Peace
Activities
Annual Report 2023

SGI Annual Report 2023

About Us
We are a globally connected
community that inspires hopeto create peace
The Soka Gakkai is a global, community-based Buddhist
organization with a membership of over 12 million people
around the world that promotes peace, culture and education
centered on respect for the dignity of life. The Soka Gakkai
International (SGI) as a non-governmental organization has
been in consultative status with the United Nations Economic
and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 1983. The SGI Office for
UN Affairs operates in New York and Geneva, representing
the SGI at the UN.

Action for Peace

Peace Proposals

The SGI strives to strengthen
connections between
individuals, civil society andthe UN in order to build apeaceful, just and inclusive
world. Our focus areas of work
include peace, disarmament,sustainability and climatechange, human rights
education, gender equality andwomen’s empowerment andhumanitarian relief. We believethat when united toward ashared goal, human beings havethe power to do extraordinary
things.

Between 1983 and 2022,
annual peace proposals wereauthored by Daisaku Ikeda(1928–2023), President of SGI.
These 40 proposals, as well asstatements he issued, continue
to guide the SGI’s work at
the UN. They also inform theactivities undertaken by local
Soka Gakkai organizations
around the world. Peace
proposals dating from 2000
to 2022 are available fordownload.

Soka Gakkai organizations andtheir members around theworld also engage in grassroots
activities to promote theculture of peace, based on theunderstanding that individual
happiness and the realizationof a peaceful world are
inextricably linked. Each localorganization develops activities
in support of the UN agenda
in line with its unique culturalcontext.

3

The peace proposals
consistently focused on ways ofrevitalizing and strengthening
the role of the UN and theimportance of civil society
participation, with the belief
that the global solidarity ofordinary citizens committed
to supporting the UN will help
empower and strengthen it.
In 2013, A Forum for Peace,
a compilation of 30 years ofproposals addressing the UN,
was published and launched at
UN Headquarters in New York.

© Seikyo Shimbun

Explore ourPeace Proposals

SGI Annual Report 2023

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Focus Areas
Human Rights Education

Upholding the ultimate respect forhuman dignity, our disarmament
work focuses on nuclear abolitionand stopping killer robots, also
known as autonomous weaponssystems. Both types of weapons
are built on the radical negationof others—of their humanity andof their equal right to happinessand life. The SGI is therefore an
active member of the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN) and the Stop Killer
Robots coalition.

Sustainable Development& Climate Change
Based on the profound awarenessof our interconnectedness with
our fellow inhabitants of Earth andthe natural world, SGI engages inadvocacy and community-basedawareness-raising activities toensure a sustainable future. We
envisage this future in the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), which
are grounded in humanity’s right toa healthy environment and the needto protect those most adversely
affected by the climate crisis.

Alexander Bitar

Disarmament

Respect for all life is a central
tenet of Buddhism. We believetransformation of the individual is
the foundation for structural andsystemic change in society. Humanrights education can propel us toovercome discrimination and hatred,
recognize the value and dignity of all,and empower people to constructa culture of human rights. Throughadvocacy and non-formal education,
we support the World Programmefor Human Rights Education (2005–
ongoing) and the United Nations
Declaration on Human Rights
Education and Training (2011).

Gender Equality &Women’s Empowerment
Respect and equality, including
gender equality, are central to the
Buddhist teachings we embrace.
SGI has been committed to women’s
empowerment and leadership,
which we see as a self-motivatedprocess to bring forth our full
human potential. With its grassroots
presence around the world, SGI has
built an extensive network of women
who are leading its movement topromote the culture of peace.
We strive to contribute to the UN
by highlighting the vast role andcapacity of women to address andovercome our global challenges.

Peace
Building peace involves us all. As
Buddhists who treasure life, peaceis the heart of SGI’s mission. We
promote the culture of peace
as a set of values, attitudes andways of life that reject violence
and are centered on dialogue. We
hope to see the culture of peace
deeply rooted in our communities
and societies, and we view it asa framework that enables us toapproach the various issues at the
UN reflected in our focus areas asinterconnected and interrelated.

Humanitarian Relief
SGI’s engagement in humanitarianrelief activities is driven by our
Buddhist belief in the dignity oflife. Taking the sufferings of others
as one’s own is the philosophicalwellspring for SGI’s activities as
we aim to contribute to efforts toincrease people’s resilience, andto provide emergency relief indevastating situations.

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A Legacy of Peace: The Life and Work of Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda, Buddhist
philosopher, peacebuilder,educator, author and poet,passed away in Tokyo on 15
November, 2023, at the ageof 95.
He dedicated his life to promoting
peace through dialogue andspearheaded the development of the
Soka Gakkai as a community-based
Buddhist organization of over 12
million members worldwide.
Ikeda was born on 2 January 1928
in Tokyo, Japan, to a family engaged
in seaweed farming. When he was13, Japan entered World War II,
and his eldest brother was killed in
the Imphal Campaign in Myanmar.
Feeling keenly the cruelty, futility
and waste of war, he determined to
devote his life to building peace.

Visiting United Nations Headquarters,
New York, October 1960

Shortly after the war, Ikeda
encountered educator and pacifist
Josei Toda (1900–58), who had
been imprisoned by the militarist
authorities during the war andwas the leader of the Soka Gakkai
Buddhist group. Ikeda embraced
Nichiren Buddhism with its goal of
creating a society based on respect
for the dignity of life, and took Toda
as his mentor.
In May 1960, Ikeda became the thirdpresident of the Soka Gakkai at theage of 32, a position he held until
1979. He oversaw the broadening of
the organization’s mission to include
the promotion of peace, culture andeducation. In 1975, the Soka Gakkai
International (SGI) was founded asa global association linking Soka
Gakkai organizations around theworld, and he became its president.
In 1983, the SGI was accredited asa nongovernmental organization(NGO) in consultative status with
the United Nations Economic andSocial Council (ECOSOC).
Ikeda had been present when, in
1957, Josei Toda made a declaration
calling for the abolition of nuclear
weapons. This declaration inspired
him to lifelong advocacy toward
nuclear abolition.

Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai meets with
Ikeda and his wife Kaneko, Beijing,
December 1974

Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Sir Joseph Rotblat and
Ikeda, Osaka, October
1989

Welcoming Nelson Mandela
to Tokyo shortly after his
release from prison, October
1990

He initiated signature campaigns
calling for nuclear abolition, started
projects recording testimonies ofsurvivors of war including hibakusha,
and launched a People’s Decadefor Nuclear Abolition in 2007,
as part of a broad campaign tocreate a convention that would
outlaw nuclear weapons. Under his
leadership, members of Soka Gakkai
throughout the world became
engaged in grassroots awarenessraising efforts promoting peaceand nuclear abolition, among otherissues. These efforts contributed
to the adoption of the UN Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW) in 2017.
Starting in the 1970s, Ikeda met
with key individuals in a wide arrayof fields to promote peace throughdialogue and mutual understanding.
He also promoted Sino-Japaneserelations, believing that constructive
engagement with China wasfundamental to the stability of Asiaand the world.
Ikeda also conducted dialogues
with prominent global figures,
including peace activists Linus
Pauling and Joseph Rotblat,
former Soviet President Mikhail
Gorbachev, environmental activist

Ikeda discusses the role of
the UN as a “Parliament of
Humanity” in a lecture at the
University of Bologna, Italy,
June 1994

Ikeda and UN SecretaryGeneral Boutros BoutrosGhali, Tokyo, April 1996

Wangari Maathai and successive UN
Secretaries-General, in order to
identify ways of tackling the complex
problems facing humanity. Morethan 70 of these dialogues have been
published in book form.
A consistent believer in the central
role of the United Nations as a forum
for peace, from 1983 to 2022, Ikeda
authored 40 annual peace proposals
providing a Buddhist perspective
and concrete suggestions to move
forward discourse on key global
challenges, including disarmament
and the abolition of nuclear weapons,sustainability and the promotion ofhuman rights. In the last year of his
life, Ikeda issued several statements
calling for undertakings of No FirstUse of nuclear weapons.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury,
former UN Under-SecretaryGeneral and High Representative,commented: “I know of no one
who has highlighted the role andresponsibility of the United Nations
so consistently, relentlessly andsubstantively for such a long periodof time as President Ikeda. For thelast 40 years, his annual peace
proposals have contained brilliant
ideas and suggestions for the goodof humanity.”

