Protecting Children from War
October 2002
Banner photo: Mie, Japan [©SEKAI BUNKA PHOTO]
Earth Summit Activities
"A true display of a vision for a sustainable world," commented Jared McDonald, visitor to the SGI-Earth Council exhibit on the Earth Charter.
The SGI was an active participant in the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in late August and early September.
SGI representatives had also been involved in the various preparatory meetings for the Summit, and in November 2001, Soka Gakkai representatives in Japan had put forward a proposal to the Japanese NGO "Teigen Forum," calling for an international decade of education for sustainable development starting in 2005.
A booklet containing SGI President Ikeda's education proposal which was circulated at WSSD
This proposal was taken up by the NGO Forum and subsequently became part of the Japanese government's input to the Summit. The proposed decade of education for sustainable development is now part of the Plan of Implementation, the main outcome of the Summit.
A fuller proposal on "The Challenge of Global Empowerment--A Proposal on Education for a Sustainable Future" authored by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda was widely circulated at the Summit.
Popular Exhibition
Most visible during the Summit was an exhibition in Ubuntu Village entitled "A Quiet Revolution--The Earth Charter and Human Potential" which had around 15,000 visitors over a three-week period, including many local schoolchildren and residents as well as experts and NGO activists attending the Summit. President of the Republic of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, his wife Zanele Mbeki, UN Under-Secretary-General Anwarul Chowdhury, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Vice Foreign Minister of Venezuela Arévalo Méndez Romero also toured the stand-alone tent housing the exhibition.
The exhibition, cohosted with the Earth Council, consisted of three parts: nature photographs by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda and inspiring quotations about the relationship between man and nature from different traditions and cultures; case studies illustrating the power of one individual to effect a change; and information about the Earth Charter and the SGI's activities to promote it. The documentary film "A Quiet Revolution" was also shown continuously in a special booth. Nearly 100 SGI-South Africa members on a voluntary basis took turns to show visitors round the exhibition.
SGI-South Africa members celebrate winning third prize in the independent exhibition category with Peter Ritchie, Ubuntu Village Exhibition Manager
The "Ark of Hope," a beautiful wooden chest built by artist Sally Linder to house the Earth Charter and children's books depicting their hopes for the future, was also displayed at the exhibition tent for a few days, attracting many children and young people.
The SGI also cosponsored a well-attended seminar on "Educating for Sustainable Living with the Earth Charter" on August 26 at which Eiichi Yamashita, Japanese vice minister for environment, Dr. Hans van Ginkel, rector of the UN University and president of the International Association of Universities, András Szöllösi Nagy, deputy assistant director of UNESCO, and Steven Rockefeller, cochair of the Earth Charter Commission, spoke.
Community Activities
As well as hosting a special launch of the film "A Quiet Revolution" at a local cinema on August 28 together with the WSSD Jozi Film Festival, SGI representatives joined in workshops built around community showings of the film in the Vaal Triangle and Orange Farm areas.
On Saturday, August 31, local SGI-South Africa members joined SGI representatives in a tree-planting activity in Soweto organized in conjunction with local NGO Food and Trees for Africa. The SGI contributed toward planting 75 native tree saplings at the Soweto "Mountain of Hope."
