Flame of Peace
| Flamme des Friedens | |
 Logo of the organization | |
| Type | Non-profit organization |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Advancement of Peace |
| Headquarters | A-1010 Wien, Parkring 16 / Weihburggasse 34, im Radisson Blu Palais Hotel |
| Location |
|
President | Archduchess Herta Margarete, Archduchess Sandor of Austria |
Vice-President | Archduke Sandor of Austria |
| Website | www |
The Flame of Peace (Flamme des Friedens) (not be confused with the 2nd European Games torch relay "Flame of Peace") is an award granted by the Austrian non-profit organization Vereins zur Förderung des Friedens (Association for the Promotion of Peace), which promotes world peace. Its symbol is a flame carving in wood and mounted on a stone base. The organization presents awards to prominent people, peace activists, and organizations in recognition of their activity in promoting peace.
Organization and leadership
[edit]Archduchess Herta Margarete, then known as Herta Margaret Öfferl, and her deputy Archduke Sandor of Austria, now her husband, founded the organization in January 2007. She had already been working for several years on the promotion of peace initiatives.[1] She serves as its president.[2]
The organization is non-profit, non-partisan and religiously unaligned. It is dedicated to promoting and rewarding endeavors to promote peace. It has given awards to individuals and organizations since 2008.[3] Recipients have included politicians, diplomats, media representatives and peace activists.[4]
The board of the Association consists the Habsburg-Lothringens and her children.[5] The Habsburg-Lothringens use the titles of Archdukes of Austria and Prince of Tuscany, styled as Imperial Highness.[6] though Sandor Habsburg, son of Dominic von Habsburg, is only listed as Count of Habsburg in the Almanach de Gotha Edition of 2000.[7][a]
The symbol of the prize is a wood carving of a flame mounted on a stone base.[3]
Criticism
[edit]In 2009 the award was given to Ali Abdullah Saleh during his attack against Houthi rebels and in 2016 to Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, prime minister of Bahrain. The British journalist Brian Whitaker calling the organisation's award a "dodgy peace prize".[9]
Sample monuments
[edit]| Year | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Vienna, Austria | In March 2009 Flamme des Friedens president Herta Margaret Öfferl unveiled a monument of the Flame of Peace in the foyer of the Schloss Wilhelminenberg in Vienna. The event was attended by Christian Berlakovits (Austrian Ambassador to Italy), Vesna Borozan (Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia), Prince Bernard (Consulate of Cameroon), Silvia Davidoiu (Ambassador of Romania), Ahmed Alwan al-Alwani Mulhi (Ambassador of Yemen) and Ashot Hovakimian (Ambassador of Armenia).[1] |
| 2009 | Sana'a, Yemen | In September 2009 Herta Margaret Öfferl presented the award to Marshal Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of the Republic of Yemen, and unveiled a peace memorial in Yemen.[2] |
| 2012 | Mitterdorf, Austria | On 14 March 2012 Oleksandr Ledyda, governor of Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast, visited Mitterdorf in Styria, where a Flame of Peace monument was unveiled. The Ukrainian ambassador Bereznyi Andryi and commercial attaché Gennadyi Boldyr also attended the ceremony.[10] |
| 2012 | Ernstbrunn, Austria | On 26 May 2012 the association unveiled a peace monument in front of the Thomasl volunteer fire station in Ernstbrunn, Lower Austria.[11] |
| 2018 | Gera, Germany | 2018 Herta and Sandor Habsburg unveiled a peace monument in Gera in the presence of Heinrich Reuss,[12] later arrested on charges of plotting a far-right coup d'état against the German government with a “terrorist organization” by violence and military means.[13] |
Sample awards
[edit]| Year | Location | Recipient | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rome, Italy | Christian B.M. Berlakovits | In October 2008 Herta Öfferl, President of Flamme des Friedens, presented the Flame of Peace to Dr. Christian B.M. Berlakovits, the Austrian Ambassador in Rome.[14] |
| 2009 | Vienna, Austria | Goldenes Kreuz hospital | In November 2009 Herta Margret Öfferl presented the Flame of Freedom award to the Goldenes Kreuz private hospital in Vienna on its 90th anniversary, in recognition of its humanitarian efforts.[15] |
| 2010 | Mistelbach, Austria | Christian Werner | Military Bishop Christian Werner and a soldier at the Bolfras Barracks in Mistelbach were recipients.[16][17] |
| 2013 | Monaco | International School | In 2013 Herta Margarete Habsburg Lothringen awarded the Young Flame of Peace Award to the International School of Monaco for their participation in the United Nations Art for Peace 2012 project.[18] |
| 2013 | Bergdietikon, Austria | Jaroslaw Starzyk | According to the Polish Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, Archduchess[b] Margarete Herta Habsburg-Lothringen gave the "Flame of Peace" award to Ambassador Jaroslaw Starzyk on 31 August 2013 at the Bachlechner Art Gallery in Bergdietikon.[4] The gallery published photographs of the event.[19] |
| 2014 | Frauensee, Austria | Wolfgang Laubinger | Wolfgang Laubinger, the founder and director of camps of the Evangelical Church of Gütersloh was one of the recipients of the Bronze Medal of Merit from the organization.[20] |
| 2015 | Venice, Italy | Regional Council of Veneto | On 24 March 2015 the Flame of Peace Award was given to the Regional Council of Veneto at a concert held in memory of World War I attended by over 1,000 people.[21] Attendees included Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti, the vice president of the Veneto Region, Marino Zorzi and the President of the Regional Council of Veneto, Clodovaldo Ruffato, who accepted the award.[22] |
International delegates and representatives
[edit]The Flame of Peace Association appoints international delegates and representatives to promote its mission of fostering peace, humanitarian activities, and environmental protection around the world.[23] Delegates represent the organization in their respective countries, organizing initiatives, ceremonies, and projects aligned with the Flame of Peace’s objectives.