Ikeda meets with Dr. Wangari Maathai,Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founderof Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, Tokyo,
February 2005

Between 1983 and 2022, Ikeda authored40 annual peace proposals

All photos © Seikyo Shimbun

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M A R & A PR | TO K YO & H I RO S H I M A , JA PA N

Disarmament

SGI Engages in Youth Summit and Research
Conference Ahead of Historic G7 Hiroshima Summit
Ahead of the G7 Hiroshima Summit,
SGI representatives participated in
the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit heldat Hiroshima University from 25–27
April 2023, which was organizedby the International Campaign toAbolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN).
SGI, along with other civil society
organizations, cosponsored thesummit, attended by 50 youth
representatives from 19 countries.
During the summit, participants
visited the Peace Memorial Museum
and Park near the hypocenterof the first atomic bomb, which
was detonated on 6 August 1945.
Upon their arrival, they had theopportunity to listen to the story ofA-bomb survivor Keiko Ogura.
On the last day of the summit, theparticipants adopted and delivered
their youth statement, which statedtheir resolve to achieve a more just,peaceful world as leaders of today
and included 11 concrete requests to
the G7 leaders.

ICAN

On the same day, SGI President
Daisaku Ikeda issued his Statementon the G7 Hiroshima Summit, theUkraine Crisis and No First Use of
Nuclear Weapons. Referring to his
encounter with Dr. Bernard Lown,
Ikeda stated that commitment to
No First Use (NFU) is a “prescription
for hope” that can serve as the axle
connecting the twin wheels of theTreaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the

The international conference held at Soka
University to discuss perspectives on the
G7 Hiroshima Summit

Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear
Weapons (TPNW).
In addition, the G7 ResearchGroup, Soka University, SGI
and the International Academy
for Multicultural Cooperation
sponsored an international conference
at Soka University in Tokyo on
29 March. Experts from theeducational, academic, civil society
and government communities
gathered in person and virtually toshare their perspectives and offer
their best analyses and words ofadvice on what the G7 Hiroshima
Summit should do to control nuclear,climate and global health risks.
At the session on nuclear
weapons control, Anna Ikeda
of the SGI offered four policy
recommendations, including

SGI Annual Report 2023

Read
No First Use
statements

The conference concluded
by assembling specificrecommendations, whichbecame the basis for priority
recommendations that the sponsors
sent to the G7 planners.

American theoretical physicist who
directed the Manhattan Project thatcreated the first nuclear weapons.
Addressing his grandfather’s life andcomplicated legacy, he urged thosegathered to hear the final message
that his grandfather had left forthe scientists at Los Alamos: “Thepeoples of this world must unite or
they will perish. This war, which has
ravaged so much of the earth, has
written these words. The atomic
bomb has spelled them out for all
men to understand.”George Nakamura

adopting a NFU policy on nuclear
weapons, stating that this would bea critical step toward reducing therole of nuclear weapons in national
security and serve as an impetus toadvancing nuclear disarmament.

JUL | NEW MEXICO, USA

Interfaith Remembrance Event in New Mexico
Held to Commemorate Trinity Nuclear Test
Hundreds gathered at the Santa
Maria de la Paz Social Centerin Santa Fe, New Mexico, on 16
July 2023 for “A World Without
Nuclear Weapons: From Reflection to
Action,” an interfaith remembranceof the Trinity nuclear test. The
remembrance event drew a large
crowd, with activists, students,
scholars and US congressional
representatives among them. It
was organized by a coalition offaith-based groups, leaders andinstitutions: the Archdiocese of
Santa Fe, Nuclear Watch New
Mexico, Tularosa Basin Downwinders
Consortium, the United Churchof Santa Fe and SGI-USA. Most
Reverend John C. Wester, Catholic
Archbishop of Santa Fe, opened
the event by stressing that “thenon-negotiable step to world peaceis multilateral verifiable nuclear

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Tina Cordova speaks at “A World Without Nuclear
Weapons: From Reflection to Action”

disarmament, so that is the focus ofour prayer today.”

AUG | VIENNA , AUSTRIAThe event organizers issued a callfor action; Tina Cordova, co-founderof the Tularosa Basin Downwinders
Consortium, joined SGI-USA
Public Affairs Director Danny Hallin outlining steps that attendees
could take toward a nuclear-free
future. These included asking U.S.
Congressional representatives tocosponsor House Resolution 77,
titled “Embracing the goals andprovisions of the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons,”
as well as joining forces with thenational grassroots coalition Backfrom the Brink.

SGI Participates in Preparatory Committee for2026 NPT Review Conference

Two SGI-USA youths reada message sent by Charles
Oppenheimer, grandson of thelate J. Robert Oppenheimer, theOn 1 August, SGI co-organized
the side event “The Catastrophic
Consequences of Nuclear Tests
in Kazakhstan: A First-Person

The Preparatory Committee for the2026 Review Conference of theParties to the Treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT) held its first session from 31
July to 11 August 2023 at the Vienna
International Centre in Vienna,
Austria. As part of civil society,
SGI participated and co-organized
three side events on different
themes together with like-minded
institutions and organizations.

History” with the Center forInternational Security and Policy(CISP) and the Permanent Missionof Kazakhstan in Vienna. The event
featured a screening of a trailer for a
documentary film produced by CISP
with the support of SGI. Additionally,
attendees heard a personal testimony
from Dmitriy Vesselov, a thirdgeneration victim of nuclear tests
in Semey City, formerly known as
Semipalatinsk, in Kazakhstan, as well
as a discussion on victim assistance,
environmental remediation andinternational cooperation as
articulated in Articles 6 and 7 of
the Treaty on the Prohibition of

SGI Annual Report 2023
Nuclear Weapons. Alibek Bakayev,
Permanent Representative of
Kazakhstan to the United Nations in
Vienna, also spoke.
On 3 August, SGI held a secondside event, titled “No First Use as a
Path to Nuclear Disarmament,” with
the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation(NAPF) and Parliamentarians for
Nuclear Non-Proliferation andDisarmament (PNND), moderated
by Chie Sunada, SGI Director of
Disarmament and Human Rights.
The three panelists discussed
nuclear risk reduction throughpolicies of No First Use (NFU) andexamined how to advance nuclear
disarmament by furthering NFU
initiatives.
Lastly, on 7 August, SGI organized
the third side event, “In Discussion
with Global Youth: Inheriting theExperiences of Hibakusha,” withother youth-focused organizations,virtually connecting with many
young people from around theworld. Participants viewed avideo of the testimony of A-bomb
survivor Keiko Ogura, who shared
her experience as a hibakusha withworld leaders at the G7 Hiroshima
Summit in May 2023. Ogura, who
was just eight years old at the timeof the attack, was near her home in
Ushitamachi, 2.4 kilometers fromthe Hiroshima hypocenter. Fiveyouth representatives from different
regions and backgrounds shared
their respective initiatives towarddisarmament and the abolitionof nuclear weapons, including
Mitsunobu Takahashi of SGI, who
introduced the peace activities of
the Soka Gakkai Peace Committee
in Nagasaki.

A U G | A S TA N A , K A Z A K H S TA N

Central Asian States Meet to Discuss
Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons
and Nuclear-Weapon Free Zone
On 29 August 2023, SGI joined
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, theInternational Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC), the Center
for International Security and
Policy (CISP) and the International
Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN) to co-organizea regional conference titled “The
Humanitarian Consequences of
Nuclear Weapons and the NuclearWeapon-Free Zone in Central
Asia,” held in Astana, Kazakhstan.
Representatives from the five
Member States of the Central Asian
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty(Semipalatinsk Treaty), namely
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,attended.
Kairat Umarov, First Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Kazakhstan, delivered a welcome
address. Hirotsugu Terasaki,
SGI Director General for Peace
and Global Issues, gave a speech
expressing his hope for meaningful
discussions on the UN Treaty on
the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW), in order to move the worldcloser to nuclear disarmament.

Watch hertestimony

A-bomb survivor Keiko Ogura shares her testimony at an
event organized by the Soka Gakkai Hiroshima Women’s
Peace Committee

13

Established in 2009, the Central
Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone
(CANWFZ), is the first nuclearweapon-free zone situated entirelyin the Northern Hemisphere.
Participants discussed theHirotsugu Terasaki, SGI Director Generalfor Peace and Global Issues, speaks at theconference

humanitarian and environmental
impacts of nuclear weapons andthe legacy of nuclear testingin the region, as well as thecomplementarity between the
CANWFZ Treaty and otherinternational legal instruments,
such as the TPNW. Discussions at
the conference also touched on the
TPNW’s role in addressing victim
assistance and environmental
remediation. Anna Ikeda of SGI
presented on the role of peace anddisarmament education in advancing
disarmament and universalizing thenorms of the TPNW.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
the Republic of Kazakhstan issued
a chair’s summary as host of theConference.

