|
Regional Programme on Building Community and A Culture of Peace We are passing through an agonising period that is witnessing acts of violence, both physical and structural all around us. They threaten the existence of nations and even the whole of humanity. In this context and in line with the imperatives of Challenge 21, YMCAs are called upon to participate in God's mission of restoring abundant life to all with special concern for the most distressed and the dehumanised. It is the urgency of this task that brought 52 participants from seven nations - Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, to New Delhi, to examine and contextualise the prospects of community building and nurturing a culture of peace. Pluralism: A Reality Asian and Pacific society is basically pluralistic. As a people having many religious, linguistic and cultural identities, special effort has to be taken to retain the pluralistic fabric of society in order to facilitate community building conducive lo developing and nurturing a culture of peace. Here plurality must not be treated as an abstract issue, it should be seen as a concrete reality, synthesising the legitimate interests and aspirations of various groups into a harmonious whole. Politicisation of Religion Asian and Pacific society is basically religious. There are four major religions in Asia and Pacific - Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam. None of them however, advocate violence. All of them stand for peace. But politicisation of religion for narrow political ends has created a difficult situation that makes community building a difficult task. Spirituality, the common thread that binds people in Asia and Pacific together needs to be rediscovered and strategies evolved to combat the divisive forces of Religious chauvinism and cultural nationalism. Our faith should kindle in us the spirit of love and reconciliation. The YMCA as a movement with its experience of over a century and a half, uniting people, transcending the barriers of religions, caste and ethnicity should once again play a pivotal role in evolving a shared humanity. Global Village without Global Community Peace has to be a collective effort of living together in community - Sangha Jeevan (Community Life). Most of the divisive and destructive tendencies that disrupt people's will to live together may be traced to the evolving socio-economic order that seeks to build up a society that excludes. It does not take care of the needs of the lost, the least and the last: the indigenous, dalits, women and the most backward castes and the minorities. We are challenged to be in solidarity with these people who are struggling for shelter, dignity of life and bread. We are challenged to build awareness that people are more important than capital, markets and profit and be the voice of the voiceless. Partnership for building community and a culture of peace need better networking. What we need at present is the emergence of a community of communities at all levels - a community that is sensitive, responsive and willing to serve at points of need. YMCA should be part of such a community playing the role of a facilitator from within. Our development programmes should give a platform for action and reflection that would set into motion the process of renewal and rethinking within local contexts, drawing upon local cultures and wisdom. Some Priorital Concerns Peace cannot be maintained without justice and justice demands equitable distribution of resources. The major problem of most parts of the Asia and Pacific region continues to be the appalling poverty that creates dehumanising conditions. One of the areas of concern is the depletion of resources, which affects the poor, to whom even drinking water is becoming a scarce commodity. Fossil fuel, minerals tropical rainforests and several species of fauna and flora are on the verge of extinction. As an ecumenical youth movement we should participate in the preservation of God's creation. We recognise the evils of systems that support excessive accumulation of wealth and profit and that in this endeavour nature is the first casualty. We also note that helplessness of the people and their powerlessness to combat the menace because of their dependence on a system from which they cannot free themselves. Problems like erosion of secular values, moral degradation, religious fundamentalism, poverty in the midst of plenty, exploitation of the weaker sections of society and denial of justice will have to be tackled within our contexts. Alternative participatory development models, and lifestyles need to be sought and practised in the globalised world today. The tendency to exclude youth and women must be evaluated as we stand for justice, including gender equity. We need to seek within each local context, models of development alternatives, lifestyles, drawing upon local cultures and wisdom that would build community and peace. The YMCA is a youth movement in which men, women, youth and children can be co-workers in building mutually caring, loving and humane communities as we stand for justice, including gender justice. Our programmes need to be geared to ensure harnessing of the potentialities of the youth and women, and all other members for societal transformation. Recommendations : In addition to the National Movements' Strategies for Building Community and a Culture of Peace, the participants also recommended National Movements to :
Conclusion We are called to be the salt of the earth in a changing world beset with problems. We have to face all forces that stand in the way of a shared humanity and peace. We have to play an appropriate role in mobilising actions for transformation of society and to voice our concern against all forms of injustice. If we choose to remain silent at a time like this, history will not pardon us. |