Notable international delegates and representatives include:
Andrew Charalambous (United Kingdom) – Delegate for England.[23]
James de Balliol-Cavendish, Baron of Buittle (Scotland) – Delegate for Scotland.[23]
Amina Leelo Weevo-Alghamdy (Bahrain) – Delegate for Bahrain.[23]
Dzaner Arnaut von Efendic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Delegate for Bosnia and Herzegovina.[23]
Liu Weiwei (China) – Delegate for China.[23]
Maggie Tin (China) – Ambassador of the Young Flame of Peace (Orient).[23]
Robin Matthes (Curaçao) – Delegate for Curaçao.[23]
Bernd Höhle (Germany) – Special Delegate for Lower Saxony.[23]
Danny Koch (Germany) – Delegate for Brandenburg.[23]
Josef Lang (Germany) – Delegate for Bavaria and Hungary.[23]
Peter Ritter von und zu Dzionsko (Germany) – Representative of the Flame of Peace.[23]
Raymond Schulz (Germany) – Delegate for Köthen, Saxony-Anhalt.[23]
Roland Beyer (Germany) – Delegate for Saalfeld, Thuringia.[23]
Werner Hinz (Germany) – Delegate for Bavaria.[23]
Dr. Guillaume Arnau Arquer (France) – Delegate for France.[23]
Stephane Cappellaro (France) – Representative of the Flame of Peace France.[23]
Tonis Breidel Hadjdemetriou (Greece) – Delegate for Greece.[23]
Gagandeep Singh (India) – Representative for India.[23]
Dott.ssa Isabella Celeste Vignoli D’Este (Italy) – Representative for Italy.[23]
Priska Ferrari and Kosmas Mader (Italy) – Delegates for South Tyrol and Northern Italy.[23]
H.E. Chev. Stephen Lautens (Canada) – Delegate for Canada.[23]
Yvonne Apiyo Brändle-Amolo (Kenya) – Delegate for Kenya.[23]
Mag. Carmen Dahl (Liechtenstein) – Delegate for Liechtenstein.[23]
Mag.phil. Lina Pestal (Lithuania) – Delegate for Lithuania.[23]
GR Ing. Michael Georg Martin Danzinger (Luxembourg) – Delegate for Luxembourg.[23]
Maria Helga Muscat-Grölz (Malta) – Consulate for Malta.[23]
Jean Stanoevski (Macedonia) – Delegate for Macedonia.[23]
Nikola Bleiberschnig (Macedonia) – Delegate for Macedonia.[23]
Alejandro Diaz (Mexico) – Honorary Consul for Mexico.[23]
Claudine Cracchiolo-Konieczny (Monaco) – Consulate of the Flame of Peace Monaco.[23]
Verena Meyer (Monaco) – Consulate of the Flame of Peace Monaco.[23]
Shida and Peter Bliek (Netherlands) – Delegates for the Netherlands.[23]
Ernests Barons (Norway) – Delegate of the Flame of Peace for Norway.[23]
Hermann Kroiher (Nordic Countries) – Special Delegate for Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland, and Iceland.[23]
Bethy Leonarda De La Cruz Cerda (Peru) – Delegate for Peru.[23]
Maria Edelman (Poland) – Delegate for Poland.[23]
Dr. Vinzenz von Holle (Switzerland) – Consultant and Delegate for Switzerland.[23]
Hanns and Beatrice Bachlechner (Switzerland) – Special Delegates for Switzerland.[23]
Ivana McCann (Serbia) – Delegate for Serbia.[23]
Dominica Mudra (Slovakia) – Representative of the Flame of Peace Slovakia.[23]
Mag. Anatoliy Chernychenko (Slovakia) – Delegate for Slovakia.[23]
Renata Kliská (Slovakia) – Delegate for Bratislava.[23]
DI Abdalla Sharief (Sudan) – Consultant and Delegate for Sudan.[23]
Julia Lanske MBA (Thailand) – Delegate for Thailand.[23]
Peter Lanske (Thailand) – Delegate for Thailand.[23]
Dipl.-Ing. Otto Lehner (Czech Republic) – Delegate for the Czech Republic.[23]
Ing. Eva Balikova (Czech Republic) – Special Delegate for the Czech Republic.[23]
Anastasiya Zelenskaya (Ukraine) – Representative of the Flame of Peace for Kiev and Odessa.[23]
Viktor Golin (Ukraine) – Embassy Delegate and Management Representative.[23]
Csilla Zsuzsanna Cselőtei (Hungary) – Representative of the Flame of Peace Hungary.[23]
Péter Bárdossy (Hungary) – Special Delegate for Hungary.[23]
Ms. Nguyen Thanh Phuong (Vietnam) – Special Delegate for Vietnam.[23]
Partnerships
[edit]The Flame of Peace Association collaborates with academic institutions to promote peace education, including a partnership with the Swiss School Of Business Research (SSBR) to establish the Peace-making MBA, formally known as the Master in Peace & Humanitarian Management. As part of this collaboration, the Flame of Peace sponsors a scholarship fund covering 50% of tuition fees for students enrolling in the program, supporting the development of future leaders in global peace and humanitarian efforts.[24]
Global Engagements
