Every April, the world pays close attention to an important date, 22 April, which is designated as the “Earth Day”. It is a time to celebrate, learn about and protect the biodiversity of earth. There is a growing emphasis on “sustainable development” where the balancing of human needs with the protection of the natural and social environments can be met in the present and also into the indefinite future. Soka Gakkai International (SGI) President Daisaku Ikeda also believes that the education for sustainable development should be promoted. As such, since year 2011, Soka Gakkai Malaysia (SGM) has designated April as the “Month of Sustainable Development”
The ultimate goal of sustainable development efforts is to create a peaceful world. Similarly, sustainable development cannot take place in a climate dominated by violence and war. This April, SGM will be holding an exhibition entitled “Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World”. This exhibition will open its door to the Malaysian public from 14th to 29th April 2012 at Wisma Kebudayaan SGM, No. 243 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur. The exhibition will be officiated by Dr. Victor P. Karunan, Deputy Representative, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on 14th April 2012 (Saturday) at 3.00pm.
This exhibition was produced by the Soka Gakkai International in 2003 to support the United Nations’ Culture of Peace initiative and it brings together the ideas of hundreds of people and organisations dedicated to finding a path to lasting peace. Through this exhibition, we hope to broaden the perspective and understanding of “sustainable development” with an emphasis on children and building a culture of peace for the sake of the children of the world. This is the core value of sustaining the life of the earth in accordance with Principle 16 of the Earth Charter which states the shared responsibility to promote a culture of “tolerance, nonviolence and peace”. The opening hours of the exhibition are from 11.00am to 6.00pm daily.
There will be screenings of SGI President Ikeda’s Children Animation Series every Saturday and Sunday during the exhibition period, at the 1st floor of Soka Exhibition Hall. From 12 noon onwards, an animation story will be screened every hour. Besides that, a series of educational activities entitled “Culture of Peace and I” for all ages at the 7th Floor SGM Exhibition Hall. No registration is required.
For more information about our programme, please contact SGM Public Relations Department at Tel. No: 03-2144 8686 / 03-9075 6876 or email: sgmpro@sgm.org.my.
