28 Ottobre 2025

By Francesco Serafini, President of The Garden of Peace
and Oriano Spadoni, Secretary General of The Garden of Peace

A Garden for Peace and an Award for Humanity

Toronto, September 21–26, 2025 — On the occasion of the International Peace Festival, the city of Toronto welcomed a gift of extraordinary symbolic and human value: a Garden of Peace, offered by The Garden of Peace (TGoP).

The Garden, composed of 21 varieties of olive trees sourced from 21 countries around the world, was set up inside the Toronto City Hall, the institutional heart of the city, where it served throughout the Festival as a living message of peace, unity, and hope.

In the coming months, the Garden will be permanently installed in a dedicated location, chosen together with the municipal authorities, so that it may become a place for meeting and reflection, open to citizens, schools, and visitors.

Inauguration ceremony

During the inaugural ceremony, in the presence of city authorities, consular representatives, artists, activists, and members of the international community, olive tree saplings were donated to all attendees as a tangible sign of friendship, cooperation, and shared commitment towards peace and sustainability.

The most moving moment was the conferral of the prestigious “Leadership Award for Peace” upon the association’s president, Francesco Serafini. This recognition is assigned to figures who distinguish themselves through their contribution to building a more just and harmonious world. The president shared this award with the entire TGoP team, which was fully present at this important event.

The award, presented during the Gala of Peace Ambassadors, celebrated the tireless work of the association in promoting, through the olive tree, a universal dialogue among cultures, peoples, and religions, intertwining biodiversity, beauty, and the spirit of reconciliation.

“This Garden is a living message. Every tree is a voice that speaks of peace, of memory, and of a shared future. It is our way of uniting the roots of the world in the same soil.”  Francesco Serafini.

Leadership Award for Peace

The Toronto event represents a fundamental milestone in the international journey of the Gardens of Peace, which have already been established in many other symbolic locations.

With the Toronto Garden, The Garden of Peace renews its commitment to spreading, through the universal language of nature, a message of cooperation, respect, and hope for future generations.