Sheila Turabaz and the Chairman of the Carnegie Foundation, Mr. J.P.H. (Piet Hein) Donner.
By Sheila Turabaz.
As a (junior) reporter for Diplomat Magazine since 2016, I have attended many interesting events hosted at different venues on various occasions, but nothing has left quite the impression on me like the Peace Palace, the global icon of peace and justice and considered a part of Europe’s finest cultural heritage.
It isn’t merely because of its majestic appearance (although that certainly contributes to its iconic status), but rather its mission: to prevent and solve conflicts peacefully and to stimulate world peace (through the application of international law).
Therefore, I am honoured to be appointed as Policy Officer Events at the Carnegie Foundation – Peace Palace as of April 2019. The Carnegie Foundation owns and manages the Peace Palace and is named after Scottish-American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who generously funded the construction and requested in his deed in 1913 that the Peace Palace serves as “Temple of Peace for the world”.
I consider the Peace Palace to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration and I have had the privilege of working at both courts housed in the palace. First I had the opportunity to work at the Permanent Court of Arbitration as Assistant to the Secretary-General, H.E. Mr Hugo Siblesz, and subsequently at the Press and Information Department of the International Court of Justice while simultaneously attending university to obtain a Master’s degree in International Business Law.
The global convening power of the Peace Palace offers a unique instrument to organize and host constructive dialogues on a variety of societal, economic and environmental issues – in light of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals – aimed at fostering (and financing) peacebuilding initiatives and sustainable development.
On behalf of the Carnegie Foundation, I would like to invite all stakeholders (e.g. philanthropists, representatives of states and international organizations, civil society, corporations, academia, youth and communities directly affected by conflict) to convene at the Peace Palace and participate in multi-stakeholder dialogues to generate peaceful solutions and good practices. Multi-faceted issues ask for an inclusive approach and therefore we believe that these multi-stakeholder dialogues are necessary.
As Policy Officer at the Carnegie Foundation I look forward to meeting many organizations and individuals sharing our peace ideal and forging new partnerships as well as maintaining warm relations with the corps diplomatique. I am proud to be part of the family of institutions founded by Andrew Carnegie for the promotion of peace, education, human courage and the general wellbeing of people and we intend to continue his legacy of doing real and permanent good in the world because “the killing of man by man, as a means of settling international disputes, is the foulest blot upon human society”.
