NEW YORK, MAY 5 – A century old olive tree, a plant historically symbolizing peace, was donated today by Italy to the United Nations International School (UNIS) in New York. The tree was the center of the “Growing Peace” exhibition organized at UN Headquarters by the Italian Air Force, in collaboration with the Permanent Mission to the UN, to celebrate 100 years since its establishment.
The donation ceremony brought together First Counsellor Daniela Tonon, Maj. General Fabrizio Parrulli, Col. Rosario D’Auria, UNIS Executive Director Dan Brenner, Modern Languages Department Director Paco Barba Moràn, and Italian language educators Francesca Di Matteo, Filomena Veltri, and Luca Urbani.
The olive tree was planted at the school entrance beside a statue representing childhood, conveying the powerful message of nourishing future generations with peace. A plaque acknowledging Italy’s donation was also unveiled during the ceremony.
UNIS Director Dan Brenner began the ceremony by expressing gratitude for the meaningful gift, saying, “It will be our responsibility to take care of this wonderful tree, as well as of these future generations who will grow up here at UNIS and spread peace and values.” First Counsellor Daniela Tonon emphasized the olive tree’s significance as a longstanding symbol of peace in her speech, stating, “As the secretary general of the United Nations said, ‘we need peace now more than ever’: and we sincerely hope that this tree be a source of inspiration for all of you, as young students, committed to building your future and your careers rooted in the values of peace and multilateralism.”
UNIS is a private international school in New York founded in 1947 by families who worked for, or were associated with the United Nations, with the goal of giving an international education while preserving students’ diverse cultural identities. Today UNIS has 1,600 students: the first language is English, all students study French or Spanish from elementary school, while Arabic, Chinese, German Italian, Japanese and Russian enter the curriculum in high school. (@OnuItalia)
