Lima, Peru—The Peru chapter of the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) was inaugurated in the Alberto Andrade Carmona auditorium in the Congress of Peru on October 20, 2017.UPF-Peru, with support from congressman and Ambassador for Peace Dr. Yonhy Lescano Ancieta, was able to bring together many current and former congressmen, as well as some former senators, for the launch.
Shortly before the event began, UPF-Peru president, Dr. Trevor Jones, president of UPF-Peru, took UPF’s regional delegation, Dr. Sang Suek Kim, regional chair of UPF-Latin America, and Rev. Dong Mo Shin, president of UPF-South America, to meet, in the Room of the Ambassadors, congressman Salvador Heresi, who had attended UPF’s World Summit in Korea in February of this year. Congressman Heresi received them warmly and took the group into the main room of the parliament to show them where all the congressmen gather every day to debate and vote on the situations of the country.
The inaugural assembly started promptly, which is quite unusual for events in Peru, but such was the anticipation for this meeting. The hall was full to capacity and many people had to stand at the back of the room throughout the event. Also present at the meeting were many members of the press, including the Congress´s own TV crew, who filmed the entire event live and broadcast it on the Congress TV channel.
The first part of the program featured a panel of four congressmen, as well as Dr. Antero Flores Araoz, former president of the Congress of Peru, and three representatives of UPF.
Two of the congressmen spoke about their religious beliefs and the importance of believing in God and having strong families for creating a stable and peaceful society. The other two emphasized the need for a strong and law-abiding community and for religious tolerance.
A total of 13congressmen were present—including Dr. Marisol Espinoza Cruz, who was the first vice president of Peru in the previous government—as well as two former congressmen, and three former senators. Representing civil society were five presidents of various NGOs and charitable organizations.
Following the forum, the official launching of the IAPP-Peru took place. A speech by UPF founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, was read, which was followed by presentations about the IAPP, given by Dr. Kim and Rev. Shin, and the signing of the IAPP the declaration launching the IAPP chapter.
Afterwards, 17 people, including all the congressmen that were at the event, were appointed as Ambassadors for Peace. Each signed the declaration as they left the stage.
Dr. Jones gave the closing remarks, and many guests expressed their appreciation for this new initiative and said the launching was a truly historic event in Peru.
