UPF-Peru organized two meetings for the International Day of Peace: one in the Peruvian Congress and the other in Tumbes.
Lima
Since 2006 UPF-Peru has celebrated the UN International Day of Peace in the Peruvian Congress Building. This year the co-sponsor was Congresswoman Maria Cordero Jon Tay from Tumbes (Northern Amazonian Peru), Vice President of the Commission for International Relations - Peru/Korea. She inaugurated the meeting and stayed for the whole event in spite of her very busy schedule.
Guest speakers on the September 21 event included Congressman Yonhy Lescano, whose wife Patricia Contador was appointed as an Ambassador for Peace during the event. The Minister for Women could not attend on this occasion, so she sent Dr. Julio Rojas Hulca, Vice Minister for Vulnerable Populations, to speak on her behalf.
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Former Government Minister Arq. Luis Huarcaya shared the words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on this occasion, adding his own thoughts and expressing his sadness at the passing of UPF Founder Rev. Sun Myung Moon. He concluded by calling for all to stand for one minute of silence. UPF-Peru President Trevor Jones shared the vision of UPF for this day and paid tribute to the work of Rev. Moon following a video presentation of the work of UPF.
The theme of this year, “Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future,” prompted many of the speakers to express their concerns about the conflicts that exist beyond the military battlefields, calling for an end to domestic violence, child abuse, poverty, and other social problems that can also be categorized as a type of war. Dr. Lescano encouraged the UPF to promote these themes as part of its work with the United Nations.
During the afternoon an eight-year-old poet shared with many dramatic gestures his poem about the pain and suffering of humanity. A blind singer also sang a special song for peace that he had composed for this day.
Many new Ambassadors for Peace were appointed on this occasion due to unprecedented number of requests from current Ambassadors for Peace that their contacts and colleagues be incorporated into the Universal Peace Federation.
The final activity of the day was the Interreligious Water Ceremony in which ministers from six different churches shared their prayers before pouring water into a unifying glass vase.
Vice President Orestes Sanchez closed the meeting with some well-chosen words that included his testimony of the experience he had recently when attending memorial services for Rev. Moon in Korea.
Tumbes
One week after the celebration in Lima, the President and Vice President of UPF-Peru traveled to the north of Peru to the city of Tumbes. They had been invited by the Association of Evangelical Pastors in this border town to join them in a March for Peace. On Saturday morning they met with the local Mayor to explain to her the work of UPF. At lunchtime they were guests in a meeting of the Press Union (reporters) who were celebrating the appointment of a new local President.
Around 4.00 pm they joined representatives of many Evangelical churches to march through the city for an hour before holding a public meeting in the town square. The UPF banner for the Day of Peace led the procession, and both Dr. Trevor Jones and Reverend Orestes Sanchez spoke to the crowd that had gathered in the square to hear the speeches and musical presentations.
The following morning, with a few hours to spare before the return bus journey of 20 hours, they had time to cross the border into Ecuador and sample to local cuisine. All in all, it was a very fruitful journey, leaving behind some new Ambassadors for Peace to carry on the work in Tumbes.
For more reports about International Day of Peace 2012 programs click here.
