Ban on Cluster Munitions -- A moral responsibility

Statement of the European Faith Leaders Conference on Cluster Munitions:

Total ban on cluster munitions - a moral responsibility

Leaders of Europe’s major religions, representing all parts of our continent, together with representatives from non-governmental organisations and supported by members of the diplomatic community met in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, on 29 and 30 October 2008 to address the burning issue of cluster munitions and to express our support for the process to ban these weapons.

The conference was organised by Religions for Peace, the European Council of Religious Leaders and Handicap International Southeast Europe. It was hosted by the Interreligious Council of Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Religions for Peace has from its founding in 1970 had a deep commitment to work for nuclear disarmament. Related concerns about peaceful co-existence and prevention of violent conflicts have compelled Religions for Peace to adopt a wider disarmament agenda. As part of this effort, Religions for Peace is joining with the worldwide “Cluster Munitions Coalition” in calling for the end of the production, transfer, stockpiling, and use of cluster munitions.

The issue
Cluster munitions are non-discriminatory and have for more than 40 years killed and wounded innocent people – many of them children – causing untold suffering, loss and hardship for thousands in more than 20 countries. They continue to inflict injury and death for years – sometimes decades – after the end of a war. It is not peace when children cannot play safely in their playgrounds. It is not peace when farmers cannot cultivate their fields, nor fishermen draw their nets without fear. It is not peace when people cannot move freely in their local communities.

Cluster munitions thus keep large groups of people in poverty. The global food crisis increases pressure on people to cultivate areas affected by cluster munitions. The lingering threat of unexploded “bomblets” hampers post-conflict rebuilding and rehabilitation. The dangerous and costly work of clearance absorbs funds that could be spent on other urgent humanitarian needs. Cluster munitions are thus as much a humanitarian issue as it is a disarmament issue. Without determined action, the civilian harm caused by these weapons both during and after conflict will continue to grow.

Religious communities share the conviction that life is a gift of God. Thus dignity and sanctity of life is a value that is deeply held and widely shared by religious communities. This is strongly violated by cluster munitions. The use of cluster munitions is morally reprehensible. No self defence policy or just war theory can legitimate the use of these weapons. Vulnerability is a constituent element of being human. This vulnerability is a moral call to all of us to protect the other.

The Challenges
The conference found the following to be of the utmost importance:

Universalising the Convention on Cluster Munitions
• Governments need to sign the treaty and then to ratify without undue delay so the treaty can come into effect.
• There is a need to work with those governments which do not want to sign the treaty immediately and encourage them to take steps towards signing.
• There is a need for civil society including non-governmental organisations to continue to play their significant role in influencing public opinion and framing of policies in support of the convention.

Implementing the Convention on Cluster Munitions
• The Convention on Cluster Munitions is not effective unless states abide by its obligations. This includes clearance of contaminated areas as well as destruction of stockpiled cluster munitions.
• Countries that have used cluster munitions are responsible for clearing affected areas in the countries where they have used them.
• Affected populations should be educated about the dangers caused by unexploded bomblets in their environments.

Making survivor assistance a priority, nationally and internationally
• Survivor assistance refers to physical care and rehabilitation as well as to economic and social re-integration. The needs of survivors must be addressed through projects and actions including medical care, the building of appropriate infrastructures, educational programmes and assistance. The voice of survivors must be heard and their organisations should be included in these processes. The rights of survivors must be reflected in national and international development programmes and policies.
• It is especially incumbent on faith communities to offer victims and survivors spiritual support in the face of injury, trauma and loss, and in the struggle for recovery and re-inclusion in society.

Our commitment
Our faith traditions call us to stand with those who suffer, and to work together for the well-being of the human family based on our shared commitment to justice and peace.

As religious leaders from Europe’s major religions and representatives of all parts of our continent, we therefore:

• commit ourselves to take action, each in our own context, to support a ban on cluster munitions and to further the implementation of the treaty. We will urge our governments to take bold and committed steps, facilitate dialogue and take necessary action. We will work through our own faith communities to educate people on this issue and encourage them to be agents of change, working in solidarity with the survivors, their families and communities affected by the menace of cluster munitions. We encourage the organisers of this conference to continue to assist religious leaders in their efforts to take action for example through awareness raising, sharing of knowledge and experiences, and direct engagement with affected countries and communities.

• call upon leaders of faith in all religious communities to make their voices heard and to engage with their respective governments and make sure they fulfil their obligations as representatives of the people. We urge them to take leadership in their religious communities to provide spiritual care to those affected and to guide the people of faith and make them instruments for justice and peace.

