NEWSLETTER NO. 103
January - December 2007
Dear friends and co-workers,
When observing the present world situation, we must always keep in mind the striving for synthesis which, consciously or unconsciously, motivates all events, and the fact that even apparently separative, disintegrating and destructive developments represent stages of evolution that ultimately lead to synthesis. Like Mephistopheles said to Faust: I am part of that force which would do evil evermore, and yet creates the good. If we can interpret all events on the basis of these two realisations, our will to good will not be undermined.
Even our climate changes can be interpreted as results of the ongoing process of integration of humanity. Economic chaos, climate change, wars, the destruction of the environment, are all born of human choices to put personal political power and profit before the common good. And yet, even these destructive developments ultimately contribute to the integration of humanity. The impact of global catastrophes develops peoples awareness of the need to find global solutions to global problems. Mass movements arise in response to these global challenges: thus, before the invasion of Irak by the United States, demonstrations demanding a peaceful resolution were held all over the world. It is interesting to note that the symbol chosen for this movement was the rainbow flag – the rainbow is one of the most perfect symbols of synthesis, unity in diversity.
Many workers in the international political arena are not willing to include thoughts of the Higher World in their activities, and consider them to concern only the religious or mystical fields. They think that there must be a separation between religion and State. In some countries, institutional religions are very much involved in national and international politics. Synthesis, however, needs to develop first of all between human beings, not between organisations. Ethical values form an integral part of the human being. Harmonious relations are first developed between people, who in turn create useful forms of cooperation between the institutions they created, and between humanity and the planet. The understanding of synthesis is directly related to the level of consciousness of the human being. In our process of globalisation, mutual respect opens the door for a deeper understanding of synthesis.
Humanity at present is for the most part not aware of the underlying synthesis of the divine Plan. That is why, in the Great Invocation, we exclaim: Let light, and love, and power, restore the plan on earth!. Used in our daily meditation, for example as a fifth stanza to be added to the Great Invocation, the following invocation of the Avatar of Synthesis can also help in this process:
From the Avatar of Synthesis, who is to come,
Let His energies pour down in all kingdoms.
May He lift up the Earth to the Kings of Beauty.
Let Love, and Light, and Power, restore the Plan on Earth!
When any step of ascent is achieved in earthly life, without departing from ones daily routine, it can be called the highest test. True, it is difficult to hold ones torch high amidst crude vibrations, malice and ignorance, but then the greatest is the achievement. By maintaining a constant striving towards the Higher Worlds without turning away from daily life, that containment will be found which people call synthesis. But how rarely does one find in life the toilers who have dedicated themselves to the services of the Higher World! (Supermundane IV, paragraph 722)
GROUP MEDITATIONS
FULL MOON MEDITATIONS
Full Moon meditations of Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius and Capricorn with the Arcane School group in Geneva
Virgo Full Moon meditation with the steering group of the World Service Intergroup in San Rafael, USA
UNITED NATIONS STAFF PEACE MEDITATION GROUP
(Tuesdays at 13:00, Geneva time)
We lost in a computer crash the themes of the meditations at the UN in which members of the IPS participated from 16 January to 26 June.
19.06.2007 |
Meditation for refugees everywhere |
04.09.2007 |
The group spirit |
11.09.2007 |
A heart of light |
25.09.2007 |
Inner peace |
02.10.2007 |
A line of light to the cosmic divine |
09.10.2007 |
The light of cosmic harmony |
23.10.2007 |
The beauty of all Life |
30.10.2007 |
Disarmament and inner peace |
06.11.2007 |
The cosmic water |
13.11.2007 |
We are Light Bearers |
20.11.2007 |
Relating to cosmic energies |
27.11.2007 |
The Four Noble Truths |
04.12.2007 |
In the heart centre of the UN |
11.12.2007 |
Light is in you |
18.12.2007 |
International Migrants Day |
IPS ACTIVITIES IN GENEVA AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD
19-31 July 2007: Conferences and group meetings in Bolivia
Members of the IPS organised conferences and group meetings with Rudolf Schneider, Secretary-General of the IPS Geneva, in La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre and Santa Cruz, mostly on the theme of Right Human Relations – Reflecting on Global Human Values.
