AMSTERDAM - People living in more than 40 countries around the world will benefit from a partnership between AkzoNobel and global peace movement MasterPeace that will involve painting 100 walls.

Launched on March 23, 2017, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the Let's Colour Walls of Connection initiative aims to inspire and energize cities around the world and make people's lives more livable and inspiring.

"With a little bit of paint and a lot of creativity, artists and communities are coming together to 'color peace,'" explained Annemieke Kievit, Director of Public Affairs and Human Cities at AkzoNobel. "The community events will take place in cities all over the world, from Indonesia to Brazil, and will involve hundreds of artists, AkzoNobel employees, MasterPeace teams and thousands of local participants."

The initiative will also enable the two partners to contribute to two of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals focused on creating sustainable cities and communities and forming partnerships to achieve those goals.

"We see walls being built around the world and aim to turn those walls into bridges that connect people by using the power of color to transform them," added Aart Bos, MasterPeace Global CEO. "We believe in the power of togetherness, and by transforming these walls into bridges and connecting rather than dividing people, we also hope to change the walls we have built up in our minds."

MasterPeace is an award-winning global non-profit and non-governmental peace movement that operates in more than 45 countries and aims to mobilize people around the world to use their talents for peace building.

Officially launched in Rotterdam, the first of the 100 Let's Colour Walls of Connection is being painted at the city's Albeda College, which is celebrating 25 years of being a local hub for diversity. The college invited its students and local communities to paint a wall projecting their dreams of "a more inclusive and embracing future for all."