The international conferences of Religions for Peace and Ring for Peace, supported by the German Federal Foreign Office, are establishing themselves: locally in Lindau and programmatically on the highest diplomatic level. The list of speakers taking part in the “Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue” confirms this.
“Once more, I consider the motto of this year’s event appropriate and timely,” said Lindau’s Lord Mayor Dr. Claudia Alfons at the press conference on Wednesday, September 15, in the Inselhalle Lindau. “The Corona pandemic has made it abundantly clear to us how important it is for the generations to be in good dialogue with each other and to show solidarity.”
No less than three high-ranking United Nations officials will deliver keynote speeches: UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Genocide Prevention and Combating Hate Speech Alice Wairimu Nderitu and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. But this UN trilogy is only the beginning, as the Director-General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has also address the audience.
“In cooperation with the team from Religions for Peace in New York, we have succeeded in assembling a challenging program again this year,” said Ulrich Schneider, Executive Director of the Lindau Foundation for Peace Dialogue of World Religions and Civil Society.
Over 50 speakers are on the program who will address peace and security policy, protection of the environment and humanitarianism over the four days of the conference. Whether Gilles Carbonnier, Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), or Helga Maria Schmid, Secretary General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), whether Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), or Ursula Müller, Assistant Secretary General at the Office for Humanitarian Affairs and highest-ranking German employee at the United Nations – the list is as extensive as it is diverse.
Download the full program of “Generations in Dialogue”.
They all meet in Lindau the numerous and influential religious leaders of the World Council of Religions for Peace, which convenes there for its plenary session. Two worlds meet to think, discuss and seek solutions together – for example, in the 14 parallel “Diplomacy Roundtables”. These are closed to the public and have limited seating. Their titles are, for example, “Demographic Dynamics, Religions and Politics” or “No more Religious Troubles in Northern Ireland?” The roundtables are each moderated by a diplomat together with a religious representative. These 14 Diplomacy Roundtables are the central nervous system of the conference program, as the title promises: Faith and Diplomacy.
“The roundtables will also address cross-cutting issues and intersections of our three main themes,” explained Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace. “Of course, we will also address policy issues; for example, the first ‘roundtable’ will be on Afghanistan. This will be about multi-faith approaches.”
But shouldn’t today’s decision-making include the voice of a younger generation looking at the future from different perspectives and bringing in new ideas? The world of tomorrow can only be created together with the people who will live in it. And that is why this years’ conference is all about intergenerational dialogue. No discussion, no series of lectures and no roundtable without a representative of the young generation. Young women human rights activists, like Alejandra Acosta from Spain, or young women climate activists, like Vanessa Nakate from Uganda will be a central part of the conference.
“It is also important that the voices of activists from the Global South are brought out,” explained Vanessa Nakate, “that is why platforms like this are important for us. To be involved in decision-making processes, it starts with being invited to conferences like this. That’s why I appreciate being able to participate and contribute.”
One of the program highlights will certainly take place on Wednesday, the third day of the conference: the debate. In a contest of arguments, two groups of young people will compete rhetorically to debate the following topic: “Religions are uniquely helpful in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic – true or false?” We promise: The repartee will be thrilling: intellectually and emotionally.
Finally, please note: On Thursday, September 23, the Foundation for Peace Dialogue of World Religions and Civil Society will publish the results of a representative survey among Germans commissioned for the conference by the research instituteYouGov. We wanted to know what significance faith and religion, sustainability and justice have for different generations and what values people associate with faith and religious communities. This we can already reveal: 81 percent of respondents in Germany said they felt the world was unjust. We will announce the results of the study via a press release and they can be viewed starting 13 September.
Christine Frischmuth, writer from the City of Lindau, wrote this poem exclusively for the ceremony at the Ring for Peace during the Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue 2021.
To recap the “Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders: Generations in Dialogue”, it is not necessary to watch the complete conference in video again. It can be done faster: with the official multimedia documentation.
The international conferences of Religions for Peace and Ring for Peace, supported by the German Foreign Office, are establishing themselves: locally in Lindau and programmatically on the highest diplomatic level. The list of speakers who will take part confirms this.
A new conference brings a new issue of the Ring for Peace Magazine. Soon we will talk to interesting people about the three main topics of the conference: Peace and Security, Environment and Humanitarianism.
There will be interviews and live-talks. And we would also like to know what you think yourself. You can find out how here.
The Corona pandemic is not yet over, even though vaccines are now available.
To take into account the still ongoing risk of infection, the conference in Lindau will be hybrid. That means: 150 invited participants will be there in person and all others may participate virtually.
More Information will follow shortly.
