(Los Angeles) July 19, 2017 – “The Future of Humanitarian Action: Bridging Our Divides,” will be the theme of this year’s Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Humanitarian Symposium and accompanying Prize Ceremony. The Foundation announced today that its annual event will be held in Los Angeles this year at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, October 11, 2017.
“We have a longstanding history in Los Angeles and are proud to bring the event back to our organization’s hometown,” said Peter Laugharn, president and CEO of the Hilton Foundation. “As today’s world is increasingly divided, our annual symposium serves as a gathering for thought leaders from various sectors to identify impactful ways to bridge divides and explore solutions to extraordinary challenges.”
The ceremony will feature the 2017 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize recipient, which will be announced later this summer. For 21 years, the Agoura Hills-based Hilton Foundation has awarded the Hilton Humanitarian Prize to organizations, anywhere in the world, judged to have made extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering. At $2 million, the Hilton Humanitarian Prize is the world’s largest humanitarian award presented to a nonprofit annually.
Known for including celebrated speakers and participants, the 2016 event was moderated by former CNN World Affairs Correspondent Ralph Begleiter, and featured former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson and Iraqi-American humanitarian, entrepreneur and media commentator Zainab Salbi, among others.
“The Hilton Foundation has been a steadfast partner and critical contributor in the City’s efforts to tackle homelessness,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “I am proud that the Hilton Prize has returned to Los Angeles, and look forward to joining leaders from around the world to discuss the pressing challenges of global health, women’s rights, and disaster relief—and honor the organizations that are making progress on the ground.”
For more information on the Hilton Foundation and its Humanitarian Symposium and Prize Ceremony, please visit www.hiltonfoundation.org.