Leaders of five different religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism) from 15 different countries marked by wars and conflicts. Together gathered around a table to reflect on their task as men of faith in promoting peace this week in Tokyo as part of the Second Round Table for Peace.
The round table is convened by the organisation Religions for Peace together with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations promoted by the UN. Four days of discussion that saw the presence of significant witnesses including the Orthodox Metropolitan Emeritus of Chalcedon Emmnauel Adamakis, the Muslim Abdallah Bin Bayyah, the president of the Israeli association Rabbis for Human Rights Avi Dabush, and the Lutheran Bishop Emeritus of the Holy Land Mounib Yunan.
“We are deeply concerned about the unimaginable suffering that people are enduring in conflict zones around the world, including Haiti, the Middle East, Myanmar and Ukraine,” the religious leaders wrote in the final statement released at the end of the meeting.
“We recognise that the foundations of peace and security are threatened in every region of the world, while the most vulnerable – women, children and marginalised populations – are caught in the crossfire and suffer disproportionately from severe violence, displacement and other human rights violations.