Cat Stevens to Receive 2025 IPA | AIP Lifetime Achievement Award in Music

The International Peace Alliance | Alliance Internationale de la Paix (IPA | AIP) is pleased to announce that Mr. Cat Stevens, the globally acclaimed singer-songwriter and humanitarian, has been selected to receive the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award in Music.

“Cat Stevens has spent his life weaving music, meaning, and service into one seamless act of global citizenship,” said the Hon. Dr. Alvin Curling, Chair of IPA-AIP. “His voice not only shaped a generation — it continues to echo through every act of compassion he inspires. This award honours not just his art, but his unwavering belief in humanity.” 

The award will be presented at the Peace Ambassadors Awards Gala & Grand Ball, the concluding celebration of the 2025 International Peace Festival, to be held on September 26, 2025, at the King Edward Hotel in Toronto, Canada.

Known for timeless songs like Father and Son, Wild World, Peace Train, and Morning Has Broken, Mr. Stevens became one of the most influential musical voices of the 1970s. After embracing a life of service as Yusuf Islam, he devoted decades to humanitarian causes, including refugee aid, education, and interfaith peacebuilding through his global charity Small Kindness.

His return to the stage as Yusuf / Cat Stevens reaffirmed the power of music as a force for healing, hope, and social change. He has since released critically acclaimed albums and performed to audiences around the world.

Mr. Stevens has been inducted into both the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and received numerous other honors including the BBC Radio 2 Folk Lifetime Achievement Award and the World Social Award for Humanitarian Work.