Los Angeles, California – The Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP) presented Jacob Zuma and Agrippa Ezozo with its prestigious “Ambassador of Peace” Award in Los Angeles. The award was given to Zuma and Ezozo in recognition for their decades of work in fostering peace and conflict aversion in Africa. The IIFWP acknowledges as Ambassador for Peace those individuals who dedicate themselves to promoting the ideals of the IIFWP, including universal values of justice and human rights, interreligious cooperation, international harmony, and the establishment of a culture of peace.

In connection with their acceptance of the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace “Ambassador for Peace” Award, Zuma and Ezozo outlined a comprehensive outreach plan that utilizes the African education system and culture to instill in Africa’s youth the values of peace and nonviolent leadership. They proposed that the peace education program will be modeled after some similar programs found in American cities such as Detroit, which, over the past decade, has successfully implemented its Michigan Institute for Nonviolence Education (MINE). Through its mission to instill through the educational system a culture of non-violence, MINE has successfully increased voluntarism in schools and has inspired a commitment to nonviolent leadership and community involvement.