The International Relief Friendship Foundation is partnering with ABITSU (http://abitsu.org), a Burmese NGO to help the victims of Cyclone Negris in Myanmar. By working with Burmese and Thai relief workers, this joint effort guarantees that all disaster assistance will go directly to the victims in the affected areas without having to go through governmental or military forces. Relief stations have already been set up in four key regions (Rangoon, Pegu Township, Kandawglay Township, and Hlaing Tharyar Township), and ten supply trucks have been donated so far to transport all relief goods. The relief effort is based in the Thai/Burma border region of Mae Sot with all disaster supplies driven directly to the relief stations by Burmese citizens. The ground relief effort will be organized and carried out exclusively by ABITSU and its local networks, and supervised by ABITSU’s executive director, Mr. Stanley Akzeya.

To donate please go to the IRFF website at http://www.irff.org

WASHINGTON DC, UNITED STATES - The Americas Summit in Washington, DC, April 28 to May 2 brought together 160 delegates from 32 nations in North and South America from Canada to Argentina and Chile to consider the challenges and opportunities for better relationships throughout the hemisphere. The conference participants included six former heads of state and government, four current speakers of the house of representatives, 27 congressmen and senators from different legislatures, members of the diplomatic corps, clergy from key faith traditions, and community, youth and women leaders.
Slideshow | Founder's Address | Keynote | Reflections

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - Two members of the Presiding Council, the UPF Co-chair Dr. Hyun Jin Moon and Secretary General Dr. Thomas Walsh, completed an educational tour in Central and South America to promote “A Vision for the Americas.” The group met with key leaders and held International Leadership Conferences in Belize, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Uruguay (Spanish), and Brazil (Portuguese) .

Read the Keynote Address in Peru | in Spanish

SEOUL, KOREA - The 320 Ambassadors for Peace from 91 countries participating in the latest International Leadership Conference (ILC) in Seoul experienced a dramatic lesson in the history of the Korean peninsula during the first weekend in April.

KATHMANDU, NEPAL - Nepal's first elections in nine years were disrupted by scattered incidents of violence across the country April 10, but overall the elections were hailed as peaceful. Voters expressed a sense of pride that they finally had a voice in selecting the leadership that will rewrite the nation's Constitution and decide the fate of the monarchy.