Under the influence of his mentor, 1983 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Daisaku Ikeda, Baggio began practicing Buddhism and fell in love with making contributions to public welfare. In 2002, Baggio served as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, working tirelessly to eradicate hunger among impoverished children. He also made contributions to disaster victims when Myanmar was hit by a tropical storm in 2008 and during the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January this year. As a result, the Organizing Committee of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates decided to award the "Prince of Sadness" this prize.
The venue for this year's World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates is set in Hiroshima, Japan, which suffered nuclear attack disasters during World War II. The summit will open on November 12th and last for three days. During that time, past Nobel Peace Prize winners will discuss the theme of "A World Without Nuclear Weapons." On the closing day of the summit, participants will issue a final declaration at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and hold an award ceremony for the "Peace Summit Award."
On November 9th, local Italian time, the Italian news agency ANSA reported that the Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, headquartered in Rome, announced that the organizing committee had decided to award the "Peace Summit Award" to legendary Italian footballer Roberto Baggio.
The "Summit Peace Award" established by the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates honors individuals from all walks of life who have made outstanding contributions to the protection of human rights. U2 lead singer Bono, who is dedicated to eradicating poverty, and renowned actor George Clooney, who focuses on charitable causes, are both recipients of this award.