The Rotary world comes to Lisbon for the opening of the 2013 convention

Several centuries ago, Portuguese explorers set sail from Lisbon to explore the world over the seas.

On Sunday, the world, or at least representative parts of it, came to Lisbon, as Rotarians from more than 225 countries and geographic areas gathered for the opening plenary session of the 2013 Rotary International Convention, Lisbon: A Harbour for Peace.

Peace took centre stage all day. During his opening remarks, RI President Sakuji Tanaka, who selected Peace Through Service as this year’s RI theme, shared how he came to make a connection between peace and service. He recalled that he was still very young when he heard the radio broadcast by Japanese Emperor Hirohito announcing the end of World War II.

RI President Tanaka Launches Lisbon Convention from Rotary International on Vimeo.