Linda Dunkel participates in the Nobel for Peace Summit

In my role as Chairman of World Centers of Compassion for Children International (WCCCI), I'm accompanying Ms. Betty Williams, the founder of WCCCI and Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1976 for her work in Northern Ireland, to the conference.

I am here in Rome with my husband Tony. We are here for the 8th Nobel Peace Laureate World Summit, hosted by Mikhail Gorbachev.

In my role as Chairman of World Centers of Compassion for Children International (WCCCI), I'm accompanying Ms. Betty Williams, the founder of WCCCI and Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1976 for her work in Northern Ireland, to the conference. She is a keynote speaker, along with His Holiness The Dalai Lama (HHDL), Lech Walesa, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Mr. Mikhail Gorbachev, and Walter Veltroni, the Mayor of Roma.

Today we met to celebrate the commitment of the Regione Basilicata (the southernmost region of Italy) and its promise to fund the first WCCCI Center of Compassion in their region. We will host a press conference in Rome on Friday, December 14th, with the Governor of Basilicata Region, Vito De Filippo.

Tomorrow, we meet to prepare for the upcoming events.

The Summit promises to be very interesting. The Nobel Laureates will present a humanitarian award to George Clooney and Don Cheadle on the first day. It is a unique statue, especially created by the sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi. The award celebrates their work in defense of human rights and in support of the dissemination of the principles of peace and solidarity in the world.

Two days of roundtable discussions follow, with the central theme of "The Next Generation". Topics and hosts include:

• Is a world without violence possible? All Nobel laureates host this one.
• From greenhouse effect to the compatible bioenergies. Betty Williams hosts.
• An interdependent development and action toward disarmament. Betty Williams hosts.
• New ethics for the new millennium. HHDL hosts.
• From the fight for freedom to the cessation of war. Lech Walesa and Mairead Corrigan Maguire host.
• Equal rights in a world of differences. The International Red Cross, UNICEF, ILO and Betty Williams host, in collaboration with the Kid's Rights Association.
• Against the poverty, another economy. Professor Mohammed Yunnus hosts.

The Laureates have issued a press release, authored by Betty Williams, protesting the refusal of the Pope to meet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This has created the desired effect of additional publicity and a high profile for the event. The Summit is a very big event in Roma and has tremendous global press coverage.

More to come!

Linda