Frei Betto

UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, has designated the Brazilian Dominican friar Frei Betto as the laureate of the 2013 UNESCO/José Martí Prize for his exceptional contribution to building a universal culture of peace, social justice and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Ms Bokova selected Frei Betto on the recommendation of an international jury. The prize was awarded on 30 January in Havana, Cuba, at the Third International Conference for World Balance (28 to 30 January). The conference marked the 160th anniversary of José Martí’s birth.

The laureate was selected in recognition of his work as an educator, writer, and theologian; his opposition to all forms of discrimination, injustice, and exclusion; and his promotion of a culture of peace and human rights.

The author of more than 50 books, Frei Betto was born Carlos Alberto Libânio Christo in Belo Horizonte (Brazil) in 1944.  He joined the Dominican Order at the age of 20 while studying journalism.  During the time of military dictatorship in Brazil, Frei Betto was imprisoned twice, once briefly in 1964 and again from 1969 to 1973.