February 2009

Ugandan Anglican Priest to Receive 26th Niwano Peace Prize

At a news conference February 20 in Rissho Kosei-kai's Kyoto Fumon Hall in Kyoto, the chair of the Niwano Peace Foundation, Rev. Kinjiro Niwano, announced that the 26th Niwano Peace Prize will be awarded to Rev. Canon Gideon Baguma Byamugisha, an Anglican priest in Uganda.

Canon Byamugisha, who was born in 1959, learned in 1991 that he was HIV-positive. He was the first African priest to declare publicly that he was HIV-positive, breaking one of the most important barriers in the struggle against HIV, that of stigma-induced silence. He has helped to raise public awareness of the disease in a way that has brought distinction to religious and cultural communities in his own country, Uganda, across the African continent, and on a global level. He is the canon of two cathedrals, in Uganda and Zambia, and works through many other channels to fight injustice, with a special focus on children.

His many initiatives and achievements include the foundation in 2002 of the African Network of Religious leaders living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS (ANERELA). The network went global in 2008 and includes almost 2,500 religious leaders.

Canon Byamugisha is the founder and leader of the Hope Institute for Transformational Leadership and Development. He has served the Uganda AIDS Commission, World Vision International, and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, and is a Christian Aid Goodwill Ambassador on HIV and AIDS. He sits on the board of the African Think Tank of HIV Management, which brings together clergy, NGOs, the private and public sector, policymakers, and health professionals.

The Niwano Peace Prize is awarded on the basis of nominations by up to 700 leading figures in 125 countries, and the Niwano Peace Prize Committee considers the nominations with strict impartiality before reaching a decision.

The presentation ceremony will take place May 7 at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo. In addition to the award certificate, Canon Byamugisha will receive a medal and 20 million Japanese yen from Rev. Nichiko Niwano, president of the Niwano Peace Foundation.

February 20, 2009

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