• call upon European governments to ensure that cluster munitions are banned through signing the treaty, ratifying it, implementing it and contributing in the international work to clean up and dispose of cluster munitions, as well as supporting those affected.

We commend all those within civil society and among state actors who have worked hard to bring us to the point where a convention has been agreed. After the treaty is signed there is still a long way to go. We commit ourselves to continue to be part of this ongoing process for the total elimination of the curse of cluster munitions.

Sarajevo, 30 October 2008

European Council of Religious Leaders,
Office: Bernhard Getz' gate 3, Oslo.

Postal address: P O Box 6820 St. Olavs pl, NO-0130 Oslo. Norway.
Telephone +47 23 35 30 90.
E-mail: ecrl@rfp-europe.eu

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Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions - Message

Warm greetings from the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (the Council).

Our organization works with religious and spiritual communities and other guiding institutions in their efforts to achieve a more just, peaceful and sustainable world. With its roots in the historic 1893 World’s Parliament of Religions, the Council has held modern-day parliaments in 1993 (Chicago, United States), 1999 (Cape Town, South Africa), and 2004 (Barcelona, Spain).
Our next parliament - an international and interreligious gathering, bringing together 8,000 to 10,000 guests from 80 countries - will be held in Melbourne, Australia, December 3-9, 2009.

In order to keep you abreast of the Melbourne event and our numerous worldwide programs leading up to it, we are requesting that you be so kind as to provide us with your current contact information as outlined below.

Organization:

Title:

Mailing Address:

E-mail:

URL:

Phones:

Fax:

Gender:

Religious Tradition:


We greatly appreciate your response to this e-mail, and we look forward to sharing with you all the exciting work we are doing to support interreligious dialogue.

Peace,
Sushmita Manatt
Research Assistant
Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions
70 East Lake Street, Suite 205Chicago, IL 60601 USAE-mail: sushmita@parliamentofreligions.org
Telephone 312-629-2990 Ext. 240Fax 312-629-2991

Living in Harmony with the Earth - October 12th 2008

“A Silver Jubilee Celebration Event”

hosted by

the Zoroastrian Center of Metropolitan Chicago.

Time: Sunday October 12, 2008, 2:00pm – 6:00pm

Venue: Zoroastrian Center of Metropolitan Chicago,
Arbab Rustom Guiv Dar-e-Mehr,
8615 Meadowbrook Drive, Burr Ridge, IL 60527

Who: All are Welcome. This is a FREE event.

The Zoroastrian community cordially invites you to attend a forum,
Living in Harmony with the Earth.

A lunch will be generously provided and a special pre-event ceremony is open for your observance. This is a great opportunity for us to learn more about the Zoroastrian community and how their tradition embodies the wisdom of Living in Harmony with the Earth.


This event is part of the series of Community Celebrations and Forums, initiated by the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions (CPWR) to cultivate interreligious understanding in the religiously and ethnically diverse metropolitan Chicago area.

CPWR will present updated information about the upcoming 2009 Parliament event in Melbourne, Australia during the program. Please share the attached invitation with your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. All are welcome!


To RSVP or for any further questions,
please contact: RSVP@parliamentofreligions.org,
Emily Chou (312) 629-2990 ext. 244



Emily Chou
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
70 East Lake St. Ste. 205Chicago, IL 60601USA
http://www.parliamentofreligions.org

Tel:1-312-629-2990 ext.244
Fax:1-312-629-2991

The Green Rule Interfaith Project

The Green Rule Interfaith Project

To Discover the Sacredness of Creation within the World's Religions

To represent creation as a whole, a tree is used as a central image, symbolic of the entire Earth, its various peoples, cultures, creatures and ecosystems. You will notice on the poster that there is only one tree but many different species of leaves. This is intended to express the old adage 'unity in diversity.' Each leaf represents a different faith tradition, and each species is significant to the faith it represents.

A Green Rule Study Guide is available:
http://www.faith-commongood.net/docs/greenrulehandbook.pdf

It offers suggestions on how you can use the Green Rule poster as an imaginative and practical tool to teach youth and adult members of your faith community and school system about the sacredness of creation in their own faith, while taking into consideration the similar beliefs of other traditions.
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Call from Sapporo, Japan - July 2008

Call from Sapporo –


World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace

On the occasion of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit

July 3, 2008
Sapporo, Japan

INTRODUCTION
We, senior leaders of the world’s religions, have convened in a World Religious Leaders Summit for Peace in Sapporo, Japan, just prior to the Group of Eight (G8) Hokkaido Toyako Summit.

