Ten Promises for Children: A Multi-religious Commitment

Call to Action, Religions for Peace

Religions for Peace (RfP) and the Center for Interfaith Action (CIFA) today announced the launch of a global initiative to engage religious communities around the world in saving children’s lives through ten concrete and specific acts: Ten Promises to Our Children.

WASHINGTON, D.C.; June 14, 2012 Religions for Peace (RfP) and the Center for Interfaith Action (CIFA) today announced the launch of a global initiative to engage religious communities around the world in saving children’s lives through ten concrete and specific acts: Ten Promises to Our Children. (See ten behaviors here)

Today, we still lose 20,000 children every day. Most of these deaths are preventable. Many could be saved by behavior changes that can be promoted and taught by religious communities.

These ten behaviors, within the control of families and communities, are endorsed by UNICEF and other development agencies. Over 200 religious leaders from different faith traditions and more than 60 faith-based organizations from around the world, including many Religions for Peace affiliates, have already made their global, multi-religious commitment to adopt and promote these ten behaviors. They are vital to saving the lives of children and reducing the burden of disease. This multi-religious commitment is unprecedented in the breadth and depth of faith leadership and will reach more than 250 million believers around the world.

The initiative engages faith leaders, congregations, faith-based institutions, multi-religious councils and individual believers across diverse faith traditions to: Empower people to take responsibility for their health; Connect families to local resources, including through their local congregations which can serve as links to other service-providing institutions; Reach large numbersincluding the hard-to-reach; and Drive demand for products and services.

Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General of RfP stated, “We grieve when we lose a child to an incurable disease, but we hold our heads down in shame when we lose a child to preventable disease or violence. We know that such loss should not happen, that it is even worse than ‘senseless,’ that it is morally wrong, grievously wrong.”

Dr William F Vendley on call to action for children

He added, “as religious people we can save, protect and nurture children. We have capacities to act and make a major difference.”

H.E. Faisal al-Muaammer, Secretary General of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, also announced that the Center has committed itself to advancing child survival. RfP salutes the Center’s commitment and believes that it can make a major contribution to saving children’s lives. To sign on to the Multi-religious Commitment, log on to: http://www.religionsforpeace.org/initiatives/

Yours in Partnership,

New Dr. Vendley Signature

Dr. William F. Vendley
Secretary General
Religions for Peace International

RELIGIONS FOR PEACE—the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition—advances common action among the world’s religious communities for peace. Religions for Peace works to transform violent conflict, advance human development, promote just and harmonious societies, and protect the earth. The global Religions for Peace network comprises a World Council of senior religious leaders from all regions of the world; six regional inter-religious bodies and more than eighty national ones; and the Global Women of Faith Network and Global Interfaith Youth Network.

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