The Academy of Athens presented its annual awards for 2017 during a celebratory event held 21 December 2017 at the Academy’s ceremonial hall.

The “ELPIDA”Association of Friends of Children with Cancer was awarded a Gold Medal, the Academy of Athens’ highest honour, for its “active and steadily growing charitable work”.

The founder and president of the Association, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, was there to receive the Academy’s Gold Medal, presented by Academy of Athens President, Loukas Papademos, before an audience of academics and guests at the grand event.

The 3-day international “Hellenistic Alexandria: Celebrating 24 centuries” conference, organised by the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation, the Alexandria Center for Hellenistic Studies at Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the Acropolis Museum and the Mariolopoulos-Kanaginis Foundation for the Environmental Sciences and taking place under the auspices of His Excellency, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopios Pavlopoulos, was opened on the 13th of December 2017 in the amphitheatre of the Acropolis Museum, by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Marianna V. Vardinoyannis.

“This day is a great moment in time for our Foundation, Ms Vardinoyannis said, as we are embarking on an initiative of national significance on which we have been working for several months,

The International Meeting entitled “ADDRESSING THE HUMANITARIAN CHALLENGES OF A EURO-MEDITERRANEAN PARTNERSHIP,” which was organised by the “Nizami Ganjavi International Center” (NGIC), in collaboration with the ‘Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation,” held on 22 November 2017 in the Amphitheatre of the Acropolis Museum.

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Mrs. Marianna V. Vardinoyannis warmly welcomed the speakers, who came from various parts of the world to present their experiences, views, and visions at the International Meeting, noting, among other things: “It is an immense honour for our Foundation to host in Athens the Thirteenth High Level Meeting of the «Nizami Ganjavi International Center»,

On the 10th of November 2017, during a heart-warming and impressive ceremony organised at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, the entire family of the International Organisation, high-ranking officers, Goodwill Ambassadors, UNESCO Artists for Peace and many other prominent figures from all over the world came to pay tribute to Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, as she stepped down at the end of her term in office, after 8 consecutive years.

The event commenced with the projection of highlights from the swearing in of Ms. Bokova in 2009, as the  Director-General of UNESCO, the first woman to have reached this rank since the establishment of this Organisation,

The “Women’s International Club Athens” (WIC) held its Ordinary General Meeting yesterday, with official guest and keynote speaker UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Marianna Vardinoyannis.

As she opened the meeting, the Chairwoman of the WIC, Ms. Rania Kouloukakou, welcomed Ms. Vardinoyannis to the event, by saying among other things that: “I am very happy to have Mrs Vardinoyannis as our speaker. An active personality, both at the regional and international level, who strives for the rights of children and their families. Struggling for world peace and solidarity. As a Greek woman, I am very happy about our Marianna,

During its 5th Annual Gala, which it held on Friday, 29 September 2017, in New York City The “Hellenic Initiative” honoured UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Marianna V. Vardinoyannis for the breadth and duration of her social work and for her leading role in the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA,” presenting her with the Hellenic American Leadership Award.

The event opened with the playing of the Greek and U.S. National Anthems, with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America then saying the customary blessing. Following the blessing, His Eminence – breaking, as he said,

On 19 June 2017, in the conference hall of the Children’s Oncology Unit, the Palestinian Ambassador to Greece, Marwan Toubassi, on behalf of the President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, awarded the “Medal of Honour and Distinction” to the president of the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer “ELPIDA,” Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, in recognition of the great humanitarian work she carries out and her role in promoting the friendship between the two peoples.

In his brief remarks, Mr. Toubassi underscored that “today we are gathered here to honour a special woman who has dedicated her life to humanity,

On 8 May 2017, the Hellenic Red Cross celebrated World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day at the Zappeion Megaron Peristilio.

During the event, Mrs. Vardinoyannis, a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and President of the ELPIDA Association of Friends of Children with Cancer and the ORAMA ELPIDA Association, was awarded the Gold Cross with Gold Laurel Branch, which is the highest decoration of the Hellenic Red Cross. Also honoured were volunteers of the three Sectors of the Red Cross:  Nursing, Social Welfare, and Samaritans, Rescuers and Lifeguards for the assistance they have given to people in need.

On 24 April 2017, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Ms Marianna Vardinoyannis and the President of “Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights”, Ms Kerry Kennedy, presented the education programme on human rights entitled Speak Truth to Power, as well as the Greek edition of the curriculum, an educational tool for secondary school teachers. The event was held at the Acropolis Museum auditorium and was attended by representatives of the academic, political, diplomatic and media communities.

Ms Marianna V. Vardinoyannis delivered the opening address at the event, noting, “Greece, the small rocky promontory in the Mediterranean,