wfn.org | LWF Sponsors Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

Aiming at Practical Strategies for Peace Promotion and Conflict Resolution

GENEVA, 24 September 2002 (LWI) - Religious leaders and
inter-faith groups (IFGs) from all over Africa will gather for an
October 14-19 conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, to define
practical strategies for preventing and resolving conflicts on the
continent. The Inter-Faith Peace Summit in Africa is being
sponsored by the Geneva-based Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in
collaboration with other faith-based organizations, and with
financial support from the Government of Finland.

"There is an urgent need for religious leaders to be given a voice
on conflict issues," says Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, LWF General
Secretary. The summit will focus on what faith communities can do
by working together to prevent and resolve conflicts in a region
in which millions of people suffer the effects of war. Noko points
out that, "It is not more declarations that are needed, but
concrete action."

One of the focal points of the summit will be examining how
traditional African methods can be effectively used to help
resolve modern conflicts and promote reconciliation. Also, a
series of case studies will be presented on the activities and
methodologies of the various IFGs represented at the Summit, and
their "lessons learned." In addition, panel discussions will
address the topics of "African Women against Conflict" and
"Religious Co-existence in Africa." Skills-based training
workshops will be held to strengthen the capacity of existing
inter-faith efforts for peace.

The LWF is the lead agency/facilitator of this initiative, which
has been formulated in consultation with many ecumenical and
inter-faith partners, including in particular the World Council of
Churches and World Alliance of Reformed Churches. The National
Religious Leaders' Forum of South Africa (NRLFSA) will be the
Summit's local host.

Religious communities' representatives including African
traditional religions, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Baha'i,
Buddhism and Hinduism are expected to participate in this event.

A wide range of issues will be covered at the Summit, including
the role of inter-faith dialogue in promoting a culture of peace,
conflict resolution and mediation techniques (including African
traditional methods), relations between religious communities and
the State in the context of conflict resolution and peace
promotion. Other highlights are the cyclical relationship between
the violation of human rights and conflict, the role of the
African Union and New Partnership for Africa's Development, NEPAD,
in conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation praxis in
post-conflict societies.

The LWF General Secretary and NRLFSA executive committee members
will address a first press conference about the Summit tomorrow,
September 25, in Johannesburg.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 136 member churches in 75 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

*	*	*
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
English Editor: Pauline Mumia
E-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
http://www.lutheranworld.org/