"Pledge To Peace" Signed At Conference In European Parliament

SHANTY DEVI AYADURAI KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (Bernama) -- A "Pledge To Peace" was signed at the "Peace and Well-Being" international conference held in the European Parliament in Brussels, reiterating the founding values of the European Union. The 1st Vice President of the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella, who hosted the conference, said the "Pledge to Peace" -- inspired by the lectures of international speaker and Ambassador of Peace, Prem Rawat, and his message of personal peace -- was a call to action to do something tangible for peace in 2012 and beyond. "The Pledge to Peace is based upon the founding principles of the European Union, the core principles of the Lisbon Treaty 2009 and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It promotes the development of peace and peace education to enhance the wellbeing of its peoples," said a statement issued by The Prem Rawat Foundation to Bernama today. The pledge was signed on Nov 28. After the Pledge to Peace was signed by Pittella and Rawat, the first signatory was Linda Pascotto, President of the Prem Rawat Foundation. The foundation promotes Rawat's message of peace and his vision of addressing fundamental human needs so that people everywhere can live with dignity, peace, and prosperity. Founding signatories of the pledge included UN Peace Day creator Jeremy Gilley from England; Seemanto Roy, son of Subrata Roy Sahara, chairman of the Sahara Group in India, and Nicolo Cristaldi, Member of Parliament (MEP Italy) and Mayor of Mazara Del Vallo, Sicily, who had recently invited Rawat to speak on the topic of peace in that region. Each took a few moments to explain to the audience why they were putting their names to the document, and their own projects in service of peace. Their signatures were followed by representative dignitaries from across Europe. The conference in Brussels, held against a backdrop of international uncertainty, including riots in many European cities, government change and continued unrest in the Middle East, saw the participation of institutional representatives and MEPs as well as academicians and business people from more than 25 countries to explore the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today: peace and wellbeing. Keynote speaker Rawat, who is featured in the popular "Words of Peace" global television programme currently aired across 80 countries, including Malaysia through Bernama TV, Channel 502 on Astro, spoke on the importance of personal need for peace, "one day at a time, one person at a time". He touched on the issues of conflict, saying that "wars happen because people lose respect for each other" and emphasised the human connection people have to each other -- "every single being on the face of this earth is your neighbour". Referring to the recent low general election turnout in one European country, he commented that "democracy is a few serving the many. "Today, democracy has become the many serving the few. I’m not a politician but I am a human being who holds very close to his heart the fundamental possibility of peace on this earth." He pointed out that "peace is in the heart of human beings, not in the mind of human beings" and concluded that "peace needs to be given the chance to happen. We have tried everything else". Pittella and Rawat took questions from students from the Red Cross Nordic United World College before EU representatives present were invited to show public commitment to peace and wellbeing by signing the "Pledge to Peace". -- BERNAMA