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Year in review: 2020

Monday, 28 December 2020 10:58

Building back together

Business for Peace has always enjoyed gathering people and inspiring discussions. We have facilitated discussions at our annual Summit and locally at startup community MESH. We recognised businessworthy leaders with the Oslo Business for Peace Award. Since 2009, global business, global leadership, global gatherings were our core. When March came, we were quick to do two things: ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees, and cancel physical events.

Our vision is that all business leaders strive to improve society by creating value for all stakeholders in an ethical and responsible way. The mission, therefore, is to recognise, inspire, and accelerate businessworthy leadership. And this is how we did that this year:

Inspire

Accelerate

 

We started to accelerate businessworthy leadership through action. In October, we launched a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, the International Chamber of Commerce, and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation called Future of Business. The Future of Business’s aims, among other ambitions, to inspire, educate, and connect investors with entrepreneurs.

We also gathered our Honourees digitally for the first time ever. Their determination to make sure businesses did good despite Covid-19 was palpable. In fact, their drive and teamwork resulted in a call to action to build back better in the Global South. Twenty-six of our Honourees from around the world signed the call to action, and we are so grateful to them for their commitment to accelerate the call to action.

Recognise

Through our partnerships and our Award Committee, we still were able to recognise business leaders changing the face of business. This year’s Honourees are three diverse, driven, peacebuilding leaders.

“They are role models to society and their peers, have earned stakeholders’ trust, and stand out as advocates,” says Per Saxegaard, Founder of the Business for Peace Foundation.

We hope to see them next year at our Summit, along with you as well. In keeping with adapting to the new circumstances, we are committed to holding our 2021 Summit, knowing that it will look very different and much of it will be digital-first.With that, we want to make sure you save the dates! 26–27 May 2021, we will once again gather, albeit digitally. We will once again discuss business, celebrate our Honourees, and inspire present and future leaders.Until then, may you have a healthy holiday season.