Extreme poverty was ended for more than one billion people through efforts under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to the final edition of the MDGs Report. The 2015 report highlights achievements in access to drinking water, universal primary education, child and maternal health, gender equality and eliminating hunger, among others. However, the report also underscores the need for more work as part of the post-2015 development agenda and the proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable people are not left behind.
News
World Bank, ILO Call for Universal Social Protection
30 June 2015: Outlining their vision of a world where anyone in need of social protection can access it at any time, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Guy Ryder issued a joint statement on the “unparalleled opportunity” presented by the post-2015 development agenda to realize universal social protection.
International: Appeal for Nepal
Our brothers and sisters in Nepal and neighboring areas suffered a devastating natural disaster. The aftermath of the earthquake of April 25 and its aftershocks is staggering. It has resulted in millions of people requiring assistance and has left thousands homeless.
Worldwide: Advancing Religions for Peace Women of Faith Networks
Women of faith have been at the forefront of Religions for Peace’s efforts since the first World Assembly in Kyoto, Japan in 1970, when a women’s caucus was officially formed.
Subsequent Religions for Peace World Assemblies have featured women’s pre-assemblies, which provided a unique space for women of faith to build action programs.
Nepal: Advancing on-the-ground Joint Multi-Religious Relief Efforts
In Nepal after the 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck, killed over five-thousand people; injured more than eleven thousand; and left 1.4 million in need of food assistance, the Religions for Peace family on its different levels: Religions for Peace International, Religions for Peace Asia and Religions for Peace Nepal began to work as a single team to implement multi religious efforts to help those in need on the ground in Nepal.
United Nations: Forging Partnerships to counter Violent Religious Extremism
How can religious communities foster peaceful, inclusive societies and counter violent extremism?
The Secretary General of the United Nations, the President of the United Nations General Assembly and the High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations invited senior religious leaders in Religions for Peace to respond to this question in a high-level thematic debate held on 21 and 22 April at UN Headquarters in New York. Also participating were representatives of 193 Member States and diverse stakeholders.
Being a Muslim in an Age of Islamophobia
Our leaders and media have created an environment that has effectively provided people with permission to hate, emboldening people to encounter Muslims as “the enemy in the war on terror” or as potential radicals, as though we all carry a “radical” dormant virus ready to be activated at any moment, writes Randa Abdel-Fattah on the ABC Religion and Ethics website.
UN: ‘Dangerous New Era’ for World’s Record 60M Refugees
LONDON—The world is facing the worst refugee crisis in modern times – and the global response has been pitifully inadequate, according to the latest annual report from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Humanitarian groups are calling for a global summit to address the crisis.
All at sea: what lies behind Southeast Asia’s migrant crisis?
The plight of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers from Myanmar and Bangladesh, left adrift without food and water for nearly a week, has all the hallmarks of a full-blown humanitarian crisis. Yet despite statements of concern from governments, aid agencies and human rights groups, there is little sign of a coordinated plan to address the issue. Boats have been spotted off the coasts of Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, apparently abandoned by human trafficking gangs who operate across maritime and land borders and shunned by regional powers.
Dalai Lama leads multi-faith congregation in prayer
The Dalai Lama led a rare multi-faith congregation in prayers for world peace in Brisbane Cathedral on Thursday as his Australia tour again faced protests by minority Shugden Buddhists accusing the Tibetan spiritual leader of persecution.
Pope says world haunted by 'atmosphere of war'
Pope Francis on Saturday bemoaned the “atmosphere of war” haunting the world as he urged the people of war-scarred Sarajevo to provide an example of how different cultures and religions can co-exist peacefully.
