A seminar for leaders was held on February 21, 2008 in Bingerville, a suburb of Abidjan. The seminar came at the right time; since the political situation is noxious, it will help reinforce the peace process in Côte d’Ivoire.

At a welcoming ceremony on January 17 for the new Ambassadors for Peace, the five principles of Ambassadors for Peace were presented. The participants were inspired and gave passionate testimonies at the end. In order to capitalize on the results, we decided to carry out an educational program for Ambassadors for Peace during this year 2008.

Based upon the support and advice  of Sub-Region 2 Director, Mr. Adama Doumbia and the agreement of the Ambassadors for Peace board, the staff of the national headquarters, under the leadership of UPF Secretary General, Mr. Gabriel Likane, a one-day seminar was planned and prepared. This preparation received ongoing support from Mr. Tsukasa Yoshida, Special Advisor of UPF-Côte d’Ivoire.

For this seminar, Ambassadors for Peace paid a participation fee. Before the day of the seminar 25 Ambassadors for Peace had registered, and the very same day of the seminar 10 more participants came. A total 35 religious leaders, former government ministers, members of parliament, administrators, and business leaders participated.

After the opening ceremony led by Mr. Likane and Vice President, Dr. Augustin Codjia, Mr. Ahondjo Eugene gave a presentation on Vision and Leadership at a Time of Global Conflict. Mr. Likane spoke about God’s Ideal and the Root Cause of Conflict. After lunch, Mr. Ahondjo gave presentations about Conflict Resolution and the Family as a Peace Instrument. Then Mr. Doumbia spoke about the Millennium Development Goals and Peace Councils. To finish Mr. Seka Seka Philbert introduced the project “40 Days for Peace.” 

Testimonies from Ambassadors for Peace showed that they quickly understood how the teachings relate to their own life.

We are going forward to organize monthly seminars to give the opportunity to our Ambassadors for Peace to learn about the UPF vision. The next seminar will be held on March 22nd in Yamoussoukro, where the Governor and all the authorities of the city are already Ambassadors for Peace.