GENEVA, 12 April 2013 (LWI) – The first-ever global Arms Trade Treaty will be an important tool for peaceful and non-violent resolution of conflicts, with justice and respect for the dignity and rights of every person, says Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, President of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). In a statement today welcoming the adoption … [Read more…]
In favour: 138 | Oppose: 9 | Abstain: 41
Restricted access to holy sites is one of several concerns cited in a UN Human Rights Council draft resolution. The October 2009 document: Offers deep concern about Israeli restriction of access to Christian and Muslim holy sites; Demands that Israel cease digging and excavating beneath the Al Aqsa Mosque compound; Condemns human rights violations such … [Read more…]
Statement on Gaza by Jorge Sampaio, UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations Read the document.
In late October, representatives of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land and of the Alliance of Civilizations, met in Lisbon at the invitation of Jorge Sampaio, a former president of Portugal. The Alliance is an initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General and seeks to galvanize international action against extremism. ELCJHL Bishop Munib … [Read more…]
The United Nations Office for the Communication of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has released its 2007 year-end summary.
Bishop Munib Younan of the ELCJHL was invited to preside over the religious commemoration of the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization Ceremony that honored the 32 UN peacekeepers who have given their lives since the organization was formed in 1948. Ambassadors from the 14 countries who lost people were asked to lay a wreath for … [Read more…]
Christians packed the Church of the Dormition on Thursday to pray for peace in the world, but especially for peace with justice in the Holy Land. Christian and Muslim Palestinians in Bethlehem – most of whom cannot go to Jerusalem – gathered for a service of their own. About 70 people gathered around Rachel’s Tomb, … [Read more…]