newsletter | fall 2013

SECRETARIAT | Dr. William Vendley addresses UN High Level Forum on

the Culture of Peace, stating "A Culture of Peace Is a Culture of Shared

Care" Religions for Peace Secretary General, Dr. William Vendley, participated in a UN high-level panel titled 'The role of interfaith cooperation in promoting a global culture of Peace.'

Dr. Vendley noted: 'Today, religious communities have to transpose their great learning on virtue in the most practical of ways. They have to demonstrate them in action in addressing the problems of our day. In addition to inculcating virtues in every local center of religious practice, virtue today can be advanced when religious groups work together side-by-side to tackle today's problems that cut across of communities.' [...]

'A culture of peace is a culture of shared care. Religions contribute when they cultivate unrestricted caring. Today, diverse religions are discerning areas of shared care. Such shared care, in turn, calls for shared action. That, too, surely is at the heart of building a culture of Peace.' For the full text, click here. The High Level Forum embodied a spirit of inter-connectedness for it provided a rare public opportunity for civil society to interact with the highest level UN officials to exchange ideas and suggestions on ways to mutually expand the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace.

WORLD | Religions for Peace Prepares for the 9th World Assembly

Religions for Peace (RfP) is in the midst of the preparation for the 9th World Assembly which will be held from 20-22 November 2013 in Vienna, Austria under the theme, "Welcoming the Other: Action for Human Dignity, Citizenship and Shared Well-being." The Assembly will be global in scale, multi-stakeholder in composition, and action-oriented. It will bring together over 600 senior religious leaders, youth and women of faith representing the world's religious traditions from over 100 countries. Religious leaders will be joined by representatives of governments, intergovernmental organizations, and other civil society sectors to forge concrete multi-stakeholder partnerships for the common good. The King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) has partnered with RfP to hold the Assembly. Founded to create opportunities for the world's religions and cultures to work together, KAICIID was established by the governments of Austria, Spain and Saudi Arabia, with the Holy See serving as a founding observer. KAICIID also has a distinguished board of religious leaders with excellent connections to RfP. KAICIID will convene its own Global Forum just prior to our Assembly, entitled "The Image of the Other". One day before the main RfP Assembly, a Women of Faith Pre-Assembly and a Youth Pre-Assembly will also be held. Religious women representing the world's major faith traditions and 100 youth leaders from six continents will gather to build and strengthen national, regional and global networks to trans- form conflict, build peace and advance sustainable development.

For more information about the World Assembly, visit our website: http://rfp.org/

World religious leaders gathered for the 8th World Assembly of RfP in 2006 in Kyoto, Japan

TURKEY | Syrian Religious Leaders Commit to Establish an Inter-religious

Council of Syria

Building on previous meetings in Marrakech (Morocco), Larnaca (Cyprus) and Cairo (Egypt) and in follow up and pursuit of the commitments of RfP - MENA, RfP - International convened a meeting for Syrian religious and community leaders under the theme "Syria for All Syrians: Multi-religious Cooperation for Peace" in Istanbul, Turkey. RfP is engaged with senior religious leaders and representatives of the historic religious communities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region with the objective of supporting religious communities and building their capacities through principled multi-religious collaboration to contribute to positive change, protecting religious freedoms and diversity, in addition to advancing peace, reconciliation and social cohesion. RfP - MENA, a collaborative council of religious leaders, scholars and representatives of religious communities, was established in 2007 for this purpose.

The meeting brought together 35 senior Syrian religious leaders, scholars, outstanding representatives of the different religious communities and ethnic groups in Syria, including women of faith representatives and a number of youth activists. Observers in the meeting

