NEW YORK, APRIl 4 -Less than a year after Rondine’s meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Rondine and UNAOC, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in the presence of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations. UNAOC is the UN body charged with developing knowledge on peacebuilding and intercultural dialogue at the global level and supporting the projects of young peacebuilders from around the world.
Through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Rondine and UNAOC will now be able to start structuring collaborations on the main themes of work of the two organizations, thus on peace education, intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as well as developing together projects and studies on more national and international contexts.
The idea of signing a Memorandum of Understanding between Rondine and UNAOC to have a formal basis towards future collaborations had been launched in April 2022 by UN Under-Secretary and High Representative for UNAOC Miguel Angel Moratinos just in the aftermath of the meeting between Franco Vaccari, President and Founder of Rondine, and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Hosting the following meeting with Moratinos and Ambassadors from numerous countries again on that occasion was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations Maurizio Massari, virtual host also at today’s signing.
The meeting was in fact promoted and facilitated, following several fruitful preparatory exchanges between Rondine and UNAOC, by the Permanent Representation of Italy to the UN, which has been supporting Rondine since 2018 in promoting the global “Leaders for Peace” campaign.
“We are pleased to host this important signing ceremony today, in the hope that it will be the beginning of a fruitful collaboration between UNAOC and this important Italian reality, in the full support from the Permanent Mission,” said Maurizio Massari, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations.
“I believe that the work of Rondine, like that of UNAOC, is to sow hope and future, particularly through the flagship projects of our organizations in supporting the projects of young peacebuilders; this is also why I am honored to contribute today to this important signing,” said Miguel Angel Moratinos, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
“This signing marks a new and very important milestone for Rondine and the young leaders being trained here, as well as for those already in positions of responsibility around the world; this signing renews the commitment to dialogue, at every level, even in the most difficult situations, for the promotion of peace through education” said Franco Vaccari, President and Founder of Rondine Cittadella della Pace.
The occasion of the signing of the protocol was also a moment to relaunch Rondine’s upcoming mission to the United States and the United Nations at the end of the year as part of the Leaders for Peace campaign, during which new projects will also be launched. (@OnuItalia)
