Inspired by the theme "Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future"
for the 2012 observances of the UN International Day of Peace, UPF
chapters in 30 nations organized programs ranging from academic forums
to interreligious ceremonies to poetry contests. They engaged youth in
promoting a culture of peace through service, sports, music, dance,
crafts, and public information campaigns. For details about events in
each nation,
UPF chapters helped organize conferences in the houses of parliament
of Norway, Peru, Scotland, and Sri Lanka (where the Youth Parliament
devoted two days to issues of sustainable peace). Additional government
venues for programs included city halls in Brazil and Ecuador. At the
African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Ambassadors for
Peace distributed literature about the fundamental role of families in
peacebuilding.
Some of the most passionate speakers came from conflict zones. H.E.
Roman Kirn, Ambassador of Slovenia to the United States, recalled the
genocide in the former Yugoslavia. He appealed to not only the audience
in Washington DC but also the entire global community to "protect the
people and save peace." At the program in Madrid, Professor Emilio Asti
from the University of Milan in Italy called the Mediterranean zone
with its remarkable migratory and cultural flows a "compendium of the
great questions facing the world." He envisions a free circulation of
people and ideas between the northern and southern shores enabling
people of different religions and backgrounds to live in peace and
prosperity centered on shared spiritual values.
One year ago on the International Day of Peace, a national
Interreligious Peace Council was formed in Thailand. The council has
been addressing issues of terrorism by Muslim separatists in the
southern region of this predominately Buddhist nation. The vision is
taking root elsewhere. For example, in Australia, this year's
International Day of Peace observance focused on prospects for forming
an interreligious peace council in this increasingly diverse nation.
Academic discussions took place at universities in Australia, the
Dominican Republic, and Georgia. Additional forums were held in the
Czech Republic, Latvia, Moldova, the United States, and Zambia. Hon.
Jaroslav Doubrava, a member of the Czech Senate, emphasized the value of
human life. “War is always a bad solution,” he said, lamenting that
much more money is invested in destruction rather than on improving
living conditions.
Speakers on the International Day of Peace also emphasized peace
within. "We need to know what it is to feel inner peace," said Mrs. Rute
Cardoso, a therapist in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "Inner peace is our inner
light and our best company, the most important knowledge that we can
acquire."
Recognizing that religious people and their insights can make an
important contribution to peace, UPF organizers included interreligious
prayers, ceremonies, and forums at events in Brazil, Georgia, Germany,
Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, and New Zealand. As is traditional for the
International Day of Peace, many programs encouraged a moment of silent
reflection. Attention was drawn to noted people who had dedicated their
lives to peace, such as UPF Founder Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, who had
passed away on September 3.
To inspire young people with a vision of a world of peace and
harmony, there were also classroom lessons, service projects, sports
competitions, and cultural programs.
This year's focus on a sustainable future led to tree planting at a
national park in Cambodia and Nepal as well as environmental clean-ups
in Japan and Nepal. A Cambodian student, Kim Ratank, said, “Even though
our contribution is small, it will be an encouragement for villagers.”
For organizers in Nepal, Russia, and Ukraine, the Day of Peace became
an occasion to distribute food and gifts to the less fortunate. In
Spain, the annual "Helping Your Neighbor" awards were presented to two
community activists whose lives are devoted to service.
A culture of peace was promoted in a variety of other ways. For
example, Football for Peace competitions brought together diverse groups
of young people in Moscow and New Delhi. Students in Nepal competed in a
speech contest on "Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future." The
program in Tokyo featured stories by participants in an international
service project in Nepal. One reported a memorable comment by an Afghan
youth he had met there: “Peacebuilding begins when one can open his/her
heart to digest others’ minds and embrace them.”
Music and dance helped create a harmonious atmosphere in places as
diverse as Germany, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.
Educational programs took place in schools in Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine,
and many cities in Russia. Cards, doves, and messages of peace were
distributed to the public in Israel and Russia. “We met people of
different nationalities, faiths, and ages," reported Ksenya Kolpakova
about UPF-Siberia's Give a Smile to the World Project. "Their smiles
warmed our hearts."
The winners of an international poetry contest on the theme of "Words
of Meeting and Universal Consciousness" were announced in Buenos
Aires. In her prize-winning poem entitled "It is time now..." visionary
Argentinian author Irma Droz invites people to "reach out to our friend
to look each other in the eyes and offer our arms outstretched. It is
time to lift our faces and see that dawn has finally arrived!" |
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