LiberPress Association Award 2013

Following the controversy surrounding the cartoons of Muhammad in 2005, Kofi Annan, then UN Secretary General, and Plantu, cartoonist with Le Monde, met in 2006 at the UN headquarters, in New York, together with twelve of the best cartoonists in the world, as part of a conference entitled “Unlearning Intolerance”. As a result of this conference “Cartooning for Peace” was born, with the aim of promoting understanding and mutual respect between people of different religions and cultures, using graphic humour and caricature as a means of expressing a universal language. Since then, they have held numerous exhibitions and meetings. In 2008, as a result of their success, the French association “Dessins pour la Paix” was created, comprising hundreds of graphic artists from every geographical, religious and political background. The members contribute their creative skill and their beliefs to a team based in Paris (at the premises of L’Humanité), which is responsible for organising events around the world.

The association organises exhibitions of drawings published in the press, often accompanied by public lectures featuring guest speakers. The topics appearing most often in the exhibitions are armed conflict, climate threats, human rights, north-south inequality, censorship and taboos. The exhibitions also address more specific topics, such as the death penalty and the rights of children. The Association has also created the Honoré-Daumier Award.

It aims to provide protection and legal assistance to artists who work in difficult environments, and give them support and guidance in the exercise of their profession.