Greetings of peace and blessing from Africa. This is just to inform you that following the celebration of URI 10Th Anniversary URI Africa manage to get The Sub-Saharan Informer Pan-African Newspaper to publish the news on its front page. I also did exclusive interview with the informer on URI and the role of religions for peace. Here I send you the news and will email the interview I did.
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THE SUB -SAHARAN
Vol. VIII No. 27 The Pan – African Newspaper
Friday July 16 - July 22,2010 www.ssinformer.com
Advertorial
URI celebrates 10th Anniversary
By SSI staff writer
United Religions Initiative (URI), aspire to be a spiritual wing of the United Nations and one of the worlds largest and internationally acclaimed interfaith peace organizations, celebrated its 10th Anniversary of Charter signing at the Royal Cultural Center in Amman, Jordan.
Bringing together grassroots leaders from across the faith spectrum, the event was commemorated ten years of interfaith action for peace and justice around the world.
Ambassador Mussie Hailu, founding member of URI and Representative of the organization at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said” URI established in 2000 by people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions, and indigenous traditions throughout the world to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings. And this is what the 500 member organization known as cooperation circle of URI in more than 76 countries have been doing in the past ten years. URI has consultative Statues at the United Nations Economic and Social Council”
He further said “working across all continents, URI is creating unprecedented levels of enduring global interfaith cooperation to make this world a better place for all. Through its many global Cooperation Circles, URI is engaged in creating a world where the values and teachings of the great wisdom traditions guide according to the teaching of the Golden Rule, and where the resourcefulness and passion of people working together bring healing and a more hopeful future to the earth’s community. URI touch the lives of an estimated 2.5 million people each year.
URI strongly working to put a spot light on helping religions understand the important role they must play in promoting a culture of peace, reconciliation, healing and justice. It seeks to create partnerships with different organizations to promote the role of religion in peace building, conflict prevention, early warning, reconciliation, and constructive dialogue.”
The 10th anniversary celebration was opened with an interfaith ceremony by URl leaders from around the world. The program features musical performances by URI members, including Musaique, a group of interfaith musicians from the Middle East whose mission is to “break down the barriers and borders between religions and nations through music.” Along with the performances, URI’s President Bishop William E. Swing, Global Council Chair Yoland Trevino, and Executive Director Charles Gibbs address the gathering.
