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UPF-Argentina Issues a Statement of Peace
Written by Miguel Werner, President, UPF-Argentina
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
Argentina—UPF-Argentina issued a “Statement of Peace” with its six leadership areas (IAPP, IAPD, IMAP, IAAP, IAACP, IAED) gathered by the Peace Council on March 9, 2022. This statement reaffirms the effort and commitment for peaceful coexistence among peoples and cultures, in a time when the world witnesses in astonishment a new war.*
Since the beginning of the conflict, Ambassadors for Peace and representatives of different fields have expressed their thoughts in video messages, poems and songs, spread by UPF-Argentina in their social networks through the series: “Voices and Commitments for Peace: We Reaffirm our Task and Mission for Peaceful Coexistence among Peoples and Cultures.”
Aligned with UPF-International’s Statement on February 25, 2022, on the crisis in Ukraine where they “call upon our political leaders, including heads of state and parliamentarians, as well as representatives of civil society and religious leaders—Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and others—to come together in dialogue, raising their voices in a call for peace.” (1)
In the same vein, UPF-Argentina convened on February 28 a “Prayer for Peace,” where we read an excerpt of the Autobiography “As a Peace-Loving Global Citizen,” and heard reflections and prayers for peace in Ukraine and the world. Then, we initiated the 2022 “Honoring a Peace Legacy” series, a space of interreligious and intercultural learning, which began during the global quarantine in 2020 to strengthen unity and hope.
Peace Statement - UPF Argentina
UPF’s different leadership areas call for Peace, facing this war that threatens humanity and the planet. They reaffirm their service and cooperation for coexistence among peoples and cultures.
“Let’s become one community, one human family united through interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values!”**
- Invading and taking over territories are primitive ways of dominating. Violence and war lead to failure and are the result of unsolved ancestral fights. Ukraine currently suffers these tragic events, especially its people, as well as the Russian people. The consequences of this affect humanity and the planet. Death, destruction and the spiral of violence lead us to uncertainty. No one is safe. We ask for dialogue to prevail so we can end the tragedy of war. (IAPP)
- Violence against others humiliates our dignity and our condition as beings equipped with intelligence and will to change the course of conflicts. In times where material values are becoming more important, we need to revive our transcendent spiritual essence, which allows us to meet again as brothers and sisters. War represents the loss of the sense of life. We ask to join forces in interreligious initiatives, to pray and claim Peace in Ukraine and the world. (IAPD)
- In this globalized world surrounded by technologies and internet networks, we appreciate the central role of the media, many times subject to personal interests, self-promotion, agendas and geopolitics. The value of truth, which is taught and upheld as a fundamental value of a responsible and ethical journalism, is even more important in times of war. The media needs to ensure the dignity of each individual and their freedom, claiming the communicative value of words, dialogue and mutual understanding, avoiding prejudice and conflict. (IMAP)
- “The world talks about peace, but no one educates for peace. People educate to compete, and this is the principle of any war. When we educate to cooperate and be supportive with one another, that day we will be educating for peace,” affirms educator María Montessori. In times like this, where such a priority was omitted from the agenda, it is necessary to emphasize the importance of educating in values of coexistence: understanding the different ethnicities, cultures and religions; learning history, with no ideological imperatives; knowing our dignity, rights and obligations. (IAAP)
- What we sow in our minds and hearts, whether fears and resentments, or love and forgiveness, we harvest tomorrow. It should be clear by now that the history of weapons, economic sanctions, laws and resolutions can never grant sustainable peace. We also need to take into account the valuable contribution offered by “soft power.” Art, culture and sports are an important way to encourage creativity, talents and resources to promote fraternity, since we are one global family, beyond the differences of nationality, ethnicity and religion. (IAACP)
- Peace cannot be sustained without restoring every individual’s dignity, rescuing from marginality big areas living in poverty, with no access to education, work, health, housing.... Peace among peoples can occur when governments understand, internalize and act based on moral values of equity and justice, where the economy is the administration of goods for a prosper life. (IAED)
(1) A Call for Peace: Statement by UPF International on Ukraine:
* International Association of Parliamentarians for Peace (IAPP) / Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) / International Media Association for Peace (IMAP) / International Association of Academicians for Peace (IAAP) / International Association of Arts and Culture for Peace (IAACP) /International Association for Peace and Economic Development (IAED) / Info: www.upf.org
** Rally of Hope, 8-8-2020
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