We are united in our commitment to peace, which includes our concern for the inviolable dignity of all people, the dire suffering of so many and the well-being of our shared Earth.

We carry forward important work begun in multi-religious meetings held just prior to the G8 summits in Moscow (2006) and Cologne (2007).

We have been convened by Religions for Peace—Japan in partnership with the World Conference of Religions for Peace. We are united in our call to the G8 to take bold action to address the threats that confront humanity, including the destruction of the environment and climate change, extreme global poverty and deteriorating food security, nuclear arms, terrorism and violent conflict. Addressing these threats requires urgent action by the G8. Action by all governments, civil society, private sector, religious communities and—in the final analysis—every member of the human family is required to advance the common good.

We urge the G8 to respond in ways designed to engage these stakeholders in building our common future. Religious communities have roles in building peace. Before outlining these roles, we acknowledge with genuine sorrow that all religions have at times been misused in fomenting violence.

(1)We reject this misuse of religions and commit ourselves to engaging our communities for the common good. Collectively, our religious communities are the world’s largest social networks which reach into the furthest corners of the earth and include countless institutions dedicated to caring for people. Religions share many moral traditions that can provide basic principles essential for just and harmonious relations among persons and communities. Moreover, religious traditions—each in its own way—cultivate spiritualities of compassion and love essential for genuine reconciliation and peace. Mobilizing these great social, moral and spiritual dimensions of the world’s religions in service of the common good is essential for the well-being of the human family. We are united in the conviction that all religions obligate their followers to work for justice among all peoples, and to care for one another and our common home, the earth.&n! bsp; We commit to doing so.

OUR COMMITMENT
As religious leaders, we are committed to the path of multi-religious cooperation for peace. Religious traditions—each in its own way—summons their followers to the path of multi-religious cooperation for the common good. This path:
• Leads to senior religious leaders from all faith traditions and billions of believers working together for a positive and holistic state of peace;
• Enjoins the world’s believers to engage their moral heritages and spiritual traditions in taking individual responsibility for protecting our earth;
• Brings politicians, civil society and religious communities together to forge needed consensus on values that can serve as the basis of just and creative policies.

SHARED SECURITY
An overarching notion that we believe can help express the comprehensive character of our moral and religious concerns is “Shared Security.” Shared Security builds on the concept of Human Security by focusing on the fundamental inter-relatedness of all persons and the environment. Shared Security includes a comprehensive respect for the interconnectedness and dignity of all life. It is based upon our mutual interdependence and the most universal and fundamental fact that all humans live in one world. It recognizes that the well-being of one is related to the well-being of others and ultimately to the earth that we all share. It calls us to recognize that past, present and future are linked. Together, we must acknowledge past failings, face present challenges and accept our responsibilities to future generations. Shared Security is concerned with the full continuum of human relations—from relationships among individuals to the ways that peoples are organized in nations or international organizations. It respects state sovereignty, but also supports democratic and transparent cooperation among states and peoples. It follows that the security of one actor of international relations must not be detrimental to others. International actors who are responsible for global decision-making must act transparently and be open to the contributions of all stakeholders, including religious communities which represent a major part of civil society. A similar concern for a just world order, respecting different national and religious traditions, was made at the Moscow World Summit of Religious Leaders (2006). As religious leaders, we recognize that there is a foundational moral imperative for advancing

Shared Security: We are all responsible for one another’s well-being.

CALLS TO ACTION

We call upon the G8 to include in their discussions and plans of action the following areas of concern:
1. The Destruction of the Environment and Climate Change
Japan, the host of this year’s G8 Summit, possesses a spiritual term, mottainai, meaning “do not waste, use everything in a fashion commensurate with its true value.” This concept recognizes the mysterious “giftedness” of all existence, and urges that natural resources must be used appropriately, while simultaneously encouraging responsible and sustainable consumption. The concept also provides a base for recognizing that it is unethical to burden future generations with excessive pollution or other gross environmental imbalances. Development must be environmentally sustainable. We must also draw attention to the link between the health of the environment and war. In addition to killing people, disrupting the lives of entire societies and thwarting development, war destroys the ecosystem. Massive defense expenditures, a global total of US$ 1.34 Trillion in 2007 according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, both directly assaults the ecosystem and squanders monies that urgently need to be directed to sustainable development. It is a grave contradiction to advocate for a reduction of global warming gas emissions while simultaneously maintaining or even expanding military expenditures.