included the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, The Middle East Council of Churches, The Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue at the Vatican, the League of Arab States, The Islamic Society of North America and representatives of RfP's international leadership councils. The Istanbul meeting was convened in coordination with RfP's main partner in Turkey, the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet Isleri Baskanligi). Senior officials and representatives from Diyanet also attended the meeting. Despite the deteriorating circumstances, the momentous and agonizing events that continued to unfold in Syria during the phase of the buildup and preparations for the meeting, Syrian religious leaders exhibited unwavering commitment to participate in this meeting. Some leaders were not able to attend for different reasons and nominated representatives or expressed their support for the initiative. They all realized and appreciated that principled and forceful multi-religious cooperation among religious leaders in Syria can greatly advance peace and the common good. The objectives of the Istanbul meeting was to continue building on the previous meetings and consultations of the RfP- Syrian religious leaders working group, and to examine in depth the current challenges facing religious communities in Syria, and reaffirm the positive roles of Syrian multi-religious collaboration in helping to address these challenges. The meeting focused on the value of building a Syrian-led Interreligious Council of Syria as an instrument of multi-religious action for peace, for prevention of sectarian conflict and the advancement of reconciliation and social cohesion. Dr. William F. Vendley, Religions for Peace International Secretary General, stated: "religious faith can give believers the strength to bear the unbearable, find hope when situations are blocked and-in time-to forgive the unforgivable." He added: "We salute the courage and commitment of Syria's religious communities to work together for just peace. Religious believers around the world will walk with their Syrian religious colleagues in solidarity for peace." Dr. Mathew Hodes, Director of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, noted: "Syria's religious communities have unique and irreplaceable roles to play in uniting the Syrian society, an essential condition for progress in building peace." After deliberations, the meeting concluded with a strong statement outlining the principles and vision for multi-religious cooperation in Syria, and with a commitment to establishing the Inter-Religious Council of Syria (RfP-Syria).

JORDAN | RfP Participated in the Conference: "The Challenges Facing

Arab Christian"

3-4 September 2013: The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity. Yet, recent upheavals have resulted in Christian communities facing severe challenges in the region. In Iraq, Half the Christian population has fled violence since the 2003 American invasion. Within the past two-and-a-half years, some 450,000 Christians are believed to be among the 2 million people who have fled the civil war in Syria - an ancient land of historic churches, the country where St. Paul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus - and more than 80 churches have been destroyed throughout Egypt. On September 3-4, H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan sponsored a conference titled The Challenges Facing Arab Christian in Amman, Jordan. Some 70 high-ranking Arab church leaders, together with their Western counterparts, and Muslim clerics gathered for the conference. Dr. William Vendley, RfP-Inter- national Secretary-General, was also present. The conference aimed to bring together the leaders of all Churches of Middle Eastern Christianity to dis- cuss sectarian violence and religious discrimination in the MENA region and to ensure the continued safety and prosperity of Middle Eastern Christianity as an indelible and essential part of the rich tapestry of the Middle East. Sheik Aref Nayed, a Libyan Muslim theologian, challenged participants to consider what factors help create extremist groups in the first place and whether religious leaders may have also failed to protect their people against government-sanctioned violence. Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, led a minute of silent prayer for Christians who had died and for their families. He also paid tribute to Muslims who worked with great courage to protect Christians. He urged Arab Christians to continue to live "not alongside each other, but with each other." The Christian and Muslims leaders aimed to find a way to end the sectarian strife threatening their people and countries. "We must confront extremist trends," Archbishop Fouad Twal, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, and a Co-President of RfP told the gathering. He said it was the duty of religious leaders and their communities to work jointly "to get the new generation to accept 'the other,'" in order to "isolate these trends."

RfP Secretary-General Dr. William Vendley (right) and H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan (left)

JAPAN | Religions for Peace Partners with UNHCR to Strengthen

Protection of 'The Other'

20 June 2013: Religions for Peace highlighted the important role of religious communities in assisting refugees at the 2013 UNHCR World Refugee Day Symposium "Faith and Protection", in Tokyo. The objectives of the symposium was three-fold: first, to explore how the right to seek and enjoy asylum is reflected in religious values and traditions; to share experiences of how religious leaders and communities have helped protect and assist refugees in Japan; and to discuss how to enhance partnership with religious communities in order to support and empower refugee communities in Japan. At this occasion, a Japanese member of parliament, Mr. Ichiro Aisawa - also chairperson of the parliamentary coalition for UNHCR, and co-chair of the bi- partisan parliamentary support group for Religions for Peace - reminded in his remarks the granting of the first Japanese ODA for a multi-religious conflict transformation project in Southern Thailand through Religions for Peace, and emphasized the importance of Japanese government's support for assistance to refugees and internally displaced through interreligious collaboration.

