Quito, Ecuador—UPF celebrated the UN International Day of Peace 2015 in Ecuador with events in the country’s capital, Quito, and Guayaquil, a city in Guayas province, on September 16 and 25, respectively.
Quito
In Quito, UPF organized an event for the International Day of Peace at the Hilton Colon Hotel on September 16. More than 50 Ambassadors for Peace and guests of UPF attended the one-day celebration, which was emceed by a young member (18 years old) of UPF-Ecuador.
The program began with a minute of silence, followed by faith leaders—a Muslim leader, a bishop of the Anglican Church, a representative of a Hindu organization, and a Catholic theologian—pouring water into a common bowl, and offering prayers for all victims of conflict, violence and natural disasters.
Then, an Ambassador for Peace read the UN Secretary-General’s message for the Day, and a university professor read a message UN Women-Ecuador wrote, recognizing UPF’s work in support of the UN.
Dr. Eduardo Villarreal, an Ambassador for Peace, spoke about UPF’s principles of peace and the significance of Ambassadors for Peace.
A reception followed the program, where Ambassadors for Peace enjoyed meeting one another, and their children helped as staff. Music was also performed, by an Ambassador for Peace, who played the piano.
Guayaquil
In Guayaquil, UPF organized an event for the International Day of Peace at Hotel Oro Verde on September 25. More than 90 people, including Ambassadors for Peace and guests—among them, a former president and judge of Ecuador’s National Court of Justice, scholars and leaders of civil society—attended the celebration.
Ambassadors for Peace helped plan the event, coordinating presenters and sending invitation letters.
The program began with a minute of silence, followed by a singing of Ecuador’s national anthem, "¡Salve, Oh Patria!" ("We Salute You, Our Homeland") and a reading of the UN Secretary-General’s message; UN Women-Ecuador’s message and peace messages, by Ambassadors for Peace and special guests. A fifteen-year-old child of an Ambassador for Peace also read a message, appealing for an improvement of peace in the world.