Kerry Kennedy

US Institute of Peace USIP is the independent, nonpartisan conflict management center created by Congress to prevent and mitigate international conflict without resorting to violence. USIP works to save lives, increase the government's ability to deal with conflicts before they escalate, reduce government costs, and enhance our national security. USIP works to reduce the costs and risks for American military and civilians deployed to conflict areas abroad by training them to peacefully mitigate and manage conflicts. Our work helps to create safe and stable environments for people living and Americans working in these regions. In Iraq, the tribal reconciliation USIP mediated in Mahmoudiya served as the model for the U.S. reconciliation strategy that dramatically reduced American military and Iraqi civilian casualties, as reported by TIME magazine. “Over the next six months Iraqi civilian deaths in the area fell 75 percent—from 1,200 per month to 300 per month; while US military deaths fell from a dozen per month to zero.” (TIME, 19 October 2007) USIP played a leading role in preventing electoral violence in South Sudan and continues to help keep the Sudan Peace Accord on track. USIP has been working with tribal chiefs, state judges, police and other stakeholders to improve cooperation and to develop an integrated approach to the rule of law, so that South Sudan can move beyond its history of violence. | The Two Sudans Since 2002, USIP has analyzed Afghanistan’s justice systems and recommended methods to strengthen the rule of law. USIP is helping to bridge the gap between informal and formal justice sectors and thereby prevent village and district-level disputes from spiraling out of control.

Council on Foreign Relations, Inc. provides and disseminates ideas on foreign policies to individuals, corporate members, journalists and policy makers. It operates a forum for government officials, students and other interested parties to study and discuss world issues and impact on American foreign policies. The company publishes Foreign Affairs, a magazine that comes out six times a year, along with books and studies by its own scholars. Council on Foreign Relations was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in New York City, NY.

Robert F. SmithJRF's ROBIE Achievement in Industry AwardRobert F. Smith is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, a leading $14 billion private equity firm focused on software and technology-related businesses. Since Vista's founding in 2000, Mr. Smith has overseen more than 170 completed transactions by the firm representing over $45 billion in transaction value. In November 2015, for the second year in a row and based on its performance over the last 11 years, Vista was named as world's #1 performing private equity firm, according to the HEC-Dow Jones annual ranking. An engaged philanthropist, Mr. Smith launched a national effort in 2010 entitled Project Realize, based on his visionary approach of "Free Market Philanthropy." He is the Chairman of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and the Founding Director and Chairman of the Fund II Foundation, which is dedicated to preserving the African-American experience, safeguarding human rights, providing music education, preserving the environment, and sustaining critical American values.