Moscow, Russia—The world from afar resembles a bouquet of colorful flowers. Seen closer, it is more like a thorny bush. To make it so that among the thorns and dense branches there grow bright flowers and sweet fruit is the mission of every industrious "gardener" – peacemaker.
Hundreds of events are held every year with calls for peace, eradicating poverty, protecting the planet from public "pests" and "weeds." One of the most important dates in this sense is September 21, the celebration of humankind’s unity in the fight against global problems, officially declared by the UN General Assembly as the International Day of Peace.
This year International Day of Peace celebrations were held around the world under the motto "Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All." The traditional meeting at the Russian headquarters of the Universal Peace Federation touched upon the topics of social equality, prevention of armed conflicts, character education, friendship and brotherhood of peoples.
The program of the meeting in Moscow on September 23, 2017,covered all spheres of public life, including international relations, political activity, and creative self-expression.
A joyful, energetic dance was performed by the group Red Spark, winner of the K-Pop Open Stagefestival. Edith Piaf’s legendary song Padam, Padam was professionally performed by Jana Podkar, who can sing in 11 languages.
Dmitriy Samko, the secretary general of the Moscow chapter of UPF, told about the current activities and plans of the Universal Peace Federation. A rousing speech was delivered bySergei Dvorianov, president of the Amicability international diplomatic club. The audience witnessed a brotherly handshake of the deputy of the State Duma Roman Khudyakov and the people's deputy of Ukraine Alexander Bobkov. Olga Vakulinskaya, president of the Russian chapter of Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an organization that is affiliated with UPF, described the activities of her organization. ThenProfessor Vladislav Popadeykinof the ecological faculty of Peoples’ Friendship University of Russiatook the floor.
Darya Polyakova, Elvira Ishtryakova, Salihat Valieva, Sworn Lata Sharma, and Mollah Parvez joined the amicable team of Ambassadors for Peace.
We are grateful to all participants of the Day of Peace celebration! We must constantly, every day, remember the need to establish peace on earth and make the utmost efforts to eradicate the problems that pave the way for conflicts. Let's strive to make the world more like a bouquet of colorful flowers!