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Day of Peace in Quito
Written by Bill Selig
Friday, September 25, 2009
Quito, Ecuador - At the headquarters of the National Assembly in Quito, at the former Senate Chamber, the UN International Day of Peace ceremony was convened with Ambassadors for Peace from different regions of Ecuador, top officials of UPF-Ecuador, and the director of the Unity School of Peace Missions in Ecuador, accompanied by a delegate belonging to the Blue Helmets. Special guests included military, civic, and religious officials. The newspaper Border and four TV channels covered the event.
Lt. Col. Francisco Corredores and Dr. Cecilia Vaca conducted the ceremony, which began with a moment of silence led by a member of the Presidential Escort.
Then Gen. Holger Santana, a member of UPF’s Global Peace Council and Executive Director of UPF-Ecuador, welcomed everyone. “When the power of love is greater than the love of power,” he said, “the world will know peace, because peace is the passion of many and the hope of everyone.”
The UN Secretary-General’s video message was shown. “War not only causes human suffering,” he said; “war can also be devastating for the environment.” Major environmental impacts of a conflict are detectable long after peace is declared. He called respect for the environment essential to our common future and declared it is the duty of every person, organization, or government to help preserve the resources of the earth for future generations. “This is the only war to fight,” he concluded. Considering the risk of nuclear terrorism, he has started a campaign to make a world free of nuclear weapons.
The Consul of Iceland, Mr. Oswaldo Muñoz Maggio, described the quest for peace as a lifelong task and echoed the UN Secretary-General’s call to respect mother nature. Rather than waiting for others, he encouraged everyone to “start spreading seeds of goodness throughout the world that can be harvested as the crop of peace.”
Sister Lucila Lema sang a song of peace that she composed, to the delight of the audience.
Two Ambassadors for Peace focused on peace education. Master Blanca Cueva called the family the cornerstone of society and spoke about the need to educate youth from an early age, cultivating their heart and character by teaching them universal principles and life goals. Master Carmita Moreno emphasized a commitment to peace through education.
Finally, representatives of the Universal Peace Federation expressed confidence that happiness ultimately comes from building peace with justice, righteousness, and love, and that true peace begins with each individual. Only when we realize the true meaning of peace will we become aware of the harmony that makes us all one.
The program ended with all participants singing a beautiful song to honor the UN International Day of Peace: “Cantaré, cantarás. Cada vez somos más.” (I´ll sing, you´ll sing, and every time there are more of us.)
To read UPF's Declaration on the International Day of Peace 2009, click here.
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