Weekend Retreat in Cleeve House
Wiltshire, UK, July 26 - 28, 2019

By Robin Marsh
Ambassadors for Peace including staff, travelled from Birmingham, Swindon and London to attend the weekend retreat in Cleeve House, a beautiful manor house surrounded by the Wiltshire country side. For UPF UK Ambassadors for Peace the quarterly retreat is a perfect place and time to share and discuss principles of peace that could change the world transcending religion, race or nationality.

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2019 International Symposium in Berlin
"30 Years of German Re-Unification and the Vision of a New Unified Korea"
Hosted by: The Donghwa Research Institute
Grand Hyatt Hotel Berlin, Germany, June 21, 2019

 

Peace Road Finland 2019
Helsinki, Finland, July 27, 2019

By Hannu Hassinen
The Finnish part of the Peace Road took place today (Sat 27. July), starting in the spiritual center of Finland, at the Cathedral (or Senate) Square in the capital city of Helsinki, in unusually hot summer weather.
Before the steps of the beautiful white Lutheran cathedral, at the statue of Czar Alexander II, some 30 people carried banners and waved flags proclaiming peace between the two Koreas, peace between nations, and peace between people.

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World Peace Award Ceremony
Stockholm, Sweden, June 30, 2019

Peace Ambassador, Ven, Dr. PhraMaha Boonthin at Thai Tempel held World Peace Award Conference in Stockholm on June 30, 2019. UPF Sweden co-sponsored. Lorenz Jolin and several UPF members had been working together with his team over the year after the previous conference in 2018. The conference will be held again next year. 200 international delegates participated at the conference at the City Hall of Stockholm. There was a special message from Dalai Lama, whose letter was read for the participants by Lorenz Jolin, UPF Secretary General, Sweden.

 

UPF Europe & Middle East Newsletter
No 5 - June 2019

Dr. Katsumi Otsuka, Chairman, UPF Europe & Middle East
Dear Readers,
The 2019 World Summit, held in February in Seoul, South Korea, has been the foundation for a flurry of UPF events around the world.
In Albania, former heads of state and government from the Balkan nations gathered to launch preparations for the Southeast Europe Peace Summit to be held in Tirana in October. The ongoing challenge of peace on the Korean Peninsula has stimulated a series of supporting events in Europe, notably in Moscow.
But the central feature of the spring season has been the celebration of the family. Our cover story is the event jointly organized by UPF and the World Council of Churches at WCC Headquarters in Geneva. Other events have been held and co-sponsored by UPF around the world: From mega-church gatherings in Los Angeles and Johannesburg, to city-level seminars in Europe and the Middle East, the family as the school of love and peace needs to be protected and strengthened in our world of conflict.
I wish to thank our UPF Ambassadors for Peace and UPF volunteers for their contributions to these remarkable accomplishments.

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One Year Annivesary of HJ Center
Beirut, Lebanon, July 13, 2019

By Hermine Schellen
This year's Peace Road event was the biggest that we did in Lebanon. It brought together almost 100 bicyclists from different parts of Lebanon.
The event was organized under the supervision of FFWPU Representatives Mr. and Mrs Park as well as UPF Lebanon in collaboration with the Municipality of Deir El Harf, and the Bicycle Club that was spear headed by Mr. William Massad. Further, while on the Peace Road tour the Bicyclists were welcomed with some refreshments by the Municipality of Falougha and Raad Supermarket. The Peace Road event concluded with a great Lunch buffet that was sponsored by the Municipality of Deir El Harf. 

Trophy of Peace 2019
Monza, Italy, June 30, 2019

By Franco Ravagliolo
The fourteenth edition of the Peace Trophy took place on Sunday 30 June at the Sada stadium in Monza. Fifty young people, divided into four teams, faced off with a goal in an inter-ethnic soccer tournament, for a day of competition and integration between young people residing in the same territory but belonging to different nationalities, cultures and traditions. The day opened with qualifying matches in a single round, which lasted all morning, followed by lunch together to promote knowledge, mutual respect and friendship between the young participants. After qualifying, the last fought meetings were held in the afternoon.

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Peace Road 2019
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) to Pontebba (Italy)
June 15, 2019

By Alfred Waldmann
The Mayor of Pontebba, Ivan Buzzi, receiving the Ambassador for Peace Certificate from Vittorio Juliano, Roberto Tona and Megumi Tona and the Holy Wine. The Peace Road event ended in a harmonious atmosphere between the 60 participants and the promise to do it a third time in the year 2020.
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Interfaith Evening to remember
Christchurch and Sri Lanka
The Al-Mahdi Institute, Birmingham, UK, June 2019

By David Earle
Following the terrible atrocities earlier this year in Christchurch, New Zealand, and in Sri Lanka, we decided to come together as people of faith in Birmingham, both to remember those who lost their lives and their families, and also to promote a positive vision of peace for our city, particularly between our different faith communities.
Around 180 people gathered in the beautiful Prayer Hall of the Al-Mahdi Institute, who very kindly hosted this meaningful event. We were faith leaders, City Councillors and a former Lord Mayor, a Member of the Birmingham Council of Faiths, a Member of the European Parliament, and representatives of the Indian, Pakistani, Somali, Sudanese and Rwandan communities. We were also delighted to have our own European Regional Chair couple, Dr and Mrs Balcomb with us for the occasion.
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What Can I Do for Peace ?
Vienna, Austria, June 26, 2019

By Beatrice Kiedler
On the 26th of June 2019 in the evening we had our first Information and discussion evening about YSP in Vienna. It took place in the Peace Museum Vienna, in the office of IAPD.
The topic we set for this event was: “What can I do for Peace?”
Our first speaker was Jeong-Hye Yeom, our YSP Director of Europe and Middle East. She introduced “Youth and Students for Peace” to our guests and through that they could make themselves a picture of what we do in YSP and what our vision is.
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