Recipients of the Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue

The 2024/25 Jack P. Blaney Award for Dialogue is presented to Judge Abby Abinanti for her innovative leadership in using dialogue to advocate for Indigenous rights and restorative justice.

adrienne maree brown for championing new and more equitable practices for facilitation that focus on healing, trust and joy. adrienne is a writer, podcaster, facilitator, abolitionist and movement mediator who inspires communities to move collectively towards liberation, solidarity and change.

Sheila (Siila) Watt-Cloutier for her international leadership in the use of dialogue in her work as an advocate for Indigenous, environmental and cultural rights. Siila is a respected Inuit leader and a world-renowned environmental, climate change and human rights advocate.

Alice Wairimu Nderitu for her outstanding work as an armed conflict mediator and use of dialogue to promote women in leadership and peacebuilding, multiculturalism and education in conflict prevention, and prevention of human rights violations and genocide. Alice is a global leader in the use of dialogue for armed conflict mediation and genocide prevention. Her track record includes mediating between national political leaders at the highest level and successfully intervening with affected communities in complex conflict zones.

Professor Tim Flannery for using dialogue and authentic engagement to build global consensus for action around the critical issue of climate change. Professor Flannery is a globally renowned scientist whose writing has inspired millions. His achievements include chairing the Copenhagen Climate Council and founding the Australian Climate Council.

Chief Robert Joseph for his tireless work to renew relationships among Canada’s Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. Chief Joseph is a Hereditary Chief of the Gwawaenuk First Nation, Ambassador for Reconciliation Canada and Special Advisor to Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, among other distinctions.

Karen Armstrong for a lifetime of outstanding achievement advancing understanding about world religions and promoting compassion as a way of life. Karen Armstrong is the founder of the Charter for Compassion, a document that applies shared moral priorities to foster greater global understanding.

Liz Lerman for a lifetime of outstanding leadership, creativity and dedication to melding dialogue with dance. A choreographer and interdisciplinary artist, Liz Lerman's honours include a 2002 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship. Her work has been commissioned by the Lincoln Center, Harvard Law School and Kennedy Center, among others.

Mary Robinson for outstanding courage, leadership and commitment to dialogue. Mary Robinson is one of the world’s leading advocates for human rights, having served as the President of Ireland, UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and Executive Director of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative.

Maurice Strong for his extraordinary contributions to global leadership in environmentalism and his work for the first United Nations conference on The Human Environment in Stockholm in 1972. Maurice Strong served as Secretary General of the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and the 1992 Rio Environmental Summit, as well as the first Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).