The Soetendorp Institute supports the Call on Governments issued by members of the Forum of Ethics & Responsibilities to start up a process toward the creation of a Charter of Universal Responsibilities as a complement to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Call on Governments has been initiated by Earth Charter Commissioner Pierre Calamé and offers striking convergences with the interreligious statement towards Rio + 20.

Peoples all around the globe expect governments to respond to the current crises by overcoming national interests and creating an international reference text pertaining to the obligation to assume responsibility to the human family, forthcoming generations and the environment, to evaluate the impacts of far-reaching decisions and to account for the consequences of actions.

Please find the Call on Governments and a draft Charter of Universal Responsibilities here.

The Elders - an independent group of global leaders, urge political, business and civil society leaders

After intensive consultation of governments, international institutions and civil society organizations, the the first "zero" draft of the Rio + 20 Outcome Document has been published. It has been published on the Rio + 20 website.  We encourage you to send messages to your country's delegation to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (also called Rio+20) as they refine the content of this outcome document.

Based on our analysis, here is some suggested input.

1.The Zero Draft should affirm the need for a shared vision and common ethical framework to inspire and guide actions towards sustainable development among all stakeholders across sectors. The current draft appropriately emphasizes the need to integrate the three  pillars of sustainable development, and to make this integrated framework central to the many structures and activities of the United Nations. It should also affirm a strong definition of sustainable development with a fourth (first) pillar that is a shared vision of ethical and spiritual values that inspires and guides cooperative action for change.

2.The Zero Draft recommends Ombudspersons for future generations and sustainable development goals, and new measures of GDP. It should also include implementing the Precautionary Principle, a Corporate Sustainability Responsibility Convention, Millennium Consumption Goals, and a mandate of trusteeship for global common goods on behalf all peoples, the greater community of life, and future generations.

Please write to your delegation to include these elements which would boost the transition to a sustainable future!

The Earth Charter International Council, in collaboration with the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values, the Interfaith Consortium for Ecological Civilization and the Center for Ecozoic Societies, hosted a discussion on December 14 focused on strengthening ethical and spiritual input into Rio+20. 

Hundreds of organizations sent in their recommendations for the outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (also called Rio+20).  These recommendations have been put into a Compilation Document. You can review these submissions here. Around 75 of these contrbutions deal with values, ethics and the Earth Charter. 

In the meeting that was joined by around 50 representatives of different organizations and networks we shared our various organizations' input into the Compilation Document, identified common priorities, and strategized as to how we can work most effectively on the Road to Rio+20 to ensure that our policy priorities are included in the Zero Draft, and in the final outcome document.

"The Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainable Development" is the title of a project launched by the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics and the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values. The purpose of this project is to bring together a global alliance of religious, spiritual and ethical organizations to deepen the understanding, public awareness and practical application of the ethical and spiritual foundations of sustainable development. 

The inspiration for the Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainability Project crystallized at the Earth Charter +10 Conference in Ahmedabad, India, which called for deepening the general understanding of sustainable development that considers sustainability based on distinct but interrelated ecological, social and economic dimensions. The former Dutch prime minister Ruud Lubbers stated: "We may even begin to speak about four ‘P's: People, Planet, Profit and ‘Pneuma' "

Earth Charter International Council Co-Chair Steven C. Rockefeller commented: "There is a fourth pillar - the global ethical and spiritual consciousness that is awakening in civil society around the world and that finds expression in the Earth Charter. This global ethical consciousness is in truth the first pillar of a sustainable way of life, because it involves the internalization of the values of sustainable human development and provides the inspiration and motivation to act as well as essential guidance regarding the path to genuine sustainability."

In his role as Earth Charter Commissioner, Rabbi Soetendorp spoke at the Eco Schools National Operator meeting held in Krakow, Poland that was organized by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and signed a Memorandum of Understanding and Collaboration between Earth Charter International and FEE. In this meeting, which took place from 27-30 October, representatives from over 47 countries heard about the Earth Charter and how compassion can be the driver for working together to ensure a sustainable world for the coming generations. 

Rabbi Soetendorp spoke passionately about the Earth Charter background and purpose; about what we have in common and how our shared values, as expressed in the Earth Charter's 16 ethical principles, can underpin any organizations vision and planning. He then shared about the diverse educational projects he is involved in, especially the Day of Respect that is celebrated annually in over 3.000 primary schools all over the Netherlands, as well as the intergenerational Feather Project. 

