Chairman of the Seoul Peace Prize Foundation Cultural Foundation, Jaeho Yeom; Chairman of the Selection Committee, Christopher Koo and Members of the Selection Committee; Secretary-General, Seung-chae Kim; Board of Directors; and Distinguished Guests:
안녕하세요, 여러분 Annyeonghaseyo yeoleobun. Hello, everyone.
It is a deep honor to stand before you today to accept the Seoul Peace Prize on behalf of Direct Relief. This prestigious award celebrates the incredible potential of what can be accomplished when compassion and collaboration come together for the greater good. As I reflect on this moment, I am reminded of the many individuals and organizations who have joined us on this journey to improve the health and lives of people who are vulnerable, regardless of their political, religious, or cultural backgrounds. This recognition is not just for me, or for Direct Relief, but for the countless healthcare workers, donors, and partners who make it possible for us to deliver aid where it is needed most.
I would like to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to the chairman, the voting committee, and everyone involved in selecting Direct Relief for this esteemed recognition. Your commitment to honoring humanitarian efforts like ours is truly inspiring. We are deeply grateful for your trust in our work and the mission that drives us every day.
Direct Relief’s mission to provide life-saving medical resources is a collective effort. This recognition belongs to all those who have shared in our mission, from our tireless staff to the incredible partners who offer their time, resources, and expertise.
But above all, we must recognize the strength of the local health professionals we support around the world. These are the people who, often with little more than their own hands and a great deal of heart, are caring for those who otherwise might be forgotten. They are the true heroes in this fight for health equity, and Direct Relief is proud to stand beside them.
It is these dedicated individuals - doctors, nurses, community health workers, counselors, and many thousands of others - who truly understand the needs of their own communities worldwide. Our mission is simple: We use our expertise in sourcing, transporting, and distributing medical aid, and our decades of experience responding to emergencies and supporting communities, to empower local providers to bring health and a brighter future to the patients they serve.
We honor the trust placed in us by our donors - every dollar contributed is used precisely as intended to provide medical supplies, training, and support to those who need it most. Whether we are responding to a natural disaster, an outbreak of disease, or a humanitarian crisis, it is this trust, combined with our commitment to transparency and efficiency, that empowers us to act swiftly and effectively.
This award is an extraordinary honor, but it also represents a profound responsibility. The Seoul Peace Prize highlights the connection between humanitarian work and the promotion of peace. We know that peace is not just about the absence of conflict, but the presence of dignity, opportunity, and hope for all people.
Too often, conflict, economic and political instability, and a rapidly changing environment impact the lives of vulnerable people, depriving them of their health and their welfare. War prevents people from accessing nutritious food, giving birth safely, or treating a deadly disease like cancer. A tropical storm, we are beginning to learn, kills untold thousands in the years after it destroys houses, crops, and livelihoods. It remains a deadly threat stalking a community long after the immediate danger has passed.
But even when these forces remain relatively stable - which they are not at this moment - that stability cannot compensate for lack of health. As the present Dalai Lama so eloquently reminds us, “Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold.”
For us, this prize is a reminder that peace begins in the most fundamental way - in supporting the health and well-being of every person. When health is compromised, so too is the potential of individuals and communities. But when health is protected, people can pursue their education, their work, and their dreams. Their lives, and the lives of their community members, countrypeople, and fellow citizens of the world, are protected and allowed to flourish. This is the peace we aim to foster every day.
Direct Relief’s simple mission has remained unchanged since its founding in 1948: to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty and emergencies by providing the essential medical resources needed for their care. However, this simplicity masks the complexity of the challenges we face. Health is not just about treating illness - it’s about strengthening the systems that allow individuals and communities to access the care they deserve. That is why we focus on supporting local health systems, because sustainable change comes from within communities, where healthcare providers are closest to the needs of the people.
These needs are many and diverse. Physicians working with people fleeing horrific violence in Sudan need insulin to treat diabetes and medical refrigerators in which to store them, while health workers need dedicated supplies to manage and prevent cholera. A field hospital caring for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh needs field medic supplies, so providers can go into the camps to reach their patients. A Puerto Rican health center, whose patients’lives were shattered by Hurricane Maria, needs reliable, resilient power. Patients in Nepal need high-quality, reliable medical oxygen.
We provide not only supplies but also the resources that empower local health professionals to continue their critical work. Whether it’s by sending vaccines to prevent disease, delivering insulin to children in need, or providing medications to hospitals in conflict zones, we make sure that the right resources arrive in the right hands, at the right time.
