Dear Colleagues,
Greetings of peace and blessing from URI Africa.
This is to inform you that URI Africa actively participated at the conference organized by the Government of Zanzibar, Global Peace Foundation, East Africa Community, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development. Other partners in this significant gathering include the Interreligious Council for Peace Tanzania.
The theme of the conference was “PROMOTING PEACE, SECURITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN EAST AFRICA: A Call to Moral and Innovative Leadership”.
I was one of the speakers who address the participants on the issue of 1) Inter-religions cooperation to build peace 2) The role of former African Heads of States for peace, security, reconciliation, environmental protection and development.
As you know, the East African region has witnessed an alarming rise of intra-state and interstate conflicts in recent decades. Each of these has taken a huge toll in terms of human lives lost, the suffering of refugees and internally displaced people, and the destruction of the social fabric, physical infrastructure, and natural resources of the region, in particular within its coastal strip.
The conference was organized in response to this grave challenge to the security and welfare of East Africa’s peoples.
This timely and important gathering of government, religious, youth and business leaders and other influential public figures, including a number of former African presidents was held at the Melia Hotel in Zanzibar, Tanzania from July 21 to 24, 2015.
The first-of-its kind conference in Zanzibar hosted by H.E. Amani Karume, former president of Zanzibar. The effort is backed by the Africa Leadership Mission of former African presidents including: H.E Kenneth Kaunda, founding president of Zambia; H.E. Girma Wolde-Giorgis, Former President of Ethiopia, H.E. Joyce Banda, former president of Malawi; former Nigerian president H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo; Sir James R. Mancham, the founding president of Seychelles; H.E. Rupia Bwezani Banda, former Zambia president; GPF Africa Patron, Dr Manu Chandaria and other government, religious, business to youth leaders from the East Africa region and continent of Africa.
The conference targeted to develop strategies to reduce conflict, build social cohesion, and promote ethical governance through moral and innovative leadership.
The purpose of the conference:
- To facilitate interfaith partnerships in the region, based on universal principles and shared values, in order to reduce identity-based violence.
- To encourage the interfaith, governmental, youth and civic leaders who will be in attendance to engage in positive action and entrepreneurship, and to serve as agents for transformation in the region.
- To facilitate and launch the Africa Leadership Mission to bring together the elder statesmen of African nations as a key resource and brain trust promoting regional transformation through peace, good governance, and sustainable economic development.
- To encourage interfaith actions and issue-based collaboration to tackle poverty, unemployment, HIV, and malaria through strategies including youth service, micro- financing, social entrepreneurship, and community-based grassroots initiatives in the region.
May Peace Prevail on Earth!
In peace and gratitude,
Mussie Hailu, URI African Continental Coordinator
