Chisinau, Moldova - Young leaders from all sectors of Moldovan society assembled in Chisinau for a Summit on Peace and Development. Part of UPF's Global Peace Tour 2009, the event offered an opportunity to explore a new vision for peace in the 21st century and discuss its applications here.
The leadership conference featured a plenary session consisting of the keynote speech delivered by Dr. Katsumi Ohtsuka, Chairman of UPF-Eurasia, and two break-out sessions focusing on the quest for innovative solutions to problems related to peace and development in the nation.
The 400 participants responded to their peers who called for a spiritual renewal and a determination to counteract the fact that almost half of the prime-age work force have emigrated, seeking better opportunities in foreign countries. In two sessions, over 16 papers were presented to the participants representing the emerging generation of leadership and their perspectives.
The president of the National Association of Youth and Students, Eugen Balan, said "Volunteer work is the best way of exploring your inner traits, social skills, team work, and creativity.” And the eight-time champion of boxing and Bronze Medalist of the World Olympics for Universities, Mihai Munteanu, who spoke publicly for the first time, recounted his battle to achieve excellence. He urged the young people: “It will be a shame for us to leave behind our parents, our homes and our ancestors' graves. The best place to plant the seeds of our talent is in our homeland. The young generation needs true, healthy, and moral models.”
With the Global Youth Service Day nearly one month away (April 25-27), one of the expected outcomes of the Summit is to identify and mobilize youth volunteers who can show the city what a culture of service can look like and how it can renew the society and the nation.
For the keynote address and more information about the peace tour, click here.