Mazda a Leading Partner of the 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Cape Town

On Friday, Mazda announced that it will continue its support as leading partner of the 14th annual World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Cape Town. This is the second time that Mazda partners with the Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates to host the conference, gathering recipients of the Nobel Prize for Peace and representatives from peace-promoting organizations from all over the globe.

This year's summit, under the motto "Peace. Living it! In memory of Nelson Mandela", will be hosted by the South African Laureates President Frederik Willem de Klerk and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The organizers expect a number of Nobel Peace Laureates to attend, including Mairead Maguire, Prof. Muhammad Yunus, and Mrs. Betty Williams. International organizations such as Amnesty International, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and the Pugwash Conference on Science and World Affairs will also be present in Cape Town.

"Coming from Hiroshima, the international City of Peace, our own history is full of overcoming challenges and defying conventional wisdom to find better solutions," Wojciech Halarewicz, Vice President of Communications at Mazda Motor Europe, said at a press conference in Cape Town on Friday. "This is why we have a great affinity for people all over the world who share this value. We are therefore proud to support the annual event again, promoting social responsibility and universal humanitarian ideas, independent of politics, beliefs or cultural background."

Mazda's sponsorship of the summit goes beyond merely providing financial support and a fleet of Mazda6 and CX-5. As in the previous year, the Japanese car maker will actively contribute to the summit's programme. For example, Mazda will host the opening session of the 14th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The partnership also includes a Mazda-hosted Youth Summit session on the use of modern tools of advocacy. The aim is to bring together future leaders from around the world, encouraging them to go a step further, and challenge conventions.

As part of the Youth Summit, Mazda will also launch the second international Mazda Make Things Better Award. This award honours the most innovative, creative, and effective use of modern tools of advocacy – and will be presented to a project that is in line with the spirit of the Nobel Peace Laureates. The award includes a prize money of €10,000.

In 2013, more than 120 applications were submitted for the inaugural award in Warsaw. The winner was the Finnish medical student Antti Junkkari, whose project aims to curb gun violence in Africa by raising awareness of the issue using interactive radio programs.

The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates annually attracts Nobel Peace Laureates, leaders, and organizations striving to make the world a more peaceful place. The high-profile event is organized by the Permanent Secretariat of The World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, a non-profit organization created in 2006. The first summit took place in 1999.

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