The Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders was held in New York City between August 28–31, 2000. The meeting recognized the importance of religion to world peace and faith leaders’ commitment to peacekeeping, poverty relief, and environmental conservation. It preceded the Millennium Summit, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations (UN).
The Summit consisted of 1.5 days of plenary sessions at the UN Headquarters during which religious and spiritual leaders representing the major faith traditions addressed the entire Summit followed by 2.5 days of meetings and workshops at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel focused on conflict resolution and poverty relief efforts.
The Summit was planned with the support of various organizations, including Harvard Divinity School, the Ford Foundation, and the Turner Foundation. Around 2,000 individuals participated, including 800–1,000 religious leaders representing Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and other traditions. Due to opposition by the Chinese government, the 14th Dalai Lama was not initially invited, leading to international criticism of the event. He was later invited to deliver the closing keynote address but declined.
Summit outcomes included several initiatives such as the Religious Initiative of the World Economic Forum in January 2001, Global Commission for the Preservation of Sacred Sites in November 2001, World Conference of Women Religious and Spiritual Leaders in October 2002, and the UNESCO/UNITWIN Network on Interreligious Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding in 2006.
History
The Summit was envisioned to facilitate interfaith dialogue similar to the Inter-Religious Conference on Peace in New Delhi in 1968 and the Centennial Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1993. Moreover, from its early years, the UN had also recognized the critical role of religion in conflict resolution and global peace-building, and in 1981, it issued the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. This declaration expanded the basic rights and freedoms described in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant provisions, so that nations would take measures against religious intolerance. As growing religious fanaticism began to foster conflicts in places like Indonesia, the Sudan, and Israel-Palestine, the UN sought partnerships with religious faith-based organizations to more effectively promote its peacebuilding mission. All of this, together with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's commitment to religion's role in contributing to global peace, inspired the organization of a summit at the beginning of the new millennium that would foster interfaith dialogue in hopes of social reform.
Delegates
Secretary-General of the Peace Summit Bawa Jain, UN Under-Secretary-General Maurice Strong, and other UN staff convened 2,000 delegates, including 800–1,000 religious leaders representing Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Native American religions, and other traditions from several continents. Dedicated efforts were also made to involve representatives from areas of active conflict, like Ethiopia, Eritrea, and the Balkans. As a gathering of religious and spiritual leaders, it was unprecedented in terms of scale, location, and the focus on peace, protecting the environment, and the fight against poverty.
The Summit
The Millennium Peace Summit was held in New York City between August 28–31, 2000. The Summit was sponsored by and received support from various organizations, including Harvard Divinity School, Ford Foundation, the Turner Foundation as well as other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and private groups. While the UN was not an official organizer of the event, Kofi Annan, secretary-general of the UN, supported the event.