The main purpose of the MoU signed by ECI and FEE is to spread information and knowledge about the Earth Charter across the Eco-Schools network, providing Eco-Schools with another theme or project through which they can implement their activities. 

To find out more about the eco schools network please visit their website here.

As a contribution to the "Spiritual Dimensions of Sustainability" Project launched by the Soetendorp Institute and the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics, Rabbi Soetendorp has drafted the interreligious statement "Towards Rio + 20 and Beyond - A Turning Point in Earth History". The statement is geared at enabling spiritual and religious communities to speak in a unified voice for providing a spiritual input into the major UN Rio + 20 Conference that will be taking place from June 20 - 22, 2012.

A draft version of the statement signed by religious leaders of different traditions with input from an international steering committee has been sent to the United Nations for inclusion into the Compilation Document for the "Zero Draft" of the Political Outcome Document of the Rio + 20 Conference.

The statement is currently being revised in an interreligious consultation process. Our vision is that many different religious and spiritual leaders and their institutions will share their perspectives and then endorse this statement as a powerful and unified message from the world's religious and spiritual traditions to the Rio + 20 Conference. We hope to present the statement in a joint assembly of the world's faiths during the Rio + 20 Conference.  

The Day of Respect that was initiated by Rabbi Soetendorp in 2006 was celebrated for the sixth time on 10 November, 2011. More than 3.000 schools participated in the programme that centered on the theme "Respecting Myself". The schools addressed this topic in guest lectures, public events, discussions, music performances and a dance "flash mob" in the city center of Rotterdam.

After a period of intensive planning and conceptualization, the Soetendorp Institute has launched the Faith and Leadership Seminar that is being supported by the municipality of The Hague.

15 young leaders aged 18 to 30 from diverse cultural and spiritual backgrounds participate in the course that includes ten sessions from September to December 2011.

The seminar aims to promote intercultural understanding by giving emerging leaders the chance to gain valuable new perspectives through interaction with peers from different cultures and religions.

The Charter for Compassion is a cooperative effort to restore not only compassionate thinking but, more importantly, compassionate action to the center of religious, moral and political life.

The Charter, crafted by people all over the world and drafted by a multi-faith, multi-national council of thinkers and leaders, seeks to change the conversation so that compassion becomes a key word in public and private discourse, making it clear that any ideology that breeds hatred or contempt ~ be it religious or secular ~ has failed the test of our time.

Rabbi Soetendorp participated in the Council of Conscience – the drafting council of the Charter and helped organize the Charter for Compassion launch in Amsterdam.

Watch the video of the Charter for Compassion here:

The Soetendorp Institute actively promotes the Charter for Compassion and invites everyone to make a lifelong commitment to live with compassion.

“EcoPeace – Environmental Peacemaking in the Middle East” was the title of a conference exploring the Jordan River Rehabilitation Project of Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) took place in Amsterdam on June 30, 2010. After having met leading representatives of FoEME at the 3rd Annual Conference of the Forum of Israeli and Palestinian Peace NGOs in Florence, Italy in February 2010, Rabbi Soetendorp promoted the idea of hosting a conference on the work of this special organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israelis environmentalists and helped to find partners and sponsors for the event.

 

“I am very pleased that together we were able to organize a very successful meeting, which put emphasis on turning the Jordan river into a living source of water to all who live in the area.”, said Rabbi Soetendorp after the conference.

 

The event brought together experts, professionals and policy makers in the field of water, environment and the Middle-East and discussed strategies for sustainable regional development and collaborative water management as a necessary condition for lasting peace.

 

The April 2010 issue of National Geographic showed the work done by FoEME concerning the rehabilitation of the lower Jordan River that once carried an average of 1.3 billion m³ of fresh water to the Dead Sea annually. Today this figure has been reduced to just 20 – 30 million m³ per year due to the diversion of 98% of the River's flow by Israel, Jordan and Syria. The primary goal of the Jordan River Rehabilitation is to both identify the means by which water transfers to the Lower Jordan River could take place and help create the political will to make them happen.

 

More information on the Project can be found here.

At the Earth Charter + 10 Conference in the Peace Palace in The Hauge on June 29, the Soetendorp Institute launched the Feather Project, which is a collaborative effort to build intergenerational dialogue and collaboration between elders and youth, and to draw upon the wisdom of the world’s spiritual traditions to address the major global challenges humanity is facing.

