Five years ago, appropriately on the International Day of Peace 2021, the Peace Embassy was inaugurated in Bratislava. Its advantageous location on the ground floor of a building in a park in the city centre, makes for easy access. It has hosted over 100, mostly well-attended, events which we felt a good reason to celebrate on this year´s International Day of Peace on September 21. The event, which was moderated by Viktor Bujnovsky, secretary general of UPF Slovakia, attracted more people than expected, and the main hall was packed to capacity with over one hundred guests.
After our special guest MP Marek Krajčí, formerly Minister of Health offered congratulatory remarks, Barbara Grabner, the UPF event manager delivered the opening speech in which she commented, “In a city like Bratislava, where there’s such a rich selection of events, it’s not easy to find a niche and motivate people to come to our place. But step by step, we found topics, lecturers and organizations which are of interest to many.” Following this, pictures of prominent speakers and top events were shown.
Laurenc Klas, volunteer and member of the International Association for Youth and Students for Peace (IAYSP) UN Team, gave a presentation about activities in Europe and the Middle East, with particular focus on the IAYSP flagship project, "Peace Designer Training".
The cultural program featured the charismatic singer Anna Re and her choir Re Voices who performed two songs “Ancestors” and “Thank You”; the Ukrainian group Silver Grace performed two dances; and the outstanding singers Natália and Darija Gončarenko enchanted with romantic melodies. Eleven-year-old Makar Leščenko who studies the Chinese wushu martial art, performed his self-choreographed dance, “Peace Fighter”. Then his mother, Eva Leščenko, showed pictures and a video from the Ukrainian-Slovak Sisterhood meeting last spring.
In closing, Erika and Juraj Lajda from UPF Czech Republic presented a bouquet of flowers to Miloš Klas, UPF Slovakia president.
Following the official programme, a lavish buffet awaited all the guests, some of whom had brought homemade cakes and snacks. Raghunatha and Sucitra from Hare Krishna served delicacies of the Indian cuisine.
The work which has been done by UPF over the years drew many remarks of admiration and gratitude.