HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, IOC President Thomas Bach and Claudia Abate, the Founder and Executive Director of the FPCD

24 September 2024 – IOC President Thomas Bach was presented with the Prince Albert II Leadership in Post-Conflict Development Award by the Foundation for Post-Conflict Development (FPCD), under the High Patronage of IOC Member HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco. He received the award at a ceremony held during the high-level week of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) and the Summit of the Future. It recognises excellence in diplomacy, particularly efforts that contribute to peace and post-conflict development.

“During your tenure as President of the International Olympic Committee, your leadership has been transformative. Your dedication to sustainable development, gender equality and comprehensive reform within the Olympic Movement creates the conditions necessary for peace and post-conflict development to begin,” Claudia Abate, the Founder and Executive Director of the FPCD said in her address.

She continued: “President Bach, you have worked tirelessly to promote peace and development through Olympic Solidarity, ensuring that there is no division or mention of Global South and Global North—all are equal. This brings us back to the essence of human togetherness. You ensured that the Olympic Games do more than celebrate sport—they celebrate humanity. And President Bach, you have been the unifying force the world so desperately needs – giving peace the opportunity it deserves.”

IOC President Thomas Bach & HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco

The FPCD was founded in New York in 2005. It promotes global peace and development, helping post-conflict communities transition out of fragility. Its initiatives span maternal health, youth empowerment, environmental programmes and diplomacy.

When accepting the award, the IOC President said to Prince Albert and the Foundation: “I want to thank you and the Foundation for this wonderful honour, bestowing this prestigious prize on me, and through me on the entire IOC. This prize is for everybody who supports the unifying mission of the IOC. This mission is at the moment against the zeitgeist. The signs do not indicate unification, but division, separation and decoupling. We are very proud that the Olympic Games Paris 2024 could send a different signal and message in this complex situation. People around the world are looking for something that unifies us, they are fed up with the hate, the aggression, the wars and the killings.”

After highlighting the contribution to a culture of peace by the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, which resonated around the globe and were followed by more than half of the world’s population, IOC President closed his speech by saying: “We take this prize as an encouragement to continue to work for this unifying mission and for the creation of a culture of peace.”

The FPCD was founded in New York in 2005. It promotes global peace and development, helping post-conflict communities transition out of fragility. Its initiatives span maternal health, youth empowerment, environmental programmes and diplomacy.