Pilgrimage – Interfaith Perspectives

What can we learn about pilgrimages that are common to all religions? On September 3rd we heard about jumping queues and ‘culturally determined’ mind sets that are challenged when we join a pilgrimage. Mother Theresa’s conception of a castle with seven rooms in our inner world. The entrance to each room is guarded by those who check whether you have really learned all there is to learn from that room before passing to the next. Read More ...

Lawence Bloom and Murad Qureshi AM ‘Green Economy Initiative’

Lawrence Bloom and Murad Qureshi AM discussed the alternatives facing London as a city and the world as a whole due to climate change. Lawrence Bloom, is the Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme and the former chairman, current Council Member, of the World Economic Forum, Global Agenda Council on Urban Development, Davos. Murad Qureshi AM is the Chair of the Environment Committee of the Greater London Authority’s London Assembly. See the video and Lawrence Bloom's paper, Reclaiming Tomorrow.

There were a number of notable contributions from the audience including Nicky Gavron AM who, as the former Deputy Mayor, was leading the climate change response on behalf of London during the Ken Livingston Mayoral administration. Read More...

Murad Qureshi report on evening.      For photos click here. 

Guided Meditation and Discussion Led by Karen Szulakowska

There was a guided meditation and discussion on ‘Spiritual Leadership’ led by Karen Szulakowska at the UPF peace embassy in London.  It was a profound evening of reflection, healing and inspiration. For more photos please follow this link. A video will be uploaded soon…. Read More...

Mindanao Peace Initiative – UK: Filipino Evening

There was a Filipino evening in London last night at which Gene Alcantara introduced the Mindanao Peace Initiative – UK to the local Filipino community. There were several purposes for the evening:

-  Launching the Mindanao Peace Initiative UK – an initiative that seeks to promote peace in Mindanao, through projects in education, youth service activities, and other initiatives to bring young and old from different communities together in this Philippine area of Christian-Muslim conflict, as well as awareness-raising in the UK. Although focussed on Mindanao, any progress we make will benefit the whole country as well as contribute to world peace.

-  Introducing the Luzviminda Foundation, a new association aiming to connect Filipinos in the UK from all  three main island groupings, and helping where it is needed.  Many of the current Filipino organisations are already focussed on their own provinces, and Luzviminda hopes to supplement their role by not being restricted geographically. See Videos and  Read more...

Understanding Food, Water and the Energy Crisis

The UPF-UK Environment Chapter has organized a series of conferences to raise awareness of  environmental issues with the first on 16 July 2009. This is the first in a series of conferences aiming to answer questions, promote discussion and bring awareness in view of the upcoming “Copenhagen 2009 Climate Change Conference” in December. Photo link

Dr. Yacob Mulugetta, Deputy Director of the Centre for Environment Strategy of Surrey University presented a thorough analysis on issues of food, water and energy crises that humankind is facing today. He described the daunting prospect of the 'perfect storm' of multiple resource deficiencies. He concluded his analysis quoting Martin Luther King’s call for change of values, ‘Revolution of values: I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. – We must rapidly begin the shift from a “thing-oriented” society to a “person-oriented” society.'   Read More..

Global Financial and Economic Meltdown

Global Vision 2000 and the Universal Peace Federation jointly organised, on July 13th, an emergency seminar in a parliamentary Committee room to examine the underlying causes of the financial and economic crisis and the need for a fundamental paradigm shift to restore stability, prosperity, justice and peace.  Photos Link

The seminar shed light on the terrifying nature of the death spiral of the global debt based financial and economic system and the ruinous path towards servitude and serfdom. There were parliamentary, interfaith, monetary and fiscal reform perspectives shared and brought to bear on terms of alternative radical holistic solutions offering suffering humanity hope and salvation. This event took place when Parliament is at it’s lowest ebb and it’s image has been tarnished. The event affirmed grassroot coalitions facing the urgent need for civic society to champion the values of public service and the common good and claim Westminster as the people’s shared political space. Read More...    Report by Canon Peter Challen