September 28, 2022 – On September 19, 2022 in New York City, Forest Whitaker received the Global Citizen Award from the Atlantic Council. The distinction was bestowed on Mr. Whitaker in recognition for providing thousands of young women and men in conflict zones with crucial educational and economic tools to become mediators and community builders. His work as UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation to promote global cooperation as a necessary means to achieving Sustainable Development Goals was also highlighted at the ceremony. The Award was presented by Hans Vestberg, chairman and CEO of Verizon, a longtime supporter of WPDI.
The Atlantic Council is an American think tank promoting constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs with a focus on the Atlantic community’s role in meeting global challenges. Through its publications and events, the Council works to provide a forum for understanding and addressing economic and political changes by informing and mobilizing global leaders from the Atlantic Community and beyond in view of creating a more free, secure, and prosperous world.
In this light, the Global Citizen Award aims to salute leaders — from heads of state and business leaders to award-winning artists, actors, and actresses — who have demonstrated outstanding contributions to the health of the global community, embodying the notion of global citizenship. Each year, on the sidelines of United Nations General Assembly week in New York, the event brings together a high-level international audience including current and former world leaders.
The 2022 Global Citizen Awards gala marked its 11th edition, recognizing, besides Mr. Whitaker, Ms. Magdalena Andersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr. Sauli Niinistö, President of the Republic of Finland, Mr. Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, and Mr. Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia.
Standing among this group of high-level international personalities, Mr. Whitaker endeavored, in his acceptance address, to stress that peace cannot be achieved without grassroots mobilization. After dedicating his award to the youths who work with WPDI, he declared that “No matter who you are, no matter where you are, you can help support efforts like these,” a message valid for both the high-level audience of the event and everyday citizens across the globe.
Delivering this message in the context of the Global Citizen Award ceremony was all the more meaningful to Forest Whitaker, because WPDI is currently celebrating its first ten years of existence, an accomplishment that vindicates the very philosophy he expressed this day in New York.
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