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Speeches
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T. Schellen: An Assessment of the Implications of the Syrian Catastrophe
- Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Suffering through a horrible time of internal and imported warfare, Syria was the world’s biggest problem in 2013. The awareness of the predicament came to a peak in the summer, when the global community was confronted with the country’s surging numbers of internal and external refugees.
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E.G. Drapeko: A Value-Based Culture
- Saturday, December 21, 2013
In his annual address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on December 12, 2013, the Russian Federation President, Vladimir Putin, said that "the coming year of 2014 is declared in Russia the Year of Culture.
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C.S. Yang: Middle East Initiative 10th Anniversary
- Thursday, December 19, 2013
On the foundation of the Middle East Peace Initiative's first decade of effort, we want to move forward to a new stage of engagement and activism. It is my deepest hope that UPF and MEPI can make a significant contribution to bring peace to this Holy Land. I have the greatest love and respect for all my Jewish, Christian and Muslim brothers and sisters. I want to see the day when we can live together in peace, harmony and cooperation, like one family, one family under God.
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C.S. Yang: Cooperation for a Culture of Peace and Human Development
- Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Europe and Eurasia represent two enormously important civilizations that play major roles in world affairs, politically, economically, socially and culturally. UNESCO reminds us that “peace begins in the minds of men and women.” Hence, the supreme importance of education and communication. UNESCO has also lead the way in promoting the “rapprochement of cultures”, encouraging dialogue and cooperation.
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W. Lichem: The Rising Need for Societal Development
- Wednesday, December 4, 2013
The global agendas for the 21st century are marked by an enhanced focus on the human being, on the citizen and on societies in addition to the traditional addressing of issues related to governments and states. Peace is not any more the achievement of governmental armament, defended borders and related policies but, as the title of our meeting indicates, the result of value structures of societal cultures carried by the human being and by societies. This realization of the central focus and role of the citizen and society for achieving the objectives of “our common future” has been the subject of a new focus in our approaches to development and to our understanding of peace and security and of the role of the human being/citizen as actor, victim or beneficiary.
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J. Gundacker: Can the Family Be a Vehicle for Cultural Rapprochement between East and West?
- Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Through my work with the Family Forum and also being a partner in the Austrian Family Network, I feel that family is the key factor for human development to create a culture of peace. Having visited different countries in Europe and beyond, I learned that family is of great importance in the life of people in the East and in the West, and so, I maintain, that family is the primary vehicle of rapprochement.
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T. Walsh: Social Epidemics: Policy and Practices of Effective Responses
- Friday, November 22, 2013
There is now a range of evidence that communities with a good ‘stock’ of ‘social capital’ are more likely to benefit from lower crime figures, better health, high educational achievement, and better economic growth.
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J.B. Pratt: A Secular State and a Religiously Inclusive Society
- Thursday, November 21, 2013
Some, in the current debate in Canada, have argued that the state should be officially atheistic and that religious groups and institutions should not benefit from tax-exempt status or have any public role. I understand a secular state (and I think this underlies at least the language of the proposed Charter of Quebec Values, if not its spirit) to be one which does not privilege or favor any particular religion or system of belief, but treats all neutrally.
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S. Elibyari: The Charter of Quebec Values – Projet de loi 60
- Thursday, November 21, 2013
We love Quebec, we are full-fledged citizens, we strive to live in a tolerant, pluralistic, all inclusive society where each and every person will be valued for their contribution. Together by joining our efforts, by opening our minds and our hearts we will become this society, Insha Allah, God willing.
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G.A. Spanovich: Using Mahatma Gandhi's Spiritual Model to Create Cultures of Peace
- Friday, November 15, 2013
We can no longer wait for others to do that work for us – we must begin now, today and including everyone in this room and we must start by building “cultures of peace” in our homes – in our schools – and in our communities and from there. It must spread out from there.
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C.S. Yong: 8th Anniversary of Nepal's Peace Process
- Wednesday, November 13, 2013
On the same day they came to Nepal to inaugurate UPF, Nepal’s peace process began. The 12-point Memorandum of Understanding was signed in New Delhi between the Maoists and the Seven Party Alliance. The beginning of ending the decade-long war that left as many as 15,000 Nepalese people dead was on the same day as UPF’s inauguration in Nepal: Nov. 22, 2005. We are here in memory of that event eight years ago.
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A.-M. Lizin: Indirect Interventionism: Consequences for the Geneva II Peace Conference
- Sunday, October 13, 2013
I will try to give some guidelines regarding the evolution of interventionism in the last two decades, in order to be able to discuss some conclusions applicable to the Syrian war and to the future Geneva II Peace Conference.