We met representatives of groups and organisations working in the fields of education, aid and development, healing and religion.
14-17 October 2007: Conference and group meetings with Dr. E. Ananta Krishna
We organised in Geneva one conference on The Vedic Scriptures with Dr. E. Anantakrishna, from Master E.K. Spiritual and Service Mission (Svetadweepam, Chinamushidivada, Vsakhapatnam 531 173, Andhra Pradesh, India, tel. +91-891-2566732, fax +91-891-2748679, www.masterek.org). It offers free medical service, inculcates the principles of spiritual group work, imparts spiritual education, develops schools to impart education with moral values and national spirits, trains youth in self-employment and service of society, networks with people working in a spiritual manner around the globe, offers training in the healing sciences of homeopathy, Ayurveda and yoga, spreads the Ancient Wisdom from the teachings of Master E.Krishnamacharya and other Masters, promotes the spiritual fusion of East and West as conceived by Master E. Krishnamacharya.
During the group meetings on 15 and 17 July, we exchanged ideas on the present world situation, and drew parallels between our times and the time of the Mahabharata war.
Activities of IPS Congo
This IPS branch, based in Kinshasa, has various activities along the lines of meditation, study and service. It holds group meditations, group study, and has a small library of esoteric books. It networks with other spiritual groups, such as World Goodwill in Geneva, the World Goodwill Association in Quebec, Le Sentier in France, and with other organisations, such as the Compassion Response Network (http://www.compassion-response.net), to offer alternative treatment to HIV/AIDS patients, RENOSEC (National Network for the Observation of Elections), Anamed (http://www.anamed.net), a natural therapy association working to promote the use of artemisia and moringa to treat malaria, diabetes, AIDS and other health conditions. Service activities include a vegetable and flower garden open for the use of the neighbourhood, cold water distribution, and a village development project.
Creation of new IPS branches
A new branch of the Institute has been created in Mali. Mr. Koffi Djiwonu BUAGBE is its Secretary-General, and its address is: P.O.Box, Mali 146 Bamako, e-mail: bkdbenoit at yahoo.fr
Another branch was created by Mr. Viktor Subotinov in Odessa, in the Ukraine. Its address is: 21, Krapivnitskogo str., 65059 Odessa. Ukraine, e-mail ips-odessa at yandex.ru, tel:+38-048-7999190 or 38-066 – 7972669.
Articles
We have contributed an article on The Path to Planetary Synthesis to the book Earthrise – The Dawining of a New Civilization in the 21st Century published by the Goi Peace Foundation. We have also written for the magazine Le Son Bleu, of the Institut Alcor, an article on Synthesis in International Relations (Spring 2008).
GROUP CONTACTS AND ACTIVITIES
In September last year, our computer crashed and all data on the hard disk was lost. Unfortunately, we had not kept a back up from everything, and thus the information on some of the events in the first half of 2007 will in some cases be incomplete.
Bruno Grning Circle of Friends, http://www.bruno-groening.org
The Bruno Grning Circle of Friends is an informal gathering of people who have recognised the value of Bruno Grning's teachings. These are passed on in hundreds of groups which meet around the world. Instruction is given for the proper physical and mental attitude necessary for the absorption of Divine power. The healing stream, which is clearly perceptible in the body, gives help and healing, even in cases of chronic, degenerative and serious organic illnesses.
14 January 2007, Zrich, Switzerland: film on the life and works of Bruno Grning
15 January 2007, Geneva, Switzerland: meeting of the Geneva Bruno Grning group
8 -11 January 2007, Calcutta, India: Third Grundtvig International Conference
Lida Shkorkina, Director of the Russian Chapter of the Association for World Education and IPS representative in Russia, was invited by Prof. J.H. Schjorring, Director, Centre for Grundtvig Studies of the University of Aarhus (Denmark) and Prof. Ove Korsgaard, President of the Association for World Education, to take part in this conference.
The first two conferences were held in 1999 and 2003. This time a host of organizations engaged in the field of education, communication and development organized the programme. Among the Indian organizations there were Adult Education Association and Grundtvig Indian Society for Popular Enlightenment and Human Development. On the international side, the Centre for Grundtvig Studies, University of Aarhus, which is the international centre for study of Grundtvig's thoughts was the main organiser of the conference.
