PEACE-MAKER
We are saddened by the recent passing of our dear friend and one of the Philippines’ most accomplished diplomats, Lauro Baja Jr., who served our country with great distinction as Foreign Affairs Undersecretary, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Ambassador to various countries.
Ambassador Baja was conferred the Order of Sikatuna with the rank of Datu, the highest award a Filipino diplomat could receive. He was credited for his outstanding accomplishments in international relations and foreign policy formulation.
He was instrumental in crafting and negotiating the 2002 Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea, the ASEAN Joint Declaration Against Terrorism, and the Joint Statement on East Asia Cooperation for the 21st Century.
He was our envoy in the UN when the Philippines initiated in November 2004 the concept and practice of Interfaith Dialogue as a way of helping resolve politico-religious conflicts, strengthening the religious moderates, and isolating those who advocate terrorism and violent extremism in the name of religion. The Interfaith Dialogue upholds a global culture of peace and mutual understanding.
The Interfaith Dialogue was approved by the UN General Assembly during the Christmas holidays in December 2005. It was a major victory for the Philippines in international diplomacy and our country’s enshrined contribution in advancing the cause of global peace. Since then, not only the United Nations and individual governments, but also civil society groupings, have been holding these dialogues at national, regional, and international level.
To institutionalize the Interfaith Dialogue, we also proposed the creation of an Interfaith Council in the UN or at least a “Unit” be established in the UN system whose specific responsibility would be to organize, coordinate, and oversee interfaith dialogues systematically, as well as to assess their effectiveness. We partially succeeded as there is now a “focal point” on Interfaith Dialogue in the office of the UN Secretary General.
On January 2006, we organized a Global Interfaith Dialogue here in Manila, where leaders of various religions and faith-based organizations from the Asia Pacific region participated. Several incumbent and former heads of government and parliaments from Asia and Europe addressed the conference.
Last December 2023, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted the resolution dubbed, “The Promotion of Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Dialogue, Understanding and Cooperation for Peace,” sponsored by the Philippines and Pakistan, which seeks to strengthen mechanisms and actions for the upholding of dialogue across the cultural and religious divide.
It is a significant development in view of the alarming increase in religious intolerance and racism, as well as in religious extremism and terrorism around the world.
In advocating the Interfaith Dialogue, we have always pointed out that understanding among the great religions, cultures and civilizations is the anchor for a just and lasting global peace.