Major U.K. and U.S. Landmine Charities Honour Footsteps of Diana
Last Update: 3/26/2007 9:23:00 PM
Major U.K. and U.S. Landmine Charities Honour Footsteps of Diana

April Events Link 'Land and Sea' Her Majesty Queen Noor and Legendary Napa Valley Vintner Miljenko Grgich to Receive Roots of Peace Global Citizen Award Onboard Queen Mary 2

LONDON, March 26, 2007 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In honour of the 10th anniversary of the death of the late Diana, Princess of Wales who catapulted the issue of landmines to the forefront of the international agenda, two major U.K. and U.S. charity organisations are joining forces to stage global events raising funds to remove landmines and unexploded bombs.
While April 2007 marks a decade since Diana's courageous footsteps were taken into the dangerous minefields of Angola, an estimated 12 million landmines still remain endangering lives and preventing the cultivation of land. In a global "call to action," U.K.-based MAG (Mines Advisory Group) and U.S.-based Roots of Peace, continue her vital work by replacing these "seeds of terror" with "seeds of hope".

At the Cruise for Peace Bon Voyage Luncheon, Her Majesty Queen Noor and Miljenko "Mike" Grgich, legendary Napa Valley vintner and owner, Grgich Hills Estate, will be presented with the Roots of Peace, 2007 Global Citizen Award. The luncheon will take place onboard Queen Mary 2 at the Brooklyn (New York) Cruise Terminal, 11:00am -- 3:00pm. A reception will feature Grgich Hills Estate wines and a gourmet lunch will be served in the three-story Britannia Restaurant.
Roots of Peace, a humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of landmines by returning de-mined land to productive agricultural use, created the Global Citizen Award to salute the leadership and unique contributions of Her Majesty Queen Noor and Napa Valley Vintner Mike Grgich in raising landmine awareness around the globe. "The grapevine represents the seeds we have in common rather than those which separate us," said Heidi Kuhn, Founder and CEO, Roots of Peace. "While the fermented vine in Croatia honors the fine wines produced by legendary vintner, Mike Grgich, the fresh grapes and raisins honor the harvest of hope in Muslim countries where her Majesty Queen Noor has nurtured the vine," added Kuhn.
Queen Noor has been a tireless advocate for mine victims and their families to recover, heal, and resume their role as participating and contributing members of society. In 1998, as patron of Landmine Survivors Network (LSN), she hosted the first "International Conference on Landmine Injury & Rehabilitation in the Middle East." She announced the 40th ratification of the Ottawa Mine Ban-Treaty at the United Nations on October 1, 1998 detailing new measures to universalize the treaty and promote victim-survivor assistance. She has traveled to Africa, South East Asia, Europe, Central America, and the United States to raise awareness of the humanitarian disaster wrought by landmines and the dire need to assist survivors rebuild their lives. She has also been a leader in promoting public understanding of the relation between international agricultural research and global peace, prosperity, environmental renewal, health, and the alleviation of human suffering.
Inspired to help his fellow Croatians get back on their feet following the war, Mike Grgich joined Roots of Peace on a U.S. Department of State trip to his homeland in May 2000. With spirit and dedication, Mike Grgich raised the necessary funds through the proceeds of the 25th Anniversary of the Paris Tasting to join Roots of Peace in restoring the bountiful vineyards of Croatia. Since then, Roots of Peace has completed projects in Dragalic, Bibinge, Cista Mala, Cista Velika, Ilok, and Karlovac.