SGI Annual Report 2023

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NOV-DEC | UN HE ADQUARTERS , NE W YORK , USA

At Second Meeting, States Parties to TPNW
Commit to Strengthen Norms Against Nuclear
Weapons, Address Past Harms
A total of 94 countries participatedin the Second Meeting of States
Parties (MSP) to the Treaty on theProhibition of Nuclear Weapons(TPNW), which took place from 27
November to 1 December 2023
at UN Headquarters in New York,
presided over by Dr. Juan Ramónde la Fuente of Mexico. There wasa strong presence of UN agencies,
international organizations andglobal civil society, including adelegation from the SGI.
As with the previous meetings, suchas the first MSP and the negotiating
conferences of the TPNW, voices of
those from affected communities
were highlighted throughout the
week. One such event was the film
premiere and discussion of the
documentary I Want To Live On: The
Untold Stories of the Polygon heldon 28 November and co-organizedby the Permanent Mission of the
Republic of Kazakhstan, the Center
for International Security and Policy(CISP), the International Campaign
to Abolish Nuclear Weapons andthe SGI. The documentary wasproduced by CISP with the supportof SGI. The film sheds light on the
Semipalatinsk Test Site, also known
as “the Polygon,” which served as theSoviet Union’s primary nuclear testsite until 1991. After the screening,
Aigerim Yelgeldy, who is the third
generation in her family to be
impacted by nuclear tests at the
Polygon, shared her testimony.
The SGI also supported a showing
of some photographs fromthe exhibition “Portraits of the
Hibakusha—80 Years Remembered”
at the UN, featuring lenticular
holographic portraits of survivors of
the atomic bombings of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, created by UK-based
80,000 Voices and photographer
Patrick Boyd, and sponsored by thePermanent Mission of Sri Lanka to
the UN.
Demonstrating the TPNW States
Parties’ aspiration for inclusivity,
members of civil society wereable to participate in the ongoing
discussions at the plenary sessions
by delivering statements andAnna Ikeda of SGI delivers the joint
interfaith statement

Watch thedocumentary

Aigerim Yelgeldy (second from left) shares her testimony at the film
premiere of the documentary “I Want To Live On: The Untold Storiesof the Polygon”

taking part in panels during
thematic discussions. Many of theparticipants were youth, who led
and participated in a number of
events and held discussions withgovernment representatives. The
SGI delegation also included four
youth members, who participatedin the Youth MSP organized by
Youth for TPNW on 28 November.
SGI also endorsed the joint youth
statement delivered on 29 November,with some of its youth delegates
contributing to the drafting process.
In addition, SGI helped coordinate
the joint interfaith statement endorsedby 115 organizations from a wide
range of faith traditions, and Anna
Ikeda of SGI delivered the statement

during the general exchange ofviews. Some representatives of SGI
also participated in the interfaithvigil held on the morning of 29
November, where participants
gathered to offer prayers for the
success of the MSP and the goal of aworld without nuclear weapons.
Prior to the MSP, SGI submitted
a working paper titled “The Role ofPeace and Disarmament Education in
Advancing the Vienna Action Plan.”
Based on this paper, Chie Sunada of
SGI delivered a statement during thesegment on Article 12, highlighting
the role of education in advancing
the universalization of the treaty.

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F E B | S A N J O S É , C O S TA R I C A

SGI Participates in Seminal Conferences on
Autonomous Weapons Systems in Costa Rica
From 20–22 February 2023, theDigital Dehumanisation Conference
was convened by Stop Killer Robots(SKR) in San José, Costa Rica. It
was attended by 68 campaigners
from 29 countries. The conference
addressed the issue of autonomous
weapons under the theme of digital
dehumanisation, defined by SKR
as the process whereby humans
are reduced to data, which is thenused to make decisions or takeactions that affect our lives. Hayato
Yamashita of SGI, who attended
the conference, shared SGI’s
advocacy and awareness-raisingefforts, including supporting the
production of the documentary film
Immoral Code, and emphasized theimportance of education for the
younger generations.
Following the Digital Dehumanisation
Conference, the Latin American
and the Caribbean Conference

on the Social and Humanitarian
Impact of Autonomous Weapons
was convened on 23–24 February by
the government of Costa Rica andits partners. Over 30 states from
Latin America and the Caribbean
attended this conference, withmore than 10 observer statesfrom other regions. UN agencies,
international organizations andcivil society representatives also
participated in the conference.
Stressing the need to morally
and ethically examine the issue ofautonomy in weapons systems,
Yamashita delivered a statement onbehalf of SGI, stating, “We have an
opportunity now to decide how wewant to use technology, and we cando so by rejecting the notion that it
is permissible to leave the decisionsof life and death to machines.”
At the end of the conference, 33
states from Latin America andthe Caribbean adopted a historicCommuniqué calling for the urgent
negotiation of an internationallylegally binding instrument on
autonomous weapons. This was thefirst regional statement delivered
outside of UN fora.

Digital Dehumanisation Conference participants in San José, Costa Rica

S EP | P O RT O F S PA I N , T R I N I DA D A N D TO BAGOThe Caribbean Community Holds Regional
Conference Exploring Human Impacts ofAutonomous Weapons Systems
Building on the momentum of theLatin American and the Caribbean
regional conference held in February
2023 in San José, Costa Rica, theCaribbean Community (CARICOM)
decided to host its own regional
conference to explore the humanimpacts of autonomous weaponssystems (AWS).
The SGI worked together with the
CARICOM Implementation Agency
for Crime and Security (IMPACS)
and the Stop Killer Robots (SKR)

Hayato Yamashita of SGI delivers astatement in San José, Costa Rica

coalition, with the support of the
Office of the Attorney Generaland Legal Affairs of Trinidad andTobago, to organize the two-day
regional conference, “CARICOM
Conference 2023: The Human Impactsof Autonomous Weapons,” held in Portof Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, from
5–6 September. Attendees included
government officials from CARICOM
member states, the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
UN agencies, academics, technicalexperts and civil society.

SGI Annual Report 2023
raised by “new technologicalapplications... including thoserelated to artificial intelligence andautonomy in weapons systems.”
It also “stresses the urgent needfor the international community
to address the challenges andconcerns raised by autonomous
weapons systems” and requests the
Secretary-General to seek the viewsof countries and other stakeholders
on ways to address the challenges
and concerns raised by autonomous
weapons systems and reflect thoseviews in a report to the General
Assembly by September 2024.
CARICOM Conference 2023 participantsin Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

During the high level opening
remarks, Hayley Ramsay-Jones of
SGI highlighted the responsibility
that decision makers have to act now
to save many lives. While speaking
on a panel regarding intersectional
perspectives, Ramsay-Jones
highlighted the dynamics between
power, violence and weapons, andexplored the different ways weapons
are used to yield and maintainpower over people and groups,
noting the broader impacts this has
on marginalized communities. On
behalf of SGI, Hayato Yamashita
also delivered a statement to theconference that called attention
to the concerns of interfaithcommunities.
On 6 September, the conference
concluded by adopting the
CARICOM Declaration on
Autonomous Weapons Systems (AWS).

