Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 346

PROGRAM DESE Tuesday, December 8, 2009
9:00-10:30pm EVENING PROGRAMS
EVENING PROGRAMMING 9:00-10:30pm
Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action Room 107 Film Nearly all Native American nations live on land threatened by environmental hazards, from toxic waste to strip mining and from oil drilling to nuclear contamination. This documentary film tells the stories of five activists in four communities dedicated to protecting Indian lands against environmental disaster, while preserving their sovereignty and ensuring cultural survival. The film was directed by Roberta Grossman.
Peace Pole Dedication Ceremony for Reconciliation Among Religions and Peace Among Nations Fumi Johns Stewart Rev Charles Gibbs Audrey Kitagawa Room 220 Religious or Spiritual Observance A Peace Pole will be given as a gift as a potent symbol of the reconciliation among religions advanced by the Parliament of the World's Religions at the conclusion of the 2009 UN International Year of Reconciliation. The Parliament Peace Pole will join 250,000 Peace Poles around the world, each proclaiming 'May Peace Prevail on Earth in a variety of languages. All are welcome to take part in this celebratory event, which will include a colorful and moving World Peace Prayer Ceremony. The flags of all nations will be raised as everyone sends the universal hope May Peace Prevail on Earth' to each country of the world. Presiding over this historic occasion will be Ms Fumi Johns Stewart, Executive Director of the World Peace Prayer Society, and Rev Charles Gibbs, Executive of the United Religions Initiative. Ms Audrey Kitagawa, who serves on the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and as the UN Representative for the World Associations, will introduce the International Year of Reconciliation. *Note: If weather permits, this event will be held outside.* Ms Fumi Johns Stewart is Executive Director of the World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS), a not-for-profit organisation promoting the universal message and prayer, "May Peace Prevail on Earth'. WPPS is an international, non-sectarian, non-political organisation associated with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations. The work of WPPS encompasses the globe in ways that support peace, harmony and goodwill among all citizens. Rev Charles Gibbs is Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative (URI), which was founded in 2000 by an extraordinary global community committed to promoting enduring, daily interfaith cooperation and to ending religiously motivated violence. Today the URI's activities annually engage over one million people in 70 countries, with members representing more than 100 religions, spiritual expressions, and Indigenous traditions. Audrey Kitagawa is Co-Vice Chair of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions and President of the Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family. She is an adviser to the World Federation of United Nations Association and Chair of the NGO Committee on Spirituality. Values and Global Concerns. Kitagawa is a member of the international advisory council for the Toda Institute for Peace and Global Policy Research and a co-facilitator of the United Religions Initiative United Nations Cooperation Circle.
342 PWR - Parliament of the World's Religions Jain Education International