Chicago to Host Nobel Peace Laureate Summit in April

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 17, 2011 10:00PM

Mayor Rahm Emanuel's winning streak continues. This afternoon Emanuel announced Chicago would host the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The two-day event from April 23-25, 2012, will be co-chaired by former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev the Hon. Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome, and will take place at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

It marks the first time the summit will be held in North America and comes to town a couple of weeks before the NATO and G8 summits will be held in Chicago. Emanuel said the summit's choice of Chicago further cements the city's status as a world-class city.

“The decision to host this event in Chicago reflects the profile of our city as an international leader in civic dialogue and community involvement. While the summit is a global event, it will have a local impact and leave a lasting legacy on our city.”

The summit will focus on engaging and empowering youth to action through a series of plenary sessions and breakout discussions. Summit organizers are also partnering with the Chicago Public Schools and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights to connect Nobel Laureates in sharing their powerful stories directly with Chicago students in the classroom. Kennedy Center President Kerry Kennedy said:

“Human rights defenders, exemplified by Nobel Peace Prize winners, are the basis of our ‘Speak Truth to Power’ program, a global initiative that educates students about courageous people who have demonstrated that each individual has the capacity to create change. Through their stories, students learn to self-identify as human rights defenders who, when faced with injustice and inequality, speak up and speak out.”