International Day of Peace at the United Nations
New York, United States—The International Day of Peace 2015 was celebrated at the United Nations by a coalition of UN NGO committees and NGOs.
Peace Blessing Festival Held in Sikkim, India
Gangtok, India—Two-hundred and fifteen couples, including two government ministers of Sikkim state in northern India, attended a marriage rededication and peace Blessing ceremony on November 1.
World Summit Speaker Shares Experience at UPF-Argentina Meeting
Buenos Aires, Argentina—Dr. David Frol, a bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, shared his experience participating in World Summit 2015 with members and friends of UPF-Argentina.
International Day of Peace Observed in Nicaragua
León, Nicaragua—UPF commemorated the UN International Day of Peace 2015 with two events in Nicaragua.
Ethiopians Discuss Human Rights and Peace
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—Eighteen Youth Ambassadors for Peace attended a seminar on human rights and peace.
Nigerian Ambassador for Peace Joins State Government
Port Harcourt, Nigeria—A UPF Ambassador for Peace has been sworn in as a permanent secretary in Rivers State.
Faith Leaders, Students Discuss the Role of Educators in Times of High Tension
Jerusalem, Israel—The Levinsky College of Education and UPF held a special class discussion on the role of educators in times of high tension for students in the College’s excellence program.
55 Years after Independence, Nigerians Discuss the Future
Abuja, Nigeria—To commemorate the 55th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence, UPF convened a roundtable to discuss Nigeria’s future.
Australians Link Prosperity and World Peace
Sydney, Australia—Prosperity and world peace were the main topics at the bimonthly Ambassador for Peace meeting held on October 6, 2015.
Nigerian Ambassadors for Peace to Act against Corruption
Abuja, Nigeria—Ambassadors for Peace from all over Nigeria have formed a National Action Committee on Corruption.
UPF-Japan: Promoting Marriage and Family Values
Tokyo, Japan—UPF continued its focus on addressing the declining birth rate in Japan through its most recent International Leadership Conference.
Tokyo, Japan—UPF-Japan and its Council of Ambassadors for Peace continued their focus on addressing the declining birth rate in Japan through their most recent International Leadership Conference, “Crisis in Families and Visions for their Revitalization-Emergency of Japan's Dwindling Childbirth and Possible Countermeasures,” which was held in Tokyo on September 29, 2015.
The keynote speaker of the half-day event was Ms. Cheryl Wetzstein, a veteran journalist with the American newspaper, The Washington Times. She has covered news on family and society, including the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage in June.
She said a cultural war over same-sex marriage is intensifying in America, and cited several examples of it. A local U.S. official was imprisoned because she had refused to issue marriage licenses on the grounds of her religious faith, and a baker was sued when he had refused to make a wedding cake for a homosexual couple.
Speaking on the Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, Ms. Wetzstein said the judges who opposed the ruling said the ruling was based on “a wrong concept of freedom” and if “same-sex marriage was legalized, it would be hard to deny legalizing polygamy.”
She said the legitimacy of same-sex marriage would be evaluated by the adult children raised by homosexual couples. Already some children have spoken out on homosexual parenthood, saying that they did not have a sound childhood or lost their right to have a mother and a father.
Representing the organizers, Mr. Hiroo Suzuki, professor emeritus of the Tsukuba University and president of the Council of Ambassadors for Peace, said that he was happy "[this] meeting [of] Ambassadors for Peace who share a similar sense of mission and are engaged [in advancing] peace” took place.
Mr. Seiichi Kikuya, secretary general of UPF-Japan, spoke on the event theme. He warned that if same-sex marriage was legalized in Japan, it would erode Japan’s marriage system and accelerate the population decline in the country.
A lively panel discussion followed, where representatives of civil society, including a member of one of Tokyo’s wards and an intermediate school teacher, exchanged views on the theme’s topic.
The event closed with UPF-Japan president, Dr. Eiji Tokuno, pointing out that Japan's numerous social problems stem from a breakdown of the family. He said over half of all homicide cases in Japan are committed by relatives of the victims, and encouraged the participants to promote the national campaign for marriage and family values.
International Day of Friendship Celebrated in Argentina
Buenos Aires, Argentina—UPF-Argentina celebrated the UN International Day of Friendship with events in two cities: Buenos Aires and Mar del Plata, where 18 new Ambassadors for Peace were appointed.
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