Pillar - Art and Culture

Hanoi, Vietnam - Israeli vocalist David D’Or and American conductor David Eaton--both of whom are Ambassadors for Peace--performed with the Hanoi Philharmonic at the Hanoi Opera House as part of the “Friendship Melody” concert commemorating the 20th anniversary of Israeli and Vietnam diplomatic relations. The concert took place on April 11 and was attended by numerous diplomats and the respective ambassadors of Israel and Vietnam.

Bergen aan Zee, Netherlands - The Japanese singer Seiko Hatano Lee gave a “Spring Concert” in Huize Glory, North Holland on April 11. It was the last concert of her 2013 visit to Europe, which had been mainly in Germany and Austria; this concert was arranged at very short notice.

Tokyo, Japan - "Arts and culture are potent ingredients in conflict prevention and resolution, peacekeeping and peace building," emphasized Dr. Akiko Fukushima, a Research Fellow of Aoyama Gakuin University's Joint Research Institute for International Peace and Culture, at the 17th Peace Diplomats Forum organized by UPF-Japan in Tokyo on March 26.

Commentary on the Role of Culture in the Era of Globalization

Vienna, Austria - On Sunday afternoon, December 16, UPF-Austria held the last of five concerts which were sponsored by the cultural department of the City of Vienna. It was also a Christmas celebration closing the year's activities of UPF in Vienna under the theme “Slovakian Christmas.”

St. Petersburg, Russia - Once again the "Light of the Christmas Star" festival gathered together artistic youth from different regions of Russia: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Mytishchi, southern Butovo, Pskov, Veliky Novgorod, Krasnodar region, and Pyt-Yakh (in the Khanty-Mansiysk national district). The event took place from December 8 to 12 in Finland and Sweden. The program was part of the Baltic Dialogue peace initiative by UPF-Eurasia.

Moscow, Russia - UPF-Russia Secretary General Konstantin Krylov participated in a round table on the role of culture as a means for grassroots diplomacy at the Moscow Center “Strategy” on November 29. Participants envisioned Russia becoming a spiritual superpower known not only for its Kalashnikovs and Stolichnaya vodka but also for its great masters of culture and spirit.

New York, USA - The Mission of Sri Lanka to the United Nations hosted a Japanese Tea Ceremony organized by staff of UPF's Office of UN Relations on November 27.

Washington DC, USA - The Washington, DC office of UPF hosted a fall Japanese Tea Ceremony on a beautiful autumn day with multicolored leaves decorating the lawn. The November 15 event was one of UPF's annual Culture of Peace programs for diplomats, Ambassadors for Peace, and friends of UPF.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - “Es tiempo ya…” and “Para la paz es esta poesía,” by Irma Droz (Santa María de Punilla - Córdoba province) and Raúl Oscar Ifrán (Punta Alta – Buenos Aires province), respectively, shared the first prize in UPF-Argentina's fourth annual International Poetry Contest on the theme "Words of encounter and universal awareness," at the celebration of the International Day of Peace on September 21.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - "Life Is the Art of Encounter" is the motto under which UPF-Argentina celebrated the UN International Friendship Day on July 30 with an intercultural and artistic event at the Peace Embassy in Buenos Aires. The event included presenting the awards of the Drawing and Painting Contest, which UPF organized together with Affinnerity.

Ryazan, Russia - The Ryazan Regional Children’s Library hosted a celebration of the International Day of Friendship, July 27 for adults and children representing different nationalities and faiths. The children made drawings on the theme of friendship, which were displayed at the library, and enjoyed music, dancing, and poetry.

Buenos Aires, Argentina - “United by Faith” by Adelina Carrion (Painting: ages 18 and older); “Meeting of the heart” by Mabel Fontau (Drawing: ages 18 and older); “Peace in our hearts” by Sun Corsi (Painting: ages 5 to 17); and “Family: The Key to peace” by Rosalinda Vallejos (Drawing: ages 5 to 17) were selected as first prize winners in the Drawing and Painting Contest “Life Is the Art of the Encounter.” Winners were announced at the International Day of Friendship celebration in Buenos Aires on July 30.

Vienna, Austria - While a heat wave had been hitting Vienna for several days and most people were rushing towards the next swimming pool, 120 people gathered on July 6 in the United Nations Vienna International Centre in order to participate in a conference on “Culture as a Basic Element for Sustainable Development and Human Rights.”

Buenos Aires, Argentina - In preparation for the International Day of Peace 2012, UPF-Argentina invites submissions of poems in Spanish on the theme "Words of meeting and universal concsiousness."