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UPF Participates in Ecological Forum in China
Written by Mrs. Genie Kagawa, UPF International
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Chengdu, China - The 3rd Forum of Ecological Safety, Human Development and Health, China, was held in Chengdu, China July 28 to 31. Chairman Dr. Jiang Mingjun extended invitations to UPF President Dr. Thomas Walsh, Secretary General Tageldin Hamad, and Genie Kagawa, UN Office. The UPF speech was presented by Mr. Hamad on the dialogue of civilizations. The location of the conference was Chengdu, site of the holy city of Taoyuan, the birthplace of Taosim in China.
The conference was organized by the International Eco-Safety Cooperative Organization in collaboration with the China Foundation for International Studies, the World Fellowship of Taoism, the China Foundation for Peace and Development, the China National Culture Exchange, and En Wei Group.
Among the 300 participants were more than 50 international guests from 11 countries, many of them Ambassadors and diplomats, from Nepal, Singapore, Sudan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Mauritius, Samoa, South Sudan, and Somalia. The other 250 guests came from the various provinces in China.
Several distinguished speakers from China addressed the conference, such as Hon. Liu Guchang, former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Cheng Lianchang, former Vice Minister of Personnel, and other members of the Central Committee, military or local government. The 18th National People’s Congress in 2012 had incorporated into the Party Platform new ideas for ecological safety to promote green, cyclic and low-carbon development and to form a resource-conserving and environment-friendly, industrial structure and lifestyle to reverse the trend of ecological deterioration. The UN Habitat Human Settlements Programme, represented by Professor Dr. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with IESCO. Several international Ambassadors spoke about similar problems and solutions pertinent to their own country’s situation.
The conference was a “wake-up call” on the serious threats to mankind’s survival by present-day disasters, such as climate change and unsustainable human activities. Over recent years, frequent outbreaks of global natural disasters and ecological crises have seriously impacted the ecosystem and the quality of human life. Discussion centered on maintaining ecological safety and promoting healthy modes of production and consumption. The topics discussed were: Healthy Development of Mankind and Dialogue of Civilizations, Taoist Medical Science for Health and Taoist Philosophy, Impact of Climate Change on Humankind and Countermeasures, the Role of Scientific and Technological Innovations in Ecological Construction, and Ecological Safety and the Elderly.
Several presentations centered on Taosim’s contribution towards development. Taoism is rooted in Chinese traditional culture and has profound ecological wisdom in dealing with the relationship between human beings and nature. According to Taoist thinking, “Man follows earth, earth follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows nature.” This motto conveys that human development proceeds according to the laws of nature and the two should rely on each other and co-exist peacefully. This thinking is the prerequisite for achieving harmonious human development and global ecological safety. Taoism aims to reach the state of harmonious coexistence among human beings and nature. Mr. Tageldin Hamad was appointed Honorary President of the World Fellowship of Taoism.
At the end of the conference, delegates affirmed the document of the 2nd Ecological Conference in 2012, called the World Taoyuan Ecological Culture and Health Declaration, and pledged to promulgate the Consensus on Ecological Safety, Human Development and Health, passed by the 3rd Ecological Forum.
In addition to the conference presentations on ecology and overall health of human beings, participants could avail of the services of the facilities at Chengdu for physical and mental healing, such as early morning Tai Chi, meditation, health massage, acupuncture, hot springs, and other spa amenities.
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