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Think Tank 2022
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Proposal for an Interfaith Council at the UN
- Friday, January 11, 2008
Peace can be fully accomplished only when the wisdom and efforts of religious leaders, who represent the internal concerns of the mind and conscience, work cooperatively and respectfully with government officials who have much practical wisdom and worldly experience. UPF advocates for the establishment of an interfaith council at the UN as well as on national and local levels to provide structures for this to take place. Scroll down for links to related UN resolutions.
Goals:
- Develop structures that will draw on the wisdom and capacities of religious traditions to address pressing issues.
- Build networks of interfaith peacebuilders who can serve in such structures.
Methods:
- Convene consultations about the proposal.
- Establish and promote local and national interfaith councils that can serve as models for a proposed interreligious council at the UN.
Read statements of support by: elder statesmen, senior diplomats, members of parliament and government officials, NGO leaders, religious thinkers, scholars
Backgrounders:
- Call for an interfaith council at the United Nations [English, Español, Italiano]
- PowerPoint overview of the proposal [English, Español, Français]
- UPF's Statement on Interreligious Dialogue
- References to religion and spirituality in UN documents
Progress in Interreligious Dialogue
2013-22 - International Decade for the Rapprochement of Cultures
2011 - First Week of February designated World Interfaith Harmony Week (UN General Assembly resolution 65/5)
2010 - UN International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
2009 - UN International Year of Reconciliation
2008 - World Conference on Dialogue in Madrid proposed that the UN create an interreligious council.
2007 & 2008 - High-Level Dialogues on Interreligious and Intercultural Understanding and Cooperation for Peace in the General Assembly (2007, 2008)
2008 - Focal Point created in ECOSOC for interreligious, intercultural and intercivilizational dialogue and cooperation efforts
2006 - Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace began hosting joint meetings in New York of staff from UN missions, UN offices, and NGOs.
2005 - Committee of Religious NGOs formed at the UN
2004 - UN NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns began hosting a Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns every fall at the UN.
UN General Assembly Resolutions
Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace, GA 66/226, adopted 23 December 2011
Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 65/138, adopted 16 December 2010
Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 64/81, adopted 7 December 2009
Promotion of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding, and Cooperation for Peace, GA 60/10, adopted 3 November 2005
Promotion of Interreligious Dialogue, GA 59/23, adopted 11 November 2004
Promotion of Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony, and Cooperation, GA 58/128, adopted 19 December 2003
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UPF UN Statements
- Friday, January 11, 2008
UPF issues statements on UN commemorative events and other occasions:
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Peace Education & Human Development
- Thursday, January 10, 2008
Peace Education & Human Development
UPF's seminars and leadership conferences focus on the urgent need for new vision and leadership based on core values and universal principles of peacebuilding.
UPF advocates the incorporation of character education and peace education in schools. Its Discovering the Real Me comprehensive character education curriculum consists of easy-to-follow textbooks and teacher manuals.
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UPF Today magazine: 2008
- Sunday, January 6, 2008
UPF Today is a quarterly magazine of the Universal Peace Federation featuring activities of our international office and chapters throughout the world. The magazine is published in English and Russian, with occasional editions in other languages, including French, Spanish, and Arabic. Our archive contains .pdf files and links to the corresponding articles on our website. We encourage chapters to reprint and/or translate such portions of the magazine that they might find useful.
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UPF Today: November 2008English (PDF)Korean/한국 (PDF) Russian/Русский (PDF) (34mb)
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UPF Today: September 2008English (PDF)
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UPF Today: July 2008English (PDF)
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UPF Today: May 2008English (PDF)
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UPF Today: March 2008English (PDF)
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Pérou - Redonner de l’espoir aux survivants d’un séisme
- Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Les ambassadeurs de paix au Pérou ont été fort occupés en décembre 2007 ; en pleine saison de bonne volonté, ils ont saisi cette occasion pour visiter certaines des zones les plus déshéritées du pays pour leur apporter un soutien et l’espoir d’un meilleur avenir.
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Peru - Ayuda para los sobrevivientes del terremoto
- Tuesday, January 1, 2008
CHINCHA, PERU: Los Embajadores para la Paz en Perú han estado muy ocupados en diciembre 2007, tomando la oportunidad de esta estación de buena voluntad para visitar algunas de las áreas de mayor carencia de Perú, para llevarles apoyo y esperanza en el futuro.