The same month, the UN refugee agency and representatives of 25 faith-based Non-Governmental Organizations unveiled a landmark declaration aimed at

strengthening protection for the world's more than 40 million refugees, internally displaced, and stateless people. The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based groups. It sets out principles to guide faith leaders in providing welcoming environments for refugees and displaced people, and those without citizenship, including through promoting community understanding and tolerance, and combating xenophobia. The declaration will be launched formally during Religions for Peace 9th World Assembly in Vienna, in the presence of over 600 faith leaders from around the world. "Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders" is available in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, Russian and Spanish via:www.unhcr.org/51b6de419.html.

MYANMAR | Protecting Children Through Interreligious Collaboration 17 June 2013: In 2010, 7.6 million children worldwide died from preventable causes before reaching their fifth birthday. Despite billions of dollars invested in international aid, medications, vaccines and other aid, services often are not reaching the people who need them the most. The shift in household practices needed for the survival and well-being of under-five children must occur in large numbers of people, some of whom are far from urban centers of communication. Religious communities have the assets - social, spiritual and moral - to reach out to these people and bring about the needed change. This is why Myanmar religious leaders committed to taking a comprehensive advocacy and action for the health and well-being of children and mothers in Yangon, Myanmar, June 2013. This decision is a continuation of RfP - Myanmar's great dynamism since its creation in September 2012.

Indeed, a year ago, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities in Myanmar together launched Religions for Peace - Myanmar as the country's first full-fledged representative and action-oriented interreligious body for reconciliation, peace and development. Since then, RfP - Myanmar has engaged in interreligious advocacy calling for the cessation of violence in Rakhine state and its key members have been

appointed to serve on the Investigation Commission on the Rakhine crisis. The organization has initiated strategic humanitarian assistance aimed at promoting inter-communal harmony in the conflict areas. RfP - Myanmar has joined in a consortium of organizations addressing gender-based violence, maternal health and newborn care and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States. An RfP - Myanmar project to protect vulnerable children across the country is also being implemented through the RfP - Myanmar multi-religious taskforce on child protection.

"Communal harmony must be the bedrock of authentic development for Myanmar," said Secretary General Dr. William Vendley. "The shared moral and spiritual values of Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism advanced by Religions for Peace Myanmar will provide a basis for communal harmony, while its grassroots multi-religious projects will translate these values into needed action."

THAILAND | South East Asian Muslim - Buddhist Religious Leaders Unite

in Shared Commitment to Reject Interreligious Violence

16 June, 2013: Buddhist and Muslim leaders from South and South East Asian countries including India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on June 16-17, 2013 in a consultative meeting titled "Interactive Dialogue on Actions for Peace and Sustainability on Contemporary Issues in Buddhist-Muslim Relations in South and South East Asia" to address escalating tensions be- tween the two communities and the potential spread of hatred across the region.

Since Buddhists and Muslims constitute the overwhelming majority of Southeast Asia's 550 million people, dialogue aimed at enhancing understanding and empathy between the two communities is vital for peace and harmony in the region. The consultation was co-organized by the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), the Inter- national Movement for a Just World (JUST), and Religions for Peace (RfP). The meeting builds on a June, 2006 meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand that brought together 35 Buddhist and Muslim leaders from 8 South East Asian countries. The delegation from Religions for Peace included senior religious leaders from RfPMyanmar, RfP Sri Lanka Council of Religious Leaders, as well as RfPInterreligious Council of Thailand.

The conflict situation in many Southeast Asian and South Asian countries has intensified. In Myanmar, violence between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims led to the deaths of hundreds of people, and thousands displaced. Buddhist-Muslim tensions have continued to escalate, leading to the latest outbreaks of violence in Central Myanmar during March 2013. In Southern Thailand, since 2004 the violence between Thai security personnel and Muslim insurgents has killed more than 5,000 people. In Sri Lanka, although the war - which led to approximately 40,000 civilian deaths - has officially ended, the conflict remains, illustrated recently by a group of Buddhists including monks who have begun an anti-Muslim campaign to inculcate hatred against Muslims. Additionally, there are several other countries in Asia facing these challenges such as Indonesia, Bangladesh, and India. Certainly, violent conflicts have not only affected people's physical well being, but also their minds and attitudes. Fighting may end, but the negative stereotypes of each other remain. Without solving the underlying attitudes and behaviors, violence is liable to return at any time. Religions for Peace, INEB and JUST recognize the need to address this challenge to achieve sustainable peace and harmony. As religious leaders continue to play an important socio-cultural role in the development of values in societies across Asia, we strongly believe that they are able to play a significant role not only in increasing understanding of others among their people, but also in breaking down stereotypes and hatred that exist among them. Religions for Peace Deputy Secretary General Rev. Kyoichi Sugino participated in the consultative meeting and restated the importance of Buddhist-Muslim religious leaders assisting in facilitating interreligious dialogue and reconciliation. The joint statement released after the conclusion of the consultative meeting stated "...if Buddhist and Muslim communities can overcome the challenges that confront them, there is tremendous potential for the growth and development of ideas and values that may help to transform the region. For Buddhist and Muslim philosophies embody gems of wisdom about the purpose of life, the position and role of the human being and her relationship with all other sentient beings and nature which could well liberate contemporary civilization from its multiple crises."

