The Third Shift

The Long Journey to Unite Humanity

"We must tenaciously weave a deep inner strength with equity and dignity across diverse relationships that truly bind our wounds, embody the right to belong, and unite humanity."

I want to thank the Niwano Peace Foundation for this extraordinary recognition. Your commitment to faith-inspired peacebuilders and emphasis on interreligious cooperation are deeply appreciated.

Across nearly four decades I have worked in places portrayed as war zones. While human suffering was ever-present, courageous and compassionate people kept hope alive with patient and unwavering conviction that change for good was possible.

In Medio Magdalena and Montes de Maria in Colombia, I found local communities who in the midst of armed fighting set out to establish zones of peace and committed to dialogue over violence.

In Wajir, Kenya women decided they could make their local market safer for people from all backgrounds to buy and sell. Their initiative grew into a broad network of unusual alliances that together ended the war their area…

Lederach, John Paul. “The Third Shift: The Long Journey to Unite Humanity.” Speech presented at the Niwano Peace Prize Ceremony, Tokyo, Japan, May 8, 2019.

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faith-inspired peacebuilding inner works

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How Does Humanity Unite?

Thoughts about the challenge of to all of us as leaders when we live in settings of social fragmentation and at the same time are committed to pursue justice and healing in our relationships.

2016