Valletta, Malta—UPF leaders for Europe and the Middle East took part in a conference of the Global Council for Tolerance and Peace (GCTP).
The GCTP conference was held on November 15, 2021, to commemorate the International Day for Tolerance established by UNESCO in 1995. The location was the Verdala Palace, the official residence of the president of Malta, H.E. Dr. George Vella, who co-hosted the conference and was one of the speakers.
GCTP, based in the United Arab Emirates, is an organization with many similar objectives to those of UPF. In December 2017, UPF and GCTP signed a Memorandum of Understanding facilitating cooperation in several fields. GCTP holds conferences around the world on issues related to tolerance and peace and recently developed its own master's program in Tolerance Studies and Global Peace.
During the conference, Mr. Brann met privately with President Vella. He explained about UPF's work and invited the president to attend World Summit 2022 in Korea in February. The president showed a keen interest in both topics.
Mr. Brann also met with Dr. Angelo Farrugia, speaker of Malta’s Parliament, who also addressed the GCTP conference. In the early 1990s Dr. Farrugia attended a conference in Korea of UPF's predecessor organization, the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP).
During his visit, Mr. Brann held fruitful meetings with some of Malta's many Ambassadors for Peace who have attended UPF events over the years, as well as with Bryan Corlett, UPF-Malta’s acting secretary general.