SWO sent a team of women to lead a workshop on humanitarian intervention at the 52rd Annual United Nations DPI NGO Conference at the United Nations Plaza in New York.
United Nations Project
SWO Projects :: United Nations
Solidarity: The Way to Peace and International Cooperation
for Human Rights, Human Responsibility and SpiritualityImagine a room of mirrors, reflecting back upon each of us and within each of our hearts, magnifying the compassion, valuing each other, allowing peace to resonate within and beyond each of us. Imagine that we represent solidarity, standing together with the clear intention that we act in unity toward supporting global peace. We are ere to carry this image within our hearts, reflect it everywhere we go and truly live the essential truth that humankind is responsible for human rights and spirituality is the vehicle for achieving that goal.
This is the general message of the work of the Sufi Women Organization as a Department of Public Information for the United Nations. This work falls in the domain of humanitarian intervention as a role for civil society in that each of us at the Sufi Women Organization is working for one goal of peace. We work in prisons, we work with the homeless, we work with mothers and children dying from the AIDS epidemic, and we pray for peace. We represent humanitarian intervention by actively engaging in the resolution of critical conflicts, we stand between the offenders and the offendees and serve to provide an alternative, namely, solidarity in peace. As such, each of us stands as the bridge of resolution, the bridge of understanding and knowledge.
The work of the Sufi Women Organization with the United Nations invites each of us to our common point of understanding each other, namely, knowledge. As the world suffers from overcrowding, deforestation, pollution, technological melt downs, competition, violence, HIV, poverty, hunger to name a few current human conditions that the majority of the world struggles under. The world suffers as the individual suffers, as the society suffers. The individual spirit reflects the collective spirit. Sufism offers the world a comprehensive insurance plan - no deductible necessary. It is a plan that is inclusive and brings meaning rather than rhetoric. It acknowledges the significance of life and the value of peace for all humanity.
The Sufi strives in every moment to be in service to Divine, in this service is the lived expression of inner peace and presence of heart. In this service is the lived expression of compassion, human rights, and responsibility. The intention in action leads to healing, change, communication, and understanding.
With knowledge, we can stand together in solidarity and create a civilized world of peace and cooperation built on mutual respect and responsibility. Imagine a reality of solidarity in peace among us.
Sufi Women Organization Sponsor Workshop at
53rd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO ConferenceThe 53rd Annual DPI/NGO Conference was focused on the theme of Global Solidarity: The Way to Peace and International Cooperation. This Conference brought together United Nations NGO from around the world in an effort to build bridges among us to explore viable ways for civil society to generate action plans focused on development, peace, human rights and environmental issues.
The Sufi Women Organization, a department of the International Association of Sufism, sponsored a workshop on Humanitarian intervention: Human rights, responsibilities and spirituality. The workshop was very well attended by representatives of NGO's interested in building bridges in terms of preventive diplomacy and creating standards for the relief of human suffering. Panelists included: Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, Sonia Gilbert, Dr. Sharon Mijares, Jonathan Granoff, and Dr. Nina Meyerhof of the Children of the Earth, Inc. Arife Ellen Hammerle was the coordinator for this panel. They all spoke eloquently about the importance of knowledge and ethics as the foundation for global peace in a civil society. Seyedeh Nahid Angha explored the importance of positive effective intervention rather than interference for motivations that are limited and often not in the interests of people. The workshop was a great success resulting in an affirmative call for the articulation of acceptable standards for humanitarian intervention.
Members of the Sufi Women Organization including Seyedeh Dr. Nahid Angha, Seyedeh Hamaseh Kianfar, M.S., Sonia Gilbert, Dr. Sharon Mijares, Jonathan Granoff and Arife Ellen Hammerle, Ph.D.c., also participated in the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. This forum brought together leaders from around the world to make a unanimous commitment to peace, and sustainable development.
Both of these events were inspiring. Sitting in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations together with other members of NGO's and Spiritual and Religious Leaders gave one pause to allow the unity and peace to echo within the heart and embrace the pure wisdom of the meaning of these events. This inspiration is a message for all of us to work within our selves and share this inner peace with others, expanding the effect and building a culture of peace among humanity. The thread that weaves all of our lives together is our spiritual connection. The IAS United Nations Representatives continue to embrace the teachings from these events and facilitate affirmative actions with the grace of pure intention.
View the complete report from the United Nations using Adobe Acrobat.
iasun_newyork_report.pdf (89 KB)
Opportunities for Involvement
If you wish to be further involved with our work as a Department of Public Information for the United Nations, please contact us:
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