RI women to join forces for global peace

The Jakarta Post, Mon, 02/14/2011

Indonesian women of different professions, religions and ethnicities will join forces on Monday to declare the Indonesian Women`s Association for Global Peace (IWAG-Peace) in four big cities in the country, an activist says.

The declaration of IWAG-Peace in Bali, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Jakarta will take place on Monday evening in concurrence with the Valentine’s Day, Putu Sri Puji Astuti W, the event coordinator, said on Monday in Denpasar, antaranews.com reported.

The event would become the expression of love to the mother earth and all human beings despite their differences, she said.

“We are all brothers and sisters. Differences could be solved with a more civilized way through the existing law. Hopefully there would not be any more anarchism, thuggerism and brutalism,” she said.

Valentine's Day in Jakarta. (Photo: AFP)

Related Article:

Red roses in high demand in Valentine's run-up

RI aspiring to become world`s cultural center : minister

Antara News, Tuesday, October 19, 2010 00:32 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is to host a World Culture Forum in Bali in 2012 to realize its dream of becoming the world`s cultural center, Culture and Tourism Minister Jero Wacik said.

"Our plan to host the World Cultural Forum 2012 in Bali is related to our dream to make Indonesia the world`s cultural center," the minister said here Monday.

Indonesia deserves the honor to be the world`s cultural center on account of the high degree of its cultural diversity, he said. In fact, Indonesia was the most culturally diverse nation in the Asia Pacific region, he added.

"It is very hard and takes time to achieve our dream to become a center of technology. But becoming the world`s cultural center is a more achievable goal because of our high cultural diversity," he said.

Indonesia was one of the cradles of local wisdoms that became the roots of the cultures of other nations and if this fact was discussed and studied more deeply, the results could become a contribution to the solution of global problems, Jero said.

The plan to host the World Culture Forum 2012 was one of the country`s efforts to become the world`s cultural center. The dream actually began in 2008 when a team led by the late Ali Alatas was formed to pioneer its realization, he said.

However, the World Cultural Forum was postponed due to the global crisis.

"Now we are to host the World Culture Forum in Indonesia and the best venue for it is Bali," he said.

Jero said if Davos in Switzerland had hosted the World Economic Forum (WEF), Indonesia was now planning to host the World Culture Forum which was just as important as the WEF, he said.

Meanwhile, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Rector Prof. Dr. Sudjarwadi said it was time for Asia to be the world`s cultural center.

He recalled that Europe had become the world`s cultural center in the 19th century, and America in 20th century. Now, in the 21st century, it was Asia`s turn to be the world`s cultural center, he said.

UGM was ready to support the World Cultural Forum 2012 in Bali and in this context would host a culture-related international event, Wisdom 2000, in Yogyakarta on November 8-11.

He hoped Wisdom 2000 would be Indonesia`s initial step toward hosting the World Culture Forum 2012.

Island of arts: Balinese women dressed in traditional outfits carry offerings during a parade at the annual Bali Arts Festival in Denpasar. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the month-long festival on Saturday. – AP/Firdia Lisnawati

Related Articles:

President asks community leaders to realize world culture forum

Yogyakarta to host wisdom toward world cultural forum

Jakarta Hosts a Plea for Global Peace

Jakarta Globe, Report | October 10, 2010

Imagine this: A crowd of more than 50,000 young people gathered at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta to celebrate peace. Most of the attendees would have been involved in projects that seek to help alleviate poverty and would be enjoying themselves by this time, jamming to performances by the Thousand Youth and Women Choir, as well as Indonesian, Malaysian, Philippine and Korean pop artists.

The Global Peace Festival 2010 hopes to attract
50,000 people. (Photo courtesy of Gpf-asiapacific.org)

The Global Peace Festival, set to take place in the capital between Oct. 15-18, is held in different cities worldwide each year and is expected by organizers to attract 50,000 people.

The festival is organized with the help of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the country’s largest Muslim organization, as well as many other local partners.

Its mission is to foster a culture of service, strengthen families and marriages and engage interfaith partnerships in nations that host the event.

According to its Web site, www.globalpeacefestival.org, the GPF “promotes and celebrates persons and programs that contribute to reconciliation, mutual respect, harmony and cooperation, and sees all people as One Family Under God.”