Watch the Feather Trailer on YouTube:

 

At the Parliament of the World's Religions in Melbourne, Australia, Michael Slaby was interviewed about the Feather Project that the Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values intends to realize in 2010. The project that was suggested by Chief Oren Lyons, Faith Keeper of the of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation and involved the production of video documentaries with moral leaders of our time, asking the simple question: "Based on your life experience, what lesson would you like to share with the next generation?". Please send an e-mail to Michael Slaby if you are interested in the concept paper of the Project. 

           The Jacob Soetendorp Institute for Human Values gladly presents the second, revised edition of the Earth Charter Guide to Religion and Climate Change that has been produced by Earth Charter Program Coordinator Michael Slaby in a two-year process of research and consultation with scientists and experts in the Earth Charter Initative and the larger interfaith community. 

The Guide presents some core facts about climate change and its interrelated social, environmental, political, economic and ethical challenges; provides an overview of good practice examples of religious engagement on global warming, and suggests a methodology for integrated ethical reflection on climate change.

Consider Forgiveness features interviews with leaders and scholars from the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian traditions. Watch Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp speak at the Fetzer Institute about the Holocaust, forgiveness as a moment of the heart and the difficulties of forgiving by clicking on the image below:

                                                                       


This project was filmed in Amritsar, India, at Sharing Wisdom: The Case of Love and Forgiveness, a meeting of the Elijah Interfaith Institute's board of religious leaders. One of the mandates to come from this meeting reads “We wish to call upon all our religions to offer their finest teachings as resources to guide humanity to safe harbor, and to identify the teachings they can jointly offer a suffering humanity.”

View the clips listed on the site to learn more about each faith's approach to forgiveness and how it relates to justice, love, compassion, retribution, revenge, and empathy.

In June 2007, HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp adopted the following joint statement for peace in the Middle East that suggests the creation of dialogue centers for reconciliation and healing where Jews and Muslims can come together to exchange their inherited experiences. The statement was published as a joint contribution to the book "Die Macht der Würde" edited by Christoph Quarch, Silke Lechner and Peter Spiegel.

Reconciling a Painful Past with a Hopeful Future

To Download the statement click here

As members of the faith community we salute the uniqueness of every human being and celebrate our manifold differences. We believe that all of creation is organically and spiritually interconnected, as expressed in the Islamic concept of Tawhid, or the essential Unity of Creation – a fundamental tenet of the Muslim faith - and by the whole and perfect circle of God’s creation - Kalil, in Judaism. We are one human family, bound by mutual responsibility towards one another. When one bleeds, we all feel the pain; when one suffers privation, we are all deprived.

Yet despite all that binds us and all that should obliterate division, we have failed to stand together in affirmation of the sanctity of life. We have failed to unite to eliminate the poverty that afflicts so many millions of our fellow human beings, depriving them of any possibility to assert their right to human dignity.

There are indeed many causes of this failure, but we must be careful where we lay blame. Neither religion nor globalisation should be made scapegoats for the dire state of relations between sections of our world community. Globalisation as a process does not operate independently of either state or non state actors. It can be a positive force, improving education and eliminating hunger and despair. Similarly, religion should inspire our humanitarian agenda while religious texts should enrich this process, if only the reader will enrich the text by placing it in context. The true challenge facing us all is not a revival of genuine religious faith, but a frightening rejection of our religions’ norms and ethics.

Additional Activities

European Region of World Union of Progressive Judaism
The European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism works to promote the development of Progressive Judaism in Central, Western Europe and Israel, to encourage and facilitate the formation of Progressive Jewish communities; and to stimulate and encourage the study of Judaism and a recognition of its place in modern life.
There are progressive communities in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Read more...

Developing Just, Sustainable Societies


Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Ambassador
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Read more about the Millennium Development Goals

Read the text of the Millennium Declaration

Human Rights Defenders Tulip Awards
“Anyone who keeps up with the news knows that respect for human rights is not something that can be taken for granted. All around the world, people fall victim to extreme violence, cannot freely develop their potential or live in degrading conditions. Although states all over the world are party to a wide range of human rights instruments, those rights often still have to be fought for.
And that is what human rights defenders do. They are often exposed to danger and meet with a great deal of opposition. Defending human rights takes considerable courage. To emphasise the importance of the work of human rights defenders and to provide moral support to one of them each year, the Dutch government has established the Human Rights Defenders Tulip.

