Academy Award winning actor Forest Whitaker will be honored for his social activism work at the 2022 International Peace Honors. Per Variety, the ceremony will be presented by the United States Institute of Peace's non-profit organization PeaceTech Lab in January 2022. The International Peace Honors recognizes individuals who "make philanthropy and humanitarian service a hallmark of their lives, to advance humanity and our planet."

An acclaimed veteran actor, Whitaker is known for his many, many performances on the big and small screens over the years. He won the Best Actor Oscar for his role in the 2006 historical drama The Last King of Scotland. Fans will also recognize him from titles like Good Morning, Vietnam, Platoon, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Black Panther, among many others. Whitaker recently appeared in the Aretha Franklin biopic Respect as the late singer's father, C. L. Franklin.

Behind the scenes, Forest Whitaker is the UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation and is also a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy Group. The actor is the CEO and founder of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, which works to provide educational and economic assistance to those in need in areas affected by exclusion, violence, and armed conflict.

"I have witnessed change in the most unlikely places and have seen communities healing and transforming together," Whitaker said in a statement, per Variety. "Change for the better is possible even in the most difficult times and in the face of the greatest obstacles. I am hopeful and optimistic for the future and will continue to promote education, peace and reconciliation."

He added, "I have witnessed change in the most unlikely places and have seen communities healing and transforming together. Change for the better is possible even in the most difficult times and in the face of the greatest obstacles. I am hopeful and optimistic for the future and will continue to promote education, peace and reconciliation."

"Transforming communities from within, putting peace at the center of his youth leadership programs - these are inspirational to us all," says PeaceTech Lab President and CEO Sheldon Himelfarb. "And we hear his voice - so true and so powerful - on behalf of the voiceless. It's a great honor for us to recognize Forest for all that he has done."

International Peace Honors executive producer Maria-Esmeralda Paguaga also said, "Forest Whitaker has brought to his humanitarian work the creativity he has demonstrated as one of Hollywood's most accomplished and versatile figures, by combining peacebuilding, entrepreneurship and technology to provide youth affected by violence, exclusion and armed conflict."

Additional honorees for the 2022 International Peace Honors will be announced in the coming weeks. The Class of 2021's honorees included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Amazonian Chief Raoni, Opal Tometi, Ricky Martin, Vint Cerf, and Ricardo Montaner. A virtual ceremony was streamed on YouTube. Forest Whitaker will be honored at the next ceremony in January 2022. You can find out more about the event at the official website for International Peace Honors. This news comes to us from Variety.