Board of Advisors

Activist Awards

Honorees Board of Judges Board of Advisors 2007 Nomination Form Press Release

International Activist Award

Board of Advisors

YOSSI BEILIN, Originally a journalist and lecturer in political science, Yossi Beilin began his political career in Israel in 1984, serving succeeding governments as Director-General of the Foreign Ministry, Minister of Economy and Planning and Minister of Justice. A Labor member of the Knesset for more than a decade, he spearheaded peace process initiatives as a member of the Rabin, Peres and Barak governments, initiating the Oslo Agreement and serving as the top Israeli negotiator in the Taba talks after Camp David. He is the initiator of the recent Geneva Accords and the leading proponent of the Middle-East peace process.

DAVID GERGEN, For thirty years, as commentator, educator, teacher, public servant and best-selling author, David Gergen has been an active participant in American national life. He has served in the White House as an advisor to four Presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and William Clinton. Currently, he is a professor of public service and the Director of the Center for Public Leadership at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

KERRY KENNEDY, Kerry Kennedy is the founder and former executive director of The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights, an organization established in the memory of her father to gain the release of political prisoners, as well as to provide troubled nations with food, medical supplies and other essential materials and to offer on-going support for human rights activists around the world. Ms. Kennedy also serves on several Boards supporting human rights, community development and other social causes.

MARTIN C. M. LEE, Martin Lee is the founding Chairman (1994-2002) of the Democratic Party, Hong Kong's largest and most popular political party. Since 1991, the Democratic Party (and its predecessor, the United Democrats of Hong Kong) has won every set of elections held in Hong Kong and has received wide public support for its stance that Hong Kong must develop democratic institutions and preserve freedom, human rights and the rule of law if the territory is to continue to prosper as a part of China.

AHMED QURIE (ABU ALA), An economist, Abu Ala founded and led Samed, the PLO's economic investment arm and served as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Palestinian Authority. One of the earliest peace activists among the Palestinian people, he led the Palestinian team at the secret negotiations in Norway that led to the 1993 Oslo Accords. He was elected Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and also served as Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority.

JOSE RAMOS-HORTA, For twenty-five years, Jose Ramos-Horta represented his countrymen in East Timor to the world community, securing numerous United Nations resolutions affirming the right of the people of East Timor to self-determination. With the liberation of East Timor in the year 2000, he was finally able to return to his country and now serves as the Foreign Minister. In 1996, Mr. Ramos-Horta was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his dedicated advocacy.

JEHAN SADAT, Like her late husband, former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, Jehan Sadat has overcome considerable adversity to become one of her country's most respected figures. Having first been active in the realm of women's rights following Egypt's defeat in the 1967 war, she later formed the Tala Society, which strives to help Egyptian women better assert themselves and assume a greater role in government and society. A devout Muslim, Mrs. Sadat relies on her faith for strength as she travels the world promoting self-assertiveness and self-help for the women of all nations.

WEI JINGSHENG, In late 1978, during the cultural thaw in China which gave birth to the "Democracy Wall" movement, no voice was more outspoken than Wei Jingsheng's. Calling for democracy as a necessary ingredient of China's modernization process, Wei's writings resulted in his imprisonment for more than eighteen years. He became a symbol of the push for democratic change and continues to inspire every surge of pro-democracy activity. In November of 1997, Wei was exiled, and now, from a base in the United States, continues his fervent advocacy of human rights and democracy in China.

MUHAMMAD YUNUS, Recognizing that poor people in small villages in Bangladesh, and in fact throughout the world, had no access to the capital that would enable them to earn an honest living, Dr. Yunus determined to dedicate his life to rectify the situation. In 1983, nearly six years after his first loan, he founded Grameen Bank, an "upside-down" bank that lends to the poorest rural villagers, enabling them to start small businesses to support their families. Today, Grameen Bank has enriched the lives of more than two million people in over fifty countries, and has become a model for innovative micro-finance programs throughout the world.