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“I told my mom “mom, why nobody hears us? why nobody saves the children? why nobody does something? Why nobody hears the voice when all the children are yelling and crying and running from bombs?” And then my mom told “you can tweet,” and then I started tweeting and my first tweet and I was so scared that nobody will hear me. I told my mom “I think it didn’t work” and then she told me “wait.” I waited and then the other day I opened the phone and many people started hearing me.”

9-year-old peace activist and author, Bana Alabed, talks about being a child who sees and experiences war unfolding in front of her. Bana reminds us that there is no age limit to start promoting peace; all it takes is to take action with the tools we have at our disposal.

London Peace Talks 2018. Recorded at the Salesforce Tower on December 11, 2018.

“Peace cannot be achieved by force, it can only be achieved by understanding,” so said Einstein in 1930. When he said this, he wasn’t talking about armed conflict or war. He was talking about disagreements and disharmony between two people or groups of people. If you force people into accepting some kind of behavior, you will never achieve real peace. Only true understanding can lead to real peace. Or put another understood you, if the world only understood you, you would be at peace in the world and the world would be at peace with you.”

Global Philanthropy Chair for Faithforce and Senior Corporate Counsel at Salesforce.org, Judith Bird, invites us to respect and understand one another, particularly in relation to one’s faith and religion. For Judith, it is only through true and genuine understanding that we can achieve sustainable peace.

London Peace Talks 2018. Recorded at the Salesforce Tower on December 11, 2018.

“I turned blind and that became my window to escape early marriage. Lucky me, no early husband, I was taken to the capital, tested and they told me “you can never be sighted, but,” the doctor said, “she can be educated.” That turned my life into a miracle and brought me all the way here, form Addis.”

Human rights lawyer and disability rights activist, Yetnerbersh Nigussie, shares a powerful story of overcoming barriers and transforming her disability into multiple abilities. Yetnebersh tells us that there are one 1 billion persons with disabilities ready to contribute with their multiple abilities to solve the most complex problems in the world; all we need to do is recognize that we need them and want them.

London Peace Talks 2018. Recorded at the Salesforce Tower on December 11, 2018.