On December 12th, 2016, the Chinese version of the book Voices from Religions on Sustainable Development, translated by the Amity Foundation was released at the International Conference on Religions, Values, Ethics and Development in Nanjing, China.
Participants included Vice President and General Secretary Qiu Zhonghui, Senior Consultant Dr. Theresa Carino, Xie Ying, Executive Director of the Geneva Office and Research Coordinator Wu Meijuan from the Amity Foundation.
“I hope this book will help people to realise the contribution of religion for social development”,
said Dr. Theresa Carino, Senior Consultant of the Amity Foundation, who coordinated the translation in close cooperation with the GIZ Sector Programme Values, Religion and Development.
The original English version of the book Voices from Religions on Sustainable Development was published by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and was coordinated and developed by Khushwant Singh. Its publication marked the launch of PaRD during the international Berlin conference Partners for Change – Religions and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in February 2016. The book illustrates that religion can be part of the solution to the global challenges we face. It brings together the multifaceted wisdom of nine religions and one indigenous tradition on sustainable development. More than 25 inspiring followers, theologians, practitioners and academics from the Bahá’í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Indigenous traditions, Islam, Judaism, and the Sikh Religion share their spiritual and religious insights on the five dimensions of the new Agenda 2030: Planet, People, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. Without claiming any form of representative authority, their authentic contributions increase our knowledge of religions and describe how religious actors promote development.
The book demonstrates that common spiritual values are at the heart of all religious and indigenous traditions – and that bringing these virtues to life can contribute to overcoming environmental destruction, poverty, forced migration, corruption, terror, discrimination and injustice.
The authors give cause for optimism that the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030 signed by 193 nations at the United Nations in September 2015 can be achieved through a conscious individual and collective effort.
