CategoryGlobal Efforts for Peace

Between January 24 and 28, a Soka Gakkai delegation joined some 1,000 scholars and civil society representatives from 90 countries attending the 5th International Conference For World Balance in Havana, Cuba. The event, themed “With all and for the good of all,” was held to mark the 170th anniversary of the birth of José Martí,

From January 23 to 25, a Soka Gakkai delegation led by Chair of the Soka Gakkai Peace Committee Tomohiko Aishima visited Agouégan village in Togo and a reforestation project run by the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (REFACOF) and supported by the International Tropical Timber Organization and the Soka Gakkai. Cécile Ndjebet,

On January 21, SGI-USA opened the SGI Guam Ikeda Peace and Culture Center in Tamuning, Guam. A delegation led by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and Soka Gakkai Senior Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa attended the opening ceremony to which President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. To mark the opening, the Guam Legislature presented a resolution recognizing

On January 14 and 15, the 3rd European Summit Towards the 100th Anniversary of the Soka Gakkai was held at the Soka Gakkai Italy center in Rome. Some 900 people from 34 countries attended the hybrid meeting. The event featured faith experiences, a report by Soka Gakkai representatives who had participated in COP27 and a

The Ukraine crisis that erupted in February last year continues with no prospect for cessation. The intensified hostilities have inflicted great suffering in population centers and destroyed infrastructure facilities, compelling large numbers of civilians, including many children and women, to live in a state of constant peril. More than 7.9 million people have been forced

Throughout the month of December, some 20 countries across Africa held the Fifth All-Africa Buddhist Exam in English and French. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a message to the participants.

On December 31, a groundbreaking ceremony for a new center in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire was held. The ceremony was attended by members from eight neighboring countries, including Togo, Benin and Senegal. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. The new center will consist of a 1,700-seat auditorium and a two-story building and will be one of the

On December 22, a Central Africa General Meeting was held in Douala, Cameroon. Soka Gakkai members from the Central African Republic, Gabon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo attended the meeting. Other meetings were held on December 23 in Cameroon, including in the cities of Edéa and Yaoundé. On January 1, a West Africa

On December 10, Amnesty International Japan and the Soka Gakkai Peace Committee co-organized the Fifth Annual Youth Forum, titled “Young People and Human Rights Education: Promoting Children’s Rights in Japan” to mark Human Rights Day. Held in Tokyo, the hybrid event featured a keynote speech by Slovenian Ambassador Blanka Jamnišek. She stated that more people learning about

On December 9, El Colegio de Michoacán (The College of Michoacán) and the Soka Gakkai of Mexico opened the exhibition “Everything You Treasure—For a World Free From Nuclear Weapons” at the college’s Luis González library. The exhibition, jointly created by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) and the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), was held to

On December 3, SGI-Argentina (SGIAR) joined an annual community interfaith event, coordinated by the religious affairs bureau of the City of Buenos Aires, where different places of worship open their doors to the public. At the SGIAR Peace Auditorium and the Soka Women’s Peace Center, SGIAR presented the social engagement initiatives of SGIAR youth and

On December 2, Joan Anderson, senior coordinator, Peace and Global Issues of the SGI (Soka Gakkai International), spoke at a two-day hybrid 2022 Earth Charter Conference, held at the Earth Charter Center for Education for Sustainable Development at the University of Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica. The conference was titled “Putting Planetary Well-Being at the Core: A

On November 28, the Soka Gakkai donated five million yen (US$ 35,993) to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) toward humanitarian assistance in Africa. UNHCR Japan Representative Karen Farkas visited the Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Tokyo to meet with Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada and expressed her gratitude for the donation. Ms. Farkas

On November 28, Soka Gakkai Singapore opened the Punggol Soka Centre in the northeast of the country. The opening ceremony was attended by SGI Vice President Yoshiki Tanigawa. On November 27, he also attended an event marking the reopening of the Soka Peace Centre Malaysia in Penang following renovations. President Daisaku Ikeda sent congratulatory messages to both

On November 24, SGI-Panama held a hybrid lecture at its culture center marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (November 25). One of the speakers, Dr. Rosaria Correa Pulice, a lawyer and member of the 2023 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, stressed the need for early non-violence education to

From November 23 to 25, the Toda Peace Institute, a Soka Gakkai affiliate, and the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network cohosted a policy workshop on “Managing Strategic Risks in Asia and the Pacific” in Kathmandu, Nepal. The three-day workshop was attended by academics, diplomats and UN officials from China, India, Pakistan, the US, Austria, Japan, Nepal and other

On November 20, a new Brazil SGI (BSGI) center opened in Arujá, São Paulo. The opening ceremony included the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and a tree planting ceremony as well as performances by a BSGI chorus group and the Fife and Drum Corps. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message to the opening ceremony.

TOKYO, Nov 17, 2022: At the COP27 UN Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) has promoted youth participation and reforestation and amplified the call for climate justice expressed by faith leaders. Alexandra Masako Goossens-Ishii, SGI representative to the UN, comments, “Although the loss and damage due to climate change

On November 13, together with the Donato Sosa International Environment Foundation, SGI-Dominican Republic carried out a youth-led cleanup activity at a local beach in the town of Haina in San Cristóbal Province. Some 1,700 kilograms of trash were collected. 

On November 12, the 11th Headquarters Leaders Meeting of the decade toward 2030, the Soka Gakkai’s centennial, was held in Tokyo, Japan, commemorating November 18, Soka Gakkai Founding Day. Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada stated that in 2023, under its theme “Year of Youth and Triumph,” the Soka Gakkai is committed to treasuring human connections and