Stories from around the globe show how a united world is already in motion. This platform highlights experiences, initiatives, and projects from people and communities working for unity and peace. Explore what’s happening and get inspired.
<p><em>Mario Bruni, sindaco di Alghero, in Sardegna, Italia, racconta come hanno affrontato il necessario sgombero di un campo, cercando insieme ai Rom la migliore soluzione #politics4unity</em></p> <p><strong>Il campo, da alcuni anni doveva essere sgomberato</strong> per seri motivi sanitari e ambientali, ma non era lavoro semplice, dato che lì abitava una comunità di trenta famiglie. Mario Bruni, sindaco di Alghero, ha deciso di farlo, nell’attenzione di coinvolgere le stesse famiglie rom nella scelta del luogo dove trasferirsi.</p> <p><strong>Ad Alghero ci sono tanti disoccupati</strong> e c’è anche tanta gente in lista di attesa per avere una casa. Quindi, come diceva il sindaco, può essere difficile far capire ai cittadini «che ci sono finanziamenti ad hoc, che dobbiamo tutti avere a cuore l’inclusione sociale e a volte prendere anche delle decisioni che sono impopolari, che a volte non si capiscono».</p>
<p><em>The steps of the long history until the beginning of the thawing</em></p> <p>In January, 1959, when Fidel Castro led a guerrilla army to drive dictator Fulgencio Batista out of Havana, the United States was not over alarmed that it would have much impact. But relations swiftly soured as the Cuban communists expropriated companies; 1961 ushered in an ideological ice age.</p>
<p><em>Experience of Metta about interreligious dialogue and with the authorities</em></p> <p>I am Metta from Thailand. I am Buddhist. In 1993, I met the youth group of the Focolare Movement called “Gen” in Bangkok. The Idea that those young people promoted and shared to me was very attractive. I was invited to build peace and unity to fulfill Jesus’ final testament: “May they all be one”, right there in the environment where I live, through loving which is essential in the Spirituality of Unity.</p>
<p><em>72 countries have achieved the Millennium Development target of halving proportion of the chronically undernourished.</em></p> <p>The number of hungry people in the world has dropped to 795 million -- 216 million fewer than in 1990-92 -- or around one person out of every nine, according to the latest edition of the annual UN hunger report (<a href="http://www.fao.org/hunger/en/">The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015 – SOFI</a>).</p>
<p><em>In Loppiano, the 7th summer course aimed at strengthening relationships of married couples</em></p> <p><strong></strong><strong>Lack of communication and the incapacity to comprehend the other,</strong> see the positive side of the other person’s diversity, and establish the right distance with the families of origin, are often the causes of the crises, in an individualistic society that does not believe in marriage and the commitment for a long-lasting relationship.</p> <p>The 7<sup>th</sup> edition of the course in Loppiano this year (20-27 June) was organized by the New Families and aimed to strengthen the unity of couples. The course allowed participants to demonstrate willingness to put themselves to the test, together with a deep sharing with the course guides and other families, and avail of the advice of experts that could help dead-end relationships to start anew. With these factors, also the greatest difficulties could be overcome, as was demonstrated by the moving testimonial of unconditional forgiveness<strong> by </strong>a<strong> couple that was reunited after nine years of separation.</strong></p>
<p><em>Experience of Anita Martinez, a young Argentinian</em></p> <p>By the end of 2012 I had an awful experience. I was in a friend’s house with all his family and suddenly three armed and violent men entered their house to rob. They beat us and put us all lying down in the ground of his parents’ room. Then, they started interrogating us and shouting us “where is the money?” with guns in our heads… The father of my friend started saying to one of the thieves that he forgave him, but that was not the way he was supposed to act. The man was getting angry and we were afraid he would do something awful to my friend’s father. Surprisingly, the thief started crying and saying sorry.
<p><em>EXCERPTS FROM THE ADDRESS OF FRANCESCO TO THE POPULAR MOVEMENTS<br />Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) - Thursday, 9 July 2015</em></p> <p>“…Do we truly realize that something is wrong in a world where there are so many farmworkers without land, so many families without a home, so many laborers without rights, so many persons whose dignity is not respected?</p> <p>Do we realize that something is wrong where so many senseless wars are being fought and acts of fratricidal violence are taking place on our very doorstep? Do we realize something is wrong when the soil, water, air and living creatures of our world are under constant threat?</p>
<p><em>Lawyer Flavia Cerino lives in Sicily, Italy, and works in the field of immigration. She is a guardian of minors who travel alone without families.</em></p> <p><strong></strong><strong>“When it comes to migrations, the numbers say more than the words</strong>. In one report published in October 2014, it was estimated that there were 7,124,000,000 people in the world. If the wealth were equally distributed, every person would have a median annual income of 14 thousand USA dollars. In reality, the income of 2,700,000,000 people is two USA dollars per day. Now, this economic inequality, which is a social inequality, has a very strong impact on migration. Entire populations pick up and move toward wealthier countries.”</p>
<p><em>Experience by João Gustavo, a young Brazilian<br /></em></p> <p>Hi, my name is João Gustavo, I’m 28 years old and I’m now living in Italy for one year to work at the International Youth Center of the Focolare Movement.</p> <p>My country occupies almost 50% of the South American territory and it is the largest portughese speaking country in the world. We also have one of the longest river, the Amazon. Because of our vast territory, there is a huge diversity among our people. We have different cultures, customs, cuisines, and music yet we all speak the same language and we call ourselves with one identity, Brazilians.</p>
Dialogue & Interculture
United World Week
Every year, from May 1st to 7th, the United World Project support, together with the Focolare Movement and Youth for a United World (Y4UW), the United World Week, a global action where many people promote events and initiatives worldwide to foster dialogue, unity, and peace.
Dialogue & Interculture
Dialogue & Interculture
Dialogue & Interculture
United World Week
Here’s the key: knowing that we do not know. No one possesses the absolute Truth, and by engaging in dialogue with everyone we can grasp aspects or fragments of truth that help us reassemble a shattered vase that we can restore only if we are “together”.
Economy & Work
Anna Granata, professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, reminds us that teaching peace is not an abstract utopia. It is something that happens every day in Italian classrooms among children with diverse stories, languages, and backgrounds.
Art & Social Commitment
Celebrated Marvel and DC artist Gabriele Dell’Otto invites us to consider the people who are working to build peace as the real superheroes of our world. A profound discussion on responsibility, citizenship, and the challenge of doing the extraordinary in our everyday lives.
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