The Rally of Hope’s Highlights program, broadcast on Sunday afternoon for the Europe & Middle East audience, featured a Muslim Prayer for Peace by Mrs. Asmaa Kftarou, from the Women’s Advisory Board and a UN Special Envoy to Syria. In addition, special greetings were offered by public figures and UPF Ambassadors for Peace from the Region, expressing their support for the Rally of Hope and congratulating the Universal Peace Federation on its 15-year anniversary.
They included:
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Hon. Dr. Elena Drapeko, Member, State Duma (Parliament), Russian Federation Hon. Dr. Elena Drapeko is a Parliament Member of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Culture. She is also Deputy Head of the faction “The Just Russia”, a parliament political party. She is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television shows since 1972. She has been a member of the State Duma since 2003. |
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Mrs. Noshaba Hussain Syed, Lawyer, Educational Consultant, Equalities Activist, United Kingdom Mrs. Noshaba Hussain Syed is a lawyer, educational consultant, equality activist and UPF ambassador for peace. She has worked in government advisory and policy development roles for over 25 years. She is currently involved in the Ageing Better movement for the over 50's. |
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Mrs. Tamam Wakkid-Dabbah, School Principal, Israel Tamam Wakkid-Dabbah holds an M.A. in Public Administration and a degree in organizational counseling. She has served as school principal for 25 years. She is a UPF Ambassador for Peace and partners with UPF and WFWP Israel in the project of Soccer for Peace. As a believer in the necessity of multicultural education for Israeli society, Tamam has always put pluralism education on the school agenda. She has created various programs aimed at building healthy interaction and communication among groups of different religions. Tamam is married and a mother of 2. |
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Archpriest Vladimir Fedorov, cleric of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church Archpriest Vladimir Fedorov is a cleric of the Prince Vladimir Cathedral in St. Petersburg of the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church, candidate of philosophical sciences, and candidate of theology. He is Professor Emeritus of the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy in St. Petersburg, Associate Professor of the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, Honorary Worker of Higher Professional Education of the Russian Federation, and Scientific Director of the Institute for the Study of Peacekeeping, Missiology, Ecumenism and New Religious Movements. For 5 years, he was a consultant to the World Council of Churches on theological education in Central and Eastern Europe. |
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Ms. Srruthi Lekha Raaja Elango, UN representative, WFWP Geneva, India Ms. Srruthi Lekha Raaja Elango holds a B.A. in Economics, Political Science & Sociology from Christ University, Bangalore, India, and a B.A. in International Relations from Rhine - Waal University of Applied Sciences, Kleve, Germany. She is currently an intern for the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Geneva, Switzerland, representing the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP). She has extensive experience with humanitarian and peace projects focusing on women’s empowerment. |
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Rt. Hon. Baroness Sandip Verma, Member of the House of Lords, United Kingdom Baroness Verma was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Energy and Climate Change in September 2012. She is a Conservative member of the House of Lords. In 2006 she was raised to the peerage as Baroness Verma of Leicester in the County of Leicestershire. She was Opposition Whip from 2006 to 2010, then Government Whip following the 2010 general election. Prior to becoming Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for DECC, she was Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, International Development, Women and Equalities and Business Innovation and Skills. Convinced that one can make a difference by empowering people to help themselves, she speaks about innovation, forward thinking and skill development. |
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Prof. Viviana Gaballo, Asst. Professor in English Language and Translation, University of Macerata, Italy Viviana Gaballo is Assistant Professor in English Language and Translation at the University of Macerata, Italy. She has been teaching English since 1992 in several departments and universities in Italy and abroad. A professional translator since 1980, she founded the Veneto section of AITI (Italian Association of Translators and Interpreters), which she chaired in its first six years. Since June 2013, she has been a member of the editorial board of the “International Journal of Human Rights and Constitutional Studies”, published by InderScience Publishers, which aims to promote, from a global perspective, academic dialogue on current issues of constitutional law and the protection of human rights. |
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Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, Emeritus Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, Israel Riah Abu El-Assal is the 13th Anglican Bishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Former Bishop of Jerusalem, he is currently an ITNJ Judicial Commissioner leading its Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Bishop Riah has served in different capacities: an active member of the WCC Commission on Human Rights; Co-Chair of the World council For Religious Leaders; Co- Founder of the Nazareth Democratic Front, Secretary General of the Progressive Movement; visiting Lecturer at St. George’s College, Jerusalem; Founder of Bishop Riah Educational Campus in Nazareth; and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Academic Arab College For Education in Haifa, Israel. |
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Carole Stone CBE, Patron, Universal Peace Federation UK, Founder, The Carole Stone Foundation, United Kingdom |
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Hon. Allal Amraoui, Member of Parliament, Morocco Hon. Allal Amraoui is a medical doctor and surgeon who participated in the creation of the Faculty of Medicine of Fez and in the launching of the hospital of Fez. He was the Regional Director of Health for 8 years and won the Grand Prize for Health in 2013. A politician, he is a member of the National Council and of the Central Committee of the ISTIQLAL party. He was the 1st deputy mayor of Fez. He is a Member of Parliament, vice-chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Moroccan Parliament and assumes the responsibility of Chairman of the Moroccan delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. |
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Dr. Soumia Guennoun, Professor, Euromed University of Fez, Morocco |
Dr. Elena Drapeko, Member of the State Duma, Russia; Mrs. Noshaba Hussain Syed, Lawyer, UK; Mrs. Tamam Wakkid-Dabbah, School Principal, Israel; Archpriest Vladimir Fedorov, from the Moscow Patriarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church; Ms. Srruthi Lekha Raaja Elango, WFWPI UN Representative to the Human Rights Council in Geneva; Baroness Sandip Verma, House of Lords, UK; Professor Viviana Gaballo, University of Macerata, Italy; The Rt. Rev. Riah Abu El-Assal, Emeritus Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem; Mrs. Carole Stone, Founder, The Carole Stone Foundation; Hon. Allal Amraoui, Member of Parliament, Morocco; and Dr. Soumia Guennoun, Professor, Euromed University, Fez, Morocco.