The object of the four-day discussion was to propel the participants into action in the field of people's education. The conference showed the spirit of active participation and enthusiastic interaction among the participants. The participants were not only speakers and listeners, but also demonstrators of their skills in spreading education in all aspects of life to all sections of the society.
Prof. J.H. Schjorring took stock of the progress made during the course of the three Grundtvig international conferences. Participation, both from India and Japan, USA and Russia, has become wider. The conference, which brings together a galaxy of scholars from around the globe, intended to become a fitting tribute to such pioneering thinkers in the field of people's education as N.F.S. Grundtvig, Paulo Freire and Rabindranath Tagore.
Prof. Ove Korsgaard, in his keynote address, presented a brilliant exposition on the concepts of "enlightenment" and "people". He emphasised the need for adult education and lifelong learning.
At the first session the Chief Guest, Sjoren Ehlers, answered the question raised by the focal theme: what is the new dimension in people's education, after all? It was, he explained, "lifelong learning for everybody, not excluding anybody".
Delivering the keynote address, Dr. Mark Mattes from USA, detailed how Grundtvig, in his time, added this new dimension to people's education. Grundtvig was a scholar deeply concerned with the renewal of Christianity in Denmark, but only in the light of the renewal of the human spirit, he said.
Eternity transfigures time, and time gives feeling to eternity. That was Grundtvig's idea of the relationship between contemporaneousness and eternity. Similarly, he felt that one must first be a good human being and then a good Christian. "Humans must find themselves before they find God", Dr. Mattes said.
Today, in the age of globalisation, we have moved a long way towards the broader understanding of Grundtvig's concept of "folkelighed", the enlightenment of the people. There has never been a greater need for a global "folkelighed".
Association suisse pour un droit social du sol (Swiss Association for a Social Land Property Right).
17 January, 5 March, 27 June 2007: meetings of the Geneva ASDSS group
24-25 January 2008, Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland: International Aid + Trade Event
The international humanitarian community came together at this event to network and to improve coordination and communication, sharing knowledge and experience to increase the effectiveness of aid, response and humanitarian relief. The event included an exhibition of providers of aid products and services, and workshops given by NGOs and UN agencies.
24 January 2007, Geneva: World Organisation for Peace organised a conference on The Ivory Coast, an example of reconciliation and peace in Africa. Further information: 150 route de Ferney, P.O.Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, tel. +41-22-7916383, fax +41-22-791.6621, e-mail secretariatgeneva at ompp.irg, www.ompp.org, www.wofp.org.
International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland
8 February 2007: Talk with Mr. Jakob Kellenberger on The Challenges that face the Red Cross Today
International Federation of University Women (IFUW, 10 rue du Lac, CH-1207 Geneva, tel. +41-22-731.2380, fax +41-22-738.0440, e-mail: ifuw at ifuw.org, http://www.ifuw.org.
9 February 2007: presentation on UN/NGO Partnership – recent developments
14 February 2007: orientation programme to familiarise IFUW and other NGOs with the program of activities of the United Nations in Geneva.
Webster University in Geneva
15-16 February 2007: 12th Annual Humanitarian Conference on The Spirit of Geneva in a Globalised World. The Geneva Spiritual Appeal was issued in 1999 by representatives of several world religions and UN officers. We attach a copy of the Appeal.
Schweizerische Arbeitsgemeinschaft fr Freie Energie, SAFE (Swiss Association for Free Energy), Secretariat: Werner Rusterholz, P.O.Box 2337, CH-8645 Jona, Switzerland, tel. +41(0)55-282.53.21, fax +41(0)55-282.53.23, e-mail: rusterholz at active.ch, http://www.safeswiss.org. SAFE is an association of like-minded people with the aim of researching and making known free or space energy. It organizes conferences and open discussions to further contacts and exchanges of experiences.
