Merchants of Peace Foundation

Did you know?

5 billion people globally have become poorer since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Up to 70% of employment worldwide is created by small businesses.

What drives us

After 75+ years of rules-based global trade and investment,** less than 10% of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty today. Yet **the greatest gains in prosperity were achieved a decade ago and progress has largely stalled ever since. Most global development goals remain out of reach as intensifying challenges raise the spectre of conflict and threaten economic opportunities for everyone.

Our mission

To address these challenges, we work to empower underserved communities globally to achieve economic security. Focusing on low- and middle-income communities, we target critical challenges to prosperity:

• Barriers to better incomes
• Climate risk
• Digital inequity

Our work is grounded in a simple belief: the path to peace is the pursuit of prosperity.

A vision inspired by a legacy of global commerce innovation

Since 1919, the post-World War I founders of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) have been known as “Merchants of Peace” for their pioneering efforts to shape a global system of trade that has strengthened ties between nations through cross-border commerce, helping millions rise from poverty.

Today, ICC represents over 45 million companies in 170 countries, developing rules, tools and standards for business that drive US$17 trillion in annual trade.

Building on this legacy, ICC created the Merchants of Peace Foundation in 2023 as an independent organisation to help advance a shared objective to promote peace, prosperity and opportunity for all.