KOSOVO | Interfaith Conference Brings Faith and Community Leaders

Together May 2013: Nearly 200 participants from around the world have taken part in discussions on how to enhance dialogue and understanding between religious communities during the 'Faith and Reconciliation' Conference in Peja, Kosovo in May 2013. The theme of the conference questioned: What is the Future of Interfaith Dialogue?

The conference brought together representatives of key religions, particularly from Eastern Europe, in order to engage challenging divides beyond "a neutral civic setting - which is already an important locus of exchange between many Albanian and Serb representatives." The conference sought to contribute both "to a wider global interfaith dialogue" and "to reconciliation within Kosovo and the wider Balkans region by demonstrating that faith is something that can act as a unifying rather than dividing force." The 'Faith and Reconciliation' conference was organized by a coalition of European and local organizations engaged in interfaith dialogue in partnership with international donors and the support of the Kosovo Government. Representatives of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) and RfPSecretary General, Dr. William Vendley, were present.

During the Conference, ECRL emphasized that Kosovo must find a way to live in peace, and encouraged the religious communities to contribute in this matter and to take part in further interreligious dialogue. Concluding the council meeting, ECRL issued a statement on the main themes discussed in the meeting.

YOUTH | RfP Regional Youth Networks Prepare for the 9th World

Assembly

During 2013, regional youth meetings have been held to prepare the religious youth leaders to successfully participate in the upcoming 9th World Assembly of Religions for Peace in Vienna. An Asia and Pacific

Interfaith Youth Network (RfP - APIYN) Pre-Assembly meeting was held in Yangon, Myanmar in February and helped launching the Myanmar Interfaith Youth Network ; the Latin America Interfaith Youth Network (RfP - LAIYN) met in Bogota, Colombia in March 25-26; the African Interfaith Youth Network (RfP - AIYN) met in Nairobi, Kenya on July 15 -16, 2013 and the North-American Interfaith Youth Network (RfP - NAIYN) held a meeting in Washington DC, on August 25-26. The objective of the meetings was to prepare for the successful participation of the networks in the Religions for Peace 9th World Assembly later this year and to re-energize the regional networks beyond the Assembly. The youth from each region spent two days discussing the RfP World Assembly theme and sub-themes of "Welcoming the Other; Action for Human Dignity, Citizenship and Shared Well-being" and how to work together on common action for peace by utilizing their network as a platform for interfaith advocacy. The youth also identified challenges to overcome for their network as well as key areas of strength to capitalize on, such as the youth ability to mobilize their peers and employ their power to implement action programs through national and regional inter-religious youth networks.

WOMEN | RfP Global Women of Faith Network Advanced Multi-religious

Partnership to End Violence against Women at the 57th UN Session of the

Commission on the Status of Women Strengthening the ongoing Religions for Peace Global Campaign on Restoring Dignity, the RfP Global Women of Faith Network held a series of public events and consultations during the 57th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). RfP - International Honorary President Dr. Ela Gandhi met with Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women and former President of Chile to further advance RfP - UN Women partnership to mobilize religious communities and to use the RfP Restoring Dignity Toolkit to enhance the engagement of senior religious leaders, women of faith and youth leaders in ending violence against women (VAW). The members of the RfP Global Women of Faith Network also advanced preparations for their participation in the RfP 9th World Assembly to be held in Vienna, Austria on 19-21 November 2013.

Ms. Michelle Bachelet (left) and Dr. Ela Gandhi (right)

On March 11, RfP and UNICEF co-organized a consultation on the engagement of religious communities to end violence against women and girls. Approximately 30 UNICEF staff and representatives of faith based and other civil society organizations joined the meeting to support the ongoing partnership between UNICEF and RfP in protecting children and girls through multi-religious advocacy and action at the nation- al, regional and global levels.

