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> </p> <p><em>Francis blesses, 'hugs' Italian boy from afar</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Foggia, November 21 - Pope Franci</strong>s has answered a letter sent to him by an eight-year-old Italian boy from the southern Italian city of Foggia, blessing him and telling him he was sending him a hug from afar.</p> <p><strong>"Dear Pope Francis</strong>, my name is Matteo Rinaldi and I am an eight-year-old boy from Foggia.</p> <p><strong>"You seem to be</strong> a very good pope and I would like to get to know you, to hug you and I would also really like to show you my city Foggia," the young boy wrote in the letter sent about a month ago.
<p><em>Actions of fraternity after the typhoon Haydn. The suggestion of the Youth for a United World: to do and to repeat.How? All the explanetions in a viral video.</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>When give up it's give back to someone? Can we do it togheter? The suggestion of the Youth for a United World in a viral video on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyufXUQ9Vjs">www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyufXUQ9Vjs</a>. </strong></p> <p><strong>"Give up</strong> that pricey meal with a friend in exchange for a home cooked one with mom, a movie date with girlfriend for an evening stroll around town (why not invite your best friend too?), or that pair of shoes you've been saving up for months for cheaper ones... then donate the rest!<br />Open your closets. Grab a shirt, and ask yourself if it made you happy wearing it, think of how much happier someone who needs it more will be. Then <strong>repeat</strong>.
<p> <em>20 of November: anniversary of the UN Convention on the rights of the child adopted in 1989. One echo from Canada.</em></p> <p><strong>The 20 of November marks Universal Children’s</strong> Day. This is the anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted in 1989, the first legally binding international convention to affirm human rights for all children: every child, everywhere, has the right to survive, grow and be protected from all forms of violence.</p> <p><strong>“Violence against children</strong> does more than harm individual children, it undermines the fabric of society, affecting productivity, well-being, and prosperity,” UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Anthony Lake said. “No society can afford to ignore violence against children.”</p>
<p><em>Problems need to be resolved through dialogue for the Tibetan spiritual leader speaking to students of Yakumo Academy</em>.</p> <p><strong>Yakumo Academy - Tokio, Nov 18.</strong> During a meeting with students of a school for girls in Tokio Dalai Lama said: “What’s important now is to ensure that the 21st century becomes an era of peace and non-violence".</p> <p><strong>For Tibetan spiritual leader </strong>"It doesn’t mean there won’t be any problems, there will be, so long as sources of conflict remain, but we need to resolve them not by resorting to force, but through dialogue".</p> <p><strong>He continues lauding Japan's</strong> achievements in recovering from the violence it went through.
<p> </p> <p><em>The two Presidents, Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, will meet on November 19 in Vienna. The U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick wrote this on his official page Twitter.<br /></em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>The presidents of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, and Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev,</strong> will meet 19 of November in Vienna declares on his official page on Twitter James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. It's the first time in two years in a bid to restart stalled negotiations over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh.</p> <p><strong>The conflict between the two South Caucasus</strong> countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.</p>
<p><em>For "Protagonists of Fraternity" Mother Teresa: founder of the Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic order of nuns dedicated to helping the poor. She is still considered today one of the greatest personalities in the dissemination of a culture of peace and brotherhood.</em></p> <p><strong>Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu</strong>, now known as Mother Teresa, was the third and final child born to her Albanian Catholic parents, Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, in the city of Skopje (a predominantly Muslim city in the Balkans). <br />Both before Nikola's death and especially after it, the Bojaxhiu family held tightly to their religious beliefs. </p> <p><strong>When Mother Teresa was </strong>17 years old, she made the decision to become a nun. Having read many articles about the work Catholic missionaries were doing in India, Mother Teresa was determined to go there. Thus, Mother Teresa applied to the Loreto order of nuns, based in Ireland but with missions in India.</p>
<p> <em>"Same thing happened to me recently"</em></p> <p><br /><strong>November 14 - A Padua woman</strong> on Thursday found a wallet and gave it back to its owner telling him he should send some money to the Philippines rather than giving her a reward.</p> <p><br /><strong>"The same thing happened to me</strong> recently when a German tourist in a restaurant told us my husband's wallet had fallen to the floor," said school assistant Maristella Pasqualetti.</p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p><strong></strong></p>
<p><em>The new Paraguayan government of President Horacio Cartes is rapidly formalizing relations with its Mercosur partners. On Tuesday the ambassador that will represent the country in Venezuela, Enrique Jara took the oath of office, which in fact means full normalization of relations with the country ruled by Nicolas Maduro.</em></p> <p> </p> <p><strong>“I'm pleased with the job tasked</strong>, re-opening our embassy in Caracas and giving priority to all those bilateral issues pending: trade, energy, culture”, said Jara, the ambassador that will represent Paraguay in Venezuela, adding the resumption of a fluid political dialogue with Venezuela.</p> <p><strong>Jara is a professional diplomat</strong> who joined the foreign ministry in 1980 and has had posts in Brasilia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Bolivia. In addition to Jara, the president Cartes also took the oath of office to Elisa Mercedes Ruiz Diaz who will be Paraguay's representative before the Organization of American States in Washington.The ceremony at Government House in Asunción was headed by President Cartes and cabinet members.</p>
<p><em>Tales of survival, amid the devastation in Tacloban</em></p> <p><strong>Amid the devastation in Tacloban</strong>, tales of survival, resilience and generosity towards others are emerging daily.One concerns a small girl called Aisha.</p> <p><strong>She lost all her family when the super</strong> typhoon struck. She has now been taken in by Rodulfo Fernandez who himself has lost five relatives.</p> <p><strong>“Her whole family was wiped out,”</strong> explained Rodulfo. “The wind was so strong that many were blown out to the sea. Aisha clung on to something for hours, maybe it was a tree, and survived that way. I don’t actually know how she managed to do it. It is hard to believe.”</p> <p><strong>Despite his own loss, Rodulfo said he felt obliged</strong> to care for the traumatised Aisha whom he has renamed Christa in the hope that eventually she will be able to view her nightmare as a new beginning. In the meantime, what is left of his own family is taking one day at a time.</p>
From Nairobi, at the heart of Africa—a continent of 54 rapidly growing nations, where people under 30 account for about 70% of the population—comes a comprehensive proposal for global engagement. It positions younger generations to lead transformative processes, guided by a humanistic, community-oriented vision grounded in reciprocity and shared responsibility.
Communication & Media
In a context where the media can easily be turned into weapons, peace journalism—rooted in the ideas of Johan Galtung—emerges as an essential practice. It does not overlook conflict; rather, it examines its underlying causes and highlights non-violent responses as a path toward building lasting "positive peace".
The story of the Med25 Bel Espoir’s journey around the Mediterranean between spring and autumn 2025. Among the stories shared is that of Carlos Palma, the founder of Living Peace, and Ikram, an ambassador for peace in Algeria.
Interview with Majdi Abdallah, a youth from Palestine travelling on the school ship of peace, Med25 Bel Espoir. An emotional story based on the dialogue in the Mediterranean, the relations and of hope born aboard.
EN
