7 powerful quotes by the International Children’s Peace Prize winners

The International Children’s Peace Prize is awarded annually to a child who fights courageously for children’s rights by KidsRights, an international children’s rights organization. Even those who haven’t heard of the prize before may have known the previous prize winners, Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg. The last November, Rena Kawasaki won the 2022 prize as the first Japanese winner in history. The following powerful and inspiring quotes from young leaders may motivate you to have a fresh start in 2023.

Climate Change

1) “To all of you who choose to look the other way every day because you seem more frightened of the changes that can prevent catastrophic climate change than the catastrophic climate change itself. Your silence is almost worst of all.”
— Greta Thunberg (Sweden), 2019 winner

2) ”[T]ime is not on our side. We’re standing at the cliff, and yet we continue to turn a blind eye to the looming catastrophe that is threatening the future of our planet. The time to act is now.
— Kehkashan Basu (UAE), 2016 winner

Education

3) “If one man can destroy everything, why can’t one girl change it?” “Education is education. We should learn everything and then choose which path to follow. Education is neither Eastern nor Western, it is human.”
— Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan), 2013 winner

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Peace

4) “Children have undeniable weapon of boldness. And such boldness can result into benefits for the good of the family and the greater strength of a nation. All children can make a change, no matter where you come from.”
— Abraham M. Keita (Liberia), 2015 winner

5) “Acting for peace is first of all a matter of heart, engagement, and passion. Everyone can start somewhere with or without consequential means. Every action counts. You may start by sensitizing your relatives, friends, and even parents on the importance of peacebuilding.”
— Divina Maloum (Cameroon), 2019 winner

Disability

6) “You can do whatever you set your mind. You don’t have to wait fo other people to say it’s okay or to say that it’s needed because if you see a need, then you should do something about it.”
— Chaeli Mycroft (South Africa), 2011 winner

Politics

7) “Be the leaders that your young self would have wanted you to be. Let us have dreams and hopes just like the ordinary kids do.”
— Rena Kawasaki (Japan), 2022 winner