InterfaithNews.Net

REPORT OF THE CONVENING GROUP * OF THE CONFERENCE ON INTERFAITH
COOPERATION FOR PEACE: ENHANCING INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION
TOWARDS PEACE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

22 June 2005, United Nations Headquarters, New York

Organization of the Conference

The Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace was organized under a
tripartite partnership among governments, the United Nations system and
civil society representing religious non-governmental organizations. This
tripartite conference is of historic significance bringing together three
main sectors that have much to gain in working together. The Conference
was held on 22 June 2005 immediately preceding the informal interactive
Hearings of the President of the General Assembly with nongovernmental
organizations, civil society organizations and the private sector in
preparation for the High Level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly.

The Conference aimed at enhancing interfaith cooperation, promoting the
culture of peace and dialogue among civilizations, as well as translating
shared values into practical action, to achieve sustainable peace in the
twenty-first century. The organizers of the Conference drew inspiration
from the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the recent efforts to
promote interfaith cooperation at the international, inter-regional,
regional and national levels.

The Conference organizers reaffirmed relevant United Nations General
Assembly resolutions, in particular the “Promotion of
interreligious dialogue” (A/RES/59/23), the “Promotion of
religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation”
(A/RES/59/142), the “Global Agenda for Dialogue Among
Civilizations” (A/RES/56/6), the “International Decade for a
Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World
(A/RES/53/25), the “International Day of Peace”
(A/RES/55/282), the “Elimination of all forms of religious
intolerance” (A/RES/59/199), and the UNESCO
Director-General’s report (A/59/201) to the 59 th Session of the UN
General Assembly “Promotion of religious and cultural
understanding, harmony and cooperation” (A/RES/58/128).

H.E. Dr. Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Philippines,
chaired the Conference. The messages of H.E. Mrs. Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Republic of the Philippines; H.E. Mr.
Kofi Annan, Secertary-General, United Nations; H.E. Mr. Jean Ping,
President, General Assembly, United Nations; H.E. Mr. Munir Akram,
President, Economic and Social Council; H.E. Mr. Koichiro Matsuura,
DirectorGeneral, UNESCO; and Mr. Hiro Sakurai, President, Committee of
Religious NGOs at the UN were read during the opening ceremony.

Professor Diana L. Eck of Harvard University and former United Nations
Undersecretary-General Giandomenico Picco moderated the morning and
afternoon sessions, respectively. The discussions on the theme of the
morning session The role of religions in promoting intercultural
understanding towards sustainable peace the theme of the afternoon
session Exploring strategies to enhance interfaith cooperation for
sustainable peace were led by panelists and discussants from governments,
UN system and civil society. Dr. Maleeha Lodhi gave a keynote statement
in the afternoon. The names of the panelists and discussants appear in
the Conference Programme. Their statements and those of the inaugural and
keynote speakers will appear in the proceedings of the conference.

Conclusions

1. More deliberate and strategic efforts in interreligious dialogue and
   cooperation are needed to foster relationships and interdependencies
   and advance understanding between diverse peoples, cultures and
   religions.
2. Issues of peace and justice, human rights, religious freedom, poverty,
   education, sustainable development, the rights and well being of
   children, the equal dignity of men and women, indigenous peoples and
   the protection of the environment are our common concerns. The
   partnership of governments, the UN and religious NGOs is of crucial
   significance in the achievement of internationally agreed development
   goals, including the MDGs.
3. Interreligious dialogue and cooperation are essential and can
   facilitate the work of enhancing human welfare, freedom and progress
   everywhere.

4. Dialogue and understanding, including the awareness of differences and
   commonalities among peoples and civilizations contribute to the
   peaceful resolution of conflicts and disputes, and reduce the potential
   for animosity, clash and even violence.

5. Non-governmental organizations representing different religions and
   multireligious coalitions are an important part of civil society and
   have long supported the goals of the United Nations throughout the
   sixty years of its existence.

Recommendations

1. The tripartite conference calls upon the High Level Plenary Meeting of
   the General Assembly in September 2005 to take into account the
   conclusions and recommendations of this conference. The High Level
   Plenary Meeting in September 2005 should recognize that dialogues among
   civilizations, cultures, and religions constitute vital contributions
   towards the promotion of a just and sustainable peace. The 2005
   September Summit should call for an expansion and deepening of the
   relationship between the United Nations and civil society, including
   religious NGOs.
2. Member States of the United Nations, in partnership with the United
   Nations system and civil society, should undertake practical actions in
   the fields of education and the media, to foster understanding,
   tolerance and cooperation between peoples of different religions and
   beliefs so as to overcome intolerance and combat stereotypes and
   misperceptions. Particular reference is made to the Program of Action
   under the Global Agenda for the Dialogue Among Civilizations (2001).
3. An open-ended tripartite consultative group composed of representatives
   from Member States, the United Nations system, and non-governmental
   organizations should be formed to follow-up on the conclusions and
   recommendations of this Conference with an emphasis on practical
   actions. The open-ended tripartite consultative group should tap
   available resources and abilities, and develop ways and means to affirm
   the role of interreligious and intercultural cooperation in attaining a
   just and sustainable peace through the mechanisms already available in
   the United Nations system, such as the efforts to promote a Culture of
   Peace and a Dialogue among Civilizations, the intercultural and
   interreligious work of UNESCO and the annual International Day of Peace
   on 21 September. The openended tripartite consultative group should
   also identify new ways to address interreligious, intercultural and
   intercivilizational issues and concerns, including the opportunity and
   mechanism for religious leaders to speak, interact and respond more
   clearly and quickly in times of violence, crises and conflict.

4. The Secretary-General is invited to explore enhancing the
   implementation mechanisms and to follow up on the Declaration on a
   Culture of Peace and its Programme of Action, and the Global Agenda for
   the Dialogue Among Civilizations of 2001 adopted by the General
   Assembly and other initiatives on dialogue among cultures and
   civilizations.

* The tripartite convening group is made up of Argentina, Bangladesh,
Ecuador, Gambia, Germany, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran,
Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Kingdom of Morocco, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal,
Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, UN organizations (DESA, UNESCO, and the World
Bank) and civil society (Committee of Religious NGOs at the United
Nations representing its 110 member-organizations).

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 1st, 2005 at 11:06 pm and is filed under Dialogue and Discussion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.