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Annan Calls on World Religious Leaders to Work for Global Peace
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan Tuesday said that varying religions, though different in practices, have one thing in common -- dealing in universal values, and this is of a great help in promoting world peace in the new century.
The statement came as Annan was addressing the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, which Monday kicked off at the U.N. headquarters in New York, attracting more than 1,000 religious leaders worldwide, including seven top gurus of China's five major faith disciplines.
"The practice of religion differs widely," he said. "But at heart we are dealing in universal values. To be merciful; to be tolerant; to love the neighbor; no religion can claim a monopoly on such teachings."
"There is no mystery here. Such values are deeply ingrained in the human spirit itself. It is little wonder that the same values animate the Charter of the United Nations, and lie at the root of our search of world peace," he said.
Under the U.N. Charter, the world body has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of world peace and security.
At the four-day summit, all the world's major religions and faiths are represented at the event. The summit focuses on four broad sets of issues: conflict transformation, elimination of poverty, forgiveness and reconciliation, and preservation and restoration of environment.
"Today's meeting is also an opportunity for religious, spiritual and political leaders, as well as their followers, to look within, and to consider what they can do to promote justice, equality, reconciliation and peace," Annan said.
"Men and women of faith are a strong influence on group and individual conduct," he said. "As teachers and guides, you can be powerful agents for change. You can inspire people to new levels of commitment and public service. You can help bridge the chasms of ignorance, fear and misunderstanding. You can set an example of interfaith dialogue and cooperation."
"The member states of the United Nations have enshrined these freedoms in several landmark documents, most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said.
He said, "Where governments and authorities fail to protect these freedoms, it is at once an affront and a menace."
"There must be no room in the 21st century for religious bigotry and intolerance," he said.
Admitting that "the practice of religion can have its back side," Annan said, "Religious extremism has too often oppressed or discriminated against women and minorities. Religion has often been yoked to nationalism, stoking the flames of violent conflict and setting group against group."
"Religious leaders have not always spoken out when their voices could have helped combat hatred and persecution, or could have roused people from indifference," he said.
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