A special focus on human rights defenders is part of a new strategy formulated by the Dutch government in its policy document ‘Human dignity for all’, published in November 2007.”

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp is a member of the jury who selects the Human Rights Defender who will be honored with the award each year. Read more...

10 December, 2008: On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Justine Masika Bihama was awarded the Human Rights Defenders Tulip. For more information about the Ms. Bihama and the award read more...

Club of Budapest
Founded in 1993, the global Club of Budapest is an informal international association dedicated to developing a new way of thinking and a new ethics that will help resolve the social, political, economic, and ecological challenges of the 21st century. With its roster of internationally renowned members the Club initiates a dialogue between different belief systems and world views in order to co-create and develop effective strategies for responsible and sustainable action with a global focus.
Read more...

Rabbis for Human Rights
Rabbis for Human Rights' mandate is twofold. Alongside efforts to prevent human rights abuses, Rabbis for Human Rights endeavors to introduce an authentic and humanistic understanding of Jewish tradition and sources into Israel’s public discourse. … Rabbis for Human Rights gives voice to the tradition’s concern for the stranger and others vulnerable within society.
Read more...


Purpose:
To call to the attention of the world, it leaders, opinion makers and people, trends and events which have the potential to, or are already, threatening the lives, rights and/or well-being of members of the earth community and urge them to immediately address the situation, preventing continuation, escalation or even from beginning.

Goals:

1. Call to the attention of the world “hidden conflicts/ abuses” which escape the attention of the media and public awareness.
2. Encourage people to take action in a positive and constructive manner to prevent or halt situations of abuse of rights and/ or threats to life and well-being.
3. Highlight trends in social and legal frameworks that are potentially harmful to societies, their members and particularly the most vulnerable.
4. To mediate where possible and facilitate solutions or means of addressing problems, in a manner that enables all involved to realize their rights fully.
5. To facilitate the work of communities and countries in bring people together as a force for good to address these situations and thereby engaging in the tikkun olam,  helping to repair and improve our world.

Read more about the program...

Protect and Restore the Environment

Earth Charter Commissioner
The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It was drafted in an unprecedented international consultation process involving thousands of experts and citizens from all walks of life. Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp was part of the Earth Charter Commission of highly respected leaders that was formed in 1997 to oversee the drafting process. In the year 2000, the final version of the Earth Charter was launched  at the Peace Palace in The Hague. Since then, the Charter and its integrated ethical framework for sustainable development has been endorsed by around 5.000 NGOs, educational institutions, religious communities, businesses and governments including UNESCO and the World Conservation Union IUCN.

Read more about the Global Earth Charter Initiative and its programs: www.earthcharter.org

1 – 2 December, 2008: The Earth Charter Network Meeting was held in Amsterdam, chaired by Ruud Lubbers. Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp welcomes the participants on behalf of Green Cross Netherlands. Read more about the meeting...

Green Cross Netherlands
Green Cross Nederland aims to raise awareness about the overlap between sustainable development and security in the Netherlands and worldwide. Using the holistic message of the Earth Charter as its starting point, Green Cross Nederland aims to provide tools for the betterment of the living environment, to combat poverty and to improve the standards of safety and peace worldwide, recognised as the challenges of humankind in the 21st century.
Initially Green Cross Nederland will focus on energy, water, climate and the legacy/effects of armaments on human life and the environment.
Read more...


Interfaith Climate Summit
“The purposes of the summit were;
• to communicate an urgent, hopeful, ethical-religious message to the global community about the need – especially for the developed countries – to slow down global warming, and to prevent and alleviate the effects of droughts, flooding, storms and other serious effects of climate change;
• to pledge commitment to the necessary, radical and far-reaching climate policy goals and measures in the “Post-Kyoto Process” , that the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determine, should be realised after 2012;
• to affirm this commitment in the Uppsala Manifesto 2008, and deliver the Manifesto to; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), as well as to the Swedish government – prior to its Presidency of the European Union in 2009 – and to the world’s governments, and to different church networks and other religions.”

