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My challenge to you

P eace does not happen by accident. tionally brings divided communities together around
shared economic opportunity can start to build it.
It must be pursued deliberately, built
The project does not change. The intention does.
strategically, and woven intention-
ally into everything we do. That is
In Colombia, Rotary’s Pathways to Peace and
the challenge I am placing before the Prosperity program shows us what this looks like in
Rotary world this year. practice. Working in communities shaped by decades
Rotary recognizes peacebuilding as one of our of armed conflict and displacement, the program com-
areas of focus. But I believe peace must be more than bines economic empowerment with conflict resolution
a category of work we set aside for certain projects. It training and community-led reconciliation. Peace was
must become a lens, one we choose to look through not a hoped-for side effect. It was central to the design.
every time we plan, every time we serve, every time we That is the standard I am calling all of us to follow.
ask what kind of impact we truly want to leave behind. As you plan your next project, whatever the focus
The Institute for Economics and Peace has identi- area, I want you to pause and ask one question: How
fied eight Pillars of Positive Peace: well-functioning does this create the conditions for peace? Consult the
government, a sound business environment, equitable Pillars of Positive Peace. Find where your work con-
distribution of resources, acceptance of the rights of nects. Then, make that connection intentional. Share
others, good relations with neighbors, free flow of in- what you discover with your club, your district, and
PHOTOGRAPH: MONIKA LOZINSKA
formation, high levels of human capital, and low levels your community. The more we talk about peace as a
of corruption. These pillars describe the conditions practice rather than a destination, the more naturally
that make lasting peace possible. And when I look at it will shape everything we do.
This is not about doing different work. It is about
them carefully, I see enormous potential for Rotary. doing our work differently, with greater awareness,
Not because our work automatically advances peace
PHOTOGRAPH: MONIKA LOZINSKA a water project designed with the Pillars of Positive YINKA
but because it can when we are deliberate about it.
greater purpose, and a clearer vision of the world
we are trying to build. Every Rotary project carries
That is the key word: deliberate.
potential. Our task is to unlock it, not by chance
A water project does not build peace on its own. But
but by choice.
Peace in mind — one that asks how equitable access to
resources strengthens community trust — can begin
to lay that foundation. A vocational training program
4
does not guarantee reconciliation. But one that inten-
臺灣扶輪 2026.11
President, Rotary International
AUGUST 2026 ROTARY 1

aug26-A-PresMessage.indd 1 6/30/26 16:39