URI- A REGISTERED NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

URI- A REGISTERED NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION

URI was registered as a non-governmental organization (NGO) with the United Nations Department of Public Information in 2003, and received special consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council in 2007. URI is represented at the UN headquarters in New York by Monica Willard with assistance from a dedicated team of URI members and staff.

As a UN NGO, URI disseminates UN information to its members and helps catalyze grassroots action around UN issues and initiatives, such as the International Day of Peace, the Millennium Development Goals, the environment, women, children and youth. The work of URI Cooperation Circles around the world is shared with the international community through interaction with UN agencies, member states and the UN NGO community. URI participates actively in the work of the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN; the Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns; The Values Caucus; and the Earth Values Caucus.

URI Cooperation Circles serve many different communities across a wide range of fields and disciplines.

One of the goals of the new URI website is to organize CCs doing similar work into Action Areas via the Internet. Peacebuilding and youth are areas that already have significant momentum, leadership and staff support. Environment, education and women are emerging areas with similar energy behind them. Other critical areas of service include:

• Economic Development

• Health care, including HIV/AIDS

• Humanitarian Aid

• Indigenous People

• Labor

• Nuclear disarmament

• Religious Freedom

• Service to the Poor

• Spirituality

Watch the Action Areas menu grow as CCs working on these issues step forward to offer leadership in organizing and connecting CCs around them, creating truly global movements for positive social change.

URI youth are at the forefront of social transformation in their communities. As uprisings swept the Middle East and North Africa this year, for example, many in our youth network took to the streets, the airwaves and traditional and social media outlets to demand reform, equality, justice and economic opportunity for all. URI’s Young Leaders Program is equipping this new generation of URI leaders in the Middle East and beyond to be effective agents of change, providing them skills and resources for organizing and action, and connecting the For the past four years,

URI Korea has organized a Youth Leadership Peace Camp in partnership with the Korea Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This year the Peace Camp took place June 24-26 in Seoul. Dr. Abraham Karickam and Dr. Hira Paul Gagnegi, URI Coordinators from India, and Father James Channan, URI Coordinator from Pakistan, who are members of the URI Asia Executive Council, joined the Ven. Dr. Jinwol Lee and the young adults attending the Peace Camp this year. In addition to sharing their perspectives on interfaith work, they joined in youth activities and took this opportunity to develop plans and programs to sustain and develop URI acroSixty one years ago on this day (June 25th, 1950), the Korean war erupted, which lasted for three years, causing much destruction and painful division. UN army comprising soldiers from 16 nations fought the battle, which was very rare. 10 million people had to part, for no reasons and still those millions long for a family re-union. Yes, today is the Korean commemoration day and we, the URI youth Camp family visited the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) to offer prayers for peace, with hundreds who flocked there with the same intent.ss the Asia regionem to one another across the globe.
We visited the Doorasan Railway station near DMZ also, which is almost deserted now. From here any one could go to Europe by train, when it was built as a part of the Trans-Eurasian Railway network. But since North Korea has blocked it now, there is no traffic. There are still so many lines to be opened and so many more walls to crumble. Let our youth decide what is best for them. We will reflect upon all these issues during the evening Forum.

Prof. John Kurakar