24 February 2007: Third conference with Dr. Frank Stcklin and Dr. Andreas Hellmann on Paradigms and the Paradigm Change
31 March 2007: Annual General Assembly, and talk by Guido von Arx on Science and Wisdom – Intelligence and Spirituality
16 June 2007: Talk by Prof. Werner Frey, who presented the research of Deborah Chung and Joe Flynn on Parallel Path Magnetic Technology/Negative Resistance/ Zeropoint Energy
7 July 2007, Lucern: Talk by Dr. Hans Weber on Heat Kinematics and Dynamics
25 August 2007, Lucern: Talk by Dr. Frank Stcklin on The Carbon Dioxide Hoax in Todays Debate on Global Warming
29 September 2007, Lucern: Talk by Dr. Walter Medinger and Dr. Frank Stcklin on Fields, Bio-Information and Free Energy
24 November 2007, Lucern: Second part of the talk by Dr. Hans Weber on Heat Kinematics and Dynamics
Swiss Association for Living Values (2b chemin des Pr-Langard, CH-1223 Cologny)
25 February 2007, Lausanne: Annual General Assembly
Centre Europe – Tiers Monde (CETIM, Europe-Third World Centre)
27 March 2007, Geneva: Conference on Dirty Weapons – Dirty Wars: new issues and humanitarian implications of the new weapons used in the Middle East and South Asia
African Commission of Health and Human Right Promoters (CAPSDH, P.O.Box 2117, CH-1211 Geneva 2, tel. +41(0)22 786101348, e-mail capsdh at hotmail.com)
28 March 2007, Geneva: African Palaver on The New Human Rights Actors in Africa, a homage to the creators of meaning
27 April – 4 May 2007, Geneva: Annual Conclave of the World Service Intergroup
The WSI is an international network of Ageless Wisdom groups committed to developing intergroup contact, cooperation and synthetic, subjective work. It has been meeting each year since 1996 during one of the Three Spiritual Festivals in various locations around the world including the five planetary centres of New York, London, Geneva, Darjeeling and Tokyo. The purpose of the World Service Intergroup is to generate a focused, conscious and deliberate intergroup effort to specifically assist the externalisation of the Hierarchy and the reappearance of the Christ. For further information, see its website: www.synthesis.tc. About 85 participants from 27 different groups from North and South America, Western and Eastern Europe and Africa came together to meditate and exchange ideas.
16 May 2007, Geneva: Debate on Social health and Spirituality – Implications for General Medical Care. Organisation: International Association for Human Values, P.O.Box 2091, CH-1211 Geneva 2, tel. +41(0)22 7382888, e-mail Geneva at iahv.org.
22 May 2007, Geneva: Discussion with Richard Rohr on Spirituality and Politics, the Contemplative Spirit for Social Transformation. Richard Rohr is a Franciscan Friar internationally recognised as a teacher of the contemplative mindset for social activists. He specialises in the integration of action and contemplation, community building, and peace and justice issues. Organised by Franciscans International.
Group contacts in the Ukraine
From 25-27 May, we participated in the Seventh International Forum of Synthesis, organised by the Ankh-Foundation (e-mail: ankh at adam.kiev.ua) in Kiev, and from 28 May to 5 June, we participated in group meetings in Zaporozhye and Odessa. During a group camp on the mountains in the Crimea, we meditated, chanted the Gayatri Mantra and studied the sixth chapter of the book The Reappearance of the Christ, which deals with the New World Religion.
Spanish Society for the Advancement of International Human Rights Law (SSIHRL)
At the beginning of 2007, upon a recommendation by our Vice-President, Ms. Vita de Waal, we designated David Fernandez Puyana from SSIHRL as IPS representative at the UN. The main concern of SSIHRL is to promote the human right to peace, as laid down in the Luarca Declaration. We have supported their efforts as much as possible, since we can fully agree with the idea of a human right to peace. We have therefore subscribed to a written statement submitted by the SSIHRL to the fifth session of the Human Rights Council on a Global Campaign for a Declaration on the Human Right to Peace, and to another statement on Peace as a solidarity right. A legal approach submitted to the sixth session of the Human Rights Council. We have also participated in the following events:
11 June 2007: Presentation of the Global Campaign on the Draft Declaration on the Human Right to Peace, Geneva
12 September 2007: Roundtable on The Legal Content of the Human Right to Peace
Initiative fr eine Natrliche Wirtschaftsordnung Schweiz (Initiative for a Natural Economic Order Switzerland), P.O.Box, CH-5001 Aarau, tel. +41(0)62-822.8486, fax +41(0)62-823.6755, e-mail contact at inwo.ch, http://www.inwo.ch. It works for an economy at the service of the human community, recognising that the management of the natural resources, including land, air, water and the structure of the monetary system, constitutes the essential basis of our culture.
