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13th World Summit of the Nobel Peace Laureates
During October 20 – 23, the responsible of the international relations of the ISDI – Anastasia Stefanita, attended the 13th World Summit of the Nobel Peace Laureates (as well as the Civic Academy organised in its framework). The event was held in Warsaw, Poland (where Anastasia Stefanita is for one academic year with the Lane Kirkland Scholarships Program).
The history of the annual World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates dates back to 1999, the year marking the first Summit held in Rome at the initiative of the Gorbachev Foundation, an international NGO found by the former leader of the USSR. Since then, the Summits have gained in importance as a venue for exchanging opinions and as an event promoting international peace campaigns and initiatives.
Each year, the Summits are attended by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and prominent global figures active in the social, scientific, political and cultural arenas. Extreme poverty experienced by a portion of the global population, problems with managing water resources, the role of ethics in politics and economic undertakings, cross-cultural integration of people – these are only a few examples of the topics debated during the Summits.
The Summits are organised by the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, a non-profit organisation headquartered in Rome. The event is traditionally presided over by Mikhail Gorbachev, the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize Winner, and Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome.
This year the event was attended by such prominent guests as former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of South Africa Frederik Willem de Klerk, Iranian lawyer ShirinEbadi, Irish peace activists Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, Muhammad Yunus, originator of the concept of microcredit as well as representatives of Nobel Peace Prize awarded organisations. A special guest of the Summit was Samia Nkrumah, social activist and daughter of the first Ghana’s President.
The last day of the Summit featured an official ceremony presenting the Peace Summit Award. Since 1999, the Award has been annually bestowed to high-profile cultural or entertainment personalities who actively promote peace and act to respond to problems of the modern world. This year’s Peace Summit Award was presented to the actress Sharon Stone for her “activities that brought solidarity and new hope to the millions of people who have fought and are fighting against the tragedy of HIV/AIDS”.
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