During the November session of the Executive Board, Executive Director Ertharin Cousin hosted the inauguration of the recently renovated HQ ground floor and the new “WFP Peace Garden”. The Peace Garden is a symbol to remind us that in fighting hunger every day, WFP contributes to global peace and stability.
Executive Board Members and hundreds of HQ staff attended the 20-minute ceremony, which the ED opened by cutting a ribbon and thanking the people and teams involved for “giving us this symbolic garden that recognizes that with peace, this team – working in this building, working around the world, with all of our partners – will achieve zero hunger in our lifetime”, she said. “Make this garden stand as a monument for all the people who serve, and those who strive each day to nourish themselves and their families”.
The Ground Floor renovation is part of a multi-year initiative towards a “Landmark HQ”, funded by the Government of Italy. Giampaolo Cantini, the Italian Director General for Development Cooperation, expressed his continuous commitment to support WFP.
The inauguration continued with a tree planting ceremony. The Executive Director, together with three staff from Africa, Asia and Latin America, added soil to one of the five olive trees representing the inhabitants of the five continents working together towards world peace.
The last part of the ceremony was held in the recently-renovated lobby, where Deputy Executive Director Amir Abdulla introduced the relocated memorial wall and the ED and Giampaolo Cantini placed a floral wreath there. The wall is a place to remember and honour those staff members who lost their lives while serving in the line of duty for WFP. To honour our humanitarian heroes and close the ceremony, Amir invited all attendees to observe a minute of silence “in memory of so many colleagues, so many friends, so many people who’ve given their lives so that the lives of others may be improved”.