[edit]In April 2025, the Flame of Peace Association co-hosted the World Leader Summit of Love and Peace in Vienna, Austria, alongside the Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL), the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the DIGNITY Foundation. The summit marked the 6th International Day of Conscience and celebrated the United Nations' adoption of the International Day of Hope, bringing together more than 100 international leaders and visionaries to promote global peace, conscience, and mutual respect.[25]
Notes
[edit]- ^ The Sovereign Military Order of Malta has characterized their use of the title "Protector" of the Sovereign Hospitaller Order of St. John of Jerusalem – Knights of Malta.l as a "pretended title of a pseudo-order".[8]
- ^ Herta Öfferl is sometimes styled "Archduchess".[4] She married Sandor, Graf von Habsburg-Lothringen, after he divorced his first wife in 2009. He is the son of Dominic, Archduke of Austria.[citation needed] Sandor may use the title "Count" (Graf), but not "Archduke".[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Flamme des Friedens brennt in Wien". Vienna Online (in German). 10 March 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Präsident des Yemen erhält "Flamme des Friedens"". Mistelbach TV. 26 September 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ a b "Flamme des Friedens - Jahresempfang 2013". Meinbezirk.at (in German). Regionalmedien Austria. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "Die Verleihung der Auszeichnung "Flamme des Friedens" an Botschafters Jarosław Starzyk" (in German). Polish Embassy in Bern. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "ZVR 978756365". official register of associations (in German).
- ^ Newsarchive on their personal website Imperial Austria
- ^ Alamanach de Gohta, Edition 2000, Volume 1, page 46
- ^ "Falsche Orden in Österreich" [Fake Orders in Austria]. Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Grand Priory of Austria (in German). Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ Al Bab.com 21 February 2016
- ^ "Europabericht 1. Vierteljahr 2012" (PDF). Das Land Steiermark. p. 13. Retrieved 2015-04-15.
- ^ "Freiwillige Feuerwehr Thomasl" (in German). Official website of the Council of Ernstrunn. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Flame of Peace" Denkmalenthüllung in Gera -Thüringen-Deutschland mit Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss
- ^ Morris, Loveday; Mekhennet, Souad (8 December 2022). "Heinrich XIII, Germany's 'Putsch Prince,' lamented monarchy's demise". The Washington Post. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ "Flamme des Friedens in Rom überreicht". Mistelbach TV. 27 October 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Auszeichnung mit der "Flamme des Friedens"". Verband der Privatkrankenanstalten Österreichs. 2009-11-04. Archived from the original on 2015-04-15. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Militärbischof erhält "Flamme des Friedens"" (in German). Official website of the Council of Mistelbach. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Großer Tag in Mistelbach" (in German). Austrian Armed Forces. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Young Flame of Peace Award Given To ISM". The Riviera Woman. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2015.
- ^ "Überreichung der Flamme des Friedens durch IKKH Herta Margaret Habsburg – Lothringen mit SKKH Sandor Habsburg – Lothringen an S.E. Jaroslaw Starzyk, Botschafter der Republik Polen". Kunstgalerie Bachlechner. 31 August 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "Einsatz für den Frieden" (in German). Evangelical Church of Gütersloh. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "Mille presenti al concerto per il centenario della Grande Guerra". Consiglio regionale del Veneto. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
- ^ "L'Europa festeggia oggi il gelato artigianale. Un successo alla Fenice" (in Italian). Associazione Esposizioni e Fiere Italiane (Italian Association of Exhibitions and Fairs). 24 March 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba "Delegates and Representatives". Flame of Peace. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ Swiss School of Business Research. "New 'Peacemaker' Master's Degree Programme." Retrieved April 29, 2025, from https://www.ssbr-edu.ch/peacemaker/
- ^ "World Leader Summit of Love and Peace Co-hosted by Austria, Bahrain, DIGNITY Foundation and FOWPAL". Federation of World Peace and Love. April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 30, 2025.