18 May 2007: Talk by Rudolf Schneider, IPS Secretary-General, on A more human form of Globalisation, in Bern, and on the ten seed-group structure.
Institut Alcor (5 chemin pr de lug, CH-1258 Certoux, Switzerland, and BP 50182, F-63174 AUBIERES, http://www.institut-alcor.org.fr, email contact at institut-alcor.org). The two main aims of Alcor Institute are to bring people into contact with their spiritual being, and to contribute to an understanding of the etheric energy matrix underlying the physical world.
24 June, Geneva: Annual conference and General Assembly, with talks and open discussion on the topic The Human Body, followed on 25 June by annual meeting of Sponsorship Committee in Lucinges, Haute-Savoie, France. Rudolf and Alice Schneider (IPS) are members of the Sponsorship Committee.
Interfaith International, Geneva Office (co-ordinator: Charles Graves, e-mail: charlesgraves at vtx.ch,
22 March 2007: briefing on the activities of the Al-Hakim Foundation (Najaf, Irak) in the reconstruction of Irak
23 March 2007: conference-debate on Autonomy – a privileged means to solve conflicts and strengthen democracy
15 June 2007: Poverty and the role of religion and belief – side event during the 5th session of the Human Rights Council
30 August 2007: discussion panel on What are the results obtained in the combat against racism six years after Duban? Actions taken to effectively implement the Durban Plan of Action at the national, regional and international levels
24 September 2007: panel on The Role of the UN, the European Union in the Kashmir Issue – side event during the 6th session of the Human Rights Council
11 December 2007: presentation on Legal Rights in Iraq Today
12 September 2007: Carlos Emediato, from REDEPAZ, the Global Education for Peace Network, visited the IPS in Geneva to discuss preparations for an international conference on education for peace to be held in 2010 in Geneva.
Fdration des Institutions Internationales semi-officielles et prives tablies Genve (FIIG) (Federation of International Institutions based in Geneva), P.O.Box 20, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
15 November: General Assembly
Forum Suisse de Politique Internationale (Swiss Forum for International Relations), P.O.Box 135 Champel, CH-1211 Geneva 12, Switzerland, tel. +41(2)22-311.24.24, fax +41(0)22-311.25.56, e-mail: fspi at gcsp.ch. The FSPI is a Geneva-based association which organises conferences on international relations issues, such as European integration, conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, US politics, the role of the UN and WTC, etc.
21 November 2007, Geneva: General Assembly followed by a talk by Eric Hoesli on Should We Be Afraid of Russia?
6 November 2007 – The Social Concerns Committee of Geneva Quakers organised a presentation on Militarisation and Conscientious Objection in Colombia. The speakers were Lukas Pardo and Milena Romero of ACOOC, Accin Colectiva de Objetores y Objetoras de Conciencia (Avenida Calle 32 no. 14-42 Piso 2, tel. +57-1-2853208, e-mail objecionbogota at gmail.com, www.objecioncolombia.org.
9 November 2007, Geneva: World Goodwill/Triangles seminar on Triangles: Creating a Field of Light. For further information: World Goodwill, 1 rue de Varemb, P.O.Box 31, CH-1211 Geneva 20, tel. +41-22-7341252, fax +41-22-7400911, e-mail lucistrust at geneva.org, www.lucistrust.org.
14 November 2007: 2nd meeting of the Mouvement de Genve. Public conference on Questioning Development Aid, with the participation of Walter Fust, Director General of Development of Cooperation Department of Swiss government, Mr. Ricardo Espinosa, NGO Liaison Officer at the UN in Geneva, and Mr. Kamran Kousari, specia co-ordinator for Africa at UNCTAD. For further information: Mouvement de Genve, PO. Box 132, CH-1224 Chne-Bougeries, tel. +41-76 3227597, e-mail contact at mouvement geneve.ch, www.mouvementgeneve.ch.
