September 2003 Letter from the URI Executive Director
October 17th, 2003 by sfuqua
The September 2003 letter from Charles Gibbs, Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative, urging observance of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace on September 21 and giving an update on Cooperation Circle and Global Council activities.
September, 2003
Just over a year ago 320 representatives of URI’s global community gathered in Rio de Janeiro for Sharing the Sacred, Serving the World. This was URI’s first global gathering after our charter signing in June 2000 and our first global gathering outside the United States. The seeds sown in Rio have born remarkable fruit in the past year. Here are a few examples:
Leading up to the Global Assembly, URI had 180+ Cooperation Circles, each committed to enduring, daily work for peace, justice and healing. A year later, we have 200+, including the Nablus Youth Federation, URI’s first CC among the Palestinian people. This CC is already well connected with URI?s existing CCs in Israel, forging yet another link of interfaith cooperation to build a better future.
At the same time this CC was approved, URI welcomed a Multiple Cooperation Circle of Indigenous CCs in Latin America. This group is a powerful manifestation of URI?s ongoing efforts to welcome the wisdom and experience of Indigenous people as an essential part of URI’s global community.
Also this year we have launched URI’s first CC survey, designed to provide CCs with an opportunity to share stories of their successes and challenges, and to provide URI’s global network with a range of information that will help the network function more effectively and efficiently.
One of the highlights of the Global Assembly was a pre-assembly peacebuilding course attended by 30 people from around the world, and three half-day sessions on peacebuilding during the assembly itself. This work has spawned a world of activity. Local efforts include a conference on the media and peace in Zimbabwe, a training session for young people in Uganda and the creation of a peacebuilding toolkit in Brazil, in partnership with UNESCO, Pallas Athena and other organizations. In addition, work is underway on a peacebuilding curriculum/action guide intended to be a powerful practical resource for URI CCs, as well as other interested organizations. Also, a chapter on URI’s unique approach to peace work appears in the recently published Positive Approaches to Peacebuilding.
URI’s first Global Council was inaugurated at the Global Assembly. Since then, the GC, which has members from 21 countries, has guided URI’s development into the future by laying the foundation for a strategic plan to carry URI through 2008, completing regional plans for 2003 and offering guidance through the ongoing work of 8 committees. In addition to regular committee work through conference calls and email listservs, the whole GC has met through global conference calls three times and once at a four-day retreat. It is a gift of the GC that when it meets we witness trustees from India and Pakistan and from Egypt and Israel meeting together to plan ongoing efforts for peace.
One of the GC’s recent actions was to urge the URI community to observe the UN’s International Day of Peace. Here are a few suggestions of how you might observe the International Day of Peace:
I join with the Global Council in urging your observance of the International Day of Peace. Personally, I will observe this important day by participating in ceremonies and a conference at the UN on Sept. 19 and sharing in the World Peace Festival sponsored by the World Peace Prayer Society on Sept. 21
Together, we are creating cultures of peace, justice and healing. I thank you for your support of the URI and your commitment to working for a better world.
Love, Charles Gibbs
