PEACE is an important aspect of the Rotary movement.  Rotary is behind UNESCO Bangkok‘s 2012 initiative of building a culture of peace through education and youth empowerment.

In this context, our District 3450 supported the UNESCO HK Peace Initiative since its inception and was a major supporter of the “Peacemakers’ Celebration”.

This is the highlight of the UNESCO HK Peace for All Youth Programme, sponsored by the Commission on Youth, Home Affairs Bureau, HKSAR, at Hong Kong Science Park.

DG Eugene represented our District and attended the Kick-off Ceremony alongside members of the Diplomatic Corp and other distinguished representatives of international and community organizations. Mr. Eddie Ng Hak Kim, SBS, JP, Secretary for Education, Education Bureau officiated the kick-off. Professor Tao Xiping, Vice President of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs Centers and Associations and President of the Chinese National Federation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations came from Beijing especially for this occasion.

2014marks the centenary of the start of World War I.Eleanor Roosevelt’s saying “It isn’t enough to talk about peace; one must believe it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it; one must work at it.”

Many believe humankind has been fortunate in avoiding yet another global conflict. But peace is more than the absence of war. Peace goes beyond political peace, encompassing individual peace, cultural peace, social peace and ecological peace as well.  Peace is a choice to be made on each situation, an everyday-life decision.

Peacemakers’ Celebration day aimed to strengthen local peace efforts through better understanding of cultural diversity and tolerance of cultural differences, and to encourage intercultural dialogue. Students and teachers from thirty local and international schools, representatives from international and community organizations showcased the outcome of their projects and performances promoting peace and intercultural understanding.

Rotary organized the Finale for the Day with participation by Peacemakers from different parts of the world.  Ms. Bee Duang-ramon, our Rotary Peace Fellow, was the Master of Ceremony.

Bee is from Thailand.  She flew to Hong Kong from Tokyo where she is doing her Master’s degree in Peace under the Rotary Peace Fellow programme at the Rotary Peace Centre, International Christian University.   Bee choreographed the Rotary International Day of Peace at St. John’s Cathedral on 21 September 2013.

Bee introduced the Rotary Peace Fellow programme and promoted Rotary and Peace to the participants. The Finale started off with our Rotary Scholar Heidi Luk, who just returned from London after studying her Master’s degree in music with her Rotary Ambassador Scholarship.  Heidi played Canon in D on violin, followed by PP Wilson Cheng of Kowloon Tong and PP W T Wong of Hong Kong Harbour leading group singing.  PE Billy Cheng of Queensway led fellow participants, including our Rotaractors, who had a swinging time to wrap up the day. President Bonnie Wong of Queensway put in lots of effort to make this happened although she was not able to attend in person.

Peacemakers’ Celebration was well attended by students and young people from Macau and Guangdong, supported by the Rotary community including PDGs, Club Presidents, Past Presidents from more than 20 Clubs from our District.

Support this new initiative and promote the culture of peace in our community.  Watch out and be a part of it in the coming year!

From the Rotary Peacemakers

For more photos, Please kindly refer to the below link.
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