Message at the First Meeting of the Committees

First, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for gathering in Geneva today for the First Meeting of the Committees of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children. Let me also express my deep appreciation to each of you for accepting the invitation to serve as a Committee member of the Interfaith Council, despite the many important existing commitments you have.

As you are already aware, speaking on behalf of the Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC), I proposed the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children in May 2002 at the United Nations Special Session on Children, as one specific action people of faith should take in order to create a better environment for children.  It is my conviction that, in our chaotic world today, the promotion of ethics education is not only one of the intrinsic missions of people of faith, but is also urgently needed. This fact is testified to by the endorsement and support this initiative has received from many people of various religions, as well as from the distinguished persons who have agreed to serve as members of the Interfaith Council, from all of you gathered in Geneva today — together representing great wisdom and breadth of expertise — and from the international community at large.

After the Special Session on Children, three preparatory meetings were held, where people of faith and experts in the relevant fields came together for intensive discussions on the establishment of the Council. Then, last May, at the Second Forum of the GNRC held here in Geneva, the establishment of the Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children, with seven distinguished members, was formally announced. Today, with the First Meeting of the Committees, the Interfaith Council is about to take its first and vital step forward into concrete practice.

Let me say that the challenge of ethics education is not an entirely new one. During the course of the history of humankind, there have been many appeals for the importance of ethics.  In my country, Prince Shotoku of Japan, who conducted the affairs of the state as the Emperor’s regent in the 7th century, ordained a set of ethics for public officials in Article 17 of the constitution. Prince Shotoku, who was a reverent Buddhist, urged the government officials of the time, who were preoccupied with power struggles, to respect the value of harmony. At the same time, based on Buddhist teachings, he stressed the importance of understanding the different culture of the people from the Korean peninsula who were migrating to Japan in increasing numbers at that time. I believe that Prince Shotoku’s call for ethical living was a natural outcome of his faith, and so should our ethics education initiative be inspired and motivated by ours. Further, the interfaith nature of this initiative is what gives it so much potential at this juncture of history.

Children are the future of the world and the hope for humankind.  I am convinced that the ethics education which we will promote will foster the rich, innate spirituality of children, and that in turn, this will lead to the creation of a truly peaceful world. To this end, I ask for your understanding and cooperation.

Lastly, I pray that the meetings of these three days will be guided by the Divine Presence to a most fruitful outcome.

Thank you very much.