Believing Women for a Culture of Peace is committed to establishing links with other organisations which share its vision and goals, especially other interfaith and intercultural women’s groups committed to developing a culture of peace.
The following organisations indicated initial support for the project:
Brisbane City Council, Social Action & Equity Team, Community Development Services
www.ourbrisbane.com
Churches Together Indigenous Peoples Partnership (CTIPP)
www.qld-churches.asn.au/ctipp1.htm
Islamic Society of Ipswich
Islamic Women’s Association of Queensland
Multi-Faith Centre, Griffith University, Brisbane
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/mfc/
Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Queensland
Romero Community Centre
Social Action Office (SAO), Queensland
www.sao.clriq.org.au
Stillpoint, Brisbane
Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) Brisbane
www.ywcabrisbane.asn.au
The Believing Women group has engaged in collaborative activities with the following organisations:
Alternatives to Violence Programme Queensland (AVPQ)
www.avpq.org.au
Catholic Justice and Peace Commission (CJPC), Brisbane Archdiocese
www.uq.net.au/cjpc/
Churches Together Indigenous Peoples Partnership
www.qld-churches.asn.au/ctipp1.htm
Multi-Faith Centre, Griffith University
www.griffith.edu.au/centre/mfc/
Women in Psychology Interest Group, Australian Psychological Association
Womenspace
http://cwpp.slq.qld.gov.au/womenspace/
University of Southern Queensland, Living in Harmony project 2003-2004
www.usq.edu.au
The Believing Women group is also interested in developing links with relevant national and international organizations and bodies, including:
NATIONAL
The Women’s Interfaith Network
Initiated at an ecumenical and interfaith conference in 2000, and launched in Sydney in 2001, the Network aims to bring together women of different faith traditions in order to promote understanding, respect and harmony among followers of different religions; to be sign of solidarity among committed people; and to encourage other women to initiate other similar groups. For more information about the group consult the Bridges newsletter in the next reference.
Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations
www.columban.org.au/cmi/cmi_chris_mus.htm
‘One of the biggest challenges for believers in the world today is that of inter-faith relations. We know people have experienced God in so many ways and have experienced the spiritual dimension of the human within many different cultural and symbolic systems…. believers benefit enormously from dialoguing with the other.’ The Bridges newsletter provides a comprehensive coverage of the activities of the centre and relevant news and research items.
OVERSEAS & INTERNATIONAL
The Women’s Interfaith Institute
www.womensinterfaithinstitute.org
Founded in the USA in 1992, the Institute has a vision of ‘women supporting women of diverse faiths in generating spiritual leadership, scholarship and service’. It endeavors to enhance the skills and abilities of women leaders from all faith traditions.
The World Conference of Religions for Peace
Based in New York near the United Nations, WCRP is the largest international coalition of representatives from the world's great religions who are dedicated to achieving peace. One of its characteristics is a special Women’s Program. Its home page features a new publication entitled, ‘Women of Faith Transforming Conflict: A Multi-Religious Training Manual’.
Parliament of the World's Religions
Under the theme, ‘Embracing Difference, Transforming the World’, the mission of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world. Over the years, the Council of the Parliament of the World’s Religions has initiated dialogue and nurtured relationship among people of difference.
Peace Council
The Council is ‘An International and Interfaith Group of Religious Leaders Working Together for Peace’. Its mission is to demonstrate that peace is possible, and that effective interreligious collaboration to make peace also is possible. Its home page features the Chiang Mai Declaration (3 March 2004): ‘Religion and Women: An Agenda for Change’
UNITED NATIONS
UNESCO
The website of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has a special section for activities related to building a worldwide movement for a Culture of Peace, including the role of religions, in the context of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World, 2001 – 2010.
Visit www.unesco.org. Under Themes, click on Special Focus. In the alphabetical index click on Culture of Peace and then on your language of choice.
UN Commission for Human Rights (CHR)
The right to freedom of belief, and overcoming racism and related intolerance, are on-going themes of the Commission’s work. Some resolutions of interest appear in last year’s 60th session of the CHR.
Visit www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/sessions/index.htm. Click on 60th session, then click on Resolutions. There are 6 pages of resolutions. On p.3 is a resolution on the ‘Elimination of all forms of religious intolerance’. On p.4 is a resolution on ‘Combating defamation of religion’.
