THE DECISION TO award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union last year was highly controversial and met with derision and protests in some quarters.
Officially, the ruling committee honoured the bloc for advancing the causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe, despite the current economic woes and challenges to social cohesion.
With the honour comes a cheque for €930,000, which Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the other Heads of State collected at a prize-giving ceremony in Oslo last December.
As the dignitaries enjoyed their luxurious settings in the Oslo peace centre, protesters camped outside in the snow to demonstrate against austerity and lack of action on chronic unemployment.
Where the money was disseminated to was always going to be a contentious issue so the EU had to choose wisely.
So, what has the EU done with the prize money?
This week, the European Commission said it dedicated the sum to children who are denied the chance of growing up in peace.
Before deciding who the prize would be divided among, the EU more than doubled the amount on offer.
In the end, €2 million was given to four projects that are said to have benefited 28,000 children.
In a statement, the Commission said that of the 75 million children worldwide who do not attend school, about half live in conflict areas. At the same time, humanitarian assistance for education is severely underfunded.
The Children of Peace projects selected for funding focus on providing educational support and are implemented with reputable partners in Iraq, Pakistan, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
To support Somali, Sudanese and Eritrean refugees in Ethiopia, about €500 000 has been spent on the construction of safe learning spaces, the rehabilitation of existing classrooms and the distribution of schoolbags, teachers’ kits and recreation sets.
Young Syrian refugees, aged between five and 15, in Iraq have participated in supervised recreational and therapeutic activities as a result of the bloc’s work with ACTED.
The EU believes its work kept more boys and girls in school and saved them from recruitment as child soldiers.
In Pakistan, UNICEF was the collaborator; UNHCR were the point group in Colombia and Ecuador; while Save the Children and the Norwegian Refugee Council were used in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The EU has promised to continue the initiatives in the years to come to ensure there is a “lasting political legacy” of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Next year, €4 million will be allocated to cover both existing and new projects to assist children affected by war.
“Education is much more than just writing or counting – it is the only way to build lasting peace and sustainable development,” Kristalina Georgieva, Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, who is leading the initiative, said this week.
“By providing children with spaces where they can safely develop their talents, by providing them with psychological support to overcome the past traumas and raising their awareness about their rights, we are making one more step towards a conflict-free future – for all of us.”
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