2020 World UNITY Week - "Coming Together as One People," Part 2 of 2

Water is essential to the survival of all beings on this planet. It nurtures lives, cleanses, and connects everything. On June 24, World UNITY Water Day, the proposal for “World Water Law” and “World Water Year 2021” were launched. His Excellency Mussie Hailu, Member of UN Representative, and Goodwill Ambassador of Culture of Peace Initiative, sent an online message of endorsement for the proposal. The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, first launched on June 19, 2017, is an international, multi-faith alliance that brings together faith leaders from around the world in a concerted effort to end tropical deforestation. Religious leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist faiths joined the indigenous peoples from Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Meso-America and Peru to make protection of rainforests an ethical priority. Dame Dr. Jane Goodall, the British environmentalist, animal rights activist, primatologist and Shining World Compassion Award Recipient, was a guest speaker for the event. She talked on the magic of the rainforest and its crucial role in mitigating climate change. She pointed out the connection between the current Covid-19 pandemic and detrimental human behavior. “This pandemic, it’s keeping us apart. I should have been with you today, but I am locked down, in Bournemouth, in England. Others of you will still be locked down. We will be social distancing, or something. We brought this pandemic on ourselves. And it’s because we disrespected the forest, disrespected the natural world, disrespected the animals.” On June 27th, celebration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter was the climax of World Unity Week. Established on June 26, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations is a foundational treaty to uphold the basic human rights of every world citizen and a broad outline of principles to achieve higher standards of living for all. Signed by 50 countries, the Preamble of the treaty begins with, “We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.”