A large and diverse interreligious community met in Abu Dhabi for three days (November 19-21) under the banner "The Child is Calling." The joint hosts were Arigatou International, a network supported by the Myochikai Japanese Buddhist organization, and the Geneva/Abu Dhabi-based Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities. The focus was squarely on the welfare and safety of children globally. The meeting brought people from some 60 countries and roughly 800 participants (in person and online). It culminated in an Abu Dhabi Declaration, pledging commitment to work for children and continuing efforts to ensure children's participation and voices.
The forum in Abu Dhabi was the sixth in a series of large interfaith gatherings focused on children's welfare and protection, led by Arigatou International's Global Network of Religions for Children (GNRC). These forums are held roughly every five years, though with COVID-19 disruptions it is seven years since the previous gathering in Panama; Tanzania was the location in 2012. The forums are a core program for the Arigatou network which has several programs and bases, including Nairobi, Geneva, New York, and Tokyo. Of particular note is their longstanding ethics program and work to bridge polarized divides in several countries.
The three day GNRC Forum program was a combination of plenary sessions and keynotes, breakout sessions on pertinent topics, celebrations of GNRC's achievements, and presentation of the GNRC strategy looking ahead. The UAE government's support was evident through the active participation of government officials. The Interfaith Alliance works closely with the government.
Throughout the event, children (defined as under 18) were present, and a child/adolescent was part of most sessions. The imperatives of child protection were emphasized in different ways including daily briefings. The forum was preceded by a children's pre-forum which brought children from different countries, though both visa difficulties and the contemporary need for robust assurances of child protection meant that some nominees were unable to attend.
The forum had a deliberate interfaith focus, with prayer a central feature. The gathering included both a number of leading interreligious leaders and institutions (notably Religions for Peace, the World Council of Churches, Organization of African Instituted Churches, All Africa Council of Churches, International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and KAICIID). Another substantial group of participants were from non-governmental organizations such as World Vision and Sarvodaya, for example. Prominent religious leaders included Rabbi David Rosen, Sheikh Lethome, Mohammed ElSanoussi, and Vinu Aram. United Nations organizations (UNICEF and UNHCR in particular) are closely associated with the GNRC effort, which builds on both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals, and representatives participated actively.
Among the keynote speakers, a notable voice was Nobel Peace laureate Kailash Satyarthi. His call to action: "If faith leaders do not rise above the boundaries of their religion and come forward to protect every child of any religion as their own, they are not serving their faith or God. Children who are in need may not come to knock on your doors, you must have the ability to listen to their silent cries. Enough talk, act now with compassion, my sisters and brothers!"
There was reference to the G20 Summit, including the G20 Interfaith Forum, as well as the COP29 in Baku, though both seemed rather distant from the proceedings. While there were many references to the recent U.S. election and transition and to ongoing conflicts, they colored but did not dominate discussions.
Reverend Myamoto, current leader of Myochikai, was a central presence at the forum, and a large Japanese group participated. The event was notable for its integration of Japanese culture, including a rather gorgeous flower arranging ceremony and a Kabuki performance. Decorations were dominated by arrangements of origami cranes as Myochikaki members had, we were told, folded more than 60,000 cranes for the event. Myōchikai Kyōdan, a Japanese Buddhist lay organization, was founded in 1950.
I attended as a member of the Arigatou Advisory Council. I was part of a panel discussion on the roots of conflict. Among other themes, anger at inequality was seen as one of the causes of growing conflicts. My presentation focused on the issues of development: delayed and divided (conflicted). Seven challenges need to be faced: (1) revitalizing commitments to development as the key to peace and thriving; (2) a humanitarian system overwhelmed with crises prolonged and interconnected; (3) frustrated peace processes that are disconnected and too often limping; (4) polarized communities with rare dialogue and rocky global governance; (5) education approaches lacking focus on social cohesion and civic values; (6) vertigo in the face of flux, uncertainty, and change on many directions; and (7) inequality without fairness and clear opportunity.
The event included many sober reflections on the pain that children face today, with admonitions to ensure action, more than words and promises. The children's voices were a constant reference, with reminders to avoid NATO = No Action, Talk Only. With GNRC action focused at the community level, the bridges between the very global vision and personal and global action were not easy to cross.
Two comments struck me quite forcibly. First: children’s challenges today when lumped together in single categorizations lose much sense, and the crises of refugees and those in extreme poverty and abuse need to be distinguished from the real dilemmas and challenges facing children more broadly. And second, actions at all levels need to be set in a broad context if they are not to dissipate. An Egyptian proverb was cited: all the work ants do in a year can be destroyed in a second by a camel's foot. This does not deny the central importance of personal and community action, but the challenge remains in assuring that the efforts do add up to results at broader levels and at a scale commensurate with the crying and urgent needs.
