Week of Global Interfaith Dialogue -- 2008

Buddhist-Muslim Dialogues

 


Coalition for the Initiative for a UN Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace

The DECADE Initiative at the 2009 Parliament of World’s Religions Report by Dr. Gerardo Gonzalez Executive Secretary of the Steering Committee The 2009 Parliament of World’s Religions took place in Melbourne, Australia, on 3-9 December 2009. With over 6,000 participants from all over the world, the Parliament was a forum for presenting and discussing a large variety of matters in its seven plenary sessions and hundreds of specialized parallel sessions. It was certainly the most important interfaith event of the year.

Most of the Coalition member- organizations were represented there. For that reason the Second Meeting of the Coalition was convened in Melbourne immediately before the Parliament, gathering representatives of 31 member organizations. (A report prepared by the Chair of the SC was sent already to you on 14 January). As planned well ahead, the DECADE Initiative was present at the Parliament through three main channels: A brief presentation at one of the plenary sessions, a symposium of two sessions, and the wide distribution of a brochure.

A. Presentation of the DECADE Initiative during the International Plenary Session, on Saturday 5 December: A 4 minutes video was presented, with Stein Villumstad reading from the podium during the last 1:30 minutes the following message: “You saw images and heard voices illustrating the potential and power of multi-religious efforts for peace, to eradicate poverty and promote development through the Millennium Development goals, and to address the challenges of climate change.

All these challenges are also part of important agendas of the United Nations. A Coalition of religious communities, faithbased, interfaith and value-based organizations agreed in March of this year to work for a UN Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace. The Coalition believes that the impressive work that that is already done in partnership between religious institutions, and with the UN can be multiplied if properly harnessed. A UN Decade can give time and space for this enhanced cooperation, both between religious actors, and with the UN – and serve as a broad framework for a variety of on-going initiatives related to interfaith dialogue and cooperation related to the UN. Why don’t you join the effort to have this UN Decade launched? Appeal to your government to support it! Encourage your community or organization to join us to strengthen our efforts! We believe that ten years of enhance cooperation can make a difference!” The video will be available in the DECADE website (www.faithdecadeforpeace.net) in the coming days in the section “Latest News”, as part of this report.

 

B. Symposium: “Feeding a plan of action for the UN Decade of Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace” It comprised two sessions. Mussie Hailu, from Ethiopia, who was expected to introduce the subject “Preventing and healing religiously motivated conflicts” in the second session, couldn’t attend because of visa problems. Consequently, the program had to be adapted as explained below.

The panel of presenters was composed by Dr. Gerardo Gonzalez (Chile) –who organized the symposium-, Stein Villumstad (Norway) , Dr. John Taylor (UK) and Serigne Mansour Sy (Senegal), all of them members of the Steering Committee of the Coalition. The sessions were respectively chaired by Yoland Trevino (originally from Guatemala), Chairperson of the URI Global Council, and Audrey Kitagawa (USA), Chairperson of the New York based CONGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns (CSVGC). Both of them represent their organizations in the Coalition.

First session: Sunday 6 December, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (a) Introducing the proposed UN Decade, by Stein Villumstad, followed by questions and comments from the public, which were responded by the panel.

(b) Presenting successful stories of partnership between Faith-based Organizations and UN agencies and Member States around Millennium development goals. It was introduced by Gerardo Gonzalez, following the power-point presentation attached. (file: Presentation by G Gonzalez to Symposium in Parliament. pdf)

(c) Interactive sharing of experiences with the participants. Suggestions for the Plan of Action of the DECADE Second session: Tuesday 8 December, 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (a) Brief introduction of the proposed DECADE, by Gerardo Gonzalez, followed by questions and comments from the public, which were responded by the panel. (b) Presenting successful stories of partnership on Human rights (with emphasis on social, economic and cultural rights), introduced by John Taylor (c) Succe4ssful stories with special reference to Africa, presented by Mansour Sy (d) Interactive sharing of experiences with the participants. Suggestions for the Plan of Action of the DECADE

The first session was attended by around forty people and the second by around fifty. In both sessions there was a high level of participation from the floor. The brochure with basic information on the DECADE initiative was distributed to all the participants. Two pictures taken on the second session are attached.

C. The Brochure on the DECADE Initiative contains information on “Vision, Mission and expected outcomes” of the DECADE as approved by the SC and stated in the Website; on the “partners”, with the list of organizations associated to the Coalition; on the Symposium at the Parliament, as well as how to contact and support this initiative. Two thousand copies were printed and distributed during the Parliament with the help of the participants in the Second Meeting of the Coalition. Santiago, 31 January 2010.