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by Isthar D.-Adler |
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“Peace is in our hands” said Secretary General during the ceremony of the ringing of the Peace Bell at United Nations Headquarters on the 14th of September. A gift to the UN from Japan, the Peace Bell was cast from coins donated by people from over 60 countries around the world, symbolising the shared hopes of all people, peace.“Today, the ringing of the Peace Bell coincides with the launch of Unesco’s International Year for the Culture of Peace...let the message be heard far and wide” said Mr Annan, thus officially launching the International Year for the Culture of Peace on behalf of the United Nations, Unesco and the entire United Nations system. He said “It is not enough to engage in peace building efforts, after armed conflicts have taken place; it is not enough to conduct preventive diplomacy. All of this is essential work, but we must also act at a deeper level: we need, in short, a culture of peace”. Under the title “A new day dawning - Spiritual yearnings and sacred possibilities”, the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions will be holding an International conference from the 1st to the 8th of December, in Cape Town, South Africa. Inspired by the success of the 1993 Parliament held in Chigaco, CPWR is today “working to create a new style of relationship between and among the world’s religious and spiritual communities”. The Lama Gangchen World Peace Foundation and the Legion of Goodwill are to jointly present the proposal for the creation of a permanent United Nations Spiritual Forum for World Peace. The third annual Interfaith Service was held at St Bartholomews Church in New York, on the 16th of September to mark the opening of the 54th Session of the General Assembly. The celebration of commitment to the work of the United Nations was attended by Secretary General and Mrs Kofi Annan as well as the President of the UN General Assembly, Mr Theo-Ben Gurirab, who addressed a prominent gathering of world religious and spiritual leaders. Secretary General said that the “reflection, prayer and harmony characterising this celebration constitute one of the most significant events of the year” and “highlights that we are all members of a single human family which transcends the frontiers of nations and religions”. Mrs Annan offered a special dedication marking the United Nations declaration that the first decade of the new millennium be the Decade for a Culture of Peace and non-violence for the children of the world. The event, jointly organised by the Interfaith Centre of New York and the Temple of Understanding under the directorship of Mr Bawa Jain of the Interfaith Centre of New York, aims to show the support of worldwide religious communities for the work of the United Nations. Mr Jain said that the joining together of religious leaders in a united call for peace has deep significance at a time when conflicts over religious and ethnic differences continue to inflame various parts of the world. Such events indeed demonstrate the growing wish to bring political and religious leaders together in the common effort to reduce violence and effectively bring about a culture of peace in the next millennium. UN calendar of international days The year 2000 will be the International Year for a CULTURE OF PEACE
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