Peace is not just the absence of conflict it is a conscious action and is attained by practical example. When individuals choose peace, they transform their world and everyone else’s.
On the International Day of Peace, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF Portugal) launched the Peace Passport Project. Is an educational and social transformation initiative aiming to promote civic action and a culture of peace through practical, accessible, and community-based activities. UPF Portugal invites individuals, cooperatives, companies, institutions, and sponsors to join the enterprise and help to amplify the reach to new groups, families, and communities, thus making a real impact by their actions.
The original edition of the Peace Passport defined the strategic objectives as follows:
- Establish at least fifteen partner institutions, each with their own calendar of activities related to sustainability and civic action
- Encourage these institutions to act as mobilisation points for the community, thus bringing people together to carry out the works proposed in the passport
- Expand the project to at least five municipalities, covering the whole of Portugal
- Reach a goal of one thousand passport holders for 2026, thus significantly broadening the project's reach and impact
Participants receive a symbolic passport and choose one of the twelve tasks listed therein, that all relate to sustainability, solidarity, and the advancement of peace. Activities can be done individually or as a group. After the work is completed and confirmed, each passport is stamped by a UPF representative or a partner.
The first official activity of the Peace Passport took place on 17 January, 2026, at the Central Park of Asprela in Porto. The enterprise, which aligned with the Project's environmental objectives, consisted of collecting waste and litter and giving the Park a general public clean-up. The ten volunteers came from different age groups and diverse backgrounds, demonstrating the intergenerational and inclusive nature of the initiative. Despite unfavourable weather conditions, the work was carried out successfully. Although the Park appeared relatively clean at first glance, it turned out that there was a significant volume of various waste, resulting in two bagfuls of rubbish having been collected.
This initial venture showed that simple deeds, when carried out in an organised and participatory manner, can generate a real impact as well as promote collective reflection. In addition, the job served as a moment of community connection, strengthening values of cooperation, responsibility, and care for the environment.
The mentor of the Peace Passport Project is a Brazilian UPF female member who is specialised in social and educational projects. Together with her mother, who is also a social scientist specialising in education, they have been working with UPF Portugal for the last one and a half years, helping the Federation in creating projects based on UPF’s Character Education philosophy which UPF Portugal has been developing since 2019. She is advertising the project in Brazil where the Federation is aiming to find partners to work with. UPF Portugal is also planning to publicise the project on social media.
To date, over fifty Peace Passports have been allocated, and a second run of twenty units has also been printed and distributed.
This new Project already has a calendar of activities planned until March, continuing sustainability and community work in different formats and locations.
For this project to reach its full potential, it is essential to have the participation of more institutions, associations, and collectives that wish to embrace this initiative and join this collaborative network.
Therefore, UPF Portugal invites all interested parties to join this great wave of hope, contributing to the construction of more conscious and supportive communities that are committed to peace.