. In 2008 it received the UNESCO Peace Prize for Peace Education in recognition of its work. 

 

“The Institute has proved its enormous value in this regard over the past decade. I have no doubt that it will continue to do so during the next decade. I believed at the conclusion of the TRC that an organisation like the Institute was sorely needed. Today, it is clear that this belief has been well-founded.” Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu – IJR Patron, Nobel Peace Laureate and former Archbishop of Cape Town.

 

“The staff of the IJR, ably supported by the Board, must be congratulated for their passion, their commitment and their exceptional competence in providing us with a mirror in which to see ourselves, judge whether what we see is comforting and, if not, move us to levels of consciousness and action, to bring the comfort needed.”

 

Prof. Brian O’Connell – Chairperson of the IJR Board and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape

 

The media are invited to a short round table discussion with Judge Albie Sachs on the 11th of August 2010 before the event at 17h30.