UN adopt’s RP inter-faith dialogue proposal

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has unanimously adopted the Philippines’ proposal to promote inter-faith dialogue among nations.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo described the UN approval to the proposal, which was co-sponsored by 24 countries, as a "major moral and diplomatic victory for the Philippines."

"It took a country like the Philippines where majority of Christians and Muslims live together in harmony and yet continuing to pursue permanent peace, to remind the UN that religion plays a key role in preventing conflicts," Romulo said.

The resolution, initiated by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., was filed upon the instructions of President Arroyo in view of the crucial need for countries to have a better grasp and equal sensitivity to varying moral and religious norms.

The Philippine resolution taps the religious sector to cool down ethnic tensions and decades-long political-religious conflicts in various parts of the world.

De Venecia hailed the UN approval, saying a "significant mechanism is now in place for conflict resolution and prevention using the moral influence of the religious sector."

"We must learn to create space for alternative faiths if we are to find an alternative to so much violence and hatred, and if we are to respond to the crisis of values that so pervades today’s planet," he said.

The President and De Venecia earlier proposed the inter-faith council as a unit of the UN system when they met with United States President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice at the White House during Mrs. Arroyo’s state visit to Washington in May last year.

The proposal has won an endorsement in various forums, including that in Tripoli, Libya and in Iran, and by various religious and parliamentary leaders as a way of reducing ethnic and politico-religious conflicts.

De Venecia also presented the resolution before the UN Security Council last month.

Romulo praised De Venecia as a "leading advocate" of inter-faith dialogues among the world’s parliamentarians and said that the President will continue to promote it "as an instrument of peace and harmony in our conflict-ridden world."

"I believe that the religious sector has the moral influence to help the Security Council’s efforts particularly in conflicts with religious undertones," Romulo said. "The religious sector could become an effective tool in achieving the international community’s peace-building agenda."

De Venecia explained the UN-approved inter-faith dialogue "could harness religious leaders to work with political leaders of government and civil society to help resolve difficult politico-religious conflicts."

The dialogue, he said, will be "useful in preventing conflicts" involving Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Muslims in Kashmir (in India), Jewish and Muslims in Palestine and Buddhists and Muslims in various parts of Asia. - Pia Lee-Brago, Delon Porcalla