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A Prescription For Peace in Troubled Times
October 22, 2017 @ 5:00 am PDT
In a time that feels more volatile than ever, given tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, recognizing those who work to create a safer and more secure world, free from the threat of nuclear weapons, is more imperative than ever.
On October 22, The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation will honor Dr. Ira Helfand and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) with its 2017 Distinguished Peace Leadership Award. The award will be given at the Foundation’s 34th Annual Evening For Peace, to be held on Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Loggia Ballroom, Four Seasons Resort, The Biltmore.
Dr. Helfand lectures globally on the health effects of nuclear weapons and has published studies on the medical consequences of nuclear war in medical journals throughout the world. In April 2012, he presented IPPNW’s report, Nuclear Famine: One Billion People at Risk, at the Nobel Peace Laureates Summit. When he’s not writing, speaking, listening, learning and fundraising for nuclear abolition, he practices as an internist and urgent care physician.
IPPNW was founded in 1980 by U.S. and Soviet physicians who shared a commitment to the prevention of nuclear war, citing that doctors have an obligation to prevent what they cannot treat. IPPNW was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. For more than thirty-seven years, IPPNW and Dr. Helfand have inspired countless women and men to work on issues of peace, justice and nuclear abolition in their communities and beyond.
This year, Dr. Helfand and IPPNW worked with 122 non-nuclear countries at the United Nations to adopt the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. This historic treaty, when ratified, will enforce that nations never develop, test, produce, manufacture, acquire, possess, stockpile, transfer, use or threaten to use nuclear weapons.
The Distinguished Peace Leadership Award is presented annually to individuals who have demonstrated courageous leadership in the cause of peace. The Foundation has a rich history of honoring remarkable leaders. Past recipients include the XIVth Dalai Lama, Dr. Helen Caldicott, Walter Cronkite, Setsuko Thurlow, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Rabbi Leonard Beerman, and Medea Benjamin, to mention just a few.
In addition to raising much-needed funds to support the Foundation’s work for a world free of nuclear weapons, the evening inspires the next generation of young leaders to work toward achieving a more just and peaceful world. Many students from local colleges and high schools will attend this year’s event thanks to sponsors who have underwritten the cost of their tickets.
The evening will begin at 5:00 P.M. with a reception followed by an award program and dinner in the Loggia Ballroom.
To learn more about the Evening For Peace, visit wagingpeace.org/2017-efp or call the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation at 805-965-3443.
To arrange an interview with Dr. Ira Helfand or the Foundation’s President, David Krieger, please contact Sandy Jones at sjones@napf.org or (805) 965-3443.
About the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation:
Founded in 1982, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation’s mission is to educate and advocate for peace and a world free of nuclear weapons and to empower peace leaders. The Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization with consultative status to the United Nations and is comprised of individuals and groups worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age. For more information, visit www.wagingpeace.org