We urge the G8 Summit to:
• Commit to a reduction of total national defense and military expenditures and utilize the saved funds to establish an Earth Fund dedicated to environmental protection.
• Establish a new binding framework to follow up the Kyoto Protocols that limits global average temperature rise to avert catastrophic climate change.
• Provide leadership to expand energy efficiency and conservation efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emission rates.
• Advance policies and practices that increase forestation and other forms of carbon dioxide sequestration.
• Recognize that trading “global warming gas emission rights” has at best limited value, and could disproportionately penalize the least developed.
• Facilitate major investments in the development of new sources of energy and technology essential to sustainable development, specifically without jeopardizing food security.
• Implement the recommendations contained in the Kobe 3R Action Plan (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle).

2. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
The massive scale of extreme poverty at a time of unprecedented wealth is a moral scandal. Poverty is exacerbated by structural injustices in the global economy which must be addressed. At the mid-point of the Millennium Development Campaign, religious leaders gathered at the Cologne World Summit of Religious Leaders (2007). They recognized an urgent need to not only fulfill the pledges, but in some instances, to exceed the commitments made. Meeting these challenges is even more urgent, not least due to the growing food crisis. Here again, we call for the funds achieved from the reduction of defense budgets to be allocated in support of sustainable development and poverty reduction. We request the G8 Summit to:
• Take leadership to ensure the achievement of the MDGs, including delivery on the Gleneagles aid quantity and quality promises, particularly reaching the goal 0.7% of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance.
• Provide urgently needed global leadership to address the growing crisis of food shortages, including needed emergency responses.
• Meet its pledges of increased resources to scale up the response to HIV and AIDS, Malaria, and other infectious diseases, and to ensure universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care services by 2010.
• Dedicate resources to empower women and girls as key agents in overcoming poverty.
• Make the legal empowerment of the poor a key objective in its development assistance strategies.
• Fulfill its commitment to ensuring a development friendly outcome of the Doha Round of trade negotiations.

3. Nuclear Disarmament
Mindful that the 2008 G8 Summit is taking place in Japan, the only country that has suffered the horror of a nuclear attack, we religious leaders stand in solidarity with our Japanese hosts to call for the elimination of all nuclear weapons. We believe that the attempt to militarily dominate the sea, space, neutral territories or states creates obstacles on the way to nuclear and conventional disarmament. We also believe that conventional disarmament and efforts to ban military technologies and initiatives that could provoke a new arms race should go hand in hand with efforts to advance nuclear disarmament.

We request the G8 Summit to:
• Pursue rigorous implementation of nuclear reduction and nonproliferation policies leading to the goal of total nuclear disarmament. As stipulated in article 6 of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the five acknowledged nuclear-weapon states must act on their commitments to work toward eliminating existing nuclear weapons as rapidly as possible. States with nuclear weapons that have not acknowledged them must acknowledge their possession, make similar commitments to their elimination and enter into the NPT.
• Push for prompt ratifications and entry into force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and commit to take no action leading toward the reintroduction of any form of nuclear weapons testing.
• Continue to demonstrate positive leadership for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1540 and other global initiatives to control the transfer of nuclear materials and stop further proliferation.

4. Terrorism and Violent Conflict
Terrorism—the intentional killing of innocent people as a way of achieving a political objective—is never morally justified whether it is perpetrated by individuals, groups or states. Moreover, military responses to terrorism injure innocent persons, provide additional motivation for terrorist groups and endanger basic freedoms in the societies attempting to protect themselves from terrorism. Violent military conflict—the attempt to settle serious disputes by military force—typically results in the loss of innocent lives, disruption of society, thwarting of development and destruction of the environment. Every effort must be made to utilize non-violent means to thwart terrorism and resolve disputes to advance peace. We call upon the G8 to:
• Provide global leadership designed to combat the victimization of groups based on culture or creed.
• Work to end occupation and establish just, honorable and comprehensive peace in all countries or territories which are occupied.
• Re-affirm and strengthen its commitment to standards of international law in its efforts to counteract terrorism and promote international security.
• Acknowledge and support the importance of multi-religious partnerships to help address the problems of terrorism and violent conflict.
• Work to limit the production and export of arms into areas of violent conflict.
• Promote a culture of peace by advancing non-violent conflict resolution and peace education.

