Korça, Albania - A sculpture of 400 origami cranes symbolizing "Mankind as One Family and the World as One Home" was given to the mayor of Korça during the Global Peace Festival in Albania.

The crane origami is the symbol of peace and hope in Japan. Cranes also represent the natural freedom of migratory birds, who experience the world without the conflicts and divisions caused by national boundaries or the rules of visas and passports.

Korça, Albania - Life in Korça was very lively from October 11 to 18. People could feel that something very special was going on, and many remarked that the atmosphere of the city had changed completely. The festival week opened on October 11 with an event sponsored by Global Peace Festival(GPF) in partnership with the Mary Potter Palliative Care Center.

Approximately 2,000 people joined a high-spirited peace march through the ancient Albanian city of Korça to mark the Global Peace Festival on October 18. Led by the Korça City Band and hundreds of Ambassadors for Peace, the throng of peace marchers grew so rapidly that it became clear there wouldn’t be enough space at the main celebration in the Sports Hall for all the marchers to join those who had already assembled there.

Korca, Albania - The main highlight of the Global Peace Festival in Albania will be the Peace March in the city of Korca on October 18. The first leg of the Peace March will begin in front of the Korça City Theater. People will walk from there to the Orthodox Cathedral, where they will be able to enjoy 40 minutes of musical artistry. Well-known entertainers, including Anjeza Shahini, Alban Skenderaj, Mariza Ikonomi and Eneida Tarifa, will offer inspirational musical performances for the crowd.
After this, the march will commence its second leg, ending at the Sports Hall, which has a capacity of 4,000 people.

Korca, Albania - There is great anticipation of the 2008 Global Peace Festival that will be held October 18 in Korça, Albania, which is being organized by many political dignitaries and renowned citizens, as well as dozens of political, educational, and commercial organizations. In the broadest, most universal sense, the vision of the Global Peace Festival is to recognize that all human beings are part of One Family under God. From a local perspective, GPF–Albania focuses on opening the way for the goodness of peace to permanently infuse the strife-ridden Balkan region. In this regard then, GPF–Albania 2008 has a clear, twofold purpose.