19

The conference adopts the CARICOM
Declaration on Autonomous Weapons
Systems

This historic declaration outlined
the commitment of states to“collaborate on endeavors aimed atnegotiating an international legallybinding instrument that prohibits
unpredictable or uncontrollable
AWS capable of using force
without meaningful human control,
and prohibits those designed or
employed to apply force against
persons, while implementing
regulations for other forms of AWS.”
These regional conferences
contributed to strengthening
the much needed momentum toadvance multilateral discussions.
Following the conferences, on 22
December, 152 countries voted infavor of the first-ever UN General
Assembly resolution on the dangers
of lethal autonomous weaponssystems. It acknowledges the“serious challenges and concerns”

On 22 December 2023, 152 countries voted in favor of the first-ever UN General

Assembly resolution on the dangers of lethal autonomous weapons systems

SGI Annual Report 2023

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JUN & NOV-DEC | BONN, GERMANY & DUBAI, UAE

Sustainability &Climate Change

Promoting Youth Participation and a Human
Rights Perspective in Climate Change Negotiations
SGI representatives participatedin the fifty-eighth meeting of thesubsidiary bodies (SB58) of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) held in Bonn,
Germany, from 5–15 June 2023.
Alexandra Goossens-Ishii followed
the Global Stocktake (GST) process
and stressed its significance.
SGI also cosponsored initiatives
aimed at a fossil fuel phase-out,strengthened human rights
integration and enhanced protection
for environmental defenders.

shaah-shahidh /Unsplash

SGI representative Chiara De
Paoli participated in the Action
for Climate Empowerment (ACE)dialogue, where she highlighted
youth concerns and showcased theclimate action projects supportedby the Italian Buddhist Institute
Soka Gakkai. Lucy Plummer, alsoof SGI, focused on young people’s
involvement in the UN climate
processes, emphasizing their crucialrole in advocating for justice andtransformative change.
SGI also participated in the twentyeighth meeting of the Conferenceof the Parties (COP28) of the
UNFCCC, held in Dubai, United
Arab Emirates, from 30 November
to 13 December. At the event, SGI
promoted human rights-based

Alexandra Goossens-Ishii (second fromright) contributes to interfaith efforts
promoting climate justice during a press
conference at SB58

SGI Annual Report 2023
approaches and the crucial role ofnature, highlighted positive casestudies of individual action at thegrassroots level and advocatedfor faith actors’ perspectives to be
included in policymaking decisions.
Contributions from SGI included
involvement in planning theInterfaith Talanoa Dialogue thatengaged over 150 participants inclimate justice discussions on thefirst day of COP28. Later, Plummer
contributed to the Youth Stocktake of
UNFCCC Processes, advocating forsustainable strategies, funding andintergenerational partnerships. SGI

also collaborated with the Italian
Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai inpromoting the Youth4Climate Callfor Solutions.
Nobuyuki Asai of SGI addressed
mitigation and adaptation, sharing
Japan’s disaster risk reduction
insights. SGI also endorsed theFossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty,
targeting a root cause of the climate
crisis, and co-organized a side
event on nature and climate in theFaiths for Biodiversity coalition thatemphasized the role of faith groups.

FEB | NEW DELHI, INDIA

Promoting Sustainable Human Behavior in India
On 23 February 2023, Bharat Soka
Gakkai (BSG) Chairperson Vishesh
Gupta participated in a roundtable
titled “Circular Economy and Green
Supply Chains,” which was part of
the World Sustainable Development
Summit 2023. Held from 22–24
February at the India Habitat
Center in New Delhi, the summit
was organized by The Energy andResources Institute (TERI), a New
Delhi-based research institute,and it was linked to India’s G20
Presidency later in the year.
Vishesh Gupta stressed theimportance of sustainable humanbehavior and empowerment forindividuals to live sustainably. To thisend, he recommended focusing on
grassroots efforts, sustainability
education and promoting the powerof even a single individual to effectchange.

Read theYouth Stocktake
ReportLucy Plummer of SGI, a member of YOUNGO, (center) at thelaunch of the first-ever Youth Stocktake of UNFCCC Processes

23

The roundtable was chaired by Dr.
Atul Narayan Vaidya, Director of
the CSIR-National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute(CSIR-NEERI), and otherparticipants included Perses
Bilimoria, Founder and CEO of Earth
Soul India, and environmentalist Dr.
Ashok Khosla. Recommendations
from the roundtable were presented
in a proposal to the Indian Ministryof Environment and Forests.
On 22 April, Earth Day, BSG
participated in an event organized by
the Municipal Corporation of Delhi

A video created as part of BSG’s“Say NO to Plastic” campaign

for their #100DaystoBeatPlastic
campaign. At the event, BSG
introduced its “Say No to Plastic”
campaign, which promotes notusing plastic bags, bottles and otherplastic products.
On 26 April, BSG organized its
second Sustainability Conclave
titled “Goals to Action: ThroughSustainable Human Behaviour” at
the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium
in New Delhi. Nearly 4,000 people
attended the hybrid event thatfeatured the “Seeds of Hope andAction: Making the SDGs a Reality”(SOHA) exhibition, a joint initiativeof the SGI and the Earth Charter
International. TERI Director General
Dr. Vibha Dhawan delivered the
keynote address.
BSG continues to promote many
related initiatives through its “BSG
for SDGs” campaign.

SGI Annual Report 2023

25

SEP | UN HE ADQUARTERS , NE W YORK , USA

Earth Charter International and Soka Amazon
Institute Sign Partnership

Highlighting Transformative Action by Faith Groups
at SDG Summit

Commemorative tree planting

In commemoration of World
Environment Day on 5 June 2023,
Mirian Vilela, Executive Directorof the Earth Charter International(ECI), visited the Soka Amazon
Institute near Manaus, Brazil, to signa partnership agreement linking
the two institutions. The Institutebecame the first Amazonian
organization affiliated with ECI.
Consul-General of Japan in Manaus
Masahiro Ogino, Soka Gakkai
President Minoru Harada and otherguests attended. Based on theagreement, the two organizations
will continue and further develop
their collaboration in education
and awareness-raising activities forsustainable living.

The 2023 SDG Summit took placefrom 18–19 September 2023 at
UN Headquarters in New York.
Convened by the President of theGeneral Assembly, the Summit
marked the halfway point to thedeadline set for achieving the2030 Agenda and the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). The
General Assembly adopted apolitical declaration that reaffirmed
Member States’ continued sharedcommitment to achieving the 2030
Agenda.

At the signing ceremony, Vilela
reflected on the long history of
ECI and SGI’s joint efforts andemphasized that human beings cansolve many global problems if they
are united. Luciano Nascimento,
Director of the Soka Amazon
Institute, evaluated the Earth Charter
highly as a document that gives hoperegarding the urgent changes thatare necessary for the good of future
generations, and he expressed his
expectations toward the future.
The ceremony concluded with theplanting of a Golden Chain Tree, anative tree whose leaves and bark
are traditionally used to lower feverin those affected by malaria, incelebration of World Environment
Day and the twenty-third
anniversary of the Earth Charter.

SGI co-organized a side event
convened by the TrilateralPartnership of Regional Faith-based
Networks for the SDGs from Africa,
Asia-Pacific and Latin America andthe Caribbean on 18 September.
Titled “Inspiring Faith, Hope andTransformative Action to Accelerate
Progress Towards the SDGs,” this

Later, on 29 June, ECI, SGI andother organizations held two
webinars titled “Earth Charter+23– Emerging efforts towards
planetary well-being and ecologicalcivilizations,” to mark the Earth
Charter’s twenty-third anniversary.
Noting that 2023 marks the halfway
point to 2030, the target year for
the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), the speakers analyzed therelationship between the Earth
Charter and the SDGs and exploredfurther efforts toward planetarywell-being and ecological civilization.
Arigatou International© Seikyo Shimbun

JUN | MANAUS, BR A ZIL

five-hour hybrid event brought
together over 150 participantsfrom faith-based organizations,
governments, the UN and academia.
As a member and former
convener of the Asia Pacific FaithBased Coalition for Sustainable
Development (APFC), Hiro Sakurai
of SGI moderated the session“Faith-Based Transformative
Actions for SDGs 16 (Peace,
Justice and Strong Institutions)and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).”
Sakurai also spoke as a panelist to
represent SGI and share its efforts
for advancing peace and sustainable
development, highlighting theorganization’s work for nuclear
disarmament.
After the event, a joint statement
was issued by the three regional
networks and disseminated widely.

The side event “Inspiring Faith, Hopeand Transformative Action to Accelerate
Progress Towards the SDGs” co-organized
by SGISGI Annual Report 2023
Together with SwedBio, a programfor biodiversity at the Stockholm
Resilience Center, SGI releaseda discussion paper highlighting theessential role of a human rightsbased approach in addressing
biodiversity and climate challenges.
This was launched during a side
event co-organized by SGI, SwedBio
and members of the informal
Working Group on Biodiversity and
Human Rights.
Read thediscussion paper

Goossens-Ishii also spoke at a side
event on the role of faith-basedorganizations in implementing the
KM-GBF, titled “Earth Restored:
Joining Hands with Faith-based
Organizations to Implement
the Kunming-Montréal Global
Biodiversity Framework,” coorganized and supported by

SGI, the Faiths for Biodiversity
Coalition, UNEP Faith for Earth,Expertise France and the Post 2020
Biodiversity Implementation-EU
Support project.
The side event also introduced
a four-page briefing paper on thesame topic, which was coauthoredby Gopal D. Patel, Co-chair on theAdvisory Board of the UN Decadeon Ecosystem Restoration andco-convenor of the Faiths for
Biodiversity coalition; Lauren Van
Ham, Climate Action Coordinatorfor United Religions Initiative; andAlexandra Goossens-Ishii of SGI
and co-convenor of the Faiths for
Biodiversity coalition.

