INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITY

Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, as a Goodwill Ambassadorof UNESCO, the President of the Association of Friends of Children with cancer “ELPIDA” and of the Association “ORAMA ELPIDAS”, as well as the President of “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation”, co-operates with many nternational organizations and is a member of their board. She also co-operates with several NGOs around the world, such as: Fondation pour l`Enfance (France) founded by Mrs. Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing and being pioneer in the childhood protection in Europe, AVEC (France) founded by Professor David Khayat, International Peace Bureau, Hague Appeal for Peace, Jordan River Foundation (Jordan) founded by HM Queen Rania of Jordan, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial (USA) founded by Mrs. Ethel Kennedy, the Walkabout Foundation (UK), the Qatar Foundation, and others.

In this frame she attends and participates in many international and European conferences and meetings, as speaker, or participant, in charity galas and events, as well as in international meetings and forums, such as:
The first ECPAT World Congress on Sexual Exploitation of Children, in Stockholm, which was held under the auspices of H.M. Queen Silvia of Sweden (August, 1996)
The Summit of the “Fondation pour l’Enfance” in Paris, for the presentation of the work of the “European Office for Missing and Exploited Children”. She participated as a keynote speaker (November 1997)
The International Conference on Missing Children organised by INTERPOL and the “Fondation pour l’Enfance”, in Lyon-France (March 1999)
The International Conference “The Hague Appeal for Peace” held in The Netherlands. She was speaker on the subject “Building a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence” and organised a Round Table entitled “The effect of radioactivity on children’s health” in cooperation with the International Peace Bureau, making an appeal for the abolition of nuclear tests and wars around the world (May 1999)
The International Conference “Global Solidarity: the way to Peace and International Cooperation” organised by the Department of Public Information of the United Nations, in New York (August, 2000)
The “International Conference for a Culture of Peace” organised by the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, in Madrid, where she addressed the Opening Ceremony of the Conference (December 2000)
The Second International Conference of FAM Network (Women-Mediterranean Creators) for the Culture of Peace, held in Rhodes (September 2002)
She participated in the group of experts for the protection of civilians during armed conflicts, and attended the two meetings –the first one was held in Paris in September 2006 and the second in Alexandria in January 2007.
She participated in the first International Youth Forum for Peace held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, which aimed at giving young people the opportunity to demonstrate their power and their abilities for the construction of a better world (September, 2007).
She attended the International Conference «Crossing Borders to Protect the Children of the World» in Cairo which was organised in co-operation with ICMEC (February 2009) .
She attended as a speaker the International Conference “Human Trafficking at the crossroads of East- West” held in Manama, Bahrain, under the auspices of H.R.H. Shaikha Sabeeka Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, wife of H.M. the King of Bahrain. (March 2009).
She participated in the International Forum against Human Trafficking in Luxor, Egypt (December 2010).
As founding member, she attended the meetings of the Global Humanitarian Forum under the leadership of Mr. Kofi Annan held in Geneva. The Forum was aiming at raising awareness of the global community regarding the humanitarian impacts of climate change. (2007-2010)
The Vienna Trafficking Forum organized by the UN.GIFT and the UNODC. (February, 2008)
The conference for the elimination of poverty in Baku, Azerbaijan, organised by the “YES” International Campaign in cooperation with the Azerbaijani Ministry of Youth and Sports, under the auspices of the First Lady of Azerbaijan Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva (September, 2008)
The International High Level Strategic Meeting on Education organised in Doha, Qatar, on the framework of the “Educate a Child Initiative”, under the auspices of H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (April, 2013)
The World Innovation Summit on Education entitled “Reinventing Education for Life”, held in Doha, Qatar, organised by the Qatar Foundation under the auspices of H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (October 2013 and October 2014)
The International Night for the Child organized annually by the “Fondation pour l’Enfance”.
The Anniversary of the “Charter of Paris against Cancer” organized by AVEC annually.
The “Ripple of Hope Human Rights Awards 2014” held in New York, USA and organised by the “Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Center” (December 2014).

HER WORK AT THE LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA

Marianna V. Vardinoyannis was a member of the Board of Directors of the Library of Alexandria from its foundation up to 2008, for the maximum period of stay in that position according the rules of the Library. Today, she is a member of the Advisory Board of the Library, being the only remaining representative of Greece in the governing bodies of the Library, continuing the work of the late Melina Merkouri, who had the lead at the first steps for the revival of the Alexandrian Library.
In addition to the unfailing presence at the annual meetings of board members and the most important events held in the Library – the opening of the Library, the 5th Anniversary of the Library, scientific conferences and cultural festivals, etc. – she has supported the establishment of the Institute for Peace. She also supports the “Bibliotheca Alexandrina Friends” Association’s projects, such as the Conference on Hellenistic Alexandria, has organized lectures and press conferences of the Library Director Dr. Ismail Serageldin, at Athens and Rethymno, for the disclosure of the Library’s projects in Greece and has undertaken many initiatives to enrich and promote the Library project.
Among these the most important was the establishment of the Centre for Hellenistic Studies in the Library of Alexandria, launched and operated since October 2008.
The creation of the Centre for Hellenistic Studies, whose official name is «The Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies», was funded by the “Vardinoyanneion Foundation” and the Public Benefit Foundation “Alexandros S. Onassis” for the promotion of Greek culture abroad and highlighting the history of the Hellenistic era in which the ancient Library of Alexandria was established. Now the Vardinoyanneion Foundation is the exclusive sponsor of the Centre’s operation. At the Hellenistic Studies Center there are courses for history, education and teaching, Philosophy, Literature and Fine Arts. The Centre is housed in the Library which cooperates with the University of Alexandria to grant diplomas and Master’s level degrees and Ph.D.

OTHER INITIATIVES

Both when engaging in social work and when acting in her private capacity, the President of the Foundation is always there for vulnerable groups in society, taking steps to promote both education and Greek culture, and to improve the quality of life of those afflicted by natural or other disasters.Among other things, Marianna V. Vardinoyannis and her husband, Mr. Vardis I. Vardinoyannis:

  • arranged for the village of Makistos in the western Peloponnese, which was destroyed by the August 2007 wildfires, to be rebuilt.
  • established the Chair of Hellenism Abroad and the “Ioannis P. Vardinoyannis” Library at New York University.
  • established the “Konstantinos Karamanlis” Chair of Greek and European Studies at Tufts University.
  • arranged for construction of the Georgios and Evangelia Bournaki Municipal Indoor Gym in Ermioni.

Moreover, Marianna V. Vardinoyannis:

  • arranged for construction of the Children’s Creative Activities Center in the Municipality of Ano Liossia.
  • organized a concert in memory of Princess Diana at London’s Royal Festival Hall.
  • hosted a lecture by Prof. Helene Ahrweiler at London’s Palace of Westminster on the ‘Birth of European Consciousness’.
  • hosted the ‘Speak Truth to Power’ event at the Athens Concert Hall, under the aegis of the then President of the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr. Konstantinos Stefanopoulos, and arranged publication of a book of that title by Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, revenues from which were donated to the Greek branch of Amnesty International.
  • hosted the ‘Rape of Europa’ roundtable at the Athens Concert Hall.