Parents and Children
January 2009
Banner photo: © Frans Lemmens/Getty Images
Ottawa Peace Festival
Ms. Olexiuk (standing) and other panelists at the presentation
on the current state of Afghanistan
[© SGI-Canada]
For the second consecutive year, SGI-Canada (SGIC) participated in the Ottawa Peace Festival, a two-week event promoting peaceful coexistence that featured talks, films, art, music and prayer and involved many community groups and government agencies. On September 25, SGIC hosted an event titled "Afghanistan: A People-centered Approach to Peace, Experiences from the Field" at its Ottawa community center.
Some 80 people attended the presentation that included keynote speaker Eileen Olexiuk, former deputy head of mission in Afghanistan of the Canadian Embassy, together with a panel of specialists who have had direct involvement in peacekeeping efforts in Afghanistan: Dr. Hussain Ramos, executive director of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; Grant Kippen, international chairperson of the Electoral Complaints Commission; Janan Mosazai, journalist and former adviser and interpreter for the UN Mission in Afghanistan; and Wendy Gilmour, director of the Peacekeeping and Peace Operations Group, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), Canada.
Ms. Olexiuk spoke about the efforts of the Canadian Mission in Afghanistan to assist the Afghan people. She detailed the plight of the Afghan situation and explained her activities there along with those of the panel, all of whom worked with her during the three years she spent in the country. She also proposed how eventual peace could be achieved, describing steps needed to establish the rule of law and stable governance. In her remarks Ms. Olexiuk shared a quote from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's 2008 Peace Proposal:
"[The] slide toward fundamentalism . . . is not limited to religious fundamentalism that has been the subject of so much debate, but includes a dogmatic adherence to various ideologies including those of the market . . . What is common to all of them is that abstract principles and ideas take precedence over living human beings who in turn are forced into a subservient role."
Following the talk, panel members took turns answering questions from the audience. The presentation concluded with a video of children expressing their views of peace.