O C T | N A I R O B I , K E N YA

SGI Contributes to UN Discussions on Climate andBiodiversity Action
SGI was represented by Alexandra
Goossens-Ishii at the consultations
on nature-based solutions led by
the United Nations Environment
Program (UNEP) from 9–13 October
2023 and the 25th Meeting of
the Subsidiary Body on Scientific,
Technical and Technological Advice(SBSTTA-25) of the Convention
on Biological Diversity from 15–19
October in Nairobi, Kenya. Thesemeetings were held 10 months
after the historic adoption of theKunming-Montréal Global Biodiversity
Framework (KM-GBF).
SBSTTA-25 addressed
implementation of the KM-GBF andevidence for biodiversity-related
decisions, including those on invasive
species, the sustainable use of
wildlife, biodiversity and climatechange. Discussions will continue
in preparation for the biodiversity
COP16 to be held in Colombia in
October 2024.

27

Read theEarth Restored
briefing paper

SGI Annual Report 2023

29

MAR | WINDSOR , CANADA

Human Rights
Education“Transforming Lives: The Power of Human Rights
Education” Exhibition Shown in Canada
From 15–18 March 2023, theexhibition “Transforming Lives: The
Power of Human Rights Education”
was held at Mackenzie Hall Cultural
Centre in Windsor, Ontario,
Canada. SGI created the exhibition
together with HRE 2020 and the
NGO Working Group on Human
Rights Education and Learning,
and the Platform for Human Rights
Education and Training with thanks
to the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR).

of Windsor and Legal Aid Ontario;
Anti-Racism Organizational Changeof the Office of the Vice-President,
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at
the University of Windsor; and theInterfaith Group of Windsor andEssex County.
At the exhibition’s closing event,attendees heard a message
from City of Windsor Mayor
Drew Dilkens and remarks from
community leaders. SGI Canada
General Director Glenn Turner also
shared a message highlighting theimportance of cultivating a spirit of
empathy throughout society in order
to combat violence and hatred.

Launched in 2017 to mark the fifth
anniversary of the adoption of the
UN Declaration on Human Rights
Education and Training, the 25-panel
exhibition illustrates the vital role ofhuman rights education in promoting
dignity, equality and peace, and inpreventing human rights violations
and abuses. It presents stories ofhow human rights education has
empowered and transformed thelives of individuals and communities
in Australia, Burkina Faso, Peru,
Portugal and Turkey. It also examines
what ordinary citizens and civilsociety organizations can do tonurture a culture of human rights.

OHCHR/ Irina Popal

Susumu Uchida

Local SGI Canada women’s groupleader Iole Iadipaolo worked withseveral community groups to
support the exhibition showing.
Cosponsors were the City ofWindsor; the New Canadians’ Centreof Excellence Inc.; Legal Assistanceof Windsor, a service jointly run by
the Faculty of Law at the University“Transforming Lives: The Powerof Human Rights Education” iscurrently available in English, French,
Japanese and Korean.

View theexhibitionSGI Annual Report 2023

31

S E P - O C T | U N O F F I C E AT G E N E V A , S W I T Z E R L A N D

At HRC54, States and Stakeholders Outline
Priorities for Fifth Phase of World Programme for
Human Rights Education
From 11 September to 13 October
2023, SGI participated at the
fifty-fourth session of the Human
Rights Council (HRC54) at theUnited Nations Office at Geneva,
together with representatives
from governments, civil society andinternational organizations. Several
human rights issues were addressed
during the session, including
education in conflict situations,children and young people, bullying,gender equality and climate change.
During the first week, HighCommissioner for Human Rights
Volker Türk gave a full updateon the status of human rights
in many countries. He stressed
the importance of building trust,
restoring hope and coming together
to confront the challenges thathumanity is facing, including throughthe work of the Human Rights
Council.
Related to human rights education(HRE), the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights (OHCHR) presented

Elisa Gazzotti of SGI delivering anoral statement at HRC54

a report on civil society and states’
views on focus areas and target
sectors of the fifth phase of theWorld Programme for Human
Rights Education, an internationalframework that aims to advancethe implementation of HRE at thenational level.
SGI closely followed the drafting ofa resolution for this fifth phase of
the World Programme for Human
Rights Education and made awritten submission that stressed
the importance of the fifth phase’s
continued focus on youth, with a
specific focus on young people frommarginalized communities. During
the last week of HRC54, States
adopted the resolution for the fifth
phase, which spans from 2025 until
2029. It was decided to focus on
young people, expanding the scope
to include children, with special
emphasis on human rights anddigital technologies; gender equality;and environment and climatechange.
SGI also made a joint proposal
together with other colleagues on
the NGO Working Group on Human
Rights Education and Learning. On
behalf of this group, Elisa Gazzottiof SGI delivered an oral statementthat advocated for human rights
education and young people,
stressing urgent themes such as theenvironment and gender equality.

Watch
Changemakers

Screening of the documentary film, followed by aconversation with the featured young human rights
educators

D E C | U N O F F I C E AT G E N E V A , S W I T Z E R L A N D“Changemakers” Launch Creates Hope in
Dark Times
On 11 December 2023, as partof the commemorations for the75th anniversary of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948),
SGI, Amnesty International (AI) andthe Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) co-organized alaunch event for the documentary
film and multimedia educational
tool “Changemakers: Stories of Young
Human Rights Educators” as a side
event to Human Rights 75 (HR75)
at the United Nations Office at
Geneva, Switzerland. Produced inpartnership with AI and the OHCHR,

this educational tool builds on theprevious collaboration with OHCHR
that produced the film “A Path toDignity” and it is now available on the
Human Rights Education: Open Web
Resource in English, French, Spanish
and Arabic.
Changemakers features thestories of seven young humanrights educators: Irfaan Mangera
from South Africa, about racism
and racial discrimination; Soufiane
Hennani from Morocco, about
gender equality and sexual
orientation; Aizat Ruslanova from

SGI Annual Report 2023
Kyrgyzstan, about women’s rights;
Aiki Matsukura from Japan, about
sexual exploitation of children;
Andrés Allán Sánchez Osorio fromPanama, about the rights of children
and youth in vulnerable situations;
Maselina Iuta from Samoa, about
the human rights of people withdisabilities; and Dejana Dexi Stošić
from Serbia, about gender equality
and gender-based violence. These
young human rights educators also
participated in person at HR75 andrelated side events in Geneva, where
they stressed the importance ofhuman rights education for, with andby youth.
On 12 December, SGI, AI and the
OHCHR co-organized an event open
to the public where Changemakers
was screened, followed by aconversation with the featured
young human rights educators.
Flore Ghetti of SGI, one of the young
members of the Youth Advisory
Board for the project, moderated
the discussion. Around 50 people
attended the event, which was held
in English with French and sign
language interpretation.
In addition, on 15 December, SGI
cosponsored an event organizedby the Conference of NonGovernmental Organizations inConsultative Relationship with theUnited Nations (CoNGO). Elisa
Gazzotti of SGI was invited to speak
about human rights education,
human rights and civil society. On
this occasion, she also introduced
the newly-launched multimedia
educational tool.