19 November 2007, Geneva: The Womens World Summit Foundation (WWSF) Childrens Section organised a public conference on Television, Publicity, Internet: What is Their Influence on Our Children on the occasion of the world day for the prevention of child abuse, followed by the announcement of the organisations having received the WWSF prize for the prevention of child abuse. Further information: WWSF, 11 avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, tel. +41-22-7386619, fax +41-22-7388248, e-mail wdpca at wwsf.ch, www.woman.ch.
COOPERATION WITH NGO COMMITTEES
CONGO (Conference of NGOs in Consultative Status with ECOSOC, P.O.Box 50, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, tel. +41(0)22-301.1000, fax +441(0)22-301.2000, e-mail: congo at ngocongo.org, http://www.ngocongo.org) facilitates the participation of NGOs in United Nations debates and decisions. CONGO is most active in the major UN centers of New York, Geneva, and Vienna, but extends its work to all regions of the world.
9 February 2007: informal discussion on the arrangements for NGO participation in the 4th session of the Human Rights Council (12 March – 5 April 2007)
21 March 2007: A Hitchhikers Guide to the Human Rights Council and its mechanism – an encounter with experiences human rights practitioners on how the UN human rights system functions (or not).
27 March 2007: General Assembly of the Association Friends of CONGO
8 May 2007: informal NGO debriefing on institution building in the Human Rights Council
12 June 2007: event on NGO Strategic Cooperation within the Human Rights Council – assessment of the situation and the example of www.NGOIC.org
28-30 June: Civil Society Development Forum 2007, A Platform for Development: Countdown to 2015. During plenary presentations and discussions, and workshops in small groups, the participants focused on the guiding themes of ECOSOC in 2007: strengthening efforts at all levels to promote pro-poor sustained economic growth, including through equitable macroeconomic policies and strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development.
20 November 2007: presentation on Accountability from Below: the World Banks Inspection Panel
23 November 2007: discussion on the process for the identification of possible NGO speakers at the High Level Segment of the Human Rights Council
NGO Forum for Health (c/o International Aids Society, 33, chemin de l'Avanchet, CH-1216 Cointrin, Geneva, Switzerland, e-mail: info at ngo-forum-health.ch, http://www.ngo-forum-health.ch). Its mission is to make health for all a reality by promoting equity and justice in health care, by mobilising resources, by advocating for the rights of all persons at all stages of their lives, and by creating an environment conductive to wholesome living. The forum places special emphasis on the rights and the improvement of health of the socially excluded and marginalized. It considers that the goal of health for all is a moral and ethical imperative and that the realisation of this health ideal will itself contribute to peoples feelings of well-being.
18 January 2007: panel discussion on the agenda of the 120th session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organisation, in particular on ways and means to strengthen health services and human resources to achieve the Millenium Development Goals, and on Is the present day system of patent rights compatible with access to health?
18 February 2007: panel on Mental Health: Compassion and Action
2 March 2007: working group meeting
15 May 2007: Annual General Assembly of the Forum, followed by a symposium on How to Support the WHO in Keeping to its Fundamental Principles
27 September 2007: meeting on Health and the implementation of Human Rights in Practice
NGO-Committee on Freedom of Religion and Belief (Chairperson: Ms Diane Ala'I, Baha'i International Community, United Nations Office, Geneva, 15 rue des Morillons, Gd-Saconnex, CH-1218 Geneva, tel.: +41(0)22-798.5400, fax: +41(0)22-798.6577, e-mail: bic at geneva.bic.org)
25 January, 12 June, 21 November 2007: meetings
12 March 2007: meeting with Human Rights Committee, together with other NGOs
28 March 2007: Meeting with Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Ms. Asma Jahangir
September 2007: Joint statement by NGOs on the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief
NGO Working Group on Human Rights Education and Learning (www.hrea.org)
1 and 5 February, 1 and 19 April, 13 June, 30 August: working group meetings
20 March 2007: presentation on The UN World Programme for Human Rights Education and the Right to Education
6 December 2007: workshop on Dynamic Partnership for Human Rights, Education and Learning
NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns Geneva (CSVGC-GE, c/o WWSF, 11 Avenue de la Paix, CH-1202 Geneva, Switzerland, e-mail: secretariat at csvgc-geneva.org, www.csvgc-geneva.org). The Committee aims to bring the spiritual and values dimension in all areas of the United Nations agenda and of public policy.
