Considering the historic events that transpired this week, Sheldon Himelfarb, President and CEO of PeaceTech Lab, stated that he never considered cancelling the International Peace Honors as “the incredible history of resistance and resilience in Ukraine is one that has often relied on art, music, and writing that called upon people to reject authoritarianism, and embrace diversity, justice, and inclusion.” He adds that, “These are not lofty ideals, but concrete outcomes for which dissidents, artists, and citizen activists have paid with their lives– in Ukraine AND around the world. We gather to honor their legacy, and because it’s these kinds of stories that we need now, more than ever.”
This year’s International Peace Honorees were actor, director and social activist Forest Whitaker; chairman of MasterCard, Ajay Banga; Humanitarian and Latin Grammy winning singer-songwriter Juanes, former IBM Vice President of Innovation and Technology Nicholas Donofrio, creator of ‘Humans of New York,’ Brandon Stanton; Indigenous Activist and Environmentalist Tokata Iron Eyes; and the president & CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, Dr. Lisa Su.
Also, special recognition as Voices of Peace included global community leaders who have dedicated their lives to the ideals of Peace and Service. This year’s Voices of Peace awardees included: Khalida Popal – Afghanistan; Israel Gonzalez, Bio Grip – Mexico; Media Monitoring Africa – South Africa; Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy – Nicaragua; and from the United States, Company E; Ghida Dagher, New American Leaders; and Covington & Burling.
The ceremony was hosted by actress and activist Rosario Dawson and included international performances by acclaimed Croatian cellist HAUSER who performed beautifully the classical Schubert - Serenade, the Italian operatic pop trio IL VOLO treated the audience to a powerful acoustic version of one of the most popular soundtracks by Mo Morricone SE (Nuovo Cinema Paradiso) arranged exclusively for the evening. Spanish powerhouse Buika serenaded the honorees with her passionate fusion of jazz, flamenco, rock, African and Afro-Caribbean sounds, and GRAMMY® winning Colombian singer-songwriter Fonseca, performed “Eres mi Sueño,” (You are my dream).
The honors were presented by the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton; Nobel Peace Laureate, Tawakkol Karman; the Co-Father of the Internet and 2021 International Peace Honoree, Vint Cerf; and by Misty Copeland, Principal Dancer with the American Ballet Theater.
“It was important to us to deliver a program that fittingly celebrated the achievements of all the outstanding trailblazers whose contributions to the world can never be quantified. But most importantly, considering the sobering news of the week, we wanted to ensure we did so with respect and honor towards the millions of people affected by the shattering of peace in Ukraine,” said MariaEsmeralda Paguaga, executive producer of the International Peace Honors.
Follow @internationalpeacehonors for more information.
