Recommendation 964 (1983)

European award for non-violence

Author(s): Parliamentary Assembly

Origin - Assembly debate on 28 January 1983 (28th Sitting) (see Doc. 5013, report of the Committee on Culture and Education). Text adopted by the Assembly on 28 January 1983 (28th Sitting).

The Assembly,

1. Gravely concerned at the present degree of violence and at the many levels on which this occurs ;

2. Recalling its Recommendation 963 on cultural and educational means of reducing violence, and earlier texts adopted on the fight against terrorism both by the Assembly and the European Parliament ;

3. Recalling proposals made by Senator Calamandrei to the Parliamentary Hearing on violence held in Assisi on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Francis ;

4. Recognising the impact of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded by an independent committee elected by the Parliament of Norway ;

5. Welcoming also the contribution made to the furtherance of non-violence by non-governmental organisations ;

6. Wishing to associate the Council of Europe with these ideals, and in particular with the positive promotion of non-violence in democratic society ;

7. Recalling the cultural vocation of the Council of Europe, and believing that there is considerable room within the field of culture and education for creative and constructive action in favour of non-violence,

8. Recommends that the Committee of Ministers :

a. institute a European award for non-violence on the model of the Nobel Peace Prize, to be given every other year for outstanding initiatives in the positive promotion of non-violence through creative works in the literary, audio-visual, artistic or educational fields ;

b. arrange for the establishment of a special fund for this award, open also to endowments from independent sources, and sufficient to cover not only the administration of the award, and the award itself, but also the wide publication of related biennial reports.