While many of these efforts make the world news - like the responses to the devastation of war or the aftermath of disasters - just as much of Direct Relief’s work happens quietly, behind the scenes. It’s the cold chain logistics that ensure life-saving insulin and vaccines reach the most remote communities in pristine condition, even when a conflict or typhoon has cut them off from the world. It’s the investments we’ve made in solar-powered health facilities in under-resourced areas from the U.S. to the Philippines to Sierra Leone, ensuring that health professionals have the power they need to keep operating even when local electricity is unavailable. These are the unsung elements of our work that are no less important, yet often go unnoticed by the broader world.
But these efforts, too, are what allow us to save lives and build sustainable health systems for the long term.
I’d like to discuss two examples of ongoing work that speak to building resilience over time, in collaboration with healthcare providers and community groups. Every situation and every place is unique, so no one emergency response or long-term program can capture the scope of Direct Relief’s work. We learn from each response and each partner, and some elements of our support are universal.
But two very different emergencies show how profoundly an emergency impacts health, and the flexibility and range that each situation demands.
In January, wildfires erupted across Los Angeles County. These fires displaced hundreds of thousands of people; destroyed tens of thousands of homes; polluted air, soil, and water.
Direct Relief has worked with partners in these communities for many years, and there are so many people who need ongoing support: low-income communities who rely on a local clinic, agricultural workers, unsheltered individuals, and many more. But in a tragedy like this, the emergent needs are tremendous, and highly urgent.
Our staff transported medicine and equipment to evacuation shelters where medically fragile older adults were congregating, and to health care providers working on the ground to get people their medications and treat their wounds. Search and rescue teams who were evacuating people through the smoke and downed power lines received deliveries of equipment and emergency funding. Direct Relief staff distributed respirators and hygiene items.
Even as these emergent priorities are addressed, thinking ahead is essential. Our experience responding to wildfires in Hawaii told us that we needed to have protective equipment ready for thousands of people braving toxins and smoke to return to their homes. Our researchers began analyzing data on soil and air pollution to support public health officials in planning for recovery and minimizing adverse effects.
Perhaps the most significant part of our response at this stage has been strategically funding community groups who are working to minimize the health impacts. Because disasters so disproportionately hurt low-income and other vulnerable people, we’ve focused on groups working to reduce the disparities caused by disasters. Direct Relief grants will provide mental health support for children, caregivers, and unsheltered individuals affected by the fires. Another will fund safety training and protective equipment for cleanup crews. Because so many medically vulnerable older adults live in the area, we’ve working to make sure they find new long-term housing. Access to safe and reliable housing drastically affects long-term health, as does a person’s ability to access food, preventive care, and other everyday needs. Our plan in the coming months will be to minimize the disruptions to these needs - often called the “social determinants of health”- that might otherwise cost Californians their health and well-being over time.
Recovery after a catastrophe on that scale will take years. Precise, thoughtful support against a background of uncertainty can make all the difference for a community struck by disaster. And supporting the existing network, helping health care providers and community advocates carry out their work amid the neighborhoods and people they know, will continue to be indispensable.
That’s a lesson our years of work in Ukraine have only reinforced for us. When the conflict with Russia escalated to a full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, medical supply chains collapsed, and people fled the country or sought safety far from home. Injuries from the shelling were horrific. People with diabetes, cancer, or kidney disease couldn’t access the care they needed to stay alive. Providing the most urgent care, immediately, was everyone’s highest priority.
Now, things have changed. Ukrainians have three years of living with conflict behind them, and many of the systems that were temporarily disabled by war have been at least partially restored. Our goal is to bolster the systems that are already in place, so that they can be resilient in the years to come and meet health needs, even if peace is long in coming.
We’re working with Ukraine's Ministry of Health to distribute medicine wherever it’s needed, with particular attention to the communities where displaced people have sought safety. Ukrainian doctors - infectious disease specialists, nephrologists, internal medicine providers - are providing much- needed care to children through a mobile outreach program. People whose limbs were amputated are receiving prosthetics and underground rehabilitation. Mental health will be the next frontier. Direct Relief already supports psychosocial services in Ukraine, including a pediatric program aimed at children displaced or severely affected by the conflict. But an entire nation grieves for lost family and friends. They’ve witnessed the unimaginable, their limbs have been amputated, their homes and livelihoods are gone. Rebuilding their lives, and recovering their mental and physical health, will not happen overnight. With strategic precision and partnership, all of this can happen in the years to come.
In the world we live in today, too many people are denied access to healthcare simply because of where they live or the political situation in which they find themselves. As the global landscape changes, so do the challenges. Conflict, natural disasters, and political instability continue to put millions of lives at risk.
The impacts of climate change, from more severe, frequent wildfires and storms to extreme heat, malnourishment, displacement, and instability, will continue to harm the health of communities around the world, increasing the need for medical aid and strategic support. Traditionally, support for these events has been short-term and focused on the most emergent needs. Scientists and health leaders are only beginning to understand how widespread and long-lasting this harm is.
