WFWPI & UPF Co-founder Dr. Hak Ja Han Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Dr. Hak Ja Han, co-founder of the Universal Peace Federation, has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in the category of Peace and Fraternity between Nations. The nomination was formally submitted by Dr. Jan Figel, former European Union Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and acting president of the Forum for Religious Freedom (FOREF) Europe.

In his nomination, Dr. Figel pointed to Dr. Han’s decades of work in interreligious dialogue, humanitarian cooperation, peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula, and the protection of family values as a foundation for stable societies. The nomination brings renewed attention to a body of work that has intersected with the priorities of the United Nations and the wider global agenda for peace.

Behind these public achievements stands a life shaped by war, division, and long public responsibility. Born in what is now North Korea, Dr. Hak Ja Han experienced displacement during the Korean War and belongs to the generation marked by conflict and division on the peninsula. These early experiences helped shape her later emphasis on reconciliation, family, and human dignity.

Decades of Peace Work

A central feature of her public work has been the creation of institutions that could outlast individual events. In 1992, she co-founded the Women’s Federation for World Peace, which developed into a global platform for women’s leadership in peacebuilding through education, humanitarian service, support for families and community development. In 2005, she co-founded the Universal Peace Federation as a broader international platform for dialogue among political leaders, religious representatives, scholars, media professionals, and civil society actors.

Dr. Hak Ja Han, co-founder of the Universal Peace Federation, has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in the category of Peace and Fraternity between Nations. The nomination was formally submitted by Dr. Jan Figel, former European Union Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief and acting president of the Forum for Religious Freedom (FOREF) Europe.

In his nomination, Dr. Figel pointed to Dr. Han’s decades of work in interreligious dialogue, humanitarian cooperation, peacebuilding on the Korean Peninsula, and the protection of family values as a foundation for stable societies. The nomination brings renewed attention to a body of work that has intersected with the priorities of the United Nations and the wider global agenda for peace.

Behind these public achievements stands a life shaped by war, division, and long public responsibility. Born in what is now North Korea, Dr. Hak Ja Han experienced displacement during the Korean War and belongs to the generation marked by conflict and division on the peninsula. These early experiences helped shape her later emphasis on reconciliation, family, and human dignity.

Dr. Tageldin Hamad, President, UPF-International April 1, 2026

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