JEDDAH, 4 April 2006 — In recognition of the Organization of the Islamic Conference’s commitment and fruitful contribution to global peace and security and for strengthening multilateral cooperation around the world, the Goi Peace Foundation, a Japan-based non-profit organization, awarded the pan-Islamic body its “Peace Pole” yesterday.
Patrick Uwe Petit, the European representative of the foundation, presented the award to OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the organization’s headquarters in Jeddah.
Petit said that the award was in recognition of “OIC’s outstanding commitment to the creation of a culture of peace and building a global alliance of solidarity among Muslim nations as well as for safeguarding the dignity and independence of all Muslim people.”
He said that in Europe some institutions and people have unfortunately failed to understand the policy of co-existence.
The foundation decided to commend the OIC for launching the idea of dialogue among civilizations in 1998 and Petit praised Ihsanoglu for his distinguished leadership and for making the organization a well-respected and global voice for peace on earth.
The OIC now joins a global alliance of distinguished recipients of the “Peace Pole” award, such as the United Nations secretariat, UNESCO, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Arab League, the African Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The Peace Poles are silent reminders of peace on earth. They carry a universal message and prayer in various languages: “May peace prevail on earth.”
The OIC, which groups 57 Muslim countries, was established in Rabat, Morocco, on Sept. 25, 1969.
The idea of the Peace Pole came to the Japanese philosopher and humanist Masahisa Goi in the aftermath of World War II. In 1955, the Peace Pole Project was launched in Japan and it spread around the world and today more than 200,000 Peace Poles have been planted in more than 180 countries.
In 1999, the Goi Peace Foundation was established in Tokyo to promote global efforts toward a culture of peace. The mission of the foundation is to bring together people and organizations united in their hearts toward a common goal of peace on earth.
