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The barcelona Declaration on Peace

In the post-Newtonian era, it is for the first time that a global apex body of science education and culture (UNESCO) has proclaimed that possibility of peace lies in the wisdom tradition of great religions. B.N. Saraswati, the UNESCO Professor of IGNCA, attended the Conference and here he presents the text and the context of Barcelona Declaration

In 1993 UNESCO brought together fifty representative figures from the great religious traditions and from peace research centres to reflect upon the contribution by religions to the culture of peace. The meeting was held in Barcelona between 13 and 18 April in collaboration with the Centre UNESCO de Catalunya. The second meeting was called once again in Barcelona on 12-18 December 1994. Among the most relevant religious authorities present on this occasion were H.H. the Dalai Lama, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Fon of Bali-Cameroon, and Dean of Faculty of Theology of Al Azhar of Egypt. Specialists in Human Science, Peace Research, Philosophies and Religions from twenty three countries, including India, took part in this multi-cultural and multi-religious dialogue.

The dialogue that has begun in Barcelona is an unprecedented step towards building world peace. What has emanated from this is a consecrated expression, a reflection that contains the whole. In this post-Newtonian era, it is for the first time that an apex body of science education and culture has taken religion seriously. It was officially proclaimed that the possibility of peace lies in the wisdom tradition of great religions. The most prepared by Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Islamic and Christian participants, and offered every morning at the beginning of the conference. Although there were people from highly conflictive areas, the participants lived days of very sincere and very fraternal communication.

The results of the Barcelona meeting were presented in a 23-point Declaration on the role of religion in the promotion of a culture of peace. The Director General of UNESCO received it at a simple but impressive ceremony of reading and signature of the Document before the President of the Parliament of Catalonia. H.H. the Dalai Lama was the first to sanctify the Declaration.

The United Nations General Assemble has declared 1995 the United Nations Year of Tolerance and has entrusted UNESCO with the job of co-ordinating the programme of events. The Barcelona Declaration becomes an integral part of the International Year of Tolerance and the 50^th anniversary celebration. It is hoped that the people of Asia and Africa riven by international and internal conflicts will take part in an active campaign for peace. Their problems and perspectives are different from those of the West. Thus the need to hold regional conferences to examine the Barcelona Declaration responsibility and address more specific issues concerning interfaith collaboration in the promotion of a culture of peace.

A UNESCO Chair has been created at the IGNCA in the field of cultural development. The purpose of the Chair is to promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation acitvities in the field of cultural development. It will be an instrument for facilitating collaboration between high level, internationally recognized researchers and the research team of the Centre, and other institutions in the Asian Region.

Baidyanath Saraswati, formerly Professor of Anthropology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong and Research Professor of IGNCA has been appointed as UNESCO Professor.

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