The 12th Annual Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture
Fri Oct 7, 18:15 - Fri Oct 7, 21:00
Cape Town City Hall
ABOUT
THE 12TH ANNUAL DESMOND TUTU INTERNATIONAL PEACE LECTURE
As an African platform for international discourse, the Peace Lecture is a vital element in the Foundation’s mission to galvanise the courage to heal. The Peace Lecture was first launched in 2011 after the South African government, bending to pressure from China, denied the Dalai Lama a visa to attend Archbishop Tutu’s 80th birthday. In response – and in his consistent fashion of speaking truth to power – the Arch turned his birthday celebration into a platform for a virtual event centered around a peace lecture given by the Dalai Lama.
Since then, the annual International Peace Lecture has hosted a platform for speakers from across global civil society, business, and the public service to share their wisdom on how we can take collective action towards a more just and peaceful world.
This year’s theme is: A Vision for Healing and Hope in a Time of Crisis.
In a time of global crisis – from COVID, to war, to global supply shortages and inflationary pressures, to xenophobia and the fomenting of violence across so many societies – we require now, more than ever, to grow capabilities for societal healing. Central to this healing must be the ability to grow, share, and embody, a deep sense of hope.
The Arch so powerfully noted in The Book of Joy that:
To choose hope is to step firmly forward into the howling wind, baring one’s chest to
the elements, knowing that, in time, the storm will pass. Despair turns us inward.
Hope sends us into the arms of others.
We believe that by pulling together your powerful leadership example, and vision for a new type of development that meets the challenge of climate change and fulfils the rights and dignity of people; with the wisdom gleaned from the Arch and other elders of our times, we will be able to inspire courage in the audience of millions around the world.
Please note: no refreshments available at the event or venue.
SPEAKERS
Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG)
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, Ms. Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels. She is the mother of six children and has two grandchildren.
Doug Abrams is a multiple New York Times-bestselling author, as well as an editor, literary agent, and film producer. He is the founder and president of Idea Architects, a creative book and media agency helping visionaries create a wiser, healthier, and more just world.
He co-wrote The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World with the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu which inspired the film MISSION: JOY. Doug served as the interviewer in the film as well as an Executive Producer. Doug also co-authored The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times with Jane Goodall, many other bestselling non-fiction books and has written two novels, The Lost Diary of Don Juan and Eye of the Whale, which together have been translated into over thirty languages.
Books and films he has developed have been credited with convincing then- President Bill Clinton to stop the genocide in Kosovo (THE BRIDGE BETRAYED), for launching the modern anti-slavery movement (DISPOSABLE PEOPLE), for helping to expand a mass incarceration reform movement (JUST MERCY, a book and film starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx), and for helping to address our environmental crisis (THE FUTURE WE CHOOSE, TWO WORLDS).
Dialogue is key to Doug’s work, and he believes that genius is a collaborative process. He has had the privilege of interviewing extraordinary global heroes including Jimmy Carter, Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, Jane Goodall, Bono, Carlos Santana, Richard Branson, and many others.
PROGRAMME
18h15 – Registration
18h50 – Guests to take their seats
19h00 – Formal programme
21h00 – Guests depart