Buenos Aires, Argentina—To mark the UN International Day of Friendship, UPF-Argentina appointed 14 new Ambassadors for Peace. The event was held on August 15, 2017 in Buenos Aires.
The Day was proclaimed in 2011 by the UN with the idea that “friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities.”
Two videos, “The World at a Turning Point,” about UPF’s Ambassadors for Peace initiative, and a video about the Peace Road project, which seeks to “connect the world through peace” were shown, which was followed by a reading on the background of the Day, by Ambassador for Peace Mr. Luis Emilio Acuña.
Afterwards, Mr. Ricardo de Sena, regional secretary general of UPF-North America, and Mr. Carlos Varga, director of UPF-Argentina, gave a speech.
The new Ambassadors for Peace are (in alphabetical order): Mr. Jorge Néstor Alcaraz, member of the Executive Committee of the Argentine Society of Writers Society (SADE); Mrs. Silvia Mauricia Carranza, president of the Executive Committee of the Center of Free and Solidary Inclusion (CILSA); Mrs. Blanca Betty Chávez Cabrera, member of Consejo de Consulta del Pero in La Plata; husband and wife, David Alberto Frol and Nélida Silvina Rodríguez, treasurer of the Argentine Council for Religious Freedom (CALIR) and head of the charity, Sociedad de Socorro de la Iglesia de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días; Mr. Enrique Gino Micheli, president and founder of the nonprofit Sin Diferencias ; and Mrs. Olga Noman; founder of Cruzada Jujeña de Solidaridad.
Mrs. Vivian Silvia Cristina Olguín, director of the dance studio, El Triunfo; Mr. Pablo Olivera Da Silva, president and founder of the nonprofit Construyendo Ciudadanía; Mr. Manuel Eusebio Rupérez, pastor of the ministry, Cumbre Mundial de los Milagros; husband and wife, Julio Schlosser and Susana Elena Degetman, advisor in the Buenos Aires’ Ministry of Labor and secretary for women at Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA); Mrs. María Susana Segovia, public affairs at the Scientology Church in Argentina; and Mrs. Silvia Gabriela Vázquez, director of the interdisciplinary degree program in social responsibility and resilience at UdeMM (Universidad de la Marine Mercante) were also appointed.
Each received an Ambassador for Peace certificate, the autobiography of UPF founder, Rev. Sun Myung Moon, “As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen” and the book “San Martín, ¿Para qué?” by Irene Mercedes Aguirre, a writer and researcher.
Also during the event, four volunteers from Japan sang two songs: “Shimauta” and “Furusato.”
Among the organizations that supported the program were the Teachers Foundation (Fundación Maestros sin Fronteras); the AALIJ; Argentinian Academy of Children’s Literature (Academia Argentina de Literatura Infantil y Juvenil); Hispanic Literary and Cultural Institute (ILCH); Arts, Education, and Health Foundation (Fund.Art.E.S, Fundación Artes, Educación y Salud); and the Permanent Forum on Education, Science, and Culture for Peace.