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Ambassadors for Peace Meeting Launches UPF-Argentina’s 2023 Series
Written by Miguel Werner, President, UPF-Argentina
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Buenos Aires City, Argentina—The Ambassadors for Peace meeting held on April 12, 2023, formally launched UPF-Argentina’s year and included the presentation of the “Leadership and Teamwork” Guidebook, brief speeches, and artistic numbers. The event took place at Marina Mercante University (UdeMM), in Buenos Aires City (1).
To start the program, the poem “A la copa mundial” was read by Martín Ascheri Moyano, lawyer, researcher and poet. Also, an introductory video was shown on UPF (8), an international, interreligious organization founded in 2005, which develops initiatives and activities in more than 150 countries in different regions.
“I hope every Ambassador for Peace, each one from their particular work and mission, can do their best in the ‘Pacific Era,’ when we need to do outreach with our energy and good will for cooperation and common good among all leadership areas and fields…” claimed Dr. Sung Jong Seo, UPF-Southern Cone president. “Let’s keep working together to become true Peace teams: Parliamentarians, religious people, academicians, journalists, culture and economy leaders; to inspire and assist for a better society and world. Let’s be a beacon of hope, as brothers and sisters, as one great family, under God’s guidance, where war and injustice no longer exist,” he concluded (2).
Gabriela Vázquez, UdeMM University Extension secretary and director of the University Social Responsibility Professorship, gave welcoming remarks in representation of the university and mentioned the importance of raising leaders with purpose, capable of listening, empathizing, trusting, facing adversity and committing to the work of leaving behind a better planet for the following generations. She encouraged all to keep working together for peace, and mentioned the Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace Justice and Strong Institutions), like Pope Francis’ Laudato si’ encyclical, highlighting the concept of “integral ecology” addressed there. Lastly, she read a brief poem of hers, “Ciclo del agua,” about the importance of dialogue to build our future.
Miguel Werner, UPF-Argentina president, shared a PowerPoint about the 2023 Series and a reference to the “Leadership and Teamwork” Guidebook. He also emphasized some concepts of the “leadership with a Peace perspective” values promoted by UPF, which he reinforced with brief videos related to the teamwork and leadership roles manifested in our world-winning national football team. “We have a vision, we have standards and values, but we need to get down to work…,” he claimed in the beginning, highlighting certain leadership values, starting with a shift of focus: “From I to us.” This leadership “requires strength and more preparation…” in front of the overwhelming current challenges. We currently need, besides the virtues and resources of a good leadership, more cooperation and commitment, service vocation, listening, talent, humility, effort… (3).
Next, Miguel Werner gave the “Leadership and Teamwork” Guidebook (4) to members of UPF-Argentina’s Governing Board: Prof. Emanuel Sayavedra, UPF-Argentina secretary general and YSP-Argentina president; WFWP-Argentina president Rosetta Conti, who is also UPF-Argentina’s treasurer; and Alba Luz Tangarife, from UPF-Argentina’s Administrative Council.
Then Peace Council members were invited to come up to the stage to receive the “Leadership and Teamwork” Guidebook: Inderveer Kaur, vice-president and Public Relations of Gurdwara Guru Ram Das Dev Ji from the Sikh Dharma Temple in Argentina, representative of IAPD-Argentina; Prof. Bertha Bilbao Richter, vice-president of the ILCH (Hispanic Literary and Cultural Institute), representative of IAACP-Argentina; and Prof. Julio Nardini, representative of Ambassadors for Peace and IAAP-Argentina.
Also receiving the Guidebook were the Public Relations team: journalist Luba Opeka, from Akamasoa Foundation in Argentina; Luciana Zambrano, from Jujuy Crusade for Solidarity, UPF representative of the “Let’s Plant Trees: Let’s Sow Peace” Initiative (5); a representative of the Advisory Council, Sergio Castellón, member the Family Federation in Argentina; and UPF-Argentina staff member Erika Alcaraz, YSP-Argentina secretary. All of them had a chance to explain their role, the 2023 Series, or the “Leadership and Teamwork” concept.
Later, UPF-Southern Cone president, Dr. Sung Jong Seo, UPF-Argentina director Carlos Varga and UPF-Argentina president Miguel Werner gave the pending Ambassador for Peace certificates to representatives of different areas who had been appointed in virtual meetings during 2021: Norma Banegas and Gerardo Alcaraz, members of the Los Ralos Volunteer Firefighters Civil Association, from Tucumán; Palma Papa, founder and vice-president of the United Calabrese Association in San Isidro, Buenos Aires; Pablo Cabrejas, entrepreneur and founder of the Alejandro Olmos Cultural Center, in Buenos Aires City; David Barbieri, head doctor of the Intensive Care Unit at Álvarez Hospital, fourth officer of Nueva Pompeya and Barracas Volunteer Firefighters, in Buenos Aires City (6).
The event ended with artistic numbers from singer and entertainer Makenna Zambonini, Ambassador for Peace, creator of Music Nights for Peace; and singer and composer Mauro Galeppi, music teacher, member of the pop-rock fusion band Simultáneo. They performed “Fuga de luces,” “Quédate conmigo,” “Y dale alegría a mi corazón” and “Todo a pulmón.” During this section, the audience was entertained by the Social Clown Therapists, a voluntary group with great solidary vocation, coordinated by Ambassador for Peace Stella Maris Coronel Ocampo (7).
The emcees were the new Ambassador for Peace Nélida Liliana Prado, culture coordinator of CIDEC-Argentina; and Emanuel Sayavedra, UPF-Argentina secretary general and YSP-Argentina president. Both gave a dynamic energy to the meeting, which ended with a group photo and discussions about new meetings and expectations for this year.
For this event, we received many greetings and support from, among others, Ambassadors for Peace Lucrecia Potenza, from FUNDARTES; Amalia Daibes and Esteban Fauret, directors of the literary-ecological program “Y volverán a ser árboles”; and a heartfelt message from renowned poet Nélida Pessagno. We also received many apologies from Ambassadors for Peace who could not attend due to different reasons.
Before the program, we showed a review on the 2022 Peace Road: “Connecting Argentina through Peace” (9), one of UPF’s global initiatives, which has been held annually in Argentina since 2015 and, since 2020, has extended across the country, including the Argentinian Antarctica and Buenos Aires City, with the starting point being Km 0, the onset of all national highways.
Links:
1) Photos of the Ambassadors for Peace meeting 12-4-2023:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=upfargentina&set=a.277898467895163
2) Message by Dr. Sung Jong Seo, President of UPF-Southern Cone:
https://www.slideshare.net/UPFArgentina/mensaje-del-dr-sung-jong-seo-presidente-de-upf-cono-sur
3) Presentation of “Leadership with a Peace Perspective” 12-4-2023:
https://es.slideshare.net/UPFArgentina/liderazgo-en-perspectiva-de-paz-1242023
4) “Leadership and Teamwork” – Guidebook 2023 Series UPF Argentina:
https://es.slideshare.net/UPFArgentina/manual-gua-liderazgo-y-equipo-ciclo-2023-upf-argentina
5) Delivery of the “Leadership and Teamwork” Guidebook to UPF-Argentina’s Peace Council 12-4-2023:
6) Delivery of certificates and responses given by Ambassadors for Peace 12-4-2023:
7) “Todo a pulmón”: Makenna Zambonini-Mauro Galeppi - 12-4-2023:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsEkjBc1ZUQ
8) Introductory video on UPF-International:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k2K_sphYvM
9) 2022 Peace Road Argentina review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccM_9tNQYQs
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