4 February, 26 April, 9 May, 5 September 2007: meetings
3 May 2007: meeting with His Excellency the Ambassador of Chili.
24 October 2007: presentation with Mr. Hafid Ouardiri, former speaker for the Geneva Mosque and founder of the Interknowledge Foundation for the Promotion of Islam among Non-Muslims, on Islamic Values and Globalisation
PARTICIPATION IN MEETINGS AT THE UNITED NATIONS AND OTHER GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS
World Bank Geneva
15 January 2007: Launch of World Banks project, Global Economic Prospects 2008: Technology Diffusion in the Developing World?
26 April 2007: Seminar on Confronting the Challenges of Gender Equality and Fragile States – a presentation of the World Bank-IMF Global Monitoring Report 2007; see report at www.worldbank.org/gmr2007.
22 June 2007: Seminar on From Red to Gray: the Third Transition of Aging Populations in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union; see report at www.worldbank.org/eca.
8 November 2007: present of the World Development Report 2008, Agriculture for Development? A Call to Renew the Emphasis on Agriculture
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10
19-23 February 2007: session of the Working Group on the use of mercenaries as a means of violating human rights and impeding the exercise of the right of peoples to self-determination; consultation with NGOs on 21 February.
26-27 February 2007: Working Group on the Right to Development
7 March 2007: Working Group on the Right to Development
12-30 March 2007: 4th session of the Human Rights Council
19 March 2007: NGO Orientation Session on the 4th session of the Human Rights Council
21 March 2007: public seminar on Privatisation of Security and Warfare and Impacts on Human Rights, co-hosted by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and the United Nations Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries
26 March 2007: informal meeting on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR)
11-18 June 2007: 5th session of the Human Rights Council
11 June 2007: presentation on States of Emergency by the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
10-28 September, 10-14 December 2007: 6th session of the Human Rights Council
24 September 2007: informal meeting with the Civil Society Unit on the role of NGOs in preparing the Universal Periodic Review (resolution 5/1 adopted by the HRC on 18 June 2007)
26 September 2007: meeting of the HRC Bureau with NGOs
2 October 2007: 5th Special session of the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Myanmar
19 November 2007: informal meeting upon the establishment of the Civil Society Unit of the OHCHR.
26 November 2007: Organisational meeting in relation to the 6th session of the Human Rights Council
27 November 2007: meeting of NGOs with Ambassador Doru Costea, President of the Human Rights Council
19 December 2007: debriefing on the 6th session of the Human Rights Council
Permanent Mission of the Holy See to the UN Office in Geneva
30 January 2007: Interreligious service on the message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the World Day of Peace 2007, The Human Person, the Heart of Peace
International Labour Organisation, Geneva
8 March 2007: On the occasion of International Womens Day, presentations on the theme Celebrating Working Women, with Ms. Anousheh Ansari, first woman private space explorer, and Ms. Rabiatu Serah Diallo, from Guinea, and first woman to hold the post of General Secretary of a trade union in an African Country
Economic and Social Council
2-27 July 2007: 2007 Substantive Session
United Nations Office at Geneva
25 September 2007: panel discussion on UN support to national human rights education initiatives: sharing practices – a presentation of the World Programme for Human Rights Education
8 November 2007: inauguration of the Resources and Services Centre for NGOs
29 November 2007: Celebration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People
1 October 2007, Geneva: Fifth Gathering for Human Rights
This annual event, organised by the State of Geneva, dedicated this year to freedom of the press – the right to inform and to be informed
BOOKS FOR WORLD SERVERS
Earthrise – The Dawning of a New Civilization in the 21st Century
Compiled by the Goi Peace Foundation (Herbert Utz Verlag, Munich, ISBN 978-3-8316-0735-8).
This is a compilation of articles by leading pioneer organizations dedicated to co-create a New Civilization based on reverence for all life on Earth. Their inspiring initiatives and creative activities ignite personal and collective empowerment and responsibility as a tidal wave of hitherto untapped human potential for co-creating a sustainable and peaceful world, and facilitate the transformation of our cultures – from the preface by Patrick U. Petit (Editor).
ENCLOSURES
Calendar of forthcoming group activities
Calendar of World Celebrations in 2008
Invitation to IPS General Assembly
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