Religions for Peace 3rd Advisory Forum in Myanmar Expands “Open Space” for National Reconciliation and Peace and Celebrates the International Day of Tolerance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar) Addressing the critical humanitarian refugee crisis and the security situation in Rakhine, as well as other challenges to peace and reconciliation in Myanmar, Religions for Peace convened its 3rd Advisory Forum on National Reconciliation and Peace in Nay Pyi Taw on 14-15 November 2019. This uniquely broad and inclusive platform is the only forum creating “open space” for all stakeholders to jointly advance concrete action for peace.

While Myanmar government and military officials have fallen under international scrutiny in recent years, RfP continues to engage all actors essential to the alleviation of suffering and the procurement of holistic peace in the context. RfP’s 3rd Advisory Forum convened over 200 religious leaders, government officials, military leaders, ethnic armed organizations, parliamentarians from ruling and opposition parties, representatives of civil society organizations, United Nations representatives, governments and other international organizations.

RfP Myanmar (RfP-M) continues to implement the outcomes of the two previous Forums through their “Welcoming the Other” initiative in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and other states affected by conflicts and inter-communal tensions. The project is locally owned and led by interfaith actors at the community level.

Standing Commissions are the mechanism by which policy formulation and implementation of the Forums’ outcomes are progressed. The 3rd Forum saw the addition of a new Standing Commission. on Freedom of Religion.

The goals of these Forums are continuously implemented at multiple levels. The Foreign Ministry of Indonesia recently hosted a multi-religious delegation from Myanmar for the first step towards a multi-year exchange for interreligious dialogue between Muslim-majority Indonesia and Buddhist majority Myanmar.

The 3rd RfP Advisory Forum also addressed freedom of religion and principles of tolerance. This was further advanced through the country’s first-ever celebration of the UN International Day of Tolerance in Mandalay on the 16 November 2019, in partnership with the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs of Myanmar. Over 200 residents of Mandalay joined this celebration, adopting the Mandalay Declaration on Tolerance.

The Mandalay Declaration states,

“We acknowledge that religious people and institutions have not always honored this important principle and at times fostered intolerance. In order to contribute to the building of a cohesive and peaceful Myanmar, religious people and institutions must also engage in self-critical scrutiny… Tolerance drives us to speak openly and freely against injustice, oppression, violence and everything that violates human dignity.  We will speak clearly and publicly against that which fosters intolerance and discrimination.  We will do all we can to counter any form of hate speech or other hate crimes especially when such acts are presented as religiously motivated.”