Bruno Ficili - Italy

INTRODUCTION

OBJECTIVES

THE VERBANIA DECLARATION

SPEAKERS

SPONSORS & PATRONS

Born in Sicily, in the province of Ragusa, Sicily, Bruno Ficili graduated in pedagogy from the Catholic University of Milan.

He lives in Siracusa, Sicily, where he works as a headmaster.
For over fifteen years the president of the International Education for Peace Association, he has been organising International Education for Peace Conferences, which have been attended by hundred of observers from all over the world, in particular representatives of nations who suffer the atrocities caused by war.

Together with the participating reporters, he has worked out projects on education for peace and dialogue, which have been carried out in many schools of different countries with the purpose of educating young people to peace and cooperation among nations.

He has also been engaged in promoting human solidarity initiatives, carried out with the help of students and through funds raised for the many children in need, who live in countries torn by war.

In recognition of his commitment to the spread of an ideal of peace among the nations, Bruno Ficili has been nominated several times by members of the U.S. Congress for the Nobel Prize for Peace.

He has been invited to bring his message of peace in the capitals of many countries, including Seul, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Jerusalem and Bonn, and in various American universities.

During the war in ex-Jugoslavia, he went several times to the refugee camps of Mostar, Karlovac and Vukovar where adopted war orphan children.

In recognition of his commitment against violence, he was awarded, on October 23, 1996, the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters by the Central Connecticut State University, in the U.S.A.

He has thought out the peace flag, which has been reproduced in hundred of copies. It contains the faces of children representing all continents, and six basic colours, which sum up the colours of all the flags in the world. Branching out from the children’s faces, the form the symbol of universal peace.

On November 26 to 28, 1998, he organised in Ragusa and in the former missile base of Comiso the tenth International Education for Peace Conference, which was attended by forty reporters from twenty different countries. From a place that used to be a base for soldiers and missiles, they spoke of the urgent need of educating young people to peace, dialogue, and cooperation among the nations.

Bruno Ficili’s commitment to the peace cause continues with increased energy, his aim being to make of Syracuse and Sicily a launching pad for peace education programmes. By launching them through Internet, he hopes to reach a larger number of people.