Co-founder of the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace conferred an Honorary Doctor of Literature at UWTSD Lampeter
Mr Sharif István Horthy, co-founder of the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace has been conferred an Honorary Doctor of Literature at the Graduation Ceremony held at UWTSD’s Lampeter campus today (7/7/23).
The award was presented in recognition of his exceptional contribution to international public service and for his vision of peace, his leadership in advancing innovative approaches to peaceful social-economic and political processes, and global transformation.
The University’s Global Humanity for Peace Institute, founded in 2021, is a joint initiative between the UWTSD and the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace.
Born in 1941 in the Hungarian Royal Palace in Budapest, Istvan Horthy was the only son of Hungarian Deputy Regent, and the grandson of Admiral Miklós Horthy who served as Regent of Hungary from 1920 to 1944.
At the age of 1 and half, Istvan lost his father who was killed on the Eastern Front during the World War II, and at the age of 3, together with his mother and grandparents, the family were arrested and detained in Nazi prison in Germany.
After the War, Istvan spent his formative years in Portugal, and attended the Gordonstoun School in Scotland. He then read physics in Oxford, studied Civil Enginering at Imperial College London, and went on to work as an architect and business consultant in Europe, Asia and North America.
In presenting Mr Horthy to the congregation, Professor Scherto Gill, Director of the University’s Global Humanity for Peace Institute said:
“Always a seeker of deepest meaning, at the age of 25, Istvan embraced Islam, hence the new first name Sharif. He also became part of a global interfaith movement and embarked on a spiritual journey.
The depth of his spiritual practices and his observation of man’s inhumanity to man had motivated Sharif to focus on understanding peace. Peace, he explains, is a human concept, a spiritual experience, and genuine peace emanates and radiates from our humanity.
“Thus cultivating human qualities has become Sharif’s lifelong mission.”
In accepting his Honorary Doctorate, Dr Horthy said:
“This is my second visit to your university and both times the feeling of community and love that I have sensed among you all, not so common in places of learning, has touched me deeply almost as much as the honour that you are bestowing upon me today.
“I want to really thank in that order God, Vice-Chancellor Hughes and all of you for welcoming us and our foundation to your institution. Together we can really make a difference. I think that we can reenvisage together the possibility of living in the human world where human beings love and respect each other and work to build prosperity and happiness for all.”
In the early 1990s, Sharif Horthy co-founded the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace to encourage the spiritual dimension of peace and its worldly expressions.
In 2001, after attending the UN World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban, and after witnessing the profound need for communities to heal the wounds of the past, and achieve well-being, he decisively steered the Foundation into a new direction, from a philanthropic organisation to a global peace think-tank.
Professor Gill continued:
“Facilitated by Sharif, the think-tank brought together thinkers, scholars, researchers and practitioners for extended dialogue and reflection to identify strategic questions and explore the new paradigms required at this point in human history.
“These inquiries have helped clarify four priorities of the Foundation’s work, including: collective healing, well-being-focused just economy, participatory collaborative governance, and humanity-centred education. Together, these contribute to advancing genuine positive peace and restoring the wholeness of our being, and harmony in our world.
“Over the course of three decades, Sharif directed the work of the foundation in different roles, first as the President, then Vice Chairman, and now Chairman of the Board.
“Under his leadership, the Foundation has been serving many communities worldwide, including being a consistent presence in some societies, including Lebanon, Indonesia, India, Hungary and Colombia to support their processes of healing, restoring relational bond, and renewing the vibrancy of the common life.
“As a leader, Sharif has always stressed the importance of co-creation and collaboration. The foundation can reach so many communities precisely owing to the strong partnerships with UN agencies, local governments, philanthropies, grassroots organisations and spiritual communities.”
In addition to the achievement of the foundation, Sharif Horthy is also an initiator of a number of significant projects, including the Lewes New School in England that offered an experience of human-centred education to primary age children; the Museum of World Religions in Birmingham, and a life history project in Hungary documenting people’s journey of encounter, listening and dialogue towards mutual recognition and mutual belonging. He continues to support global interfaith initiatives, such as the Three Faiths Forum, Spirit of Humanity Forum, and G20 Interfaith Forum.
Two years ago, inspired by the Wales’s commitment to the well-being of future generations, Sharif contacted the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with a view of co-creating a research institute. He came to Lampeter on Founder’s Day in 2021, and co-founded, with this University, the Global Humanity for Peace Institute. The Institute carries forward a number of major programmes developed by the Foundation and is embedded in an excellent research and teaching environment of this University. With such synergies, and overseen by Sharif and the leaders of the University, the Institute seeks to engage in cutting-edge research aimed at new knowledge, innovative practices, policy change, and community transformation.
Example of the institute’s work include:
- launching the UNESCO intergenerational dialogue programme in communities in four continents to restore cultural wisdom and enrich place-based resources for resilience, healing, justice and well-being;
- supporting a youth-led research to co-create a UNESCO future leaders programme;
- developing G20 Interfaith Forum Educational Policy Brief on building educational ecosystem for nurturing children and young people’s holistic well-being;
- launching the MA in Peace Studies
Further Information
Arwel Lloyd
Principal PR and Communications Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07384 467076