Mérida, Yucatán will be the host city of the 17th Nobel Peace Summit in 2019.
The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates together with the Government of the State of Yucatán, are pleased to announce that the next Nobel Peace Summit will be hosted in Mérida, México between 19-22 September 2019.
The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates established in 1999 is one of the most relevant and renowned events related to the peace dialogue around the world, and this year it celebrates its 20th anniversary since its inception.
Mérida, the host city, better known as the white city and center of the Mayan Culture in Mexico, has been considered a great example in the promotion of cultural appreciation and the participation of society for granting peace and harmony.
Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev in his message to the next Summit stated: “In the 20 years of its existence the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates has made a significant contribution to the development of ideas and principles of the new thinking in world politics through its activities and statements. I’m grateful both to the participants of the Summit and to the Permanent Secretariat for their long-lasting efforts for global peace.”
“We appreciate the opportunity to have the Summit in the country with a rich historical and cultural background, that through its diversity reminds us permanently about the relevance of being able to connect modern civilization to the roots and wisdom of ancient legacy. We truly believe that the Summit will contribute not only to Mexican society, but to everyone who is willing to understand the importance and value of diversity for human relations” – said Ekaterina Zagladina, President of the Permanent Secretariat of the Summit.
Also, Mauricio Vila Dosal, Governor of the State of Yucatán, commented: “We are very proud to have the opportunity to host the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, it is an unprecedented event in Mexico and in Merida. It is an opportunity for a unique dialogue, in which we invite the Mexican people, the business sector, the Government and political parties, to work hand in hand, in order to start a national peace movement in which it is demonstrated that from a social reconciliation it is possible to build a better society, and that we can recover the quality of life that should prevail in every society, and that this movement in turn, became a model that can be replicated for the benefit of humanity.”
This year the Summit will have both, discussion panels with the Nobel Peace Laureates and Nobel Peace awarded organizations, as well as the educational program “Leading by Example” – the program aims to educate students in peacebuilding, leadership and ethics according to Nobel Peace Laureates legacy.
Over the years, the World Summits of Nobel Peace Laureates have been honoured with the participation of numerous Nobel Peace Laureate and Nobel Peace Organisations, including: President Mikhail Gorbachev, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, President Shimon Peres, President Lech Walesa, President Jimmy Carter, President José Ramos-Horta, Dr. Shirin Ebadi, Lord David Trimble, Professor John Hume, President Kim Dae Yung, President Juan Manuel Santos and other globally recognised leaders.
Previous host landmark cities included Rome, Paris, Berlin, Hiroshima, Warsaw, Chicago, Bogota and Barcelona. During the last Summit that took place in Bogotá in February 2017, 28 Nobel Peace Laureates joined Colombia’s call, gathering 18.358 attendees during 4 days of the event, more than 40.000 people connected via streaming; around 800 youth from more than 50 countries participated in the Leading by Example program, and more than 500 journalists helped to spread the peace message during that unique moment that Colombia was experiencing in its national history.
Michelle Fridman Hirsch, head of the Ministry of Tourism in Yucatan (SEFOTUR), explained: “Institutions like the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates gave us the opportunity to host such an important event, something that will help us to consolidate Yucatan as a destination where important events can be realized with excellent results thanks to the hotel infrastructure, the airport connections and the endless tourist attractions that we have in Yucatan.”
The Summit is free for public access. Further information on how to participate will be available soon at www.nobelpeacesummit.com