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Global News
- Friday, December 21, 2007
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AFP - Quotes
- Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Thoughts about Peace
By UPF Ambassadors for Peace
We are all one human family. Peace can be achieved. I know it will be done. It is a question of time, humility, simplicity, and our willingness to reach out. - Hon. Jose de Venecia, Jr., Former Speaker, House of Representatives, the Philippines
Every religion calls for man to do good and to stop doing bad. - Chief Imam Sheikh Assane Cisse, President, African American Islamic Institute, Senegal
The base of human society is the family, and if we secure that sanctity of the family unit, we bring a process that leads to a morally and spiritually good community, country, and world. - Rt. Hon. Hamilton Green, Prime Minister, Guyana (1985-92)
All religions insist on peace. From this we might think that the religious struggle for peace is simple … but it is not. The deep problem is that people use religion wrongly in pursuit of victory and triumph. This sad fact then leads to conflict with people who have different beliefs. - H.E. Abdurrahman Wahid, President, Indonesia (1999-2001)
It is extremely important to consolidate all efforts that advance peace and stability at national, regional, and global levels; therefore, we will not spare any effort to promote peace and coexistence through dialogue among the different cultures, religions, and peoples of our globe. - H.E. Mohammad Karim Khalili, Vice President, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
World peace does not come about by the signing of agreements and treaties. World peace will not be established even if the images of war temporarily disappear from the media. We have wrongly confused progress in economics diplomacy and science with the far more elusive—and much more vital—ethical progress that is needed for true peace. - Yamba Elie Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso
Living for the sake of others sounds so simple, almost too simple. If every person in the world was raised with that ethic, we would have a world of peace, a better tomorrow where men and women have learned to live and love in friendship. - Amb. Phillip V. Sanchez, former US Ambassador to Colombia and Honduras
One of the thorniest problems of this age is the matter of war and peace. A clear point of view that promotes a peace agreement to solve all conflicts is very necessary, and to bring people of different denominations and nations closer together is worthwhile. - Hon. Jaromir Kohlicek, Member, European Parliament for Bohemia and Moravia, Czech Republic
Tell the truth with love, and face reality with courage. Religious leaders should be headlights on the road to peace, not tail lights. - Rev.Walter Fauntroy, former US Congressman for Washington, DC
More attention needs to be paid to the significance and importance of moral and ethical values in leadership. - H.E. Mohamoud Adam Bechir, Ambassador of Chad to the US
If we can live the dream of beginning a trip from the tip of South America and travel without being hindered by borders to the eastern hemisphere of this planet, all of us and our children will happily understand that the work of mankind is not to destroy but to build up. - Dr. Carlos Enrique Pena, Vice Rector, University of Santa Maria, Venezuela
All my life I have been struggling to attain happiness and love. This is what we live for. I am ready to die to make it possible for everyone to live this way. - Dr. Eliezer Glaubach, former city councilman, Jerusalem
We live today at a time when the world is always facing one global crisis or the other. To promote peace, we must understand the root causes of conflict and promote enduring solutions. - Chief Dr. Ernest Shonekan, former President, Nigeria
Ordinary people long for peace and cry out for an end to conflict. We must have continuing dialogue and personal commitment in order to have peace. - Hon. Gaqo Apostoli, former Member of Parliament and government minister, Albania
Our desire is to cultivate good character in the children and youth of Thailand and protect them from harm. - Dr. Suthin Nophaket, Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
It is a noble intention to bring women from different countries, races and religions to listen to options and strategies as to how we can work together to create peace in our life and the world. - Hammidah Abdulleh Bahashwan, Singapore
Our task in all our activities is the same: peace within the family, whether we speak about the nuclear family, the family of our society, or the global family of mankind. - Galina A. Kharitonova, President, Life NGO, Russia
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S. Goswami : Un changement de paradigme spirituel
- Monday, December 17, 2007
Nous sommes incontestablement devant une crise d’une ampleur générale. Les raisons en sont nombreuses. Une crise surgit avant tout quand on est dépourvu de ressources devant une situation. En général, c’est ainsi. Mais pourquoi est-on dépourvu ? Et de quoi ?
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Video Download (GPF Paraguay)
- Saturday, December 15, 2007
Video download (low quality) (WMV) 13MB
Video download (high quality) | Español (WMV) 50MB
Right click (or control-click) to download the file to your computer.
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Une grande journée de Festival à Manille
- Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Le 12 décembre 2007, la grande célébration du Festival international de la paix 2007 s’est déroulée dans les tribunes historiques du Quirino de Manille, la capitale des Philippines. L’événement était le point d’orgue d’une multitude d’activités et de spectacles autour du thème « la paix globale et une seule famille mondiale. »