The ICC Merchant of Peace Award
In 1919, a handful of entrepreneurs decided to create an organization that would represent business everywhere and called it the International Chamber of Commerce. At that time, there were few working international structures and no world system of rules to govern trade, investment, finance or commercial relations. That the private sector should fill the gap without waiting for government was an idea of breathtaking originality.
ICC's members continue to draw inspiration from its founders,
the “Merchants of Peace”, who believed that trade and investment fostered peace
and prosperity in the world. It is thanks to the dedication and hard work of these
individuals that ICC has been promoting world peace through
world trade for over 90 years.
In order to honour these individuals and the values they uphold, ICC has created the
Merchant of Peace Award. The award is granted to recognize individuals as a
“merchant of peace” due to the important contributions they have made to
further the ICC mission.
Selection process
Merchant of Peace Award recipients are selected by the ICC Chairmanship, comprising the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Honorary Chairman.
To ensure the award remains exclusive, recipients are identified up to a maximum of four times per year. Nominations for future recipients are encouraged from the ICC global network comprising national committees, the World Chambers Federation, individual companies and the ICC Secretariat.
The award
Recipients are honoured with:
- The ICC Merchant of Peace medal depicting a likeness of a bust, by the sculptor Auguste Rodin, of ICC’s founding President Etienne Clementel. The reverse face bears the inscription “ICC Merchant of Peace”
- An award citation with the recipient’s name and date of the award
- Addition of the recipient’s name to the Wall of Honour in the reception area of ICC’s new headquarters in Paris, France
- Addition of the recipient’s name to the official ICC Merchants of Peace book.