wfn.org | Adopt Plan of Action for Peace

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

Inter-Faith Groups Urged to Take Up Issues on Small Arms
Proliferation

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa/GENEVA, 19 October 2002 (LWI) * A
week-long historic inter-faith peace summit ended in Benoni near
Johannesburg on Saturday, with the adoption of a plan of action
authorizing the establishment of a Continuation Committee and a
call on religious leaders to take "immediate" actions in regard to
areas of conflict such as "Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Uganda and the
Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Inter-Faith Action for Peace in Africa, adopted at the end of
the October 14-19 Inter- Faith Peace Summit calls for the
convening of a series of regional summits across Africa to be held
within the next 18 months in order to continue the drive for peace
on the continent. An all-Africa Summit is planned in three years'
time, with the aim of assessing and following up the outcomes of
this first-ever event held in Benoni. The plan is based on a
declaration adopted by consensus on October 17.

The extensive plan of action will be carried back to the nations
of Africa and adapted to meet the specific needs of each region.
Inter-faith groups in Africa have been charged with taking up
issues ranging from small arms proliferation to health and
environmental issues that hinder the peaceful development of the
continent.

In a special closing ceremony at the Kopanong Conference Centre a
copy of the Plan of Action and the Johannesburg Inter-Faith Peace
Declaration, adopted arlier in the week, were handed over to guest
speakers the Mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mr. Duma Nkosi and Dr Barney
Pityana, principal of the University of South Africa.

In his closing remarks, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, General Secretary
of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) described the declaration
as a landmark because it "marks how far we have come in the
pursuit of peace." The plan of action, he said, laid the
foundation for a different chapter into our inter-faith
encounters, and in the history of Africa." The week-long meeting,
bringing together religious representatives from 21 African
countries was organized y the LWF and hosted by the National
Religious Leaders Forum of South Africa (NRLFSA).

Ambassador Ilari Rantakari, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland,
welcomed the plan of action underlining that it includes a
meaningful program envisaging implementation on local, national,
sub-regional and regional levels.

On behalf of the NRLFSA, Bishop Mvume Dandala, Presiding Bishop of
the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and President of the South
African Council of Churches said they felt honored to host the
historic conference. The major task now is to convince our various
communities as to the significance and value of this inter-faith
dialogue and fellowship exercise, he added.

(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 76 countries representing over 61.7
million of the 65.4 mllion 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, commnication, 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 varius units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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