The young educators inspire peers to takeaction on human rights

33

D EC | TO K YO, JA PA N

Forum Explores Role of Youth in Upholding andEnacting UN Declaration of Human Rights
On 16 December 2023, Amnesty
International Japan (AI Japan) andthe Soka Gakkai Peace Committee
hosted their 6th Annual Youth
Forum, which featured speeches,
dialogues and panel discussions
presented to approximately 300
in-person and online participants.
The exhibition “The Illustrated
Universal Declaration of Human
Rights,” created by AI Japan, wasalso displayed at the venue.
In her keynote speech, Mikiko Otani,
human rights lawyer and former
Chair of the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child, introduced thewords of Volker Türk, the UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights,
who stressed the need “to rekindle
the spirit, impulse and vitality that
led to the Universal Declaration 75
years ago.” Otani also expressed herconviction that it is none other thanchildren and youth who hold the key
to making these words a reality.
The forum also hosted acommemorative dialogue between
Kiyoshi Akasu, Secretary Generalof the Soka Gakkai Youth Peace
Committee, and Shizue Sazawa,
Japanese Sign Language AdjunctInstructor at Rikkyo University,
during which Sazawa shared her
personal experiences as a deaf
person and the difficulties posedby her disability. Also, a panel
moderated by Kaoru Nemoto,Director of United Nations
Information Centre Tokyo, hosted
four young human rights activists:

Yuichi Kamiya, Yuriko Oda, Momoko
Nojo and Iori Harada, who shared
their activities in their respective
fields.
Kamiya is Secretary-General of
the Japan Alliance for LGBTQI+
Legislation, a group of more than
100 LGBTQI+ organizations in Japan.
He has taught at many universities
and been an advisor to various
companies, municipalities andlabor unions. Oda was diagnosed
with distal myopathy in 2002 andbecame a wheelchair user in 2006
after giving birth to her son. Nojo
is the Founder of both No Youth No
Japan, an organization that aims topromote political participation by
young people, and the Fiftys Project,
an initiative that advocates forgender equality in the political field.
Harada is a committee member of
the Children and Families Agency,
which was established in April 2023
as a new organization that plays aleading role in the government’s
work on children. He shared his
experience as a young caregiver
who supported his mother when she
suffered from depression.

Youth forum panel discussion

SGI Annual Report 2023

Peace

35

JAN | NE W YORK , USA

Symposium on Role of Religion and Faith-Based
Organizations in International Affairs: A Discussion
on Securing Planetary Well-Being and Sustainability
The 9th Annual Symposium on theRole of Religion and Faith-Based
Organizations in International Affairs
took place on 24 January 2023 at
the Church Center for the United
Nations in New York and online.
Together with seven faith-based
partners and the UN Development
Programme (UNDP), SGI organized
the event under the theme “Securing
People’s Well-Being and Planetary
Sustainability,” which addressed the
topic of human security.

World Council of Churches

After a High-Level Opening, Azza
Karam, Secretary General of
Religions for Peace, moderated
a panel titled “Framing Human
Security as Shared Security for
People and the Planet.” The panelfeatured Samuel Rizk of the UNDP
Crisis Bureau and speakers fromother organizations, including
the Global Network of Women
Peacebuilders, Islamic Relief USA,the World University Consortiumand Soka University in Japan. Social

anthropologist Anne Mette FiskerNielsen remarked that Soka Gakkai
proposes the need to cultivate an
inner transformation in attitude andcultural outlook simultaneously.
Other program sessions in the
symposium included “Seeing andDoing Human Security” and “KeyLearnings.” In his concluding words,
Ganoune Diop, Director of Public
Affairs and Religious Liberty of theSeventh-day Adventist Church,
proposed that the symposium’splanning committee add an action
item to consider creating a task
force on a culture of human security.
The task force would address all thethemes the symposia have covered
since 2015. Human security, he said,
is a cross-cutting theme that needs
critical attention, as we live in an ageof insecurity.

Symposium speakers andparticipants

SGI Annual Report 2023

37

MAR | EDINBURGH, UK

Talk on 40th SGI Peace Proposal Held at
Scottish Parliament
As a backdrop to the event, panelsfrom the “Seeds of Hope: Visions ofsustainability, steps toward change”
exhibition, a collaboration between
Earth Charter International and SGI,
were on display to inspire reflection
and dialogue on pressing global
issues.
Speakers from different faiths
and communities spoke about
their personal journeys of taking
courageous action in the face ofadversity. In his opening remarks,
McLennan described how hebecame passionate about theabolition of nuclear weapons at
the age of 15 and how this led toworking in the local council and laterin government. He spoke on thelink between local and international
injustices and highlighted theimportance of being determined tomake a difference.

The event featured a talk by Robert
Harrap, General Director of SGIUK, which drew on key points from
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s 40th
peace proposal, “Transforming
Human History: The Light of Peace andDignity.” Harrap also emphasized
overarching themes from 40 years
of Ikeda’s peace proposals, such ascompassion, deepening personaland intrapersonal responsibility andthe importance of envisioning anactive and dynamic peace.

SGI-UKThe event was attended by around
100 people, and many shared that,it made them feel empoweredand valued. Guests departed
with packets of sunflower seeds,
symbolizing hope and future
possibility.

Paul McLennan speaks at the peace
proposal event© Seikyo Shimbun

On 30 March 2023, an event at the
Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh,
UK, hosted by Paul McLennan,
Member of the Scottish Parliamentand Minister for Housing, andcoordinated by SGI-UK member
Harley Loudon, celebrated the
profound impact one person’s
actions can have in their local
community.

Youth delegates engage in discussion at the Soka Gakkai Okinawa International
Peace Center

AU G | O K I N AWA , JA PA N

Youth Summit on Renunciation of War
Held in Okinawa
From 19–20 August 2023, the Soka
Gakkai Youth Division in Japan
held its 32nd Youth Summit on the
Renunciation of War in Okinawa.
Annually since 1989, the youth
summit has been held to share
peace activities in respective partsof Japan and to exchange viewson peacebuilding among youth
delegates across the country.
On the first day, the youth delegatesvisited a cave in Yomitan Village,
known as Chibi Chiri Gama, where
the initial attack took place during
the Battle of Okinawa in the final
days of World War II. Fearing capture
by U.S. soldiers, more than 80 local
people killed themselves in the
cave. Seeing the cave with their own
eyes, the youth members formed

a connection to this tragic history
and prayed for the innocent civilians
who lost their lives during the battle.
The youth delegates also visited the
Okinawa World Peace Monument at
the Soka Gakkai Okinawa Training
Center in Onna Village, createdfrom one of the four U.S. Mace B
missile launch sites that were inplace during the U.S. occupation of
Okinawa.
After visiting these two historicalsites, the youth delegatesparticipated in the summit heldat the Soka Gakkai Okinawa
International Peace Center.
Representatives from Hiroshima,
Nagasaki, Okinawa and the Kansai
region introduced their peace
activities within their respectiveSGI Annual Report 2023
Memorial Park in Itoman City, thelast and bloodiest site of the Battleof Okinawa. Lastly, they heard
Hiromi Onabe, a staff member atthe Himeyuri Peace Museum, share
the war testimony of Kikuko Miyagi,
who was drafted into the Himeyuri
Student Corps at the age of sixteen
and worked as a military nurse.

areas. Student Division members
reported the results of anawareness survey on the issueof nuclear weapons, which they
conducted during the summer of2023.
On the morning of the second day,the youth delegates laid a wreathat the Cornerstone of Peacememorial during a visit to the Peace
SEP | BERLIN, GERMANY

SGI Representatives Participate in International
Meeting of Religions and Cultures in Dialogue
in Germany“The Audacity of Peace,” the37th International Meeting of
Religions and Cultures in Dialogue,
was held from 10–12 September
2023 in Berlin, Germany. The
meeting was hosted by theCommunity of Sant’Egidio, a
Catholic lay organization based in
Italy and involved in international
humanitarian aid and otheractivities. SGI representatives
attended the conference alongwith representatives of Christian,Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist andother religious groups from over 40
countries.

© Seikyo Shimbun

The 37th International Meeting of
Religions and Cultures in Dialogue

Twenty thematic forums were held
during the conference, including
sessions on climate change,
migration and interreligious
dialogue. At the session titled “A
World Free from Nuclear Weapons
Is Possible” on 11 September, SGI
Europe Co-chair Robert Harrap wasa panelist.
Harrap noted the importance ofsharing a vision for peace. He also
introduced SGI’s work towardrealizing a world without nuclear
weapons, which is based on the
Buddhist principle of respect forthe dignity of life. In light of theinternational community’s steadyprogress in signing and ratifying
the Treaty on the Prohibition of
Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Harrap
stressed the importance of holding
on to hope, no matter how many
challenges may lie ahead. He
concluded by calling for expanding
the dialogue to create a new phaseof human history that is based onequality, respect and cherishing the
dignity of life.

