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>It 's the message of Pope Francis for the 1 of January 2014 for individuals and peoples. We propose the full version.</em></p> <p><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Papa_Francesco_Colombe.jpg" width="201" height="150" alt="Papa Francesco Colombe" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" /><strong>"Fraternity: foundation and path to peace."</strong> This is the title chosen by Pope Francis for the 47th World Day for Peace, established by Pope Paul VI.</p> <p><strong>The document, dated December 8</strong>, consists of 10 points including a brief prologue and a conclusion structured in relation to two biblical quotation: "Where is your brother?" (Genesis 4:9) and "Are you will all be brothers" (Matthew 23:8), and six sentences describing fraternity: peace, poverty, economy, war, corruption and nature. We propose the full version.</p>
<p> </p> <p><em>It has taken part to the project Croatia, Serbia and Italy.</em></p> <p><img src="images/news/2013-2015/I_care_for_Europe.jpg" width="200" height="150" alt="I care for Europe" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />'<strong>I care for ... Europe": </strong>it's the European network of small towns with the aim to raise awareness among their communities in different countries and initiate a common path on the defense of human rights and the adoption of local development policies and cooperation.</p> <p><strong>The start of "I care for ... Europe"</strong> in a three-day event hosted in Friuli Venezia Giulia, with more than 200 citizens from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia -Herzegovina. Of the project, in fact, has taken part Tarcento and Aquileia for Italy, Rakovica for Croatia, Čapljina for Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bač for Serbia.
<p> </p> <p><em>Young Portuguese told about UWP. Arco - Iris were organized a National Forum and Lisbon with a volunteer project for children and seniors. Prospects of a fraternity always attentive to the local.</em></p> <p><strong><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Portogallo_Meeting_ottobre_2013.png" width="198" height="150" alt="Portogallo Meeting ottobre 2013" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />From Portugal comes</strong> other recent actions with fraternal perspective: from a meeting at the end of October to a volunteer project<em> </em> with protagonists the Youth for a United World.</p> <p><strong>Citizenship for the fraternity</strong></p> <p>"Ninety young people met October 12 and13 for the first National Meeting "One direction: Citizenship for the Fraternity " one year after the Genfest 2012 where it was launched the United Word Project. To understand how it was evolving "to set in motion the proposals of UWP and sharing local fragments of fraternity."</p>
<p> <em>Eight women dressed in black paid the cost to those who could not afford it at the market of Athens.</em></p> <p><strong><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Barbakeios.jpg" width="230" height="150" alt="Barbakeios" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />The news was given by the italian newspaper</strong> "La Repubblica " during on Christmas holidays. It was posted on web several times. This news gave hope to people. It 's the story that comes from Greece brought to its knees by the economic crisis .</p> <p><strong>On December 22</strong>, at the popular market of Athens, Barbakeios, with all kinds of foodstuff, eight women, dressed in black, placing themselves near cash register of a market, they paid the cost to those who had small portions of meat.
<p><em>During the holidays, many people get involved in giving and serving. Does it have to end with the season? And how can we give so that it truly benefits others?</em></p> <p><strong><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Donare.jpg" width="268" height="188" alt="Donare" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />Are people fundamentally givers or takers?</strong> Is the ability to care for others, help and share part of our nature?In early societies, community was essential. Being alone was almost equivalent to being condamned to die in wilderness. In today's world, it seems that we are less dependent on each other. In the business world it is often said that peoplewho want to climb the career ladder should think of themselves- have the winner-takes-all attitude. <em><br /></em></p> <p><strong>Adam Grant, a young professor</strong> from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, describes the opposite in his book Give and Take. Givers are more successful; they are better networkers, and it pays back if you pay forward by giving with no expectations. He has extraordinary examples of how people who always offer their help receive a lot more in the long run.
