26 February 2016 – The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) led “Faith in Humanity, a dialogue with Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs) in Preparation for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS)” on February 24 at the Department of Foreign Affairs. The dialogue was represented by around 60 members of FBOs including the leaders of the Christian (Catholic and Protestant), Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist and Bahai religions who actively participated in the discussion.
The dialogue, coordinated by the DFA’s Office of United Nations and International Organizations, was organized to obtain the views of FBOs, other government and non-governmental humanitarian stakeholders in preparation for the upcoming WHS.
The first-ever WHS which will be held in Istanbul, Turkey from May 23 to 24, 2016 is an initiative of UN Secretary General, Mr. Ban Ki Moon, and is being convened in light of myriad natural and man-made crises around the world. With the theme “One Humanity, Shared Responsibility” it will focus on five themes namely: Dignity, Safety, Resilience, Partnerships and Finance. An “Agenda for Humanity” will be released during the Summit, which will focus on strengthening the leadership, norms and resource commitments for humanitarian action, “leaving no one behind.”
H.E. Archbishop Socrates Villegas, D.D. was the dialogue’s keynote speaker. He said that “The only way to God is through humanity… we cannot express our faith in God without loving humanity.”
In his opening remarks, the Assistant Secretary Jesus R.S. Domingo of UNIO emphasized that the “the Road to Istanbul, to better humanitarian action, must be travelled together, with government, civil society and faith-based organizations in dynamic partnership – for the sake of humanity.”
SMOM Ambassador Odelia Arroyo, the dialogue’s co-convener, stressed that the “diverse number of faiths in the Philippines are rich sources of moral voices” which can make a critical difference “particularly in the case of natural disasters and the effects of climate change – where the poor, regardless of religion, suffer the most.”
Also in attendance were leaders of various national and international FBOs and civil society organizations, the United Nations, representatives of the Diplomatic Corps and other government agencies.
The Philippine government and the SMOM have been in the forefront of preparations for the WHS. The SMOM convened a seminal symposium for FBOs entitled “Religions Together for Humanitarian Action: Reaching out to Victims of Armed Conflicts – the Special Role of Faith-Based Actors” last year in Geneva, Switzerland. This Symposium in Geneva resulted in a clear plan of action for FBOs. Inspired by the symposium, the UN will organize a special event for FBOs during the WHS.
Today’s dialogue revolved around the key recommendations of the SMOM symposium, namely: 1) Establish new approaches for cooperation between and among faith-based actors 2) Empower local communities, including religious communities and 3) Create coherent approaches and actions between FBOs/institutions and humanitarian aid as well as the main themes of the WHS itself. It also discussed the WHS’ five themes: Dignity, Safety, Resilience, Partnerships and Finance.
In the Philippines, the DFA coordinates the work of various government agencies in preparation for the WHS. With an average of 22 typhoons that make landfall in the Philippines on a yearly basis, and its precarious position in the earthquake and volcanic eruption prone “ring of fire”, the Philippines has learned many invaluable lessons from our own humanitarian preparedness, response, relief and rehabilitation efforts, and will share them at the WHS. END