Benefit Dinner for UN International Day of Peace
The Universal Peace Federation (UPF-NL), Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP-NL) and Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU) in Amsterdam, Netherlands organized a benefit dinner program called “Partnerships for Peace – Dignity for All” on September 20, 2015 for the European Medical Aid Project for the Children’s Hospital in Pyongyang, Korea.
The room was packed with representatives of the United Religions Initiative (URI), Peace Ambassadors, Women Empowerment Amsterdam, among other guests and Unificationists. Several guests received Ambassador for Peace certificates and shared about their peace projects. Mrs. Sophia Davies-Jordan emceed the program.
The keynote speaker was Ms. Emma Jansen, General Coordinator of Peace Brigades International (PBI) Netherlands. Emma was presented an Ambassador for Peace Certificate by Mrs. Helen Clerbout-Bressers (board member of WFWP). She showed a five-minute video called “Bearing Witness” as an introduction to her message:
“Human rights defenders are at the heart of all we do at PBI,” she began. “We provide protection, support and recognition to local human rights defenders who work in areas of repression and conflict and have requested our support. We believe that lasting transformation of conflict cannot come from outside, but must be based on the capacity and desires of local people. We avoid imposing, interfering or getting directly involved in the work of the people we accompany. Our work is effective because we take an integrated approach, combining a presence alongside human rights defenders on the ground with an extensive network of international support.”
PBI has been active since 1981 in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Kenya, Nepal and Indonesia. In 2001, PBI received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders from Amnesty International and was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace.
Dr. M.K. Gautam gave concluding remarks about all that was said on the theme of the day by emphasizing the work and vision of True Father. A short video was shown about UPF, and True Father’s poem “Crown of Glory” was read by Kyung In van de Ven (board member WFWP). Mr. Wim Koetsier informed the audience about the North Korea Project and about the visit of True Parents to North Korea in December, 1991. Everyone took home an envelope with True Father’s poem and extra information to stay in touch with the organizations that presented that evening. As the first benefit dinner to take place in the Netherlands by FFWPU, it was a true success in networking for peace.
Contributed by Rita Salaris