URI Multiregion

URI-UN hosted a side event to the meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-17) entitled “Journey to Reconciliation: Reconciliation as a Key to Sustainability” on Monday, 4 May 2009 from 1:15 to 2:45pm in UN Conference Room 6. This was part of the URI-UN series highlighting the 2009 UN International Year of Reconciliation with events at all UN Commissions and other working sessions.

This event, organized and moderated by Martha Gallahue of the National Service Conference of the American Ethical Union and URI-UN council member, was sponsored by the United Religions Initiative at the UN with the International Public Policy Institute and was co-sponsored by the CSVGC-NY Eco-Spirituality Working Group, the CSVGC-NY Universal Ethics Working Group, and the Earth Values Caucus. About 50 people attended, coming from widely varied countries, organizations and religions, as well as from several UN departments.

Martha led off with an introduction of the topic and the guests, and a brief moment of silence. The first speaker was Mr. Sami Areikat, of the UN Division for Sustainable Development of the Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs. He offered to speak from his personal perspective, rather than the position of his department. Mr. Areikat talked movingly about his family in Palestine and how their lands and livelihoods had been taken from them, as well as their access to hospitals and other social services. The need for reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians is great.

Michelle Kim of Franciscans International and the URI-UN council then offered beautiful remarks in a different vein, on the meaning of reconciliation with the Earth. She called on people of all religions to share “eco-spirituality” by honoring our Father and our Mother, the Earth as a way to love.  

Monica Willard, URI Representative to the United Nations, spoke about the way the URI is built on personal relationships that bridge differences of belief. She led the entire group in an experience of the process of Appreciative Inquiry upon which the structure of the United Religions Initiative was founded.  A lively discussion ensued, bringing those attending into another level of aliveness that tends to bubble up through the stories shared in Appreciative Inquiry.

Monica then facilitated a discussion of some of the experiences in the room. Sami Areikat had been paired with an Israeli woman and reported that she represented the good will of most of the Israeli people. Bill Yotive of the UN Dept. of Public Information expressed his admiration for the work of  his “AI” partner, Sr. Philo Morris, with the Society of Catholic Medical Missionaries. Various stories of reconciliation were shared, as the URI spirit of warmth and community filled the room. 

For a special closing, Dr. J.J. Hurtak of the Academy for Future Science led an exquisite meditation, while Michelle Kim played recorded music mixed with the sounds of ocean waves. Dr. Hurtak spoke about hearing the music of the Earth as we build together God’s new creation. He closed by asking everyone to say together four times, “May Peace Prevail on Earth!”

Notes from Guest Speaker, Mr. Sami Areikat:

I was very honored to speak to your program “Reconciliation as a Key to Sustainability” after the speech by our Director, Mr. Banuri, to URI Climate Change Working Group addressing the problems ahead because of the growing inequity in the world today. I also enjoyed and appreciated meeting all the nice and kind people who spoke and attended the Side Event.

The program has provided us at UN Sustainable Development with the opportunity to discuss the different dimensions of sustainability - “social justice and equality, economic growth and environmental protection”-  and how lack of sustainability is a cause and consequence of violent conflicts within countries and societies. I am also humbled that the personal experiences of "living with un-sustainability and lack of reconciliation" I shared with the audience have been received very well.

On behalf of Mr. Banuri, my immediate supervisor "Ms. Abdalla", Kanthi and our Division for Sustainable Development, I would like to thank you again for the opportunity to speak at your program, and hope that your groups and the International Year of Reconciliation will succeed in pursuing and achieving reconciliation in all societies that are affected and/or divided by conflicts.

Regards,