Launched during the Genfest in Budapest at the end of this summer, the object of the United World Project is ambitious: taking up the task that Chiara Lubich entrusted to Young People for a United World (Y4UW), it seeks to promote a culture of universal brotherhood, so that ‘a united world will be on the lips of everyone’, as Chiara put it.

Subdivided into three parts (United World Watch, United World Workshop and United World Network), the project aims at involving the largest number of people possible, asking them to be personally committed to living in fraternity, to the point of involving even large international organizations.

United World Watch is setting up a permanent international monitoring body for universal fraternity. To this end Y4UW is striving to develop the widest possible range of ‘fragments of fraternity’ initiatives throughout the world, studying the principle of universal fraternity in all its forms through research and forums, collecting data on and monitoring fraternal actions by individuals, groups and peoples.

United World Workshop is a way for young people to commit themselves to practical action following up on what UNESCO calls good practice. Through a multitude of activities all over the planet they are committed to working concretely for universal fraternity. Furthermore, by means of the NGO New Humanity, they have asked the UN to give international recognition to ‘United World Week’ promoted by them in many countries since 1996.

United World Network recognizes that to build a united world it is not enough to involve international institutions. By means of an online petition (aiming to have 500,000 signatures to give the UN by May 2013) Y4UW propose to young people, adults and children to take up the commitment of to live out the Golden Rule: ‘Treat others as you would have them treat you’ and to contribute to United World Watch, being constantly on the lookout for signs of fraternity that call the world to unity. To sign go to www.unitedworldproject.org

A key moment for the project will be in May 2013 in Jerusalem when, a year on from the Genfest, signing up to the ‘Network’ will concluded and, with world participation, the ‘Watch’ will be launched officially.

The project shows particular concern for the theme of fraternity in that sensitive situation which is the Middle East. But it will also contain ‘Sharing with Africa’, a proposal of mutual care made to the peoples of Africa to rediscover the traditional ideal of Ubuntu (the vision of unity at the basis of African societies). In this way the United World Project becomes the container for many of the  activities of Y4UW.

Tomaso Comazzi