December 2009

New Global Interfaith Youth Campaign for Disarmament Starts

On December 3, the Youth Committee of the Japanese Committee of the World Conference of Religions for Peace sponsored a gathering at the Tokyo International Forum, a convention center in downtown Tokyo, under the theme "Religious Youth Summit for Disarmament and Development." They invited some 130 youth leaders from member organizations of Religions for Peace Japan as well as specialists from UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations based in Japan.

The conference was organized in response to an international youth summit held November 7 by Religions for Peace in San José, Costa Rica. The summit marked the start of a new global interfaith youth campaign for disarmament called "Arms Down! Campaign for Shared Security," whose prime goal is to persuade every nation to divert at least ten percent of its military spending to achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 as well as to obtain fifty million signatures from around the world to a petition calling for achievement of the MDGs. The global campaign will last until October 2 (except in Japan, where it will end September 25). For this purpose, the Tokyo gathering was regarded as the inauguration of the campaign by Japanese religious youth.

The gathering opened with prayers for peace. A message from Rissho Kosei-kai's president, Rev. Nichiko Niwano, as president of Religions for Peace Japan, was read out by Rev. Koichi Matsumoto, director of the Buddhist organization's Youth Department, who is also chairman of the Youth Committee of Religions for Peace Japan.

In the message, President Niwano praised religious youth's active engagement in work for world peace, in a spirit of protecting all life. He also emphasized the importance of protecting and treasuring not only our own lives, but the lives of all people. In conclusion, he expressed the wish that the campaign would grow into a movement of people of religion that directly reflects humanity's desire for peace.

In the succeeding two sessions, in a panel discussion and speeches, the participants deepened their understanding of global issues and the significance of promoting disarmament. The youth committee also announced that participants in the campaign would recite a special prayer at noon on the first day of every month. The gathering ended with a closing address by Rev. Matsumoto.

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