Bogota, Colombia - The International Day of Peace was celebrated at the Peace Embassy in Bogota with two events, on Sept. 21 and 28, 2014.
The Sept. 21 meeting was led by Mr. William Rodriguez, who called on people to reflect on their role and responsibility as agents of peace. Four people committed to developing and strengthening interreligious dialogue and cooperation were appointed Ambassadors for Peace:
- Monseñor Javier Montaña
- Dr. Juventino ''Muhammad Sadiq'' Martínez
- Rev. Desiderio Vargas Pérez
- Sr. Carlos A. Ortiz Devia
Another celebration took place on Sept. 28 with Ambassadors for Peace at the Peace Embassy with the presence of Dr. Charles S. Yang, chairman of UPF International, and Rev. Dong Mo Shin, continental director of UPF-South America.
The MC was Mr. Rodrigo Olave, president of UPF-Colombia, who welcomed the participants. Then Ambassadors for Peace Bishop Desiderio Vargas offered an opening prayer, followed by Imam Julian Zapata, who warmly welcomed the speakers and guests, emphasizing the efforts of the Rev. Moon and his wife in building a lasting peace.
Later an introductory video of UPF's activities was presented, and the Secretary General of UPF-South America Dr. Simao Ferabolli introduced Rev. Shin, who thanked the religious leaders, Ambassadors for Peace and other guests, and introduced Dr. Yang as coming to encourage ongoing efforts to build a peaceful Colombian society.
Dr. Yang expressed appreciation for the presence of religious leaders of various faiths and thanked them for coming to the event. He gave a quick graphic presentation of the six main activities of UPF. In addition, he emphasized the need for joint efforts among the religious, political, academic and social leaders to change the mindset of society in general, in order to build a culture of peace in Colombia, Latin America and the world.
The event ended with a dinner and a musical presentation by the youth group of the organization.