Peace Education
UPF-France Offers Peace Philosophy Seminar
Written by Jacques Marion, president, UPF-France
Saturday, July 2, 2022
Paris, France—A seminar on the UPF philosophy of peace brought together dozens of people from different French-speaking nations by videoconference. They were linked to a delegation of Ambassadors for Peace and UPF staff gathered at the Espace Barrault educational center in Paris.
Patrick Jouan, vice president of UPF-France, hosted and moderated the July 2, 2022, program.
The presentations were given by Jacques Marion, the president of UPF-France, and Laurent Ladouce, a UPF research fellow.
Mr. Marion stressed that "Peace goes beyond the mere political and economic aspects." Indeed, the peace studies offered by UPF address certain purely geopolitical aspects of the resolution of current conflicts, but link them to the universal vision of establishing perpetual peace.
Within this framework, it is important to investigate a number of questions related to the idea of perpetual and universal peace:
Is this notion compatible with the great universal laws, and with a scientific approach?
Is it compatible with the human condition, which seems marked by a fundamental inner conflict? What is the contribution of religions and human sciences?
Is it compatible with the laws of history, marked by the predominance of conflicts and the fragility of periods of peace?
Approaching these subjects without dogmatism, the program offered by UPF offers a methodology that profoundly renews peace studies, offering hope for the 21st century. This open approach attracts people from a variety of backgrounds.
A number of prominent people attended the seminar, either in person or online.
H.E. Neziha Labidi, the former Tunisian minister for women, family, children and seniors, attended one of the presentations as she was passing through Paris. She appreciates the very broad approach of the Universal Peace Federation and its affiliated organization Women’s Federation for World Peace. She said she was thrilled with the session she attended.
Eugénie Dossa-Quenum from Benin, the author of several books and a specialist in intercultural psychology, learned a lot during this training. “For someone like me, who prays a lot but isn't attached to any particular denomination, UPF has the right approach,” she said.
Michel Thao Chan, the founder of the Circle of Reflection of Nations, said he appreciates the very clear process of analysis, the judicious use of sacred texts. Accustomed to the UPF study days, he was particularly challenged by the question of divine responsibility and human responsibility. He also welcomed the vertical dimension present in the notion of interdependence, mutual prosperity and universal values.
Alwata Ichata Sahi, the former minister for the family in Mali, was present by videoconference, live from Bamako, with Fatimata Niambali, former deputy for the Malian town of San.
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