In 2015 the problems of war and terrorism in the world continued. The crisis of Syrian refugees deepened. Daisaku Ikeda offered this proposal to address these and other problems the world faces. We will dispense with commentary and simply reprint in its entirety the press release of January 26, 2016, by the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) on that proposal. All that we will add here is a clarification that the SGI is a nongovernmental organization (NGO) recognized by the United Nations (UN). Please note that the full text of the proposal, is now available at the SGI website.
Leave No One Behind
In his annual peace proposal released on January 26, 2016, titled “Universal Respect for Human Dignity: The Great Path to Peace,” Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist association, calls for intensified efforts to respond to the needs of humanity’s most vulnerable, including those displaced by conflict in Syria and elsewhere or by natural disasters.
Ikeda welcomes the adoption of the UN’s new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their ambitious aim of leaving no one behind. He applauds the fact that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development explicitly includes the protection of the dignity and fundamental human rights of displaced persons and international migrants.
He urges renewed focus on the protection of children
uprooted by conflict and their educational needs, as well as further support to countries that have taken in large numbers of people fleeing armed conflict and persecution.
Rally in Belfast
Ikeda stresses that dialogue is key to the genuine empathetic understanding that leads to action. Noting that “The irony of humanitarian crises is that the deeper the gravity of people’s plight, the less they are heard,” he encourages us to
listen to the voices of those affected, to focus on their inherent dignity and potential rather than their current dire status and to “re-cast the world map in our hearts.” He also highlights human rights education as a vital tool for overcoming racism and discrimination.
Further, Ikeda calls for cooperation among China, Japan and Korea—which together account for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions—in reducing atmospheric pollution, tackling the problem of dust and sandstorms and meeting their respective targets set out in the Paris Agreement.
Such cooperation could also defuse regional tensions and build “an invaluable heritage of friendship for the future.” He stresses that if cities, which account for 75 percent of global carbon emissions, initiate action regarding climate change, local citizens will become
motivated and get involved.
Ikeda reiterates the importance of education and learning as a way of empowering individuals to develop proactive responses to such seemingly overwhelming problems, tapping into what Soka Gakkai founder Tsunesaburo Makiguchi called “the courage of application.”
Planting mangroves
In the area of disarmament, he urges the G7 Foreign Ministers Meeting, to be held in Hiroshima in April, to discuss the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons as well as nonproliferation and the denuclearization of Northeast Asia, in response to North Korea’s recent nuclear test.
Ikeda also calls for the strict regulation of the trade in conventional weapons, including small arms—de facto weapons of mass destruction—and proposes that the Arms Trade Treaty, which recently entered into force, be strengthened to this end.
He highlights the contradictions of a world where commitments to positive targets for human well-being such as the SDGs are undermined by the possession of nuclear weapons. He stresses that even a “limited” nuclear exchange could “render meaningless in an instant all of humankind’s efforts to resolve global problems.”
Ikeda calls on those countries that have still failed to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) to do so to allow it to finally enter into force, and offers proposals for the new Open-ended Working Group set up by the UN General Assembly to address concrete legal measures toward prohibition of nuclear weapons.
He also cites hopeful developments, including the fact that over 120 states have endorsed the Humanitarian Pledge, a commitment to “stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons,” and growing calls for the abolition of nuclear weapons from civil society. He highlights efforts involving faith-based organizations and youth that the SGI has supported, including the International Youth Summit for Nuclear Abolition held in Hiroshima in August 2015.
Daisaku Ikeda has issued proposals to the international community addressing global issues every year since 1983. Philosopher, author and peacebuilder, he has been president of the Soka Gakkai International Buddhist association since 1975. His annual peace proposals are issued on January 26 to commemorate the founding of the SGI. See www.daisakuikeda.org
Photo credits:
“Leave No One Behind” event in New York, September 2015 [Photo by Georgina Coupe/Crown Copyright CC BY-NC-ND]
Anti-racism rally in front of Belfast City Hall [Photo by Alan in Belfast CC BY-NC-ND]
Planting mangroves in Indonesia [Photo by Ikhlasul Amal CC BY-NC]
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're OK with this,AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.