Scientist, educator and humanitarian Zafra M. Lerman will receive Cardozo School of Law’s 24th International Advocate for Peace Award on March 6. The award, which originated in 2000, is presented annually by the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution to a person, organization or group that is exemplary in the field of conflict resolution.
As president of the Malta Conferences Foundation, Lerman promotes peace by bringing together scientists from 15 otherwise hostile countries in the Middle East to discuss issues and foster international scientific and technical collaboration. The five-day conferences cover a variety of topics, including science education and air and water quality and alternative energy sources.
“We are thrilled to be able to highlight the important work of Zafra Lerman,” said Professor Andrea Schneider, director of the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution. “This award celebrates her innovation in international peacemaking in creating the Malta Conferences. Her work to bring people together in this region is more crucial today than ever.”
Lerman, chair of the American Chemical Society’s Subcommittee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights from 1986 to 2011, has worked on numerous human-rights cases worldwide, including in the former Soviet Union, Russia, China, Guatemala, Cuba, Peru, South Africa and Iran. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Lerman has published numerous works on science diplomacy. Her most recent book, a genre-busting first-person narrative titled Human Rights and Peace: A Personal Odyssey, was published in 2024. In it, Lerman recounts her life, from growing up in Israel to her time in the Soviet Union, Peru, China and Cuba, where she fought for peace and for dissidents being denied basic human rights. She conceived, coordinated and launched the Malta Conferences—the biennial, international meetings of scientists, Noble Laureates and political leaders from the Middle East that use science diplomacy as a bridge to peace.
Cardozo School of Law, home to one of the nation’s leading dispute resolution programs, will present the award to Lerman on March 6 at the school.
Previous recipients of Cardozo’s International Advocate for Peace Award include President Bill Clinton for his role in the Oslo Peace Accords; President Jimmy Carter for negotiating the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel; Sir Paul McCartney for the impact of his music on the world; Archbishop Desmond Tutu for his work with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; Leymah Gbowee, the 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate for her work promoting peace in Liberia; and Gloria Steinem, writer, activist and organizer for her work advocating for women’s rights and equality around the world. A list of all past recipients can be found here.
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