Read the Uppsala Interfaith Climate Manifesto 2008: Faith traditions addressing Global Warming

Interfaith Dialogue

Community of West and Islam Dialogue (C-100)
Heightened tension between the West and the Islamic world stands in the way of true collaboration and mutual understanding. The C-100 is a community of business, political, religious, media and opinion leaders that promotes dialogue and understanding across different segments of society in the West and Muslim world. It is a multistakeholder community that provides a unique platform to:
- Act proactively as a global citizen in promoting harmony, mutual respect and shared values
- Improve knowledge and understanding across cultures and civilizations
- Gain new insights into the opinions of peers and global leaders involved in West–Islam dialogue
Read more..

Read the Charter of the Community of West and Islam Dialogue (C-100)


The Elijah Interfaith Institute is a multinational organization dedicated to fostering peace between the world's diverse faith communities through interfaith dialogue, education, research and dissemination. Our unique programming generates interfaith dialogue at the highest levels, bringing together world religious leaders and renowned scholars the world over, through research projects, public conferences and community-based initiatives.

Read more....


Faith & Leadership: Training for Religious Leaders

Purpose:
To develop a cadre of informed civic-oriented volunteer and professional leaders of faith-based communities who are interested in helping to work as forces for good for their local communities, the country, Europe and the world.

Goals:

1. To train a cadre of religious leaders in The Netherlands in understanding and responding to key international issues covered by the Earth Charter and the MDGs, including, for example, climate change, poverty and hunger, the situation in the Middle East, the conflict in Dafur, and the international water crisis.
2. To provide leaders of faith communities with skills necessary for responsible leadership and constructive dialogue both within their faith community and between communities of different faiths.
3. To enable leaders of faith-based communities to promote understanding between faiths, between communities of faith and civil society, government institutions and the public generally.
4. To facilitate the work of communities of faith in bringing people together as a force for good and in building a better world (in Hebrew “tikkun olam”, which is the imperative to “repair/improve the world”).
   

Read more about the program...

Internationalization of the Inter-Spiritual Opening of Parliament

Background:

About 45 year ago a prayer was organized by either the Protestants or Catholics and said in parallel and prior to the opening of Parliament. About 10 years ago, Rabbi Soetendorp suggested that the group be broadened to include many religious traditions, which was adopted by the organizers. Now, each year since 2000, the opening of the Dutch Parliament is preceded by a festive ceremony that includes the blessings and prayers of the key religious and humanistic traditions in the Netherlands. It has proven to be a very successful and inspiring event that provides a gravity and spiritual background to the beginning of the parliamentary sessions and serves as a vital sign of the magnificent cultural and religious diversity in Dutch society. Especially in times of growing tensions between the different cultures and religions in the Netherlands, the ceremony is a testimony of peaceful collaboration and shared values among the different communities of religious and secular faith. It is a means for providing social cohesion, inspiration and hope to the Dutch as they embark on a new year of governance. 2009 will be the 10^th anniversary of this spiritual opening.

Purpose

To invite others to join the Dutch in this tradition.

To find our more about introducing an inter-spiritual opening event to your local, regional or national government This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000, the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015, that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp serves as an international ambassador for the MDGs. In this function, he raises awareness and support for the MDGs and speaks out for them on many occasions. In 2005, he launched the statement "A prophetic time path" that was co-authored by Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and published by Justicia et Pa in the booklet "Act now for the Millennium Development Goals - Appeals from Religious Leaders and Scholars", which holds:

"Our prophets teach us not only to give our bread to feed the hungry, but to give our own bread. We must show by personal example, by sharing more of our material wealth, by rescuing our planet from pollution, by giving more of our time and energy to help meet these goals in time." Please read the full statement here:

A Prophetic Time Path

By Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp, 2005

,,We stand at a critical moment in Earth’s history, a time when humanity must choose its future….The choice is ours: form a global partnership to care for Earth and one and other or risk the destruction of ourselves and the diversity of live”. This is the challenge, awesome in its simplicity posed by the Earth Charter, written in a remarkable collaborative effort by hundreds of thousands all over the world and presented to the Queen of the Netherlands in the Peace Palace in The Hague in June 2000.

Statement on Faith in Human Rights
“…We recognise our responsibility towards our believers and to the world at large and reaffirm our intention to take all necessary steps both within our communities and in co-operation with others to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms for each and every person, irrespective of religion or belief.”

10 December, 2008: In presence of her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp signs the Statement Faith in Human Rights. To read the text of the Statement click here.

