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By Mohammed Alkurashi | Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and Reverse the Trend
On 8 May 2025, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and its youth initiative, Reverse The Trend, in collaboration with Soka Gakkai International, International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, and Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family, convened a side event at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee at the United Nations. The event focused on interfaith dialogue and nuclear disarmament and speakers included: Professor Jefferey Sachs, Director of Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University; Dr. Andrea Bartoli, President of Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue; Mr. Jonathan Granoff, President of Global Security Institute; Ms. Anna Ikeda, UN Representative of Soka Gakkai International; and Ms. Audrey Kitagawa, President of the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation and Light of Awareness International Spiritual Family. Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, was the event moderator. The panel discussed how faith leaders and communities can engage with politicians to avoid nuclear catastrophe and resolve conflict.
Dr. Hughes kicked off the event by remarking about its timeliness and referencing the new pope’s announcement moments prior to the panel discussion. She also mentioned the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock being at 89 seconds, the closest to midnight it has ever been, reminding attendees of the urgency of nuclear disarmament demands.
Prof. Sachs opened his remarks by emphasizing the importance of mutual respect. He highlighted how lack of dialogue has prolonged conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and is likely to have a similar effect on current events between India and Pakistan and in the relationship between the United States and China. Prof. Sachs made it clear that mutual respect and security are essential to peace. He highlighted how faith leaders can help pave the path towards peace, sharing information about the third encyclical letter of the late Pope Francis, entitled “Fratelli Tutti,” which rejected wars and emphasized human solidarity.
Sachs’ sentiments on interfaith dialogue were echoed by Dr. Bartoli, who further emphasized internal dialogue within same-faith communities. He shared how religion was used in the past to commit genocides—before a word for such an act existed. He also shared how the upkeep of nuclear weapons and nuclear waste derived from plutonium is a form of “silent genocide” which stands to devastate the environment and human communities.
Following Bartoli’s remarks, Anna Ikeda provided a Buddhist perspective on nuclear disarmament and discussed the approach of the Soka Gakkai community and Soka Gakkai International. She focused on Buddhist principles of inner transformation and challenged the concept of nuclear deterrence.
Audrey Kitagawa recalled the contributions of faith communities to the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She also noted past UN efforts to integrate interfaith dialogue in 2010 through the creation of the UN Interagency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development. Ms. Kitagawa used quotes by luminaries, including Albert Einstein, who again and again implored us to take action against nuclear weapons and war.
Jonathan Granoff underscored the importance of ethical norms and told a personal anecdote about Robert McNamara’s realization of the universality of the Golden Rule—treating others as one would like to be treated. He noted how this concept is shared across religions and could foster productive interfaith dialogue. Granoff also stressed that it is crucial that religious institutions invest in responsible enterprises that promote peace and other sustainability goals.
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