The future is for the children – international celebration in Belgium SHAPE community

Text: Captain Milán Gajdos | Photo: Captain Lajos Veres | 14:53 May 19, 2026

This year, too, the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) held a spectacular event in Mons, Belgium on the occasion of World Children’s Day. During the celebration, the children of allied nations presented their cultural and musical values on stage.

Since 1999, Türkiye has annually organized this get-together with a special atmosphere to commemorate the formation of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in 1920 and at once to highlight the social importance of children’s rights and well-being. This year’s program started with a ceremonial commemoration with the participation of national military representations and the leaders of SHAPE, and continued with the appearance of children from 16 NATO member countries on stage, so the audience had the opportunity to glimpse into slices of their cultures and identities within the framework of dance performances.

As an element of this program, children of the Hungarian community performed a rhythmic folk dance by authentic tunes – they were prepared for the performance by Melinda Veres-Frikton and Renáta Varga Gódorné. The event was coupled with the award presentation of a drawing contest whose awardees received their recognitions from the managing director of the SHAPE International School. Among them were Hungarian Polli Nagy and Emma Veres, who won third place with their creative drawings.

This year, too, the event demonstrated that it is our shared responsibility to support the development of the generations of the future. Through this celebration, the SHAPE community represented the values of cultural diversity and expressed its commitment to a world where all children have a chance to study, progress, develop themselves and live a peaceful and just future.