39

DEC | JORDAN

Joint Music Education Program “Music Brings Us
Together” Completes Its Third Year
Supported by Soka Gakkai andrun by Musicians Without Borders(MWB), the Al-Musiqa Tajm’ana:“Music Brings Us Together” programin Jordan completed its third year of
implementation in 2023.
Launched in 2021, the project
aims to create a network of local
musicians and music teachers who
use music as a tool to enhancesocial inclusion by stimulating
creative development and bringing
hope and joy to children and youth
in marginalized refugee and hostcommunities. During the first three
years, 91 trainees participatedas primary beneficiaries in the
training courses, which included
two curricula: “Music Leadership
Training” and “Music as Therapy.”
The trainees have implemented
about 400 music workshops in total,
which positively impacted morethan 1,200 children of different
backgrounds and origins including
Egyptians, Iraqis, Jordanians,
Palestinians and Syrians. The music
activities learned in the program
include body percussion, rhythm,
movement to music, songwriting,composing and music games.
The second phase of the program
will launch in 2024, putting moreemphasis on children with special
needs, orphans, and formerly
incarcerated youth, in addition tostrengthening the network of musictrainers.

“Music Brings Us Together” trainees

Since the affirmation of the
Global Compact on Refugees(GCR) in 2018, UNHCR, the UN
Refugee Agency, has encouraged
States, organizations, businesses,
academics and refugees themselves
to submit pledges to work towardadvancing its objectives. In lightof the “Music Brings Us Together”
program’s first phase outcomes, theSoka Gakkai and MWB submitted
a joint pledge to the Second Global
Refugee Forum (GRF), which washeld from 13–15 December 2023 in
Geneva. They pledged to continue
delivering this service to more than
300 children in refugee and hostcommunities each year.

SGI Annual Report 2023

41

MAR | NE W YORK , USA

Gender Equality &Women’s Empowerment

Discussing Technology Risks and Potential for
Gender Equality at CSW67
Over 7,000 participants gathered
at UN Headquarters for the first
fully in-person UN Commission on
the Status of Women (CSW) session
since 2019. The sixty-seventhsession of CSW took place from
6–17 March 2023, and civil society
organizations held over 700 parallel
events, in person and virtually, for
the NGO CSW67 Forum.
The Commission adopted Agreed
Conclusions on the theme of“Innovation and Technological
Change, and Education in the
Digital Age for Achieving Gender
Equality and The Empowermentof all Women and Girls.” CSW67
offered an opportunity to address
new and emerging challenges and toshare intersectional, human rightsbased and feminist approaches todigital technology, including artificial
intelligence (AI). Women and girls
experience disproportionate
challenges in the digital age, such as
those related to the right to privacy
and safety of online spaces andtechnological tools.

NGO CSW/NY

Ivy Koek of SGI delivered an oral
statement, speaking on behalf of the
NGO Committee on the Status
of Women, New York (NGO CSW/
NY). The statement included theachievements by the Committee,
which organizes the NGO Forum.
It read, in part, “From personal
experience, we can attest to thepositive contributions of technology.

Ivy Koek of SGI delivering an oral
statement on behalf of the NGO CSW/NY

Our constituencies grew fourfold. Three years ago, when doors
seemed to have closed for civilsociety to engage at the UN, we
opened doors through Zoom
meetings.” Held in a hybrid format
for the first time, the Forum hadover 14,000 virtual registrants.
The NGO CSW/NY Advocacy andResearch Group, which Koek led
as Co-chair, submitted five “KeyRecommendations for the CSW67
Zero Draft” prior to the session
for Member States to consider.
The Committee also made three
requests pertaining to every CSW,
one of which is that violence against
women and girls and gender-based
violence be standing agenda items at
the CSW.

To address such challenges, SGI
organized a parallel event, “Women’s
Leadership for Human-CenteredTechnology,” which Stop Killer
Robots (SKR), NGO CSW/NY andFootage Foundation co-sponsored.
Panelists spoke on the potential
dangers of technology if it is used
to harm, but also presented an
example of how it can be used as aforce for good.
Paloma Lara-Castro, Public
Policy Coordinator for Derechos
Digitales, talked about the needto address social inequalities
and asserted that structuralinequalities, such as surveillance,need to be controlled throughlegal frameworks. Participants
then viewed a video of an interview
series on digital dehumanisation
hosted by Hayley Ramsay-Jones of
SGI. Isabelle Jones, SKR Campaign
Outreach Manager, followed, sharingthat weapon systems are at theextreme end on the spectrum ofautonomy. If not controlled, Jones
stated, machines will decide who
to kill, which is very concerning, as
technology entails bias and risk.
Next, Kristen Eglinton, co-founderof Footage Foundation, offeredan example of a positive use oftechnology. Footage Foundation
created FemSMS, which is being
used in Ukraine to share resources
and compassionate information withwomen through text messaging. Thisis the first time a human-centered
design process has been used
to build a gender-sensitive SMS
platform in a war zone.
At the end of the parallel event,participants shared impressions
and posed questions to panelists
on digital dehumanisation andprinciples needed to keep humanity
at the heart of the digital devices
and spaces we create.

“Key Recommendations for the CSW67 Zero Draft” served as theexpert panel topic for the NGO CSW67 Forum Consultation Day

J U L- O C T | N E W Y O R K , U S A & K I G A L I , R W A N D A

NGO CSW/NY New Leadership and Launch ofWorking Group on Peace and Gender Equality
In July 2023, Ivy Koek of SGI
and Pamela Morgan of Zonta
International started a twoyear term as Co-chairs of the
NGO CSW/NY. The 10-member
Executive Committee embarked on
new initiatives, including building
and strengthening alliances andcollaborations with other NGO
coalitions; developing a five-year
strategic plan; creating an NGO
CSW Hub; and establishing fiveworking groups (WG).

CSW67 parallel event “Women’s
Leadership for Human-CenteredTechnology” organized by SGI

43

NGO CSW/NYSGI Annual Report 2023

The NGO CSW/NY monthly meeting
held in September focused on the
Working Group on Peace andGender Equality. Koek moderated
a discussion with Phoebe Donnelly,
Senior Fellow and Head of

Women, Peace and Security at theInternational Peace Institute, andEloisa Romani, Project Coordinator
for the Strategic Concept for the
Removal of Arms and Proliferation(SCRAP) project, who shared theirgender analyses of the SecretaryGeneral’s New Agenda for Peace.
Donnelly was pleased to see thedocument included language
around dismantling “the patriarchyand oppressive power structuresthat stand in the way of genderequality,” though she shared herdisappointment that it gave no
specific recommendation for how toaddress this. Romani commented
on the failure of National Action
Plans to affirm the relationshipbetween peace, disarmament andNGO CSW/NYSGI Annual Report 2023

45

J U L | TO K YO, JA PA N

Creating the Culture of Peace: Women’s Peace
Committee Holds Forum on Children’s Rights andAddressing Poverty in JapanOn 5 July 2023, the Soka Gakkai
Women’s Peace Committee (WPC)
held a forum on children’s rights aspart of its “Culture of Peace” lecture
series. These lectures, ongoingsince 2011, cover a variety of topics
and engage a large number of WPC
members and the general publicthroughout Japan.

Peace rally marking the 23rd anniversary of UN Security
Council Resolution 1325

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo,
a feminist peace activist from
Cameroon, and President of the
Women’s International League
for Peace and Freedom (WILPF),
concluded the program by sharing
her thoughts on the SDG Summitthat took place at UN Headquarters
in September.
NGO CSW/NY created the Working
Group on Peace and Gender
Equality to bring peace and security
discussions as they relate to womenand girls to the UN Commission on
the Status of Women. Co-chaired
by Koek and Rahel Beigel of the
Women’s Refugee Commission,
the WG officially launched on 19
July 2023 at a side event in the UN
Foundation Nest Hub, held during
the Women Deliver conference in

To open the event, Atsuko Harada,a member of the WPC, shared herexperience of working at a childcare
facility that cares for children during
after-school hours. The key thatenables children to lead hopeful andfulfilling lives, she said, is unwavering
support and compassion from adults
who believe in every child’s unlimited
inherent potential.

Kigali, Rwanda. The event included
a fireside chat with three feminist
peace activists from Cameroon,
Liberia and Syria sharing theirexperiences and perspectives
from the field. A group discussion
followed, addressing action points
for advocacy and ways forward for
the WG.
As one of the WG’s initiatives, NGO
CSW/NY held its first peace rally tomark the 23rd anniversary of UN
Security Council Resolution 1325.
Held on 25 October, the Rally
for Peace took place at the Dag
Hammarskjöld Plaza, down thestreet from where the UN Security
Council Annual Open Debate on
Women, Peace and Security was
being held. Over 70 attendees madecalls for peace. Ten organizations
and committees cosponsored therally, including the Conference of
Non-Governmental Organizations inConsultative Relationship with theUnited Nations (CoNGO), which SGI
serves as a Board member.

