Caracas, Venezuela - The International Day of Peace was celebrated on September 21 with a walk for peace from the entrance to the Francisco de Miranda Park to the Brión de Chacaíto Plaza and concluding with a presentation about HIV/AIDS and drug abuse prevention.
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About 200 youth, families, and community leaders joined the Peace Walk for about 2 km from the Francisco de Miranda Park to the Plaza Brion in Chacaíto. A young girl released a white dove, symbol of peace and freedom, and then we enjoyed listening to speeches by distinguished people including the Metropolitan City Hall Council member Max Sanchez, Councilman Jose Gregorio Fuentes, Councilman Flavia Martineau, the Presidents of the Federation of Students Bodies of the Universidad Simón Bolívar, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Universidad Católica Santa Rosa, Universidad Luis Caballero Mejías.
The Secretary General of the Universal Peace Federation, Mr. Jesus Navarro, read the declaration of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and appointed various distinguished people as Ambassadors for Peace in recognition of their noble work and to urge them to continue investing efforts for the realization of a peaceful world transcending differences of race, religion, social status, or political ideology. The keynote speakers received as a gift the autobiography of the founder of the UPF, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.
This was followed by a press conference and presentation of an educational dance and theatrical production called "The End of Our Friendship," which aims to prevent HIV-AIDS, drug abuse, and unwanted teenage pregnancy, and to promote values of peace that make a happy and stable family.
We appreciate the extraordinary support of Melba Sanchez and Juan Quintana for organizing the event and all institutions who joined us: Women Federation for World Peace, Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles, Cabildo Metropolitano de Caracas, Legislative Committee of the Metropolitan Council, Fundación Merecemos Paz, Fundación Mujeres Miranda, Justice and Democracy Foundation, Amnesty International, the Municipal Council of Hatillo, and others.
The Peace Walk was preceded by a social service project held on September 17 in San Bernardino, Caracas. A group of over 100 volunteers cleaned, painted, and removed weeds from the Plaza Fermín Toro. The trash weighed more than 400Kg. We ended the service with a brief cultural event and the recognition of new Ambassadors for Peace, among them a deputy in the National Assembly, Dr. Dinorah Linares, and the Secretary General of the Pedagogical University Experimental Libertador, Professor Maria Esperanza Perez.
It was a profound and transforming experience, which encouraged and restored hope for a peaceful world, which must be built with volunteer effort and solidarity by all.