| May 31, 2005 |
| Toda Institute Sponsors P.E.A.C.E. Project International Conference in Madrid, Spain |
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| CIF President S.A.R. El Infante Don Carlos de Borbón (2nd from left) and Club of Rome Honorary President Dr. Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner (2nd from right) were two of the speakers |
On May 25-27, the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research sponsored its ninth annual international conference at the headquarters of the Economic and Social Council of Spain in Madrid, Spain. Confederación Iberoamericana de Fundaciones (Confederation of Iberian-American Foundation, CIF) and the Spanish Chapter of the Club of Rome supported the event. Some 60 scholars and experts of various fields from 29 countries gathered to discuss "Creating A Global Civilization for Dialogue and Peace."
Following welcome remarks by CIF President S.A.R. El Infante Don Carlos de Borbón and CIF Secretary General Sir. D. Jose Manuel Moran, Toda Institute Director Majid Tehranian introduced a message by Toda Institute founder Daisaku Ikeda. In his message, Mr. Ikeda referred to the concept of "Global Citizenship," which is the founding spirit of the Toda Institute and the vision of the institute's namesake, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda. Mr. Ikeda emphasized that each of us should strive for peace as a world citizen by transcending the narrow framework of nationalism. He hoped that dialogue among the participants will pave the way for humankind to follow for the sake of peace. Club of Rome Honorary President Dr. Ricardo Díez-Hochleitner and former UNESCO Director-General Dr. Federico Mayor Zargoza delivered keynote speeches on "Peace Education for Fostering Global Citizens" and "What is a Culture of Peace?," respectively.
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| 60 scholars from 29 countries discuss "Creating A Global Civilization for Dialogue and Peace" |
Toda Institute's new P.E.A.C.E. Project focuses on [P]eace [E]ducation, [A]rts, [C]ulture, and [E]nvironment. It launched seven research teams on little-explored fields in today's peace studies, including anti-racism; peace journalism; political Islam and authoritarian democracy in South Asia; and music for peace. Based on these topics, participants held lively discussions on how to create a "civilization for dialogue and peace."
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| SGI-Canada Youth Division Hosts Peace Event in Vancouver |
On May 7, SGI-Canada youth hosted a peace forum titled "The World is Yours to Change," as a kickoff for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) in Vancouver, at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center. Over 20 youth organizations from Greater Vancouver and Vancouver Island gathered to promote the ideal of sustainable living by providing ordinary people with ideas for concrete activities they can participate in to build a sustainable future both locally and abroad. Some 2,000 local residents attended.
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| Hip hop dancers take the stage during a kickoff for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center |
At the forum, three panel discussions were held: "Educating for Sustainability--Is there an Impact?"; "Profit versus Sustainability--Where is the Balance?" and "Rethinking Civilization: Communication and Terror in the Global Village." Keynote speakers for each panel were: Kevin Millsip, co-founder of Check Your Head, a youth organization in Vancouver; Simon Fraser University Chancellor Milton Wong; and Iranian peace researcher and Toda Institute Director Majid Tehranian. Dr. Tehranian emphasized that a truly civilized society creates peace by peaceful means and not through armed force, and that peace is always built by the power of the people. Dr. Wong pointed out that the business world has the conception that a sustainable and environment-friendly society will undermine profit. He expressed his belief, however, that economic profit and sustainability are not contradictory concepts but that the two can work together for the betterment of society. At the event, three exhibitions were displayed: "Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World," "Seeds of Change: The Earth Charter and Human Potential," and "Dialogue with Nature--Daisaku Ikeda Photography Exhibition." Local SGI-Canada brass band, fife-and-drum corps and a hip hop dance group performed.
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