São Paulo, Brazil—On July 20, 2018, the International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) in São Paulo state was inaugurated in the Franco Montoro auditorium in the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo state (ALESP) with more than 300 guests.

The emcee, Mr. Inowan Almeida, welcomed all the guests. This was followed by an opening prayer, which was offered by Rev. Koichi Sasaki, president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) in Brazil, and opening remarks, which were given by São Paulo state MP Hon. Ramalho da Construção.

Afterwards, the emcee asked everyone to stand for the Brazilian national anthem, which was sung by Ms. Hanna Modise, and a video about IAPP inaugurations that have taken place around the world was shown. 

Speeches were given by Hon. Ramalho; Rev. Dong Mo Shin, president of UPF-South America; Dr. Pricila Menin, president of the Brazilian Women’s Party; and Mrs. Adriana Ramalho, a city councilor who became involved in political activities, following in her father´s footsteps.

Dr. Simão Ferabolli, president of UPF-Brazil and secretary general of UPF-Latin America, gave a presentation about the Ambassadors for Peace, the launching of the IAPP and the Latin America World Summit, which will take place in São Paulo from August 2 to 4.

Then, eight new Ambassadors for Peace were appointed: 

1. Col. Helena Dos Santos Rei, chief secretary of the São Paulo state military police;
2. Dr. Fabricio Cobra Arbex, a lawyer and former secretary of tourism for São Paulo state;
3. Hon. Arnaldo Faria de Sá, member of the National Congress of Brazil;
4. Mr. Carlos Eduardo Batista Fernandes, mayor of Lapa district in São Paulo city;
5. Maj. Boaz dos Santos Silva, former police captain of the São Paulo state military police;
6. Mrs. Carla Zambelli Salgado, activist and founder of the Let´s Go to the Street political movement;
7. Mr. Regis Renzi, an architect and project director who has participated in more than 250 political campaigns and public projects; and
8. Mr. Regino Barros, president of the Brazilian Academy of Merit Honors and vice president of a journalist association.

Each person shared a few words on the importance building a culture of peace in the family, society and the nation. Dr. Arbex said: “It is a great honor to receive the title of Ambassador of Peace from the Universal Peace Federation. As public servants, we have to accomplish many goals, but, undoubtedly, promoting a culture of peace and fighting intolerance between people should always be the focus of all the work we do.”