Howard G. Buffett Foundation Commits USD$10 Million to Support Peace in Eastern DRC in Partnership with PEACE ONE DAY
- Three-year collaboration builds on Foundation's USD$140 million peace and development effort in the Great Lakes region
LONDON, Sept. 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Howard G. Buffett, Chairman and CEO of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, a U.S. private family foundation, recently announced a USD $10 million grant to the UK-based non-profit organization Peace One Day. The three-year collaboration will raise awareness and create action for peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Africa's Great Lakes region.
The announcement came during Peace One Day's annual celebration concert at the Peace Palace in The Hague on Peace Day, Saturday, 21st of September.
"Conflict undermines and prevents every imaginable form of human and economic progress," said Buffett. "Without peace, anything we try to achieve in development will fail. We are committing one of our single-biggest grants to Peace One Day because we believe that peace is possible and we know it is fundamental to the work our foundation supports."
Mr. Buffett made the announcement during the 24-hour live stream Peace Day event on YouTube that included 18 Live Global Moments - 30 min discussions by key opinion formers from different locations around the world, including Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the DRC. He was welcomed on stage by actor and Peace One Day ambassador Jude Law.
"It's a dream come true for Peace One Day," said Jeremy Gilley, Peace One Day's founder. "To have Howard Buffett supporting our work creates a phenomenal opportunity to deliver our goals of raising awareness and manifesting action on Peace Day. I can now put together the team and the strategy which is going to be the most exciting process. For the supporters over the years and those that work with us now this is a massive boost. It's an incredible moment for us."
The grant will support documentary filmmaking and other media development to bring world attention to the conflict in eastern DRC and highlight positive developments in the region. Peace One Day's local team in eastern DRC will also work with a broad cross-section of civil society, government, and organizations to manifest a day of ceasefire and nonviolence that allows humanitarian and life-saving activities to take place on Peace Day each 21st of September.
The support for Peace One Day is part of the Howard G. Buffett Foundation's 14-year, $140 million investment in the Great Lakes region, with more than half of that investment made in the last two years in eastern DRC. The Foundation's Africa Great Lakes Peace Initiative supports efforts to achieve peace, economic development, regional cooperation, and increase awareness for long-term solutions that address the sources of conflict.
"We believe that peace is not only possible, it is achievable," said Buffett. "With the efforts of Jeremy and Peace One Day, and in partnership with local communities, I feel confident we can collectively create a better future for the people of eastern DRC."
ABOUT THE HOWARD G. BUFFETT FOUNDATION
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation works to improve the quality of life for the world's most impoverished and marginalized populations. It focuses on three areas: food security, water security, and conflict mitigation. Based in Decatur, Illinois, the Foundation is led by Chairman and CEO Howard G. Buffett, a farmer, businessman, photographer, and author of seven books on conservation and the human condition. Mr. Buffett's latest book, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, will be published on October 22, 2013. To learn more about the Foundation visit www.thehowardgbuffettfoundation.org.
ABOUT PEACE ONE DAY
Founded in 1999 by filmmaker Jeremy Gilley, the non-profit organisation Peace One Day drove the initiative that led to the unanimous adoption by the United Nations member states of an annual day of global ceasefire and non-violence on 21 September – Peace Day. Peace One Day has launched a series of Peace Day coalitions and runs a number of campaigns to further awareness and engagement on Peace Day. For more information visit www.peaceoneday.org.
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