With the support of their schools, students from across Jakarta are set to hit the streets this week to collect money for a new initiative — The Power of Rupiah project — launched to coincide with the GPF.

The Power of Rupiah aims to collect loose change and seeks to emphasize that any act of giving, no matter how small, has the potential to make a difference in the lives of Jakarta’s poor.

Schools and universities will be using the money raised to implement community programs.

“We want to encourage young people in terms of not just focusing on personal achievements, but encourage them to contribute to a social cause,” said Malaysian Teh Su Thye, vice executive director of the Global Peace Festival Asia Pacific 2010.

“We’re getting young people to learn how to give. Giving is important.

“The Global Peace Festival promotes leaders who exemplify the culture of service,” Teh said. “We want to encourage and recognize young people.”

The Youth Leadership Award, aimed at recognizing the many achievements of Jakarta’s youth, is included in the festival’s program.

The award will be presented to the winning student on Oct. 17 at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

This is especially significant since the day is also earmarked as the United Nations-sponsored International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.

To win the award, the student must be nominated by their school, university or a friend and submit a list of their achievements and community involvement.

Nominees then have to write an essay on why peace is important to them and outline a social issue faced by Indonesians and suggest how this could be solved using the money raised through the Power of Rupiah campaign.

Teh said he has already received 130 entries, and more are still coming in.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a patron of the festival and may attend the event. Teh said the president’s support is an indication of the importance and longevity of their program.

“I think the support from the president is crucial. I don’t want to touch on politics, but we want an endorsement from the president because this is a big project,” he said.

“We want the president to be involved in this program and we want the general public to see that.”

Nahdlatul Ulama’s Slamet Effendy Yusuf, executive chairman for the GPF celebration in Indonesia, said the event aims to have a positive impact on the most marginalized members of Jakarta’s society: the children and the poor.

Slamet emphasized that poverty is a social issue separate from recent religious conflicts in Indonesia.

“I think poverty and stupidity can cause social gaps and can trigger misunderstanding. In my opinion, poverty isn’t about faiths, but this is a social issue,” he said.

He added that the festival is working toward fulfilling Indonesia’s national motto, which is “Unity in Diversity.”

The festival comes at a time when increased incidents of intolerance and its attendant violence have been reported across Indonesia, and organizers say the festival is an event they hope gives young people something positive to focus on in their communities.

For more info, log on to www.gpf-asiapacific.org.

Oct. 16: Global Peace Service initiatives throughout Jakarta.

Oct. 17: Global Peace Festival Asia Pacific 2010, from 5 p.m. at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Related Article:

Indonesia to host Global Peace Festival of Asia Pacific 2010

Buddhist monk emphasizes life, peace

Understanding one`s own religion helps maintain inter-religious harmony

Chinese dissident wins Nobel Peace Prize

Indonesia host to Asia Pacific global peace festival

Antara News, Saturday, June 26, 2010 02:13 WIB

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia will be host of the Global Peace Festival (GPF) 2010 for Asia Pasifik from October 15 to 17, 2010.

"As a country with many ethical origins, religions and other resources, but everybody living in close harmoney, it is only reasonable that Indonesia had been elected to become host," GPF Executive Director of Asia Pasifik Chandra Setiawan said in Jakarta Monday.

GPF is a celebration to unite all efforts for world peace.GPF has been held in more than 30 countries. This year, not only in Indonesia, GPF is also held in Kenya and many other parts of Africa, Paraguay and Nepal as well as in South Asia.

The holding of GPF in Indonesia is the result of a cooperation between GPF Foundation Internasional, GPF Indonesia, and Nahdlatul Ulama central executive board with the support of ICRP, religious leaders, Universities, and governmental institutions.

The activities of GPF include international conferences of religious leaders followed by 400 participants from October 15 and 16, 2010.

"We hope the conference would not merely in the form of dialogues but realized and practiced in daily programs, Siti Musdah Mulia, one of the GPF chairmen of Asia Pasifik.

Anohter program of the GPF is a social activity involving 10 thousand young people of different religious believes in various cities and activities to strengthen the marital institution and family as a school of love.

The peak of the program will be held at Gelora Bung Karno on October 17 with cultural and art performances from many regions in Indonesia and from various Asean countries with a message of peace from religious and public leaders, local and overseas.