The United Nations General Assembly has proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Forests. The Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the USG/UISG Secretariat in Rome has prepared a prayer service which has been translated in 17 languages, including Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Kiswahili, Indonesian, Dutch, Korean, Polish, Spanish, English and French.
Flying over the capital and seeing it dotted by thousands of tents moves the heart. Most green spaces are transformed into a mass of blue and white… As soon as one leaves the airport grounds, the powerful impact of tents lining the road, occupying every available space.
For the message of the UN Secretary General on the observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week, February 1-7, 2011, click here.
For the Golden Rule in thirteen world religions, click here.
In 1992, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared October 17 of each year the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year, the Commission for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation of the USG/UISG Secretariat in Rome has prepared a prayer service for October 17. It has been translated in 12 languages, including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German, Polish, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese and English.
Human trafficking constitutes an especially heinous form of violence against women. A prayer service, prepared by the JPIC Anti-Trafficking Working Group, is now available in multiple languages, including English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Japanese, and Korean. It can be found here.
20 February 2010 is an important day for all persons in our global village but especially for those of us committed to living the Good News of peace and justice. The World Day of Social Justice is being observed for the second time following its unanimous adoption in 2007 by the 192 member States of the United Nations.
The United Nations Climate Change Conference will be held in Copenhagen from December 7-18, 2009. The call of civil society from around the world for a fair, ambitious and binding outcome of the Copenhagen Conference has been loud and clear.
Mahatma Gandhi has become an icon for people all over the world who believe in nonviolence as a way of life and as the best way to overcome oppression. Nonviolence is a gospel way of bringing about peace and reconciliation. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr, “Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit.”
