On February 7th, the 2023 United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week was held at the World Council of Churches in Geneva, and was attended by Prof. Michel Veuthey, the Ambassador to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and Dr. Emanuele G. A. Piluso, on behalf of the Order of Malta. The conference was divided into two sessions: “Religion in Service to Peace, Human Dignity and Justice for All,” and “Sustaining Peace through Solidarity among Faith Communities“. Before the start of the conference, all participants paused for a moment of silence in honor of the earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.
Throughout the conference, the sentiment was that all religions belong to the same human family and must work together to achieve harmony and preserve human dignity. Despite differences in identity and characteristics, all religions share common values, such as peace and justice, and serve a common purpose. Important topics such as human and child dignity, human trafficking, internally displaced persons, refugees, and global peace were also discussed.
Here is the intervention of Ambassador Michel Veuthey:
“On December 10th, this year, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a monument of international public law, reflecting fundamental universal values. Today, there is little cause for celebration but rather a call for a mobilization of the public conscience in defence of these values.
Let me quote another statement, an inter-religious one, the “Joint Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery” signed at the Vatican on 2 December 2014, by Pope Francis, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu religious leaders. The text reads:
“ We, the undersigned, are gathered here today for a historical initiative to inspire spiritual and practical action by all global faiths and people of good will everywhere to eradicate modern slavery across the world by 2020 and for all time.
In the eyes of God each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity. Modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour and prostitution, organ trafficking, and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.
We pledge ourselves here today to do all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond, to work together for the freedom of all those who are enslaved and trafficked so that their future may be restored. Today we have the opportunity, awareness, wisdom, innovation and technology to achieve this human and moral imperative.”
Conflicts, climate change, migration, as well as economic inequalities will push these numbers up. I therefore call on everyone today to take the problem of modern slavery seriously. We must now move from declarations to action.”