On March 12, RfP CSW official side event titled "Religion, Women and Violence" was convened at the UN Church Center as part of RfP seminar Series on "Religion, Women and Peacebuilding" to promote the strategic engagement of women of faith as agents of peace and security. The Seminar Series have been co-sponsored by The Carter Center, Princeton University Office for Religious Life, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Salvation Army International Social Justice Commission, The Maryknoll Sisters, The United Methodist and Uniting Church Women, Women in Islam, The Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations and The Institute for Global Engagement. Panelists presented effective multi-religious interventions to prevent violence against women and the ad- vantages of multi-religious collaboration for effective interventions to stop violence from taking place. Each panelists highlighted successful multi-sectoral and multi-religious responses to violence against women and to meet the needs of victims/survivors. The panelists provided recommendations on the elimination of violence against women by strengthening the partnership between religious communities and other sectors of society. H.E. Ambassador Usman Sarki, Deputy Permanent Representative of Nigeria highlighted the outcome of the recent conference hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Peace Island Institute, entitled "The Role of Interfaith Dialogue in Peace-building & Women Empowerment." He stated, "We need comprehensive multi-sectoral and multi-religious approach that covers all institutional mechanism including departments of justice, health, housing, defense, agriculture, in partnership with religious institutions... When many faiths come together, there can be cross fertilization of ideas, enhancing of support networks, and generation of resources."

Dr. Ela Gandhi, Peace Activist, Former Member of Parliament, South Africa reiterated the importance of creating broad alliances between women of faith, women in NGOs, in government, youth and men to address violence against women. Sharing concrete community-level engagement in South Africa, Dr. Gandhi stressed that "women of faith have power, the ability to promote values, and when these are misrepresent- ed, women of faith must reinterpret and promote traditional values such as South African 'Ubuntu' (I am because you are)." She also stated that "alliances of women of faith are uniquely positioned to help prevent VAW on every level as we all understand that early childhood development is critical for the cultivation of positive values in the minds and hearts of children to prevent violence in the family and society."

Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Deputy Secretary General, Religions for Peace, reminded the audience of three principles in multi-religious approaches to eliminate VAW: 1) advance multiple-level simultaneous advocacy and action-global, regional, national and local; 2) engage different sections of religious communities-senior religious leaders, women of faith and youth; and 3) recognize the power of women of faith as agents of change in conflict resolution and peace building. Rev. Sugino shared a recent successful intervention "in the post-conflict Liberia with many teenage mothers suffering from a lack of education and sufficient medi- cal support; the Interreligious Council of Liberia and its Women of Faith Network created a training program in a rural town to support young mothers and provide education and medical attention. The teenage pregnancy rate has so far decreased by 50% in the two years of the program."

The RfP Global Women of Faith Network will further intensify their efforts through its Restoring Dignity Campaign and the engagement of RfP networks at local, national, regional and international levels through the use of multi-religious toolkits as it prepares for the next World Assembly in Vienna, Austria. Visit Restoring Dignity's website for more information on the campaign:http://restoringdignity.religionsforpeaceinternational.org/

Different Faiths, Common Action.

Since its founding in 1970, Religions for Peace has been guided by the vision of a world in which religious communities cooperate effectively for peace, by taking concrete common action. Religions for Peace is committed to leading efforts to advance effective multi-religious cooperation for peace on global, regional, national and local levels while ensuring that the religious communities organized on these same levels assume and exercise appropriate leadership and ownership of these efforts.

Send us your news and work, and we'll include it in the next newsletter!

Questions, comments, or news? Kindly contact: Ms. Beza Yilma-Kassaye Communications Manager Religions for Peace-International 777 United Nations Plaza, 9th Fl. New York, NY 10017 +1 (212)687-2163 byilma-kassaye@religionsforpeace.org

RELIGIONS FOR PEACE--the world's largest and most representative multi-religious coalition-advances common action among the world's religious communities for peace. Religions for Peaceworks to transform violent conflict, advance human development, promote just and harmonious societies, and protect the earth. The global Religions for Peace network comprises a World Council of senior religious leaders from all regions of the world; six regional inter-religious bodies and more than ninety national ones; and the Global Women of Faith Network and Global Interfaith Youth Network.

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