2/6/2008 - AFS and The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement Meet to Build Initiatives Aimed at Promoting Peace
The Board of Directors of the The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement (WIPM), the Board of Trustees of AFS International and the Board of AFS Egypt met in Cairo this past January 27 to participate in a roundtable designed to explore a dynamic collaboration between AFS and WIPM to build programs that will promote peace. The roundtable served as a follow-up to a meeting that took place in September 2007 at the International Youth Forum “The Power of Youth for Peace” (Youth Speak- We Listen) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The roundtable was hosted by H.E. Suzanne Mubarak, the first lady of Egypt, who stated “Both our organizations have a common vision for peace and for a more integrated world. While the world is getting smaller and more global the gap between cultures is getting bigger. It is important to have a dialogue among civilizations which is conducted with mutual respect.” Brian Atwood, the Chairperson of the AFS International Board of Trustees and Dean of the Hubert Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota thanked Mrs. Mubarak for her remarks and added that, “There is a tradition in Egypt of taking the first step for peace. Our organizations are directly promoting peace. What we do is transformative.”
Francisco Cazal, President and CEO of AFS International said that “I am truly excited by the prospect of continuing our conversations and taking the next concrete steps to build on the solid foundation that we have already established with the Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement. Both the members of the AFS International Board of Trustees and the Board of the Egyptian Society for Intercultural Exchange (AFS Egypt) found our discussions to be highly productive and engaging. We certainly welcomed the opportunity to get to know our organizations better and to talk about how we can advance our common agenda of peace and multicultural understanding.”
The programs being considered will be designed to offer educational and intercultural opportunities and experiences to young women and men spanning the socioeconomic and ethnic spectrum in this important world region.
The Suzanne Mubarak Women’s International Peace Movement is a non-profit, non governmental international association established in 2003. It focuses on the positive and holistic aspects of peace, helping to forge alternative communication networks, developing capacities, creating avenues for cooperative action and making silent voices be heard. The Movement’s main objective is to enhance the conditions conducive to sustainable peace and human security.
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