Monza, Italy - UPF and the Women’s Federation for World Peace of Italy organized a conference on the theme of “Education for Peace – Vision and Paths” at the Urban Center in Monza on Sept. 20, 2014. This celebration of the UN International Day of Peace was followed in the evening by the customary Interfaith Prayer Vigil for World Peace.
This conference held in Monza was in some respects unique: from the point of view of the structure because the large number of speakers who – as it rarely happens - complied with the time frame of their speeches, from the point of view of the contents because of the concrete proposals and actual achievements presented, and from the point of view of the spirit because the meeting showed a rather remarkable convergence of opinions on the topics under discussion. In the expressions of different ideas, the key words were "convergence," "respect," "acceptance," "interaction" and "cooperation".
The conference was free from preconceived ideologies, verbal clashes and mutual intolerance, in which people with the best intentions sometimes engage. This does not mean that all the speakers toned down their speeches but rather that they understood the importance of the common goal and the need to join forces to reach it, despite coming from different directions. This is precisely the goal of UPF.
The meeting, which was attended by a large audience, was opened by President of UPF Monza Carlo Chierico, who expressed an extraordinary desire and idea to the City Council members who were at the conference: to make Monza the “Capital of Peace”; the Mayor of Monza, Roberto Scanagatti, took up the idea in his welcoming speech, confirming his intention to make Monza, if not the capital, at least a City of Peace.
The first session was on the value of interreligious cooperation. It was chaired by Dr. Adel Jabbar, a sociologist, who coordinated the seven speakers of that panel. This session was strengthened by its international representation: two speakers had come from Israel for this purpose, Prof. Eliezer Glaubach and Mr. Hod Ben Zvi; Pastor Ana Rosa Pereira of Brazilian origin, from the Baptist church in Milan; and Yousef Sbai of Arab origin, vice president of the Union of Islamic Communities of Italy.
The two Israelis explained what the UPF is doing in Israel to help overcome the terrible conflict that has for decades been plagueng the region. Giuseppe Calì, president of the Family Federation for World Peace-Italy, which has always been committed to inter-faith, expressed his appreciation for all the activities to bring into collaboration people of all the faiths of the world.
The second session, entitled the role of politics, was chaired by Rosario Montalbano, spokesman for education in the City of Monza. The seven speakers that followed - including the president of the Province of Monza-Brianza Dario Allevi, deputies, mayors, and member of the European Parliament Cécile Kyenge - illustrated the way in which governments face the challenges to peace. Local and European polices are addressing threats to peace from the point of view of the management of immigration; they, therefore, spoke about some projects already completed or in progress, especially regarding the integration and acceptance of migrants in the country. Integration aims not necessarily for assimilation but the acceptance of the plurality of cultures and faiths.
After the lunch break, the Vocalincanto choir led by Daniela Cattaneo offered a selection of works that were greatly appreciated.
Thee third session was dedicated to the role of the mass media and chaired by Mauro Sarasso, President of Insubria Media Point, an association for ethics in communication. The speakers, seven journalists from local and national newspapers, addressed the potential for journalists to become promoters of peace. Such a topic also implied how to address important issues such as ethics and facing the challenges of new media.
The fourth session, giving voice to associations for peace, presided by Carlo Chierico, featured speeches by representatives of eight organizations whose core goals are the promotion of peace. Speakers included the Carlo Zonato, president of UPF-Italy, and Elisabetta Nistri, national president of the Women's Federation for World Peace.
The fifth and final session, giving voice to the young people, was chaired by Wesam El Husseiny, Ambassador of Peace. Representatives of seven youth groups presented their proposals and their experiences in working to promote peace.
That evening at 9:00, the tenth Interfaith Prayer Vigil took place outside the Town Hall; this tenth anniversary, in fact, inspired the organization of the conference, which collected the fruit of all these years of work to promote peace and acceptance. An even greater number of participants than in past years celebrated with words, songs and prayers the International Day of Peace.
For a report (in Italian) about an International Day of Peace forum and musical performance, click here.