CategoryGlobal Efforts for Peace

On March 8, Inés Vázquez González of Soka Gakkai Spain represented the Buddhist Union of Spain at an interfaith symposium on women, leadership and religion in Madrid. Commemorating International Women’s Day, the event was organized by the Foundation for Pluralism and Coexistence that is affiliated with the Prime Minister’s Office. Ms. Vázquez joined a panel

Soka Gakkai organizations in Panama and Mexico held events to commemorate March 8, International Women’s Day. On March 8, SGI-Panama organized an online seminar on gender equality featuring three guest speakers that spoke on the importance of women having the freedom to choose their roles at home and in society, and the significance of inner-motivated

On March 6, the Eighth Headquarters Leaders Meeting and the Second Youth Division Leaders Meeting of the decade toward 2030, the 100th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, was held at the Kanagawa Ikeda Memorial Hall. Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada announced that the Soka Gakkai would make a financial donation to the United Nations

On March 4, the Soka Gakkai affiliated Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue, organized its first virtual Dialogue Nights event of 2022. The theme was “Countering Burnout with the Power of Connection.” Participants discussed the importance of cultivating genuine connections with others to counter physical and mental fatigue.

On February 27, SGI-Argentina opened a new center in the city of Mar del Plata in Buenos Aires Province. On the same day, it held a youth peace festival at the new center, which featured dance and musical performances and included a tango performance by its fife and drum corps.   

On February 24, SGI-UK Vice National Student Division Leader Lucy Plummer spoke in a panel session at the Faith for Earth Dialogues at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) 5.2, hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In dialogue with a young Muslim climate activist, Sanaa Pasha from Youth Strike for the Climate, Ms. Plummer spoke

On February 17, the Soka Institute of the Amazon joined the new Amazonas Hub of the UN Global Compact. The UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative, engages the business sector in adopting sustainable and socially responsible policies, and the hub will bring together leaders from various sectors within the State of Amazonas

On February 14, Soka Gakkai Mexico (SGMex) General Director Nereo Ordaz Anzurez participated in a ceremony commemorating the 55th anniversary of the Treaty of Tlatelolco (the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America and the Caribbean). Held at the Foreign Ministry of Mexico, the event was attended by high-level diplomats from many

On February 11, Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG) held a webinar to mark the 30th anniversary of the formation of its Education Division. A panel discussion was held on the theme “Creating a Century of Peace by Raising Global Citizens through Humanistic Education,” with emphasis on how to make education accessible to all children. Panelists included

Meetings were held across East Asia to celebrate the Lunar New Year. On February 1, SGI-Philippines held an online meeting in which dance and song performances were presented. Soka Gakkai Malaysia and SGI-Hong Kong streamed commemorative videos.

From January 29, facsimile editions of Lotus Sutra manuscripts from the Lotus Sutra Manuscript Series, published by the Soka Gakkai and the affiliated Institute of Oriental Philosophy (IOP), have been exhibited at the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum (NPMSB) in Taibao City, Chiayi County, as part of the exhibition “The Arts of the Lotus Sūtra.” The series is

On January 25, the Soka Gakkai’s Seikyo Shimbun reported that an Azerbaijani edition of The World Is Yours to Change, a compilation of six thematic essays by President Daisaku Ikeda, was published by Sharg-Garb Publishing House in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. This is the first book to be translated into Azerbaijani among President Ikeda’s works, which have now

On January 25, Taiwan Soka Association (TSA) was among 44 organizations to be awarded a Gold Award by Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture. It received the award in recognition of its contributions to the conservation and development of art and culture in Taiwan. At the award ceremony held at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

From January 22 to 29, Auckland University of Technology (AUT) and SGI-New Zealand, together with other organizations, hosted the annual “Tūmanako! Children’s Art Works for a Peaceful World” exhibition at the AUT City Campus in Auckland. The exhibition showcased more than 350 artworks created by students from 112 local schools. The first Tūmanako (“hope” in

On January 18, the Soka Gakkai’s Seikyo Shimbun newspaper announced that a Danish edition of Choose Life: A Dialogue, the dialogue between British historian Arnold J. Toynbee and President Daisaku Ikeda, has been published by SGI-Denmark. This marks the 31st language edition of the book.

On January 18, SGI-Panama Vice General Director Paul Bocanegra joined representatives of several other faiths in an interfaith roundtable with Minister of Social Development of Panama María Inés Castillo de Sanmartín. The participants discussed an ongoing government initiative to establish a system to protect the rights of children and youth.

On January 10, together with some 90 other civil society organizations, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) signed a joint statement to the States Parties of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) urging progress on disarmament. The statement was to be delivered during the Tenth NPT Review Conference, which has been postponed for a second time due

The People’s Republic of China, the French Republic, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the United States of America consider the avoidance of war between Nuclear-Weapon States and the reduction of strategic risks as our foremost responsibilities. We affirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and must

New Year’s meetings were held across the globe to usher in 2022, themed by Soka Gakkai as the Year of Youth and Dynamic Progress. President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. On January 1, meetings were held in Brazil, Macao, Malaysia, New Zealand and the USA among other countries. On January 2, members in Austria held an