Peoples' SAARC

Staff College, Kathmandu

23 March 2007

Declaration of Inter-Religious Forum

Introduction

We the religious communities from south Asia region gathered in staff college, Kathmandu as a part of Peoples' SAARC for Democracy, Peace and Justice under the coordination of Inter-Religious Council Nepal (IRCN).

Objectives of the workshop

• To promote inter religious cooperation and communal harmony at SAARC level.
• To analyze problems related to increasing religious fundamentalism and religious conflicts in the subcontinent.
• To come up with concrete suggestions for resolving the different common problems being faced by South Asian people and to recommend the same to the official SAARC meeting to be held in Delhi.
• To exchange the experience of different religious communities in the SAARC region.
• To come up with the action plan for the implementation.
• To evolve a code of conduct for inter religious relationship and pluralistic living together in South Asia.

We affirm that

·        Religious harmony is possible only bye transcending the boundaries of fundamental religiosity and ritualism.

·        Religions have a positive role in meaningful human co-existence and instead of being perceived as pro-establishment should be able to play a pro-active and pro-life influence in society and in strengthening the moorings for morality, ethics and common-good.

·        The understanding of 'fellow pilgrimage' to be strengthened in all religious communities affirming the right of fellow citizens to believe and profess differently.

·        Religious communities together join hands in strengthening the basic unit of life-family-realizing that the mother-child relationship is core of social transformation and the family is where the future is.

We Recommend that

• Co-existence, cooperation and harmony among the religious communities in the SAARC region should be highly promoted.

• Social issues like poverty, HIV/AIDS, drugs, girls trafficking, violence against women and child issues should be addressed.
• "Peace with justice" as a mandate for SAARC people for its unity and prosperity.
• Religion should be separated from vested interest of political sector.
• Religious communities should have important role in working against environmental devastation and denial of human rights and in providing viable and meaningful alternatives to the oppressive structures- economic, cultural, and socio-political being imposed on the people.
• The religious community should be included officially in the SAARC Summit.
• The yearly calendar indication the significant days for inter-faith groups should be made.
• A SAARC level Inter-Religious Council should be formed which should be given statutory status in the Official SAARC.

We declare solidarity with

• All peace initiatives both at government level and at people's level in South Asia and all over the world.
• The suffering masses in violence torn areas of South Asia and world over.
• All movements towards democracy, peace, justice and good governance.
• All movements of women, dalit, ethnical groups and all minority groups in south Asian Countries.

We are concerned that

• Religions are being reduced to only its simplistic ritual dimensions robbing it of its inherent potential for social transformation.
• The religious communities in South Asia are collectively silent in the context of massive poverty, devastation, dehumanization, oppression and injustice.
• Violence is escalating all over and nothing tangible is being done to address the root causes of people unrests and brutal responses towards crushing people's awakenings.

Participants

The following is the list of participants of the workshop.

Conclusion

Fostering Inter-Religious Harmony at the SAARC level was identified as a major priority for which substantial work is to be continuously done. The united effort of religious communities together with other governmental and non-governmental efforts can be more effective to resolve common issues of peace, justice, human rights and democracy in South Asia region. In this regard the inter-religious council Nepal (IRCN) was asked to work together with other organizations working for similar objectives. The organizers and co-organizers of Peoples' SAARC deserve thanks and this Conference for peoples SAARC would no doubt help in strengthening the people's unity in south Asia.

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The End