October 1, 2024 — As the regional conflict escalates, peacebuilders from Palestine and Israel redoubled their commitment to work together toward durable peace at this year’s 2024 Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards, hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security (GIWPS).
“We are tired of wars, we are tired of death, so we decided to create a partnership… and speak in a loud voice and say that Palestinian mothers and Israeli mothers, we refuse for our children to be killed,” said Reem Hajajreh, founder and director of Women of the Sun, the only Palestinian group working publicly with Israelis.
Together with the Israeli Women Wage Peace, the groups work to advance what they’ve called a Mother’s Call to “stop the vicious cycle of bloodshed.” The organizations have been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts since the Oct. 7 attacks.
“When women from both sides of the conflict come together, good things can happen,” said Angela Scharf, the WWP’s foreign relations coordinator who accepted the award on behalf of her organization. Three members of Women Wage Peace, including co-founder Vivian Silver, were killed on Oct. 7. Dozens of members of Women of the Sun have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas.
“These are women who refuse to be victims who say ‘no stop, it is enough,’” Hajajreh told the audience of dignitaries, diplomats, students and others at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall on Tuesday.
As part of this year’s ceremony, both groups received $25,000 grants from the Elevate Prize Foundation as a part of the Elevate Prize GET LOUD initiative. “By honoring and shining a light on their critical work, we undoubtedly help to advance it,” said Elevate Prize Foundation’s CEO Carolina Garcia Jayaram. “We also understand how crucial funding is to supporting the immediate needs only grassroots leaders like them can quickly understand and effectively address.”
The annual ceremony, which recognizes leaders whose work has made the world more peaceful and stable, also honored three women who have achieved the highest political office in their countries: Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia, Dalia Grybauskaitė, former president of Lithuania, and Kersti Kaljulaid, former president of Estonia.
“We may have the right to speak, but do we have the power? The women we honor today have answered that question forcefully and refused to be silenced,” said Hillary Rodham Clinton, the honorary founding chair of GIWPS. “They’ve laid a path for younger women to show that public life is exactly where they belong. And their countries are better off for it.”
Gillard, the 27th prime minister of Australia and first woman prime minister, had a message for the younger generation. “There will be barriers and obstacles and things that just happen because you are a woman, and you need to be ready for those moments when they come, don’t assume they’re not going to come because they will. But one of the advantages that you have coming up today is you have the benefit, effectively, of seeing this movie before.”
“You’ve seen what happened, for example, when Secretary Clinton ran. You’re seeing now what happens as Vice President [Kamala] Harris runs, the critiques that come about her gender and race. And you can therefore be more mindful and more ready and more effective at pushing those barriers back,” said Gillard, who held office from 2010 until 2013.
“You can see from the women who received the award this year there is a common thread,” Secretary Clinton said. “What this represents so clearly is the need for both women in leadership to continue to demonstrate their commitment to the kind of work that women on the ground are doing in very difficult circumstances.”
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About the Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace and Security
Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace & Security seeks to promote a more stable, peaceful, and just world by focusing on the important role women play in preventing conflict and building peace, growing economies, and addressing global threats like climate change and violent extremism. We engage in rigorous research, host global convenings, advance strategic partnerships, and nurture the next generation of leaders. Housed within the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown, the Institute is headed by the former U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at giwps.georgetown.edu and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @giwps and Instagram @georgetown_wps.
About the Elevate Prize Foundation
Founded by Joseph Deitch in 2019, the Elevate Prize Foundation is a global non-profit on a mission to Make Good Famous. To ensure lasting impact, the organization is committed to bringing visibility to the work of changemakers, creating a fanbase for good, and inspiring action on an international scale. In 2022, the Foundation launched the Elevate Prize GET LOUD Award, a monthly grant to fuel grassroots movements and organizers on the frontlines committed to collective action and building power among communities. For more information, visit www.elevateprize.org and follow @ElevatePrize on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedI
About Georgetown University
Established in 1789 by Archbishop John Carroll, Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States. Located in Washington DC, Doha, Qatar, and around the world, Georgetown University is a leading academic and research institution, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. For more information about Georgetown University, visit Georgetown.edu or connect with Georgetown on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
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