<p> </p> <p style="font-size: 13px;"><em>A "fragment of fraternity" from India. After ten years a project that began by helping a few families in need cares today for more the 115 young people with a range of educational activities going from intercultural awareness to medical treatment. </em></p> <p style="font-size: 13px;"><strong><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Mumbai.jpg" width="250" height="166" alt="Mumbai" style="border-style: initial; border-color: initial; float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />Mumbai is the economic heart</strong> of India and one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the country. But many of its 20 million inhabitants live on the streets or in slums found all over in the city. In one of these, about forty minutes by train from the centre of the city in the north west, live about 400 thousand people in conditions of extreme poverty.</p> <p style="font-size: 13px;"><strong>It is here that in 1997</strong> several families in the slum decided to set up a social project in collaboration with ‘Support at a Distance’, a project run by New Families. In 2001, during her first visit to India, Chiara Lubich encouraged them to develop what they had begun as ‘a practical response to the poverty around us.’
<p> <em>The Greek coastguard has rescued more than 90 migrants sailing off the south of the country after their boat ran into trouble in bad weather, a spokeswoman said Thursday.</em></p> <div style="height: 100%; color: #515151; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; margin-right: 0px; margin-left: 0px; background-image: initial; background-color: #ffffff; padding-right: 5px; padding-left: 5px; line-height: 130%; min-width: 90%; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial;"> <p><strong><img src="images/news/2013-2015/Immigrati.jpg" width="250" height="150" alt="Immigrati" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" />“Overall 97 persons (were rescued) yesterday</strong>, including three who are presumed traffickers,” a coastguard spokeswoman told AFP, adding they have all been taken to the western city of Pylos.<br />“The traffickers are being detained in the police station and the other 94 persons are in a stadium” on a temporary basis, she said.</p> <p><strong>The boat first encountered difficulties</strong> late on Monday and the rescue operation, in which 13 vessels and one helicopter participated, was completed on Wednesday.<br />All the migrants are doing well according to the coastguard. Their nationalities have not been released. Two pregnant women and an elderly woman were taken to the city’s health centre as a precautionary measure, the state-run Athens News Agency reported.
<p> </p> <p><em>The popular pontiff also singled out South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Nigeria during his message to tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans who gathered below the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.</em></p> <p><br /> <img src="images/news/2013-2015/Natale_Vaticano.jpg" width="250" height="150" alt="Natale Vaticano" style="float: left; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 5px;" /><strong>Pope Francis on Christmas Day</strong> is wishing for a better world, with peace for the land of Jesus' birth, for Syria and Africa, as well as for the dignity of migrants and refugees fleeing misery and conflict.</p> <p><strong>Francis spoke from the central</strong> balcony of St. Peter's Basilica Wednesday to tens of thousands of tourists, pilgrims and Romans in the square below. He said he was joining in the song of Christmas angels with all those hoping "for a better world," and with those who "care for others, humbly."</p>
<p><em>Budapest aims to increase areas from 130,000 to 300,000 hectares.</em></p> <p><strong>Hungary has a goal of doubling the area</strong> of organic farming, even by distributing funds to farmers, and aims to further develop organic agriculture, based on techniques that respect nature and the animals' habitat. This was announced by a statement issued by of Magyar government, that specifies the objectives on which the country is working hard, as part of EU Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020. The ultimate goal is to increase organic farming from the current 130,000 hectares to about 300,000. A section of the so-called ''Action Plan for the development of organic farming'' also promotes the consumption of organic products and is designed to raise awareness on organic farming among consumers.
Dialogue & Interculture
New Humanity NGO presented the M.E.D.I.T.erraNEW project — co-financed by the Erasmus Plus Program — to the Youth Section of UNESCO in Paris.
Peace & Human Rights
Amid the rubble of Syria, art becomes an act of resistance. Discover the story of Aeham Ahmad, the “The Pianist of Yarmouk”, who defied the horror of war with the invincible beauty of his musical notes.
Operation Mato Grosso is working on over 100 missions across Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia, all rooted in education, hard work, and solidarity. Jacopo Manara, who has been a volunteer for years, tells us their story.
An interview on communication with Michele Zanzucchi, journalist and writer, former director of Città Nuova, professor of communication at Sophia University Institute and at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and author of around forty books.
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