MESSAGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

The professor Michele Capasso - Secretary General of the "United States of the World" and president of the "Fondazione Mediterraneo" - addressed, as usual, a message for the new year 2023.
The hope is that in this year we can reach a truce and then peace in Ukraine and in other parts of the world through the enhancement of diversity.
“Only by tackling, solving and harmonizing diversity, conditions of misery, ignorance and injustice in the world - says prof. Capasso - it is possible to extinguish hotbeds of discord, riot, hatred; it must be understood that diversities, if harmonized, constitute a strength and a source of enrichment for all humanity, complementing each other instead of opposing each other. It is not a question of pursuing a system of universal harmony, as Fourier or Leibnitz wished, because we started from a pre-established universal harmony: the great inequalities existing between our brothers and sisters scattered throughout the world require our commitment to harmonize them. On this theme it is worth proposing an example: if in an orchestra everyone played on their own, a 'cacophony' would arise; if all the instruments were identical, it would be 'monotony'; the inequality of instruments and the harmonization of sounds is much better to arrive at a great ‘universal symphony’”.

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56th WORLD DAY OF PEACE

The "United States of the World" organized and participated in various cities on 5 continents in the "56th World Day of Peace" bringing the 35-year experience of the "Peace is action" program.
On this occasion the Secretary General prof. Michele Capasso recalled the words of Pope Francis in his message entitled: No one can save themselves alone. Starting again from Covid-19 to trace paths of peace together.
"St. Paul constantly exhorts the community to be vigilant, seeking goodness, justice and truth: "Let us not sleep like the others, therefore, but let us be vigilant and be sober" (5:6). It is an invitation to stay awake, not to lock ourselves up in fear, pain or resignation, not to give in to distraction, not to be discouraged but instead to be like sentinels capable of staying awake and seizing the first light of dawn, especially in the darker. Covid-19 has plunged us into the middle of the night, destabilizing our ordinary life, turning our plans and our habits upside down, overturning the apparent tranquility of even the most privileged societies, generating disorientation and suffering, causing the death of many of our brothers and sisters.
… Certainly, having experienced first-hand the fragility that distinguishes human reality and our personal existence, we can say that the greatest lesson that Covid-19 leaves us as a legacy is the awareness that we all need each other, that our greatest treasure, albeit even more fragile, is human brotherhood, founded on the common divine sonship, and that no one can save himself alone. It is therefore urgent to seek and promote together the universal values ​​which trace the path of this human brotherhood. We have also learned that the trust placed in progress, technology and the effects of globalization has not only been excessive, but has turned into an individualistic and idolatrous intoxication, undermining the desired guarantee of justice, concord and peace. In our world that runs at 2 speeds, very often the widespread problems of imbalances, injustices, poverty and marginalization feed ills and conflicts, and generate violence and even wars.
… While, on the one hand, the pandemic has brought out all of this, on the other we have been able to make positive discoveries: a beneficial return to humility; a downsizing of certain consumerist claims; a renewed sense of solidarity that encourages us to get out of our selfishness to open ourselves to the suffering of others and their needs; as well as a commitment, in some cases truly heroic, of many people who have spent themselves so that everyone could better overcome the drama of the emergency. From this experience came the stronger awareness that invites everyone, peoples and nations, to put the word "together" back at the center. Indeed, it is together, in fraternity and solidarity, that we build peace, guarantee justice, overcome the most painful events. The most effective responses to the pandemic have in fact been those that have seen social groups, public and private institutions, international organizations united to respond to the challenge, leaving aside particular interests. Only the peace that comes from fraternal and selfless love can help us overcome personal, social and global crises".

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NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS

In the headquarters of the "United States of the World" and the "Fondazione Mediterraneo", the customary simple ceremony was held to exchange good wishes for the New Year.

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ENNIO AT THE MUSEUM AMONG THE EMOTIONS OF PINO DANIELE

Ennio, from Benevento, has always been a Pino Daniele fan. He demonstrated this during a long visit to the MAMT Peace Museum, in the "Pino Daniele Alive" space. So many songs, so many emotions...

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ROCCO BAROCCO VISITING THE MUSEUM OF PEACE

Fashion designer Rocco Barocco visited the Museum of Peace, expressing deep admiration. Welcomed by Pia Molinari and Michele Capasso, he dwelt in particular on the sections dedicated to the Mediterranean, Mario Molinari and Pino Daniele.

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OPERATE EVENT AT THE MUSEUM

A meeting on the environment was held at the Museum of Peace by the Turin-based Operate Foundation.

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INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING DAY. THE BEST MEDICINE TO TREAT OURSELVES AND SOCIETY

The "United States of the World" promoted the "International Volunteer Day" in various cities on 5 continents:
The president of the Commission "Volunteering and human rights" Giuseppe Lumia stated in his message:
“Modern volunteering is a concrete experience that deeply marks life. Heal ourselves from a thousand evils that often brutalize us: apathy, loneliness, boredom, selfishness, indifference. It also exalts the beautiful virtues that, digging, digging, we all have inside and that we often overlook: proximity, desire to do, gift, gratuity, dedication, altruism, ability to "emerge from difficulties together." Modern and organized volunteering is also the right experience to cure the ills of society which are unfortunately many: hatred, discrimination, violence, wars, inequalities, climate change, but also disengagement towards each other and towards the social and environmental context.
In fact, modern and organized volunteering promotes participation, sharing, planning, fraternity and relationships.
This is why modern and organized volunteering brings into play high democratic and political profiles in a participatory way that wants to remove the causes of the discomfort or marginalization to which we passionately dedicate ourselves.
My teacher and brotherly friend, Luciano Tavazza, has always testified: "not heroes, but citizens". That's no small thing, especially in these troubled times.
I recommend reading two books: "The city of joy", by Dominique Lapierre, whose disappearance we mourn today, and precisely "Not heroes, but citizens", by Luciano Tavazza.
I also remember the link to sign the appeal to the President of the Republic - prepared by the Luciano Tavazza association, connected to the "United States of the World" - to relaunch the role of organized volunteering".

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CONFERENCE "FROM WELL-BEING TO BEAUTY"

The conference "From well-being to beauty", coordinated by Prof. Lanfranco Scaramuzzino, was held at the Museum of Peace.

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EUROMESCO ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The closing event of the EUROMESCO Annual Conference, hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), took place in Brussels.
The closing event served to conclude the four previous national events of the Annual Conference, which took place in Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt as part of the EuroMeSCo 2022 Annual Conference "Towards more Social Justice and Inclusiveness in the Mediterranean".
The Fondazione Mediterraneo is a founding member of the EUROMESCO network.

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THE FONDAZIONE MEDITERRANEO CELEBRATES THE SECOND MEDITERRANEAN DAY

The Fondazione Mediterraneo - the protagonist of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership born with the Barcelona Process on 28 November 1995 - celebrated the second Day of the Mediterranean in various countries - in Italy in Naples, Rome, Turin and Palermo.
Mediterranean Day is celebrated on 28 November with the aim of promoting a common Mediterranean identity, fostering intercultural exchanges and embracing the region's diversity. It was also established to give greater visibility to the daily efforts of organisations and citizens to strengthen cooperation and integration in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Mediterranean Day takes place on the anniversary of the Barcelona Process held in 1995, which marked the beginning of a shared commitment by Euro-Mediterranean countries to transform the region into a common space of peace, stability, socio-economic progress and dialogue between peoples, also leading to the establishment of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) in 2008. Mediterranean Day is celebrated in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including the Member States of the European Union.

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