Argentina—The Ambassadors for Peace meeting was the framework to introduce Peace Road 2022, which will have as its theme Connecting Argentina through Peace. The meeting was held virtually on Zoom and broadcasted on UPF-Argentina’s YouTube channel (1), on July 13, 2022.
Dr. Simão Feraboli, secretary general of UPF-South America, remembered the earliest precedent of Peace Road: a meeting in 1981 in Seoul, when UPF Founder Dr. Sun Myung Moon proposed an International Highway at the International Conference on the Unity of the Sciences (ICUS). He went on to explain briefly the International Summit and Leadership Conference scheduled to take place in August in Korea and concluded wishing success to the new edition of Peace Road, thanking and congratulating the dedication and efforts of the Ambassadors for Peace.
Ambassador for Peace Christian Oreb, general coordinator of Red Cooperar, and Patricia Pitaluga, president of Civil Association Acercando Naciones, introduced a review with pictures of previous Peace Road activities in Argentina. Featured were the first edition, a walk in a place popular for demonstrations, Plaza de Mayo, together with a spiritual center, Luján Basilica, in 2015, through the last edition in 2021, when all 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City joined. Exhibiting enthusiasm and commitment, Mr. Oreb and Ms. Pitaluga concluded with the announcement of the 2022 theme and the screening of brief videos on Peace Road in Argentina (2).
Journalist Marita Regolo, radio and TV host, introduced with pictures the location of Peace Road 2022: Las Toninas, in Buenos Aires province (3). This city is located 337 kilometers from Buenos Aires City, which could be called Km. 0 (zero) of the Internet network, which connects Argentina to the region and the world through optical fiber underwater cables, since it’s the most easterly geographical point of Argentina’s sea coast. There, in the neuralgic center of our country’s telecommunications, we can find the themed and religious park, Las Toninas Maze, which will be the venue of Peace Road 2022 Argentina on November 20. There will be a formal opening, a video review in a “virtual walk” across the country showing the activities in all 23 provinces and Buenos Aires City, and a closing with musical presentations.
Miguel Werner, president of UPF-Argentina, presented the Peace Road 2022 proposal: activities across the country: solidary, ecological, educational, artistic, sportive, interreligious or intercultural. These activities will be recorded and edited and shown as the “virtual walk” on November 20. He also explained the provincial institutional representatives or members of civil society organizations (NGOs), who will be the coordinators of the activities, seeking to mobilize the highest number of participants, encourage more participation by organizations and more spread of each province’s activity.
Next, the Monitoring Team was introduced. They are in charge of assisting, following and cheering each of the provincial institutional representatives to mobilize participation in each province. They are: Andrea Bevans, director of the SUD Community Buenos Aires City Communication Council, collaborator of Acercando Naciones; Jonny Hernández, member of Construyendo Ciudadanía, founding institution of Red Cooperar; Erika Alcaráz, secretary of Youth and Students for Peace (YSP) in Argentina and UPF-Argentina staff; and Ailén Marquesano, UPF-Argentina staff and coordinator of the registration and reports department of YSP-Argentina.
The new Ambassador for Peace, Luciana Zambrano, will be in charge of Peace Road 2022 public relations, along with journalist Luba Opeka who, together with Emanuel Sayavedra, secretary general UPF-Argentina and president of YSP-Argentina, warmly moderated the meeting, which ended with a “call to action” for Peace Road 2022 Argentina.
Encouraging words of commitment were given by representatives and executives of some entities of the Peace Road 2022 National Organizing Committee: founder and president of Argentina and Mercosur Christian Journalists Union (UPCAM), journalist Adrián De Angelis, representative of IMAP-Argentina; history and theology teacher Julio Nardini, representative of IAAP-Argentina; economic analyst and expert in transcultural negotiation, Dr. Jorge Tuero, representative of IAED-Argentina; and Rosetta Conti, president of WFWP-Argentina.
Quotes:
1) Ambassadors for Peace Meeting, July 13, 2022, recording: https://youtu.be/8J6ct8NTmW0)
2) Brief videos of different editions of Peace Road in Argentina:
Video review of Peace Road 2017 Argentina:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Petv6EwBWzg
Peace Road 2019 Argentina:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6t2G0fwFhM
Review on Peace Road 2021: “One Argentina Through Peace” 28-11-2021:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ynY75antA
3) More information on Las Toninas and themed maze: www.laberintolastoninas.com.ar
Press release: Las Toninas Maze Will Host Peace Road 2022 Argentina
Interviewing Miguel Werner, president of UPF-Argentina, on Peace Road 2022 Argentina: