London, England - "It's good to see so many Ambassadors for Peace and activists who have worked tirelessly to make this world a better place to live in," said Lord Tarsem King of West Bromwich in opening the biannual meeting of the UK Peace Council. He described the gathering's purpose as to review UPF’s peace efforts and to promote good practices that have been successful.
Jack Corley, the UPF Director for Ireland and the UK, presented an inspiring framework for the development of strong marriages and families. He explained that the Unification Movement Founder has been conducting large marriage blessings in order to build a network of interracial, international marriage that draw together nations in conflict.
Dr. David Earle described depth and range of the work he and his wife have been doing in Birmingham, England. They held joint meetings in the Birmingham Council chamber to discuss community cohesion in February and then launched a series of meetings in their house. They have extended their living room and garage to be able to host gatherings for up to 100 people.
Seja Majeed spoke of her commitment to volunteering particularly when she was finding it difficult to find a job. She said by going out and doing volunteer activities she was able to meet the people and learning the skills that were assisting her to develop her career. She advised young people to believe in themselves and to be determined. ”The determined person is never powerless!’ she emphasised. She volunteered to work for a counter-terrorism group that then led to an internship with the three faiths forum and then to making a documentary in Iraq. The documentary then has opened doors that enabled her to meet Jon Snow and part-time work with Amnesty International. Her advice was not just to dream about peace and the ideal but to be involved in making it a reality. (You Tube Video of Seja’s speech). She was later presented with an Ambassador for Peace award.
The author and journalist, Jonathan Fryer, posed the question, ‘How can people in a diverse and crowded world live together constructively and harmoniously?’ He emphasised the to face issues from a moral perspective. He described Britain not as a broken society but as a nation that has lost its aims and goals. He added that he sees severe differences between wealth and poverty where he lives in Tower Hamlets. He concluded that while the British political scene is confrontational, the solutions to social issues requires dialogue and cooperation drawing on the people's common desire for peace, prosperity, and love. (You tube link)
Dr. Salwant Singh Multani expressed his desire to establish a UPF branch in Sterling. He is the Chair of Central Scotland Interfaith and has been acknowledged as the most prominent Sikh in Scotland in 2009. He has also been awarded the Hind Rattan award by the Indian Government. He has a passion to establish an Interfaith Youth Hostel in the highlands of Scotland.
Robert Williamson, Director of UPF in the Balkan region, report about the development of UPF on the continent. People in the Albanian government appreciate the work of UPF as an NGO providing moral direction. The UPF does not take any partisan position and therefore can speak for the people of the nation.
The UPF Peace Council in Albania has a presiding council to which 20 members are elected every two years. The Presiding Council members are responsible for the committees of the UPF in Albania. National media cover the elections and meetings of the national presiding council. There is a track record of peace work that has built up over many years.
Robert described the experience of a student who was expected to bribe a teacher before being allowed to graduate and therefore was being held back even though she had passed her exams; people connected to UPF were able to intervene to resolve the situation.
There are eight branches in Albania’s major cities. These do local level projects and service activity. These are complemented by ongoing educational programs about the vision of the UPF. This work is supported by a former President of Albania and former and current Parliamentarians.
UPF – UK Activities in 2009 Powerpoint UPF UK Report Dec 5th 2009