News Archive LAST UPDATE  December 18, 2006
December 6, 2006 Peace Boat receives Peace Prize of Turkey's Santa Claus Peace Council
Turkish organization 'Santa Claus Peace Council' awarded their annual Peace Prize for 2006 to Peace Boat for its activities spreading of messages of peace and tolerance.
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Established in 1996, the foundation advocates multiculturalism, peace and tolerance. The group is based in Antalya on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, a region known as the bridging point for different civilizations and cultures for thousands of years. The group's activities especially focus on awareness raising related to religious diversity both domestically and internationally, working to promote peace amongst people regardless of creed or race. The foundation is named after Saint Nicholas, who over two millennia ago was born in this region and dedicated his life to carrying out beneficial acts to help poor and needy people. The organization builds on this important regional tradition, adopting the symbol of Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) to promote peace and co-existence. As part of their annual programme, the Santa Claus Peace Council awards a group or individual its peace prize each year on December 6, the anniversary of the death of Saint Nicholas.
The award for 2006 was presented to Peace Boat at a ceremony attended by participants from various countries, including religious community leaders, politicians, peace activists and journalists. Staff member Jasna Bastic, accepting the award on behalf of Peace Boat, also participated in a series of exchanges with students, teachers and local leaders of Antalya, presenting Peace Boat's activities and programmes and discussing potential future cooperation during Peace Boat's visits to Turkey.