Dushanbe, Tajikistan - A special consultation concerning the UPF proposal to create an interreligious council at the UN took place Dec. 11, 2010, in Dushanbe. Dr. Saifullo Zafarov, an Ambassador for Peace and recipient of the UPF Medal for Leadership and Good Governance, chaired the meeting of Ambassadors for Peace at the Tajikistan Trade Union conference hall. Among the participants were the Trade Union chair, Murotali Salijhov; former Health Minister Inomzoda Jura; president of the Tajikistan State Conservatory, Rajambat Amirov; and deputy chair of the Tajikistan Peace Foundation, Salomat Mirokilova.
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The participants shared opinions about the unsurpassed experience of the Tajik people in establishing peace after the civil war that devastated the nation in the mid-1990s. The UPF Secretary General of Russia, Konstantin Krylov, reported about the on-going project of creating an interreligious council within UN that was declared by the UPF founder, Dr. Moon, in 2000. The UPF leader in Tajikistan, Alexander Fedorov, shared results of his one-year activity in the nation. Also, Dr. Karomatullo Olimov, the UNESCO representative in Tajikistan, spoke about the danger of religious fundamentalism and the importance of moral education in families.
The director of the Refugee Children and Vulnerable Citizens organization, Mavzhuda Rakhmanova, corroborated the urgency of UPF's work in strengthening the family as the school of peace and told about the projects of the movement headed by her. Mrs. Saodat Kamalova, Chair of the Odammyat Charity Association, stressed that even though Tajikistan is considered a nation with traditionally strong families of three generations, nevertheless the family is deteriorating in this country as well. “The lack of respect towards elders impacts negatively on the character education of youth. UPF’s promotion of family values is very important for Tajikistan,” she said.
There was a separate meeting with the former Minister of Culture in Tajikistan, the president and one of the founders of the State Conservatory, Prof. Rajambat Amirov. He presented a number of projects, including the celebration of the International Day of Peace in 2010 in partnership with UPF.
The representatives of UPF had a meeting with the officers of UN Development Programme in Tajikistan to establish partnerships.
On December 14 UPF representatives also participated in the Model UN youth conference at the Slavic University of Tajikistan and the opening of charity exhibition at the State National Museum of Tajikistan for the benefit of the elderly people.
These meetings show a significant potential of the Ambassadors for Peace movement in Tajikistan. In spite of the complicated economic situation in the country, the peace activists are doing very important work in promoting international peace and development in Tajikistan.