Rabbi Soetendorp serves as one of the senior international advisers of the OneVoice  Movement, which is an international mainstream grassroots movement with over 640,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in the Palestinian Territories, including 1,800 highly trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence, and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

On January 18, only hours after the Gaza Ceasefire was announced, OneVoice brought Palestinian youth leaders to the University of Tel Aviv and engaged them in a vivid and open exchange with Israeli student. One student in the audience is reported to have said that if it was between he and the OneVoice Palestine leaders, the conflict could be solved in one hour.
Read more…

Human Rights Defenders Tulip Awards
“Anyone who keeps up with the news knows that respect for human rights is not something that can be taken for granted. All around the world, people fall victim to extreme violence, cannot freely develop their potential or live in degrading conditions. Although states all over the world are party to a wide range of human rights instruments, those rights often still have to be fought for.
And that is what human rights defenders do. They are often exposed to danger and meet with a great deal of opposition. Defending human rights takes considerable courage. To emphasise the importance of the work of human rights defenders and to provide moral support to one of them each year, the Dutch government has established the Human Rights Defenders Tulip.

A special focus on human rights defenders is part of a new strategy formulated by the Dutch government in its policy document ‘Human dignity for all’, published in November 2007.” (photo credits: http://www.humanrightstulip.org)

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp is a member of the jury who selects the Human Rights Defender who will be honored with the award each year. Read more...

10 December, 2008: On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Justine Masika Bihama was awarded the Human Rights Defenders Tulip. For more information about the Ms. Bihama and the award read more...

The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable and peaceful global society in the 21st century. It was drafted in an unprecedented international consultation process involving thousands of experts and citizens from all walks of life.

Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp was part of the Earth Charter Commission that was formed in 1997 to oversee the drafting process. In the year 2000, the final version of the Earth Charter was launched at the Peace Palace in The Hague. Since then, the Charter and its integrated ethical framework for sustainable development has been endorsed by around 5.000 NGOs, educational institutions, religious communities, businesses and governments including UNESCO and the World Conservation Union IUCN. Rabbi Soetendorp promotes the Earth Charter wherever he can. All activities of the Institute are geared to putting the Earth Charter into action and make its inspiring vision a felt reality in the Netherlands and throughout the world.

Since January 2009, Rabbi Soetendorp co-chairs the Earth Charter Task Force on Religion, Spirituality, and Ethics that engages a broad range of individuals, institutions, and organizations concerned with religion, spirituality, ethics, to use the Earth Charter in their efforts toward creating a just, peaceful, and sustainable future and coordinates a network of around 600 religious and spiritual communities that have endorsed the Earth Charter.

Read more about the Global Earth Charter Initiative and its programs: www.earthcharter.org

Since its inauguration in 2001, Rabbi Soetendorp has participated in the World Economic Forum's Community for West-Islam dialogue, a dynamic community of business, political, religious, media and opinion leaders engaged in dialogue to promote understanding across different segments of society in the West and Muslim world. 

It is a multistakeholder community that provides a unique platform to:
-  Act proactively as a global citizen in promoting harmony, mutual respect and shared values
-  Improve knowledge and understanding across cultures and civilizations
-  Gain new insights into the opinions of peers and global leaders involved in West–Islam   dialogue


The current work of the Faith Communities at the World Economic Forum has expanded beyond the focus on interfaith dialogue, embracing a broad agenda that explores the interactions between faith, religion, business, society and politics. The religious perspective is now integrated in a structured manner into the majority of the World Economic Forum's core work through the following workstreams:

Community of Global Religious Leaders
This influential global community engages leaders from the world's major religions in dialogue with each other and other stakeholders shaping the global agenda, such as political leaders, business leaders, Young Global Leaders and NGO leaders.

Global Agenda Council on Faith
The Global Agenda Council on Faith is a community of thought leaders and experts exploring the challenges that lie in the interactions between religion and society, religion and peacebuilding, and religion and business, and works on identifying the most efficient and actionable solutions to these challenges.

Faith Communities Annual Report
In 2008, the first in a series of annual publications focused on the state of dialogue between the Islamic and Western worlds. The 2009 report compiles editorials on the topic of “Values in the Post-Crisis Economy” from over 15 global Religious Leaders and faith organizations, and contains a unique public opinion poll on values which points to a trust deficit regarding values in the business world. In 2010, the report will continue to explore public opinion on the role of faith in global affairs.

