Amid a backdrop of growing regional tensions, the urgent need for universal solidarity and the humanitarian challenge from the growing refugee crisis came alive on Friday as a symposium organised by Bharat Soka Gakkai on ‘Soka Gakkai International’ (SGI) president Daisaku Ikeda’s peace proposal titled ‘The Global Solidarity of Youth: Ushering in a New Era’ to discuss the ways to awaken people towards global issues that pose a threat to humanity.
Focusing on the peace proposal, Vishesh Gupta, Chairperson Bharat Soka Gakkai said, “At the time of conflict the human touch of reaching out and listening to the other is at a premium. “There is an urgent need to establish a culture of trust, a culture of inclusiveness. President Ikeda’s current proposal addresses many of these issues, impressing on us the need to bring to the fore a culture of respect for the other,” he said.
President Ikeda said: “The world is not simply a collection of states, nor is it composed solely of religions and civilizations. Our living, breathing the world is woven of the endeavours of countless human being but not two of whom are the same,” Gupta also said “To view and judge others only through the prism of religion or ethnicity distorts the rich reality we each possess as individuals. In contrast, when we develop a deep appreciation, through our individual friendships, of each other’s unique value, differences of ethnicity or religion are illuminated by the dignity and worth of that friend and shine as the value of diversity.”
“There is an urgent need to establish a culture of trust and inclusiveness. The peace proposal by the SGI president, Ikeda, addresses current problems in the world and how on the basis of Buddhist philosophy these problems can be solved,” he added.
An official of the Bharat Soka Gakkai said that our peace proposal is the key to address global issues as the action plan is intended to awaken individuals, who can play a constructive role.
Further, the official said that Dr Ikeda has urged the United Nations and the world’s universities to work together to create educational opportunities for refugee youth.
C Uday Bhaskar, Director of society for policy studies said there is a need to deliberate and take positive action for restoring global peace in times of proliferation of arms and nuclear weapons. He said the threat of terrorism is also growing worldwide and collective effort for global peace is of utmost necessity. “The global challenge today is to avoid another Hiroshima,” he said.
Rajat Kathuria, one of the speakers and head of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relation said that increasing trade is the best and very feasible option to reduce conflict. The more trade we have the fewer chances of conflict will be there.
He also suggested increasing trade with Pakistan in order to avoid conflict. Kathuria also said that being the youngest country in the world, addressing the problems of the youth is also important to ensure peace. “We should try to achieve sustainable development to get rid of poverty, injustice and ensuring equality,” he said.