Book Talk: Peace in the Age of Chaos:

Working on an aid program in one of the most violent places in the world, North East Kivu in the DR Congo, philanthropist and business leader Steve Killelea asked himself, ‘What are the most peaceful nations?’

Unable to find an answer, he created the world’s leading measure of peace, the Global Peace Index, which receives over 16 billion media impressions annually and has become the definitive go to index for heads of state.

Steve Killelea then went on to establish world-renowned think tank, the Institute for Economics and Peace. Today its work is used by organizations such as the World Bank, United Nations and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and taught in thousands of university courses around the world.

In this time when we are faced with environmental, social and economic challenges, 'Peace in the Age of Chaos' shows us a way forward where Positive Peace, described as creating the optimal environment for human potential to flourish.

Steve Killelea will be joined by fellow renowned peace expert, Chic Dambach, to discuss his new book, including how Positive Peace can lead to a paradigm shift in the ways societies can be managed, making them more resilient and better capable of adapting to their changing environments.

About the speakers

Steve Killelea is the Founder and Executive Chairman of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), one of the world’s most impactful think tanks on peace and what creates it.

Steve is also the creator the Global Peace Index, the world's leading measure of peace that ranks 163 countries and independent territories by their levels of peacefulness each year, and is used by major organizations such as the World Bank, OECD, UN, as well as governments and thousands of universities worldwide.

Over the last two decades, Steve has applied his business skills as one of Australia's leading entrepreneurs to his many global philanthropic activities, including his private family charity, The Charitable Foundation, which now has over three million direct beneficiaries.

In recognition of his contribution to the global peace movement, Steve has twice been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and was awarded the Luxembourg Peace Prize in 2016.

He has also been recognized by the Action on Armed Violence group as one of the 100 most influential people in the world on reducing armed violence.

Today, Steve serves on the President’s Circle for Club de Madrid, the largest forum of former world leaders working democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers working to strengthen democracy, and is an honorary president for Religions for Peace, the largest organization in the world working on inter-religious challenges.

Chic Dambach is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins and American Universities, and he is a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow.

He was President and CEO (currently President Emeritus) of the National Peace Corps Association; former President of the Alliance for Peacebuilding, and former Chief of Staff for Congressman John Garamendi. Previously, he held executive positions in the arts, sports, and health, and he was an “expert” advisor to the director of the Peace Corps.

He serves as Chair of the Mali Affinity Group, and he has served on dozens of nonprofit boards. He lectures regularly at colleges and universities and at conferences, and he was a senior consultant with BoardSource where he helped write two books on nonprofit governance.

His career began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Colombia, and his memoir, Exhaust the Limits, the Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder, features a lifetime of service and successful initiatives for peace in Africa.

He was nominated for the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize, and the Institute for Economics and Peace presented him the Leadership and Service for Peace Award in 2016.

He was named the “2016 Peace Corps Champion” for keeping the spirit of service alive. His TEDx Talk “Why Not Peace” is available on YouTube.

He was a national champion kayak racer and served as an official for canoe and kayak competition in the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.

To purchase a copy of 'Peace in the Age of Chaos' visit www.peaceintheageofchaos.org and type in PEACE20 upon checkout for an exclusive 20% discount.