Find more information here. 

 

The Institute is actively supporting the Convoy for Peace: Sderot to Gaza. The project was developed in the follow-up of the Third Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, held at Unesco headquarters in Paris, from 15 to 17 December 2008, where Rabbi Soetendorp participated. A committee of congress participants, led by the Hommes de Parole Foundation is currently on the ground in Israel. Rabbi Soetendorp played a leading role in developing the plan and spreading the idea, but was unable to join the group due to his already fixed speaking obligations in Bad Honnef, Edinburgh, and Davos.

Here is what Alain Michel, Secretary General of the Hommes de Parole Foundation has reported about the progress achieved so far:

"The First Convoy for Peace organised by the Hommes de Parole Foundation with the support of the World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace reached Gaza on Monday, 19 January at 4 p.m.

The convoy, composed of 10 semi-trailer trucks, brought in 220 tons of staple foods (flour, sugar, rice) and goods specifically for children. The entire load was stored in the Palestinian Red Crescent warehouse.
Alain Michel and a member of the Hommes de Parole Foundation will be on site at Gaza to participate in the distribution of the goods direct to the families as of Wednesday, 21 January and, with the Foundation’s partners, to identify the most pressing needs.

Our activities are focused around the five thematic areas:

Peace and Reconciliation
Convoy for Peace
OneVoice Movement
World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
Joint Peace Statement with Prince Hassan bin Talal

Social and Economic Justice
MDG Ambassador
Council of Conscience
Human Rights Defenders Tulip Awards Jury
Statement of Faith in Human Rights
Club of Budapest
Rabbis for Human Rights

Protect and Restore the Environment
Earth Charter Commissioner
Interfaith Climate Summit
Green Cross Netherlands

Interfaith Dialogue
Faith and Leadership: Training for Religious Leaders
Internationalize the Inter-Spiritual Ceremony Preceding the Opening of Parliament
Community of Islam and the West Dialogue Group (C-100)

Realize the Rights of Children
Day of Respect
Hope for Children Fund


Additional Activities

The Day of Respect is a project co-developed by Rabbi Soetendorp to give young people an awareness of the meaning of respect. In 2006, the first Day of Respect was organised, which focused particularly on 11 and 12 years-old, in grades 7 and 8. As part of the Day of Respect program, from the beginning of the school year, students were asked to think about the term 'respect' using interactive material. On the actual 'Day of Respect,’  well-known Dutch personalities from all sectors of society, sports, music, politics, arts, and so forth, were invited to give a guest presentation at a school.

The guest participants focus on the idea of respect which is further reinforced throughout the year by the teacher who has also been trained in the Day of Respect curriculum. By repeatedly introducing the idea of respect into regular lessons taught by their teachers, a dialogue between the children and the idea of respect will take place and will extend as well to conversations about respect between the children and their parents. By repeatedly reinforcing the subject of 'respect' throughout the year, the idea will gradually take hold. The foundation also hopes that young people will identify themselves with these pop ‘heroes’ who speak at the participating school, so that it becomes 'cool' to be respectful.

The reactions of the media, guest speakers, teachers, but above all, the children and their parents, were overwhelming. On this basis, the Foundation has continued to organise annual Day of Respect events and has proceeded to expand its program. Now, (guest) talks are held in the morning, and during the afternoon 'Programs of Respect' are organised, in collaboration with other local organisations to engage society more broadly in the idea of respect. The program has grown from an initial 120 speakers volunteering at 120 schools in 2006, to over 2.500 participating schools in 2009. Pilot events have been initiated in a small number of secondary schools.

Watch a video on the Day of Respect:

23 – 25 January, 2009: Vision, Values, and Action Youth Future Forum, Bad Honnef, Germany: http://www.bpb.de/veranstaltungen/TZGODP,0,Vision_Values_and_Action.html

26 January, 2009: Edingburgh Interfaith Association Holocaust Memorial Day Civic Commemoration
http://www.eifa.org.uk/72.html

Charter of Compassion:
http://charterforcompassion.com/about/soetendrop

Declaration on Global Spirituality:
http://www.eh-kultur.ch/redaktionsteam.htm

World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace
“The World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace brings together Imams and Rabbis who formally seek to initiate rapprochement between Judaism and Islam… These gatherings were attended by religious leaders, from over 43 countries, who are actively committed to the path of dialogue between their communities.”
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