Jacques Chirac, Former President of France, invited Serageldin to sit on the Jury selecting the winner(s) of the Chirac Foundation Culture for Peace Prize. Since the inauguration of the Chirac Foundation in 2008, Serageldin has been a member of its Honorary Committee and has served on the jury of the Chirac Foundation Prize for Conflict Prevention, which rewards women and men committed to fighting on a daily basis so that tensions do not escalate into serious conflicts. The Prize rewards their efforts and raises awareness about their methods. Members of the Honor Committee are all eminent international figures of diverse experience and cultures, who work tirelessly in the cause of peace, dialogue and development, and have played an eminent role in their respective countries or at the head of international organizations.
This year the Chirac Foundation and the Culture & Diversity Foundation created the Culture for Peace Prize out of the deep-seated conviction that all forms of art can play an important role in appeasing tensions – be they ethnic, religious, or political – that confront different populations. The jury convening today will select the winners of this prize on the basis of the criteria set by the Foundation and the prize is to be awarded to the Laureates in a ceremony to be held on 20 November at Musée du quai Branly, Paris.