Zafra Lerman, a scientist, educator, and humanitarian, received the 24th Annual International Advocate for Peace (IAP) Award on March 6 from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution.
She conceived, coordinated, and launched the Malta Conferences—the biennial, international meetings of scientists, Nobel laureates, and political leaders from the Middle East that use science diplomacy as a bridge to peace. As president of the Malta Conferences Foundation, Lerman has promoted peace by bringing together these experts to discuss issues and foster international scientific and technical collaboration. The five-day conferences cover a variety of topics, including science education, air and water quality, and alternative energy sources.
A former chair of the American Chemical Society’s Subcommittee on Scientific Freedom and Human Rights, Lerman 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.
Professor Andrea Schneider, director of the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution, said, “We are thrilled to be able to highlight the important work of Zafra Lerman. 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.”
Each year for over two decades, the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution has presented the IAP Award to an individual, organization, or group that has made significant contributions in the field of conflict resolution and in the promotion of peace around the world. Past recipients include Gloria Steinem, President Jimmy Carter, President Bill Clinton, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Sir Paul McCartney, Sen. George Mitchell, and diplomat Richard Holbrooke.
At the ceremony, Lerman, in a lively conversation with Schneider, spoke about her childhood, her time as an educator helping her students think about science differently and more creatively than they have been taught, and her work in science diplomacy.
“Science education for me is a human right,” Lerman said. “Because, if we leave out a huge population that doesn't have any education in science and technology, we really form a two-class society, separated not by royalty, but by knowledge of science and society. You cannot go ahead in life today not knowing it. So, I think it's a human right, and this is the responsibility of everybody to make science accessible to all.”
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. After her remarks, she signed copies of Human Rights and Peace.