Melbourne, Australia—UPF-Australia celebrated the 2015 International Day of Peace together with the 10th anniversary of UPF’s founding.
Approximately 160 participants attended the celebration, which took place on September 19, 2015. The event was organized jointly with the Australian branch of Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an organization that is affiliated with UPF.
The special guest speaker was Professor Yeon Ah Moon, the international president of WFWP, who spoke on the role of women in peacebuilding.
Breakout sessions, facilitated by Dr. Yves Moreau, assistant director of UPF in Victoria State, focused on peacebuilding and capacity building. Rev. Jong Deug Yoo, director general of UPF-Oceania, spoke on capacity building in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu using the New Village Movement model developed in South Korea.
Ambassador for Peace Mary Mahloko-Boarman spoke of her experience under apartheid in South Africa and her work as a young magistrate during Nelson Mandela’s presidency. Peter Pal, another Ambassador for Peace who is also a member of the Victorian [State] Peace Council, presented an Australian peacebuilding proposal for South Sudan. Dr. Said Ajlouni, one of the founders of the Victorian [State] Syrian Association, spoke passionately about the plight of his people and what Australians could do to support Syrian refugees.