Research increasingly shows that a natural disaster causes many more deaths in the years after the most immediate danger has passed, and that communities grow sicker. Long-term displacement caused by disaster or instability is physically dangerous, of course, but it is also harmful to people who need nutritious food, essential medicines, maternal health care, and mental health treatment for the distress and trauma they experience. The effects of extreme heat, repeated flooding, or acidification on crops, ecosystems, housing, and livelihoods will cost more and more people their health.
The world is growing increasingly partisan, but Direct Relief’s work is not. The forces of government, climate change, geopolitics, and economics may shift over time, but people everywhere still need and deserve to be healthy. Our neutrality allows us to operate in even the most politically sensitive environments, from conflict zones to countries with limited healthcare infrastructure, ensuring that aid is delivered where it is needed - without prejudice, without bias.
This commitment to neutrality is not always easy or intuitive. It is also not the only work that needs to be done. Advocacy, policy, and diplomacy all play indispensable roles in building a better world. But at Direct Relief, we believe that our role is to deliver aid, not to engage in debates that may compromise our ability to help vulnerable people - who so often have little say, if any at all, in the forces that impact their health. By maintaining our independence, we can continue to serve those most in need, regardless of their nationality, religion, or political affiliation.
Health professionals around the world take an oath to “do no harm.” This simple yet profound commitment binds us all in the fight for health and dignity. At Direct Relief, we recognize that healthcare is not just a service; it’s a fundamental human right. We stand alongside doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers who uphold this oath in some of the most challenging environments imaginable. We are their partners, providing the tools, the medicine, and the resources they need to care for those who would otherwise be left behind.
Direct Relief’s work is grounded in the belief that health is the foundation for human potential. When a child is able to receive life-saving insulin, or a mother is able to give birth in a safe environment, we are witnessing not just an individual transformation but the potential for an entire community to thrive.
Let me briefly share just a few of the countless stories that illustrate the life- changing impact of our mission of nonpartisanship, collaboration, and partnership.
More than a decade of conflict in Yemen has reignited fresh hostilities in recent days, but women and girls can receive maternal and antenatal care at clinics run by well-trained, well-equipped midwives. Women with breast cancer receive treatment at a specialized clinic. Tens of thousands of patients have new access to high-quality medical oxygen.
In Haiti, where Direct Relief has worked for many years, political and economic instability has caused widespread security challenges, making it harder than ever for Haitians to get essential medicines and health care. In recent months, we leveraged our logistical expertise and close local partnerships to ensure that new shipments of insulin reached children with diabetes, preventing deaths that would otherwise have been inevitable.
As climate change causes more severe disasters worldwide, our emergency responses and resilience work grow to match the need. We’ve outfitted health care providers in climate-vulnerable areas with resilient power installations, large caches of the emergency medications and equipment they’ll need should disaster strike, and targeted funding to meet community health needs in the aftermath of a storm, flood, or fire.
When Hurricane Beryl devastated islands across the Caribbean last year, Direct Relief had already strategically placed caches of essential medicines and supplies throughout the region, as it does in communities around the world where people are vulnerable to hurricanes, typhoons, and other tropical storms. These early shipments were used to meet the most emergent need, while our organization launched a multifaceted response designed to increase disaster resilience and health outcomes in the region, which is on the frontlines of climate change despite having done so little to cause it.
These are not just stories - they are real outcomes made possible by our unwavering commitment to precision, efficiency, and collaboration.
Whether in the wake of a disaster, a disease outbreak, or a conflict, Direct Direct Relief’s work is always aimed at delivering the right resources to the right place at the right time. This high-precision humanitarian aid is what sets us apart - it’s what enables us to save lives, rebuild health systems, and help communities recover faster and stronger.
As we look to the future, lasting change will depend on collaboration and listening. Effective action does not come from acting as outsiders, at a primarily global level. It comes from working closely with communities everywhere, and from learning from local leaders, healthcare providers, and advocates about the goals that best serve each unique place.
In this model, organizations like ours can lend our strategic power, our large-scale expertise, and our resources to helping people become healthier in the ways that are most meaningful to them - the ways that serve their health systems, their local economies, their cultural practices, and their own ideals of peace, dignity, and well-being.
At Direct Relief, we collaborate with hundreds of companies, humanitarian organizations, and governments to deliver aid effectively. Through these partnerships, we are able to leverage cutting-edge technologies, data-driven insights, and private-sector expertise to solve some of the world’s most pressing health challenges.
Peace is not just the absence of conflict - it is the presence of opportunity, equity, dignity, and health for all people. And this is what Direct Relief strives to create through our work - by making sure that everyone, regardless of where they live or their ability to pay, has access to the healthcare they need to live a full and healthy life.
