Tuesday, October 31, 2006 at 2:02am
UN interfaith group walks dicey path
Column: All Paths
There is a new global interfaith player that each member of the faith community should be aware of and concerned about. It is called The Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace, and it is a partnership of governments, UN agencies and non-government organizations (NGO). This is the first time that these different groups have come together under one umbrella to implement a global interfaith approach to peace.
In September the Forum met at the United Nations for a High Level Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. A great deal of the dialogue at this conference was focused on the structure and action items for the Tripartite Forum. This is where this groundbreaking and exciting concept may lose momentum.
You see, even though the Tripartite Forum is outside of the mantle of the UN, its membership roster is stacked with government and UN operatives. The question is can these government and UN types step outside their bureaucratic and diplomatic roles and cultures, and bring a fresh perspective to this unique and exciting new concept. For it to work they will have to. If they can't, then the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace will be just another name on a long list of organizations offering the same stale approaches to peace building.
In order to prevent this, I have some simple recommendations that they should consider. First, keep the structure simple. Don't borrow or transfer any concepts from the structure of the United Nations and apply it to this group. We all know that the UN's structure is anything but simple.
And let's not forget that it is not democratic as well. Regardless of recent reforms, the UN has not lived up to its potential. So when I say for The Tripartite Forum to keep its structure simple, I mean democratic as well. Let each member of the group have an equal say in determining structure and policies.
My second recommendation is not to let the government representatives dominate the group. This can happen very easily because NGOs play a limited role in UN affairs. After all, the United Nations is an organization of member states or countries. Even though I am thankful that recent reforms by retiring Secretary General Kofi Annan, have given NGOs greater access at the UN, their role is still nevertheless limited.
This perspective may transfer to the Tripartite Forum. The NGOs have to be vigilant, forceful and ensure that their voices are heard and respected by the government members. The government members of this organization can use this as an opportunity for them to learn from the collective experiences of the religious NGOs about transforming communities through interfaith dialogue.
The third recommendation is for The Tripartite Forum to hold meetings in regions troubled by religious conflicts, and in major religious centers such as Jerusalem, Rome and Saudi Arabia. Let the world see that there is a new global interfaith organization full of potential and promise. This might inspire hope at the grassroots level and give rise to similar regional activities.
Finally, my fourth recommendation is to keep the focus on interfaith dialogue and shared moral values. Part of the Tripartite Forum's mission is to support UN peace building and civil society initiatives such as The Eight Millennium Development Goals. This is good and should be done. However, there is so much religious conflict on this planet, that the subject matter deserves full attention by some group. And I believe this is the group to do it.
The list of members of The Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace is impressive and growing. There were fifty UN Member States including The Holy See and The Islamic Republic of Iran, fifteen UN Member System Organizations, and representatives of the 110 Religious NGOs. In my opinion, to get these groups under one umbrella to discuss a global interfaith approach to peace is a major feat. So let's keep the dialogue where it should be. It's a big enough topic and deserves a platform all by itself.
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Rev. Jay Speights is an interfaith minister and main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. He has an MA in public policy. You can learn more about his work at the UN at The New Seminary website His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org} jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Jay Speights
In September the Forum met at the United Nations for a High Level Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace. A great deal of the dialogue at this conference was focused on the structure and action items for the Tripartite Forum. This is where this groundbreaking and exciting concept may lose momentum.
You see, even though the Tripartite Forum is outside of the mantle of the UN, its membership roster is stacked with government and UN operatives. The question is can these government and UN types step outside their bureaucratic and diplomatic roles and cultures, and bring a fresh perspective to this unique and exciting new concept. For it to work they will have to. If they can't, then the Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace will be just another name on a long list of organizations offering the same stale approaches to peace building.
In order to prevent this, I have some simple recommendations that they should consider. First, keep the structure simple. Don't borrow or transfer any concepts from the structure of the United Nations and apply it to this group. We all know that the UN's structure is anything but simple.
And let's not forget that it is not democratic as well. Regardless of recent reforms, the UN has not lived up to its potential. So when I say for The Tripartite Forum to keep its structure simple, I mean democratic as well. Let each member of the group have an equal say in determining structure and policies.
My second recommendation is not to let the government representatives dominate the group. This can happen very easily because NGOs play a limited role in UN affairs. After all, the United Nations is an organization of member states or countries. Even though I am thankful that recent reforms by retiring Secretary General Kofi Annan, have given NGOs greater access at the UN, their role is still nevertheless limited.
This perspective may transfer to the Tripartite Forum. The NGOs have to be vigilant, forceful and ensure that their voices are heard and respected by the government members. The government members of this organization can use this as an opportunity for them to learn from the collective experiences of the religious NGOs about transforming communities through interfaith dialogue.
The third recommendation is for The Tripartite Forum to hold meetings in regions troubled by religious conflicts, and in major religious centers such as Jerusalem, Rome and Saudi Arabia. Let the world see that there is a new global interfaith organization full of potential and promise. This might inspire hope at the grassroots level and give rise to similar regional activities.
Finally, my fourth recommendation is to keep the focus on interfaith dialogue and shared moral values. Part of the Tripartite Forum's mission is to support UN peace building and civil society initiatives such as The Eight Millennium Development Goals. This is good and should be done. However, there is so much religious conflict on this planet, that the subject matter deserves full attention by some group. And I believe this is the group to do it.
The list of members of The Tripartite Forum on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace is impressive and growing. There were fifty UN Member States including The Holy See and The Islamic Republic of Iran, fifteen UN Member System Organizations, and representatives of the 110 Religious NGOs. In my opinion, to get these groups under one umbrella to discuss a global interfaith approach to peace is a major feat. So let's keep the dialogue where it should be. It's a big enough topic and deserves a platform all by itself.
— — —
Rev. Jay Speights is an interfaith minister and main United Nations representative for The New Seminary in New York. He has an MA in public policy. You can learn more about his work at the UN at The New Seminary website His email address is {email jayspeights@newseminary.org} jayspeights@newseminary.org{/email}. © copyright 2006 by Jay Speights