The lecturer, Professor Kaori
Suetomi of Nihon University, spoke© Seikyo Shimbun

the advancement of the statusof women, girls, and marginalized
communities, given that “adopting
disarmament measures is crucial tochallenging the patriarchal culture of
weapons possession.”

about the Basic Act for Children and
the Children and Families Agency,
which were established in Japan in
April 2023. Suetomi stressed thatthe establishment of these legal
institutions marked a significant
milestone of policy related tochildren in Japan, providing thebasic foundation to promote andprotect children’s rights in accord
with the UN Convention on the
Rights of the Child. She spoke
about relative and multidimensional
poverty, as well as how to realize
a truly “children-first” society,which she said requires adopting
a comprehensive policy approachthat encompasses support forchildren with respect to their living
environments, isolation in schools
and homes, as well as health andsecurity, among other factors.

Professor Kaori Suetomi of
Nihon University at the forum
on children’s rights

SGI Annual Report 2023

Humanitarian
Relief47

M A R | S EN DA I , JA PA N

Disaster Risk Reduction Events in Sendai
In March 2023, various eventswere held in Sendai, Japan,
to commemorate the twelfth
anniversary of the Great East
Japan Earthquake and promote theSendai Framework for Disaster Risk
Reduction (SFDRR).
One such event, the third World
Bosai Forum, took place on 12
March. Since 2017, the biennial
forum has brought together
representatives of academia, civilsociety and business to share andexplore DRR strategies.
SGI hosted a discussion session at
SFDRR, “Approach to Psychosocial
Recovery After Catastrophic
Events,” attended by about 20
people. Fabienne van Eck, Regional
Program Manager of MusiciansWithout Borders (MWB) for the
Middle East, introduced MWB’s
programs and methods that aim tocreate positive change by developing
connection, resilience and a senseof safety through music for thoseaffected by war, conflict anddisplacement.
Nobuyuki Asai, the SGI’s Directorof Sustainable Development andHumanitarian Affairs, spoke about
the “Bonds of Hope” concerts
conducted by the Soka Gakkai
Music Corps, a continuing initiative
contributing to the “recovery of theheart” in disaster-affected areas inJapan.
Professor Takeo Fujiwara of Tokyo
Medical and Dental University
then introduced the results of

his research into changes in thepsychological state of children
who experienced the Great East
Japan Earthquake over the 10-year
period following the disaster. His
research identified a higher suicide
rate among such children and aweakened sense of self-control.
Fujiwara emphasized the importanceof continuous psychosocial support
for children affected by disasters.
Earlier, on 4 March, membersof the Soka Gakkai’s local youth
division organized a session titled“Promoting the Recovery of theHeart through Music,” as part of
the Sendai Bosai Mirai Forum. Thisannual event aims to share thelessons learned from the disasterand develop a broader networkof those involved in DRR efforts.
Producer Keiichi Shigano shared
his understanding of the value ofsuch activities and the role of art,
including music, in DRR.
Lastly, Soka Gakkai youth hosted
a seminar on 18 March, where
Dr. Sébastien Penmellen Boret,
Associate Professor at theInternational Research Instituteof Disaster Science at Tohoku
University, emphasized theimportance of person-to-person ties
in local communities, especially intimes of disaster.
Watch theBonds of Hopeconcert series

SGI Annual Report 2023
M AY | H I R O S H I M A , J A PA N

“Restoring Our Humanity” Exhibition in
Dominican Republic

Exhibition Highlights ICRC’s Humanitarian and
Nuclear Disarmament Contributions

The exhibition “Restoring Our
Humanity,” jointly created by SGI
and the Asian Disaster Reduction
and Response Network, was held at
the Autonomous University of Santo
Domingo (UASD) in the Dominican
Republic from 23 February to 4
March 2023.

On 9 May 2023, “Promises to
Ensure Peace,” a new exhibition
jointly created by the International
Committee of the Red Cross(ICRC) and SGI, opened at theHiroshima Ikeda Peace Memorial
Hall, concurrent with the G7 Summit
being held in the city. At the opening
ceremony, ICRC Head of Delegationin Japan Jordi Raich emphasizedthat peace means ensuring everyone
can live a life of dignity, free fromconflict and fear.

The opening ceremony was attended
by Dr. Rosalia Sosa Pérez, Vice
Rector of UASD; Dr. Modesto Cruz,
Vice President of the Academy of
Sciences of the Dominican Republic;
Masahiro Takagi, Ambassador ofJapan to the Dominican Republic;
and Pedro Familia, Director Generalof SGI Dominican Republic.

Speaking at the opening ceremony,Dr. Sosa Pérez commended
SGI for its efforts to make theculture of peace a reality, andAmbassador Takagi commented
on the exhibition’s significance inreminding us of fundamental values
in times of conflict and international
tension. Lastly, Familia expressed hishope that the exhibition would help
strengthen individuals’ commitment
to create a better world for all.
© Seikyo Shimbun

The 20-panel exhibition was
produced in response to the first
World Humanitarian Summit, held
in Istanbul, Turkey, in May 2016. In
addition to highlighting individualand community-level initiatives, theexhibition recommends what can bedone at those levels based on input
from people on the front lines ofhumanitarian crises—aid workers,
disaster-affected communities andrefugees—and encourages people
to work together to find humanistic
solutions to today’s challenges.

View theexhibition

Guests are shown around the“Restoring Our Humanity” exhibition

The two-part exhibition introduces
ICRC’s humanitarian efforts in
Ukraine and support for nuclear
abolition from ICRC and SGI.
The first part, “Lost Daily Life:
Ukraine Today,” portrays throughphotos and videos the impact ofconflict on the daily lives of people
in Ukraine and the provision ofhumanitarian assistance. The
second part, “Nuclear Weapons:
A Threat to Humanity—Are They
Really Necessary?” aims to provoke
thought and discussion about theinhumanity of nuclear weapons andthe urgency of disarmament.
As the guardian of International
Humanitarian Law (IHL), ICRC has
called for a ban on nuclear weapons
from a humanitarian perspective
since 1945, when it provided medical
supplies and equipment to thevictims of the first nuclear bombings.
In April 2010, in a statement to the
Geneva Diplomatic Corps, then
ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger
highlighted the unacceptable© Seikyo Shimbun

FEB-MAR | SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

49

Visitors viewing the “Promises to Ensure
Peace” exhibition in Hiroshima

humanitarian damage caused by
nuclear weapons and called on theinternational community to take
immediate action. This statement
marked a significant turning point in
the global discussion on ridding theworld of nuclear weapons.
More recently, ICRC created a blog
titled “Religion and Humanitarian
Principles” with a collection ofcontributions that explore therelationship between IHL and theteachings of various faiths, including
an article by SGI President Daisaku
Ikeda that draws upon a Buddhist
perspective.

SGI Annual Report 2023

Featured Resources

51

Watch
Changemakers

Watch thedocumentary

Changemakers: Stories of Young Human Rights Educators

Through powerful testimonial evidence, this documentary film highlights thelasting suffering caused by nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk Test Site,affecting individuals in Kazakhstan across three generations to this day.

“Changemakers: Stories of Young Human Rights Educators,” is a multimedia
educational tool jointly developed by the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Amnesty International and SGI.

Created by the Center for International Security and Policy with the support of SGI.

The film features the stories of seven young human rights educators from aroundthe world. For further resources, visit the Human Rights Education Open Resource.

View theexhibition

Listen to the
podcastAlexander Bitar

I Want To Live On: The Untold Stories of the Polygon

Automated by Design | Exhibition Microsite

Uniting Nations Podcast

This experience is a digital version of our in-person exhibition that explores digital
dehumanisation - the process by which humans are reduced to data, which is thenused to make decisions or take actions that negatively affect their lives.

SGI and The Metta Center for Nonviolence have partnered to create Uniting
Nations, a podcast series that explores the intersection of nonviolence and thegoals of the United Nations.

Automated by Design was curated and produced by Identity 2.0 for Stop Killer
Robots and supported by Amnesty International and SGI.

Anna Ikeda of SGI serves as the show’s cohost, together with Stephanie Van
Hook, Executive Director of The Metta Center.

SGI Headquarters

15-3 Samoncho, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo 160-0017, Japan
Email: contact@peacesgi.org
SGI Office for UN Affairs
Email: info@sgi-ouna.org
Website: sgi-peace.org

jonny-gios /Unsplash