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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. United Religions Initiative (URI) presented its first Environmental
Protection Award to the Government and People of The Federal
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in recognition of their outstanding
and exemplary effort to fight desertification by planting around 760
million trees through out Ethiopia during the celebration of the
Ethiopian Millennium.
The Award was presented to H.E. Girma Woldegiorges, President of Ethiopia at the National Palace on June 24, 2008, by The Rev. Charles Gibbs, Executive Director and delegation head of the United Religions Initiative. After receiving the award, the President express his appreciation to URI for the tireless effort in promoting a culture of peace and interfaith harmony through out the world. He also acknowledged the organization concern toward the environmental issue.
In addition to honoring Ethiopia with the environment protection award members of URI who came to Ethiopia from India , Philippine, Uganda and USA to participate for the URI Moral Imagination peace-building program planted peace trees at the Millennium Park . The tree planting event is organized by Interfaith Peace-building Initiative of Ethiopia, a member organization of URI here in Ethiopia, in partnership with the Addis Ababa Millennium Secretariat.
The United Religions Initiative and Interfaith Peace-building initiative appreciate the profound coordination role played by the Millennium Secretariat at the National, Regional and Addis Ababa level in planting the trees.
United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global interfaith peace-building organization with consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and its purpose is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living being. It has members through out the world and representative at the UN in NY and at the ECA in Addis Ababa.
With its many locally rooted and globally connected Cooperation Circles (CCs) through out the world like the one here in Ethiopia (Interfaith Peace-building Initiative), URI is engaged in creating a world where the values and teachings of the great wisdom traditions guide peoples’ service, where people respect one another’s beliefs, and where the resourcefulness and passion of people working together bring healing and a more hopeful future to the earth’s community and the environment.
URI believes that a new wind of hope is blowing in Africa and would like to join hands with the Africa Union and its member's countries to bring religions, faith-based organizations, interfaith organizations and other stake holders together to work toward conflict resolution, promoting a culture of peace, fighting HIV/AIDS, environmental protection, bringing reconciliation, and creating awareness on the need of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.
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