The Seventh-day Adventist Church is co-leading a discussion about peacemaking at the United Nations, with a church leader telling a major symposium that peace means far more than just the absence of war.
Ganoune Diop, director of public affairs and religious liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist world church, made his remarks during a presentation to 130 representatives from various UN agencies, along with religious and non-governmental organizations, at the third annual symposium on the role of religion and faith-based groups in international affairs. The event, held at the UN building in New York on January 23, was co-sponsored by the Adventist Church.
“Building peace is not a narrow enterprise,” said Diop in his first presentation of the day. “It means considering and engaging with the full spectrum of human life—spiritual, moral and physical. Yes, peace requires the absence of violence, but it also requires the presence of everything needed to support human dignity.” Thus, he added, the prerequisites for peace include the necessities of life—shelter, food, work—as well as freedom from coercion and fear.
