John Kerry to receive Tipperary International Peace Award

US secretary of state John Kerry is to be honoured for his efforts in trying to end conflict in a number of countries at the Tipperary International Peace Awards.

The politician will join a long list of notable recipients including the former South African president Nelson Mandela, secretary general of the UN Ban Ki-moon, Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai and the former prime minister of Pakistan, the late Benazir Bhutto.

Irish recipients have included former president Mary McAleese and her husband Martin McAleese, and Live Aid organiser, musician Bob Geldof.

Mr Kerry said he was grateful to be selected for the 2015 peace award.

“I am truly honoured to be listed among the remarkable past recipients who have contributed so much to the cause of creating a more peaceful world,” he said.

Martin Quinn, secretary of the Tipperary Peace Convention, said Mr Kerry had confirmed he would come to Co Tipperary in person to accept the award and a date for the ceremony later this year would be decided soon.

Mr Quinn said Mr Kerry was chosen for his work to bring an end to conflict globally, in particular his role in the negotiations for the surrender of Syria’s declared chemical weapons.

“We looked at his career and the initiatives he was involved with in relation to world crises and his efforts for peace,” he said.