Jakarta, Indonesia—Around 130 walkers and cyclers participated in the “Peace Road” 2017 event in Indonesia, which was held on Sunday, November 3, 2017 in Jakarta. The program took place in an area on the main road near the historical National Monument in the heart of the capital. Every Sunday morning from 6 to 11 a.m. this area is closed to traffic to encourage people to walk and bike instead of using cars. Besides the registered participants, the event was open to passersby to join in.
Mr. Iksan HB from the Office of the President of Indonesia, Special Envoy to the Middle East and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was the guest of honor. Representing UPF were Mrs. Ursula McLackland, secretary general of UPF-Asia; Mr. David McLackland, education director of UPF-Indonesia; Mr. Alfred Forno, secretary general of UPF-Indonesia; and Ambassadors for Peace Mrs. Herawaty Paeran and Mr. Mustofa Kamal.
Prior to the program, all the participants enjoyed exercise, dancing the “Maumere Dance,” a traditional dance from West Nusa Tenggara province, accompanied by lively music. Mr. Forno, the emcee, opened the program, which began with the singing of the Indonesian national anthem and this was followed by an opening prayer offered by Mrs. Paeran. Afterwards, Mr. Forno gave a brief explanation about the Peace Road project.
Before signing the Peace Road banner, Mr. Iksan spoke about the importance of this event and the necessity of maintaining peace and supporting security and development on both the national and world levels. He expressed his support for UPF in its efforts to foster peace through this and other projects.
Mrs. McLackland gave an exciting and powerful speech, spoke some words in the local language, which attracted cheers from the crowd.
After the Peace Road Banner signing, all the participants lined up in front of the headquarters of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology on Thamrin Street. Mr. Iksan waved the Peace Road flag, starting the march. The group of walkers and the group of cyclists took routes that were just under 1 mile (or 1.4 kilometers) and 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometers), respectively, and that ended back at the TAIB headquarters.
The event concluded with the awarding of door prizes.