Global Thinkers Convene to Chart "A Path to Peace"

BOSTON, Mass. – November 9, 2015 – Is a world without war possible in the 21^st century? One Earth Future (OEF), a foundation focused on empirically-based, forward-looking initiatives aimed at improving systems that prevent armed conflict, today opens its second One Earth Future Forum, which convenes the world’s foremost thought leaders on global security, peace and conflict resolution, to address this question, as well as global trends in armed conflict. The program and full list of speakers are located here.

Ambassador Swanee Hunt, Eleanor Roosevelt Lecturer in Public Policy, at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; Professor Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University;  Hon. Gareth Evans, chancellor of the Australian National University; Dr. Gary Slutkin, Professor, Epidemiology and International Health, University of Illinois (UIC) School of Public Health; and more than a dozen leaders from the private sector, non-governmental groups, inter-governmental organizations, and academic institutions, are gathering for three days at the MIT Endicott House in Dedham, Mass., to engage in a series of working group discussions addressing the global movement towards peace.

The One Earth Future Forum builds off of the developing body of social scientific research on peace and conflict which argues that peace is an achievable goal for the globe. As outlined in the 2014 OEF Forum Report, The Century of Peace? Empirical Trends in Peace and Conflict, current systems for human security have largely succeeded in reducing the risk of war, and if these systems are extended and sustained then it is possible that the world will reach a stable system without war. 

This year's OEF Forum will focus on three tracks:

• Human and Economic Development: The world has made great strides in reducing poverty and supporting human livelihoods and establishing peacekeeping systems, with a resulting decline in war and violence.
• Women’s Engagement in Global Economic and Political Life: Data shows that when women are more engaged in decision making in these spheres, peace is more likely.
• Combating Violence-Supporting Beliefs: The world must directly confront beliefs and norms that legitimize violence as a tool of conflict resolution.

“Our global society is more peaceful than it has ever been in history, despite what is happening today in the Middle East and other conflict regions,” said Marcel Arsenault, Chairman and Founder of One Earth Future Foundation. “But war, like many diseases, has not yet been conquered. Given enough time, we can learn what is driving complex human systems and disrupting the path to peace. By bringing together the most thoughtful and provocative thinkers from around the world, and challenging each other in dialogue, we hope to identify and facilitate opportunities where we can build effective, empirically-based models that will lead to peace.”

NOTE TO PRESS: The OEF Forum is an invitation-only event. Media are requested to RSVP in order to confirm attendance. The Forum format consists of a structured and facilitated goal-oriented conversation using Chatham House Rules.

About One Earth Future Foundation

One Earth Future (OEF) Foundation leads initiatives aimed at improving systems that prevent armed conflict. The organization provides active operational, research, and strategic support, allowing our programs to focus deeply on complex problems and create constructive alternatives to violent conflict. Founded in 2008 by Marcel Arsenault, Chairman and Founder, OEF’s areas of focus include:

• Enhancing Maritime Cooperation: Oceans Beyond Piracy works to facilitate such cooperation around maritime piracy, and Secure Fisheries brings attention to global trends around illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.
• Creating Sustainable Jobs in Fragile Economies: OEF’s Shuraako program vets small- and medium-sized enterprises in Somalia and works to connect them with no- or low- interest capital so they can grow their business and hire more employees.
• Raising Awareness about the Role of the Private Sector in Atrocity Prevention: R2P & Business initiative showcases the private sector‘s role in the prevention of mass atrocities.
• Actively Contributing to Thought Leadership in Global Issues: OEF’s research focuses on systems that solve global problems. OEF’s approach is flexible, imaginative, and yet carefully grounded in intellectual and practical analysis that informs policy-oriented applications. 

For more information, please visit www.oneearthfuture.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter at @OEForg and YouTube.

About One Earth Future’s Forum

The One Earth Future Forum convenes the world’s foremost thought leaders to chart a path to peace based on the growing body of empirical literature demonstrating that the world is moving towards peace, and collectively discuss specific, measurable actions that can be taken to illuminate these trends.

Media Contact

Maureen Connolly, One Earth Future, [email protected], 303-877-5863