Investors, entrepreneurs & peacebuilders to meet for two-day symposium in Washington, D.C.

January 18, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Up to150 leaders in impact investing, social entrepreneurship and peacebuilding will gather on Jan. 22 and 23 at the Venture Peacebuilding Symposium to explore how to transform conflict-affected communities into peaceful and prosperous ones. 

The two-day Venture Peacebuilding Symposium will be held at The American University’s School of International Service in Washington, D.C. An agenda is available. Registration is $195 per person.

“Venture Peacebuilding is a new framework that leverages the creativity of social entrepreneurs and resources of impact investors to generate innovative ideas for peace and help them reach scale,” says Cameron M. Chisholm, Vice President of Creative Learning and Founder of the International Peace & Security Institute (IPSI).

The Symposium will feature 40 speakers who will cover the following topics.

• “Peace Through an Economic Lens” will explore the ways in which impact investors can make a difference in peace and security through increased investments in fragile and conflict-affected communities.
• “How to Leverage Innovative Finance for Investing in Peace” will feature peace economists and impact investors who will discuss how to make investments that are conflict sensitive, foster resilience and reconciliation and lead to greater peace and prosperity in conflict-affected communities. They will also discuss the use of new financing methods that might unlock new sources of funding for peace.
• “How to Reduce Fragility and Instability in Frontier and Emerging Markets” will feature peacebuilding, fragility and business professionals who will walk participants through the ways that peacebuilding work can create more stable business environment for investors and entrepreneurs looking to operate in emerging and frontier markets in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

On the afternoon of Jan. 23, participants will be invited to join C5 Accelerate to get to know peace entrepreneurs at the PeaceTech Accelerator housed at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Co-Sponsored by Creative Associates International

Creative Associates International—a leading development organization that works to transition communities from conflict to sustainable peace—is a lead sponsor of the Venture Peacebuilding Symposium.

“Investments in peace are exactly the type of investments worth making,” says Leland Kruvant, President and CEO of Creative Associates International. “Creative looks forward to bringing together established businesses, entrepreneurs and other nongovernmental actors to find innovative ways to promote and sustain peace.”

Kruvant notes that Creative works to both ensure that communities remain peaceful and to help those in turmoil to transition to peace. From education in conflict to stabilization, Creative has developed the tools and techniques that have been effective in the peacebuilding arena.

Key Sponsors of the Venture Peacebuilding Symposium

In addition to Creative, the following organizations are co-sponsors of the event: American University; Creative Learning; Euromonitor International; Peace and Collaborative Development Network; Strategic Good; Alliance for Peacebuilding; Peace Direct; Impact Hub; PeaceTech Lab; C5 Accelerate; SAP NS2; SkapaTech; and Konesens Development

About Creative Learning and IPSI

Creative Learning is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. Since its inception in 1977, Creative Learning has assisted communities, non-governmental organizations, and educational institutions at home and abroad to foster change that has a lasting social impact.

Focusing on communities with pressing human needs, Creative Learning enhances the capacity of local organizations around the world to improve the lives of people in their communities. Through the creation of people-to-people partnerships, Creative Learning is especially dedicated to protecting human rights, supporting economic and social development, and building peace.

A division of Creative Learning, the International Peace & Security Institute (IPSI) empowers the next generation of peacemakers. Founded on the core belief that education can mitigate violent conflict, IPSI facilitates the transfer of knowledge and skills to a global audience from the world’s premier political leaders, academic experts, practitioners, and advocates.

The Institute develops comprehensive training programs, advances scholarly research, and promotes efforts to raise public awareness of peace and security issues.