Ethiopian social entrepreneur and peace advocate Elias Wondimu was appointed Ambassador for Peace by the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) and the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP).

The Ambassadors for Peace is a global network of leaders from religion, politics, the media, academia, and civil society working cooperatively for the sake of world peace.

UPF and IIFWP chose as Ambassador for Peace those individuals whose lives exemplify the ideal of living for the sake of others, and who dedicate themselves to universal moral values, strong family life, interreligious cooperation, international harmony, renewal of the United Nations, a responsible public media, and the establishment of a culture of peace.

Wondimu is one of five African publishers in the United States and the founder of the Ethiopian Institute for Nonviolence Education and Peace Studies. He has been at the forefront of knowledge production through his Tsehai Publishers, which publishes books on African politics and culture; his coordination of Tsehai Conferences; and his establishment of the peer-reviewed International Journal of Ethiopian Studies. Currently, he serves as board director on PEN Center USA West and the African Diaspora Foundation-a group working to establish peace curriculum in African schools. He was the former managing editor of the Ethiopian Review Magazine. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most active young leaders in the African diaspora and has built a name for service to the community through brokering connections among Americans and Africans, the general public and political leaders, and academia and business.

The Ambassadors for Peace initiative was launched in January of 2001, giving rise to a series of educational programs aimed at reconciliation and peace. Nearly 70,000 Ambassadors for Peace have been appointed worldwide.