The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is celebrating International Day of Peace, a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

To mark the occasion, ICC and the Business for Peace Foundation have announced the opening of nominations for the 2017 Oslo Business for Peace Awards.

ICC national committees as well as local chambers of commerce, members of the ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF), United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) local offices assist in the global nomination process for the Business for Peace Award by leveraging their respective networks in the search for outstanding business people who have been able to achieve business success while acting in an ethically responsible way.

Honourees are selected by an independent jury of Nobel Prize winners in Peace and in Economics after a global nomination process by the Business for Peace Foundation, ICC, UNGC and UNDP.

2015 Business for Peace Honouree Sarah Beydoun, Creative Director of Sarah’s Bag said: “If every small or medium enterprise has a purpose that goes beyond profit and a mission to benefit the community it thrives in, just imagine the positive impact they could collectively have on society.”

Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September.

The Day’s theme for 2016 is “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Building Blocks for Peace”.

The notion that business is a genuine force for good in the world is woven into the very fabric of the UN’s 2030 development agenda.

Recognising the role of the private sector in implementing the SDGs at the 2016 Business for Peace Summit in May, ICC Secretary General John Danilovich said: “The notion that business is a genuine force for good in the world is woven into the very fabric of the UN’s 2030 development agenda.” During the event, Mr Danilovich and over 60 prominent business leaders personally pledged to tune their respective business activities to support the Global Goals.

“The Oslo Business for Peace Award is a vital recognition of global business leaders who unlock the positive power of business for the benefit of peace and prosperity,” Mr Danilovich said.

This year, Nobel Prize winner and Honorary Chairman of ICC Tunisia, Ouided Bouchamaoui, has joined the award committee that also includes Peace and Economics Nobel Laureates Shirin Abadi, Leymah Gbowee and Michael Spence.

Business for Peace Honouree 2015 Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, said: “If you are not here to improve the world, then why are you here?”

“When we say peace we mean business,” said Per L. Saxegaard, Business for Peace Foundation Executive Chairman.

The deadline to receive nominations online is 20 December 2016. The 2017 Honourees will be celebrated at an Awards Ceremony in Oslo on 16 May 2017.

To nominate someone you think is “BusinessWorthy” visit the Business for Peace website .