Osijek, 11. 12. 2024.
The Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights – Osijek awarded this year’s Award for the Promotion of Peacemaking, Nonviolence and Human Rights “Krunoslav Sukić” to a consortium of six organizations – PAX for Peace (Netherlands), Peace Action (North Macedonia), Integra and New Social Initiative (Kosovo), Civic Initiatives (Serbia) and the International Center for Transitional Justice (Brussels / New York).
As stated, the recognition was awarded to these organizations for a joint venture through which they managed to bring together 23 victim associations from Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo through a participatory process and to articulate the principles of transitional justice from the perspective of the victims.
Receiving recognition at the ceremony in the Croatian National Theater in Osijek, Teodora Zahirović from Civic Initiatives emphasized that victims’ associations function in difficult conditions, that they do not have enough institutional support, and that they are forgotten by the public and often used to score political points.
“That’s why programs like this one are extremely important, but they must not be a one-off because the issue of solving the fate of the missing, who are still thousands in the region and decades after the wars, is a deep human and moral issue that concerns each of us and which these associations cannot and should not raise alone. Without solving it, it is difficult to talk about real reconciliation or about a society and a region that has faced its past,” she said.
It was a great honor for Citizen Initiatives to support at least a small part of what these associations do. As an organization that has been working for almost three decades on the fight for human rights and the strengthening of civil society, it has always been important for us to stand by those who fight for their basic rights, Zahirović pointed out.
“This recognition belongs to them – the associations and their families. Their perseverance, strength and courage deserve much more support than they currently have. We see this recognition as more than just recognition, but as a step in the right direction,” said Teoodra Zahirović.
The Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights – Osijek is a citizens’ association founded in 1992. The activities of its members are aimed at building peace, protecting and promoting human rights and freedoms, and promoting creative methods of conflict resolution on an individual, group and political level. The Center established the “Krunoslav Sukić” award and recognition in 2009 in honor of one of its founders, the peace activist and humanist Krunoslav Sukić, who in 1991, together with a few intellectuals gathered around the question of whether and how they could contribute to ending the war, establishing a peaceful, i.e. political solution to the conflict and building lasting peace and democracy, participated in the creation of the idea and founding of the Center for Peace, Nonviolence and Human Rights – Osijek.
