Marguerite Barankitse joined more than 50 prominent leaders yesterday to discuss “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?,” the theme of this year’s Summit.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2016 – NEW YORK – The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Laureate Marguerite Barankitse joined a line-up featuring Vice President of the United States Joe Biden, United Nations Foundation President Kathryn Calvin, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power and actor Alec Baldwin during this year’s Social Good Summit in New York. The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is an official event partner of the Summit, which is coordinated by the United Nations Foundation and Mashable.
Marguerite Barankitse joined more than 50 prominent leaders yesterday to discuss “What type of world do I want to live in by the year 2030?,” the theme of this year’s Summit.
The Social Good Summit is held annual during UN General Assembly Week. The Summit looks at the impact of technology and new media on social good initiatives around the world. Spanning the course of two days, it brings together leaders and activists from around the world to discuss solutions to some of the world’s greatest challenges.
During a Q&A with philanthropist and Co-Founder of the Aurora Prize Noubar Afeyan, Marguerite Barankitse discussed the topic "Empowering those at risk to build a better future." In her remarks, she noted the need for the international community to come together as one to combat hatred and promote love in its place: “I want to give hope,” she urged the crowd. “I want to create a new generation who can break the cycle of violence. My wish for 2030 is that we become one true family – one human family.”
Commenting on the session, Aaron Sherinian of the UN Foundation said: “The discussion offered a powerful example of how the human spirit can persevere through extraordinary adversity and how love and peace conquer all. We’re proud to have welcomed Maggy and Noubar to New York and we wish them the best ahead of next year’s announcement of the 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate.”
During the Summit, the findings of the Aurora Humanitarian Index were presented to an invited group of attendees including media, civil society experts and private sector leaders. The research explores public perceptions of the refugee crisis and the humanitarian response, and was debuted during the 2016 Aurora Prize ceremony weekend where Marguerite, founder of Maison Shalom and the REMA Hospital in Burundi, was awarded the inaugural Aurora Prize for her work in saving thousands of orphans and refugees during Burundi’s civil war.
As part of the prize Barankitse received a $100,000 grant and was offered the chance at even greater impact by being asked to nominate humanitarian organizations that would receive the Prize’s $1 million award. Barankitse chose her longtime partners: Fondation du Grand-Duc et de la Grande-Duchesse, Fondation Jean-François Peterbroeck and Fondation Bridderlech Deelen.
The 2017 Aurora Prize finalists will be publicly announced in February 2017 following the deliberations of the Selection Committee. This will be followed by a weekend of events in April 2017. Held in Yerevan, Armenia, the weekend will honor the finalists, engage humanitarians in productive dialogue around the world’s most pressing issues, and announce the name of the 2017 Aurora Prize Laureate during a special ceremony.