More than 12,500 attendees participated in 4-day event attended by 30 award recipients

(TRAVPR.COM) USA - September 27, 2019

The State of Yucatán, Mexico, completed its duties as host of the17th edition of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, which took place Sept. 19 to 22, with a closing ceremony that highlighted the state’s leadership and goals of peace and equality. During the ceremony, the 30 Nobel Peace Prize winners in attendance presented the distinction to Yucatán State Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal.

This was the first time this recognition has been given to a state, placing the destination’s environment of respect for indigenous cultures and people front and center on the world stage.

"This speaks very well of all of us who live in this state, having understood the importance of this great event,” said the Governor. “We put our state in the eyes of the world and [gave] the best impression, and we will continue with the work of continuing to grow in tourism and creating jobs throughout the state to provide a better quality of life for Yucatecan families.”

Yucatán was the first Mexican state to host this international event celebrating peace. More than 12,500 attendees participated in four days of activities at Mérida’s International Congress Center (ICC), with more than 300 national and international media broadcasts to 17 countries, via streaming, reaching more than 40 million viewers.

Nobel Peace Prize winners in attendance included the former president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos; the former president of Poland, Lech Walesa; the former president of East Timor, José Ramos-Horta; the former president of South Africa, Frederik Willem de Klerk, and the former Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Lord David Trimble, as well as activists Rigoberta Menchú, from Guatemala; Jody Williams, from the United States; Shirin Ebadi, from Iran; Tawakkol Karman of Yemen; Kailash Satyarthi, from India, and Leymah Gbowee, from Liberia.

Also on hand were representatives of organizations awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, such as the United Nations Children's Fund, Amnesty International, the Nelson Mandela Foundation, the International Office for Peace, the Martin Luther King Center — represented by Berenice A. King, daughter of the American social activist — and the International Labor Organization, among others.

Summit President Ekaterina Zagladina highlighted the hospitality and warmth with which the Yucatecan people, host Governor Vila Dosal and the local organizing team — consisting mainly of officials of the Secretary of Tourism Development of Yucatán, led by Minister of Tourism Michelle Fridman Hirsch — welcomed her, Nobel Laureates, panelists and Summit attendees.

The conference began last Wednesday with the youth program "Leading by Example," in which more than 1,000 students and 180 teachers from different parts of the world participated. The students joined the 12,500-plus people who attended Summit activities, including 44 workshops and a journalism program developed with the aim of allowing everyone's voice to be heard.

Priority issues such as economic and social development, the responsibility of global media in peacebuilding, nuclear disarmament, the rule of law, international cooperation and education were addressed at the plenary tables and forums of the Summit.

“Today I can say that I feel the greatest satisfaction, since for several days, Mexico has been in the eyes of the world for a different reason,” said Minister Fridman Hirsch. “In recent weeks, and since it was announced that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize would take place here in Yucatán, the name of Mexico has gone around the world using the noun of ‘peace.’

“These days, there has been no talk of the bad men from Mexico; on the contrary, we have talked about those great men that have transformed the history of humanity and that today meet in our state to enlighten us with their presence,” the minister added.

At the closing ceremony, the “Peace Summit Award” was presented by Minister Fridman Hirsch to prominent figures in philanthropic work. Recipients included Saskia Niño de Rivera, for her work for the rights of women in prison; Miguel Bosé, as a human rights activist; Mary Shuttleworth, a South African teacher focused on spreading human rights; and Puerto Rico-born entertainer Ricky Martín, for his humanitarian actions carried out for several years.

Finally, on Saturday night, Martín headlined the Yucatan for Peace Concert, which brought together more than 20,000 people.

For more information on the State of Yucatan, please visit Yucatan.travel

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