London, United Kingdom—An extraordinary celebration of the 2023 International Day of Peace took place in the UPF Peace Embassy.
Organized together with Duchess Nivin El-Gamal of Lamberton, the enchanting event on September 21 was filled with classical melodies, thought-provoking speeches, and the chance to unite with like-minded individuals who share a profound desire for peace, hope, and harmony.
Duchess Nivin presented a Peace Award, which she had designed, to more than 20 remarkable people in honor of their efforts as peacebuilders.
Dyna Fayz, a dynamic TV presenter in both Arabic and English, was the MC for the evening. The program began with opening remarks from Duchess Nivin.
Starting with the renowned Bahraini actress Amira Mohammed, awardees included Danielle Baron, a contestant in the Ms. Great Britain competition; former supermodel Christina Estrada; Linda Topping; Lady Anne Welsh; Lt. Gen. Abdul Qayyum; a former three-star general and senator; Salah Safah, the CEO for TÜV SÜD Middle East; and Yasmin Al-Atroshi, a prospective parliamentary candidate who is seeking to be the first female British MP from a Kurdish background.
Robin Marsh, secretary general of UPF-UK, gave a short introduction to UPF with Margaret Ali, director of UPF-UK, and then received special awards from Duchess Nivin.
The next speaker was Dr. Michael Balcomb, who serves Europe and the Middle East as both chairman of UPF and president of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, an affiliated organization. Dr. Balcomb also received a peace award.
There was a remote presentation from the German United Nations Association representative Armin Mostoffi Kamari and a short talk from Murad Qureshi, a former London Assembly member. Nic Careem, the founder of the Blue Sky Network, spoke of his search for peace and his advocacy to diminish the arms trade. He showed a video that he made many years ago but he believed still had relevance because of the challenges to peace that the world currently faces.
Renowned soprano Marisa Di Muro graced the evening with a captivating performance, enveloping our hearts in the essence of the culture of peace.
There were many others who are not listed here but whose presence was highly appreciated and with whom we look forward to future collaborations in the cause of peace.