N’djamena, Chad - The Universal Peace Federation-Chad held the following activities in celebration of the 2008 United Nations International Day of Peace.
- Tree planting
- Press conference
- Lectures with a film on character education in schools
- Lecture and discussion at CEFOD on human rights and peacekeeping
- Women's football match in the national stadium
All these activities were covered by the newspapers, national TV broadcasting, and the national radio station. Ambassadors for Peace planned the activities and worked to make them successful.
As a prelude to the International Day of Peace, the Ambassadors for Peace planted trees at Gaoui, a site some 10 km from capital city N’djamena on August 29. Planting trees is a civic effort to preserve the environment.
On September 16, a press conference was held at the home of H.E. Ganda Mayoumbila, an Ambassador for Peace. H.E. Ganda reported about his participation at the International Leadership Conference in Seoul, Korea, June 11-15, and H.E. Valery Gotingar reported about the International Leadership Conference August 29-September 2 in Nairobi, Kenya.
On September 18, UPF Secretary General Mr. Ndilmbaye Nekarthe lectured using a film about character education at the Gassi Heath School in N’djamena.
On September 19, a gathering took place at CEFOD, a famous conference site, for a lecture and discussion. The speakers were H.E. Sekimbaye Bessane, Ambassador for Peace; Mrs. Rima Sala, the MINURCAT (United Nations Mission to Maintain Peace in the Central Africa Republic and Chad) Representative Assistant; H.E. Mbailaou Naimbaye Lossimian, President of UPF-Chad and current Minister of Agriculture; and Mr. Ndilmbaye Nekar, Secretary General of UPF-Chad. The topic was Human Rights and Peacekeeping.
Certificates were awarded to 60 new Ambassadors for Peace after the lecture. Various guests attended at this conference: political leaders, military leaders, religious leaders, and diplomats. The Prime Minister was represented by the Minister of Justice, H.E. Jean Alingue Bawoyeu, who is also an Ambassador for Peace.
On September 21, a women's football match took place at the Idriss Mahamat Ouya National Stadium. A Peace Day Cup was delivered to the winning team by H.E. Jean Alingue Bawoyeu, representing the Prime Minister, and the second team received an award from the President of Presidential Council, Mbailao Naimbaye Lossimian. Before the awards were given, the Secretary General of UPF-Chad Mr. Ndilmbaye Nekar read the Peace Declaration of the UPF.
The International Day of Peace was organized by UPF Chad with the assistance of MINURCAT and the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) in Chad. Participants included administrators, political leaders, military leaders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, and diplomats.
The Ministry of National Education and MINURCAT will support efforts by the Ambassadors for Peace in Chad to strengthen the culture of peace in schools in northern Chad and among the displaced people in eastern Chad. In this way, the mission of the Ambassadors for Peace has been recognized by government authorities and some institutions in Chad.
To read UPF's Peace Declaration and reports of observances in other nations, click here.