CONCLUSION
The G8 has the responsibility to use boldness and wisdom to advance the common good in partnership with the religious communities and all other stakeholders. We—leaders of diverse religious communities—re-commit ourselves to working together and with other partners of good will to address the threats that confront us all. While we labor to meet the challenges of our day, we are deeply mindful of religious traditions which have taught—each in its own way—compassion, forgiveness and reconciliation, and that these are essential for genuine peace. We respectfully urge the G8 to recognize, facilitate and effectively support the importance of multi-religious cooperation, as it takes needed steps to advance the common good. (1) We recall and embrace as our own an historic multi-religious acknowledgement on the misuse of religion: “As men and women of religions, we confess in humility and penitence that we have very often betrayed our religious ideals and our commitment to peace. It is not religion that has failed the cause of peace, but religious people. This betrayal of religion can and must be corrected.”
(From the global multi-religious Declaration adopted at the Religions for Peace First World Assembly in Kyoto, Japan, 1970.)
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Norooz Pirooz!

Norooz Official Video from Ontario Parliament,Canada,

which was run on Persian TV.

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=xQbCfelHSxI

Norooz Pirooz!

The Council on Persian Culture

wishes

all Parsi speaking people of
Greater Iran Plateau a Happy New Year,

and

Peace and Joy for all people of the world.

Please see Niayesh Noroozi at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekNNWCet_ro

cPc Board of Advisors
• Professor Richard Frye, Harvard University
• Professor Stanley Insler, Yale University
• Professor Keikhosrow Irani, Professor Emeritus New York University
• Professor Farhang Mehr, Professor Emeritus Boston University
• Professor Jennifer Rose, Stanford University
• Professor Hanns-Peter Schmidt, University of California Los Angeles
• Professor Martin Schwartz, University of California Berkeley
• Professor Oktor Skjaervo, Harvard University

cPc Board of Executives
• Mr. Shariar Afshari
• Mr. Fereidoon Goshtasbi
• Mr. Farhad Khosravi
• Dr. Khosrow Mehrfar
• Dr. Sohrab Salamatipour
• Dr. Rostam Vahidi

Norooz Pirooz!
Council on Persian Culture - cPc on http://www.czc.org/
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Victory Arts Foundation

Victory Arts Foundation

VAF is a not-for-profit organization committed to making dance a meaningful experience for 'all' without any discrimination. VAF endeavors to use the power of 'performing arts', especially dance, to bring joy to theunderprivileged, specially challenged, visually impaired and others.Bringing a smile on their faces and adding a bounce in their stride, VAFtakes the mission of Have Feet, Will Dance, one step further:

Have Spirit.Will Triumph!

With a motive to help the young and the young at heart discover and enjoy creative expression through dance, Shiamak Davar's Institute for The Performing ArtsTM or SDIPAT, as it is popularly known, continues to teachJazz, Hip Hop, Rock N Roll, Afro Jazz, Salsa, Shiamak's Indo Jazz andShiamak's Bollywood Jazz styles of dance.


SDIPA conducts dance classes in thirteen cities in India, reaching out to thousands of students (4 to 84 years old, all shapes and sizes, specially challenged, visually impaired ---
one and all are a part of this disciplined, professional but most of all 'fun' institute.

Have Feet. Will Dance!

In November 2001, Shiamak Davar's Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA)along with Committed Communities Development Trust (CCDT), entered into a partnership to implement Dancing Feat (DF). With a goal to enhance the ability of high-risk vulnerable children to respond effectively to situations that place them at risk to HIV/AIDS, DF has adopted a unique child friendly strategy which combines popular dance forms along with group counseling and life skills education. Shiamak's Victory Art Foundation (VAF)Through VAF funded programs, SDIPA Instructors continue to share the joy ofdance with various NGOs all over India, including the following:

* The Society of Education for the Crippled (Mumbai)
* Spastics Society of India (Mumbai)
* Helen Keller's Institute for the Deaf And Deafblind(Mumbai)
* Sankalp School For the mentally challenged(Mumbai)
* Jariwala Orphanage for Muslim Girls(Mumbai)
* Project Udaan for slum children(Mumbai)
* Umang (Jaipur)
* Ishwar Foundation (Delhi)
* Tamanna(Delhi)
* Freedom Foundation (Bangalore & Chennai)
* Baldwin Opportunity (Bangalore)
* Sweekar Upkar (Hyderabad)
* Sanskriti Shikhar (Hyderabad)
* St.John's(Pune)

We are happy to share this information with you and look forward to you and your support to VAF so that we can continue to 'pay it forward' and share the joy of dance and performing arts with many others.

Warm regards,
Kainaaz Mistry
Manager - Victory Arts Foundation
C-19, Everest Building,
J Dadaji Road, Tardeo,
Mumbai-34
Tel: 65286583/ 23537930-7/9821541068