Goi Peace Foundation

The Goi Peace Foundation is a Japanese public foundation authorized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Established in 1999 by Masami Saionji, an adopted daughter and a follower of a Japanese philosopher and peace activist :de:Goi Masahisa|Masahisa Goi, the foundation purports as its main goal the promotion of the culture of peace through a global network aimed at fostering cooperation among individuals and organizations. The foundation hosts and supports public events, educational programs, international collaboration, interdisciplinary research and studies.
== History ==
Masahisa Goi (1916-1980) was a Japanese musician, poet and philosopher. Following his experiences of the World War II Japan and consequent illness, he joined a new religious movement Seicho-no-Ie in the early 1950s, which he later left to create a spiritual group called Byakkō Shinkōkai (白光 真 宏 会, "true, great society of the white light") in 1955, as well as the non-religious The World Peace Prayer Society|World Peace Prayer Society.
After the death of Goi in 1980, his work was continued by by the social activist, writer and member of the Club of Budapest Masami Saionji who has been a student of Masahisa Goi since the late 1950s Masami Saionji (Chairperson) | Byakko Shinko Kai. In 1999, the Goi Peace Foundation was founded in Tokyo in order to spread Goi's thoughts on peace in various cultural areas Wenger, Anne: Bildung in einer sich formierenden Weltgesellschaft: Ein Schlüssel zur Förderung einer nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Bestandsaufnahmen und Perspektiven. 2008, Seite 355–364. The foundation works closely with the World Peace Prayer Society and pursues activities based on the vision and principles set out in the Declaration for All Life on Earth, which was announced in 2000. In recognition of its peace efforts, the foundation was granted special consultative status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council. An official relationship with UNESCO has existed since 2006.
== Activities ==
* Goi Peace Foundation Forum — an open annual forum featuring international speakers and panel discussions on education, youth, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy among other topics. Starting from 2020, the Forum is held online rather than in Tokyo due to COVID-19 restrictions.
* Goi Peace Award — an annual international award presented at the Forum to individuals and organizations for past and ongoing contributions to peacemaking and philanthropy. Notable recipients include Jacques Attali, Princess Lalla Hasna of Morocco Morocco World News, Helena Norberg-Hodge and Bill Gates.
* International Essay Contest for Young People — an annual essay contest in two age categories (Children and Youth) aimed at promoting the culture of sustainable development on a global scale. The winners are awarded during the Goi Peace Foundation Forum. The International Essay Contest for Young People was first launched in 2000 to commemorate the International Year for the Culture of Peace. In 2000, 423 participants from 31 countries participated.
* Education and research — workshops and lectures on environmental issues, social responsibility, etc., as well as interdisciplinary research of future science development and its impact on society.
== International cooperation ==
The Foundation cooperates with governments and organizations worldwide. In 2018, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Goi Peace Foundation and the Foundation of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Hiroo Saionji, Board of Directors President of the Foundation, met with the head of the Senate's International Affairs, Defense, and Security Committee Dariga Nazarbayeva. During the meeting, Hiroo Saionji noted the active role of Nursultan Nazarbaev, a former recipient of the Foundation's 2016 Culture of Peace Special Award, in the promotion of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, and Dariga Nazarbayeva noted that the FFPoRK was ready ready to implement joint projects in science, culture, support of young talents and organization of expert round tables The FFPoRK and the Goi Peace Foundation signed a memorandum of cooperation The Goi Peace Foundation will handle educational projects in Kazakhstan | Forbes Kazakhstan .
== Media coverage ==
The International Essay Contest for Young People is the most widely publicized activity of the Foundation. On the victory of Belarusian schoolgirl Anastasia Rakova in the essay contest on peace in Tokyo | Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus Russian Student Receives Award From Japanese Minister Of Education | Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation As noted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Belarus)|the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the Foundation sponsors festivals, ceremonies and other events that bring people together to promote a culture of peace, and it organizes workshops and conferences to spread and promote the ideals of peace. 
In 2017, the Bioneers nonprofit organization received the Goi Peace Award "for their pioneering work to promote nature-inspired innovations for restoring the Earth and our human community."
 
Category:Organizations established in 1999
Category:Foundations based in Japan