wfn.org | Presbyterian U.N. Office to Hold Seminar

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

8-October-1997 
97387 
 
    Presbyterian U.N. Office to Hold Seminar 
    on Just Peace and the Rule of Law 
 
    by Julian Shipp 
 
NEW YORK--The Presbyterian United Nations Office will host a seminar, "Just 
Peace and the Rule of Law," here Nov. 12-14. The seminar, co-sponsored by 
the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy, will serve as part of a 
study process designed to bring recommendations to the 210th General 
Assembly (1998) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on the theme. 
 
    Speakers will include persons from the U.N. community, church staff 
persons and representatives from nongovernmental organizations, according 
to Presbyterian United Nations Office officials. 
 
    On the brink of the millennium, the international community faces new 
challenges. Interventionalist policies and sanctions of many types are 
increasingly applied in the world's "trouble spots." Historically, churches 
have tended to adhere to either "just war" or pacifist concepts. Little 
thought has been given to the nature of a "just peace" and its 
requirements. The ending of the Cold War has stimulated thinking about a 
global society in the 21st century. Dozens of violent conflicts, between 
and within nations, have raised questions about the right or responsibility 
of the international community to intervene for human rights or 
humanitarianism purposes or to prevent war from spreading. 
 
    The 207th General Assembly (1995) called for a study of both the 
concept of  "just peace" and the contemporary validity of the "just war" 
criteria. As the Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy focuses on the 
"just peace" concept, Presbyterians from all backgrounds are encouraged to 
be a part of the process. 
 
    The registration deadline for the seminar is Oct. 15, 1997. The 
registration fee is $130, which includes most meals, briefings, resources 
and a tour of the United Nations. Accommodation costs are $130 for a double 
room and $260 for a single room. The hotel is located in midtown Manhattan 
and is within walking distance of the U.N. 
 
    For more information and a registration brochure, contact the 
Presbyterian U.N. Office at 777 U.N. Plaza, New York, NY 10017 or phone 
(212) 697-4568. 
 
    The Presbyterian United Nations Office is part of the Presbyterian 
Peacemaking Program and is funded by the annual Peacemaking Offering. 

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