GLOBAL ENERGY PARLIAMENT: HABITAT HARMONY
One of the most important and urgent issues facing the international community is how to create a harmonious habitat for the billions of humans, animals and species on Planet Earth. With the focus on this, the Global Energy Parliament (GEP) will this year hold its Habitat Harmony Conference in Sri Lanka on December 11 amid growing appeals that this festive season be transformed from a big business to a green or eco-friendly season.
This international event will address issues such as urban and rural development, housing, culture, health, education, interfaith harmony, the environment and business. This movement’s pioneers say they hope this event, actively supported by all major religions, will help young Sri Lankans especially to seek solutions, through dialogue, to the main challenges facing the world community and almost every country today.
The organizers say they hope that by having a dialogue on these issues, we would be able to recognise that global challenges including ongoing calamities such as those in Iraq and Syria need global solutions for the common good of the international community. Amid a disturbing trend towards global populism with orthodox or right-wing extremists promoting isolationism such as what we saw at the Brexit vote at the referendum in Britain and the Donald Trump victory or the Trumpo calypse in the United States, the GEP says its vision is to ensure a self-sustaining, peaceful life for human beings and the world.
The GEP was initially launched by the Isa Viswa Prajnara Trust, a recognized charitable trust founded in India by Swami Isa. This Sunday’s conference, to be held at the banquet hall of Temple Trees, is being hosted by the Interfaith Coalition for Peace in Sri Lanka (ICPSL), the Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Society and the National Christian Council of Sri Lanka.
Since 2010, the GEP has been holding non-party political international sessions of parliament each year in different countries, including India, Germany, Britain, France and Switzerland. The organizers say the outcome of these sessions includes resolutions on collaborative policies, technologies and activities to bring about long term sustainability and well-being. The GEP says it has been bringing out leading ideas for the past seven years from scientists, academics, professionals and other activists around the world. Every Year, the GEP says it provides a summary of the best ideas and concepts to the governments of all countries and other bodies of international importance including the United Nations.
According to the GEP, its aims are to create space for people and especially the young, to explore the creation of solutions on policies that bring about sustainable solutions for some of the world’s problems, while in the meantime, creating awareness about the interconnection among humans and the world. The GEP further says its mission is fulfilled by developing human thought a deep understanding of the relationship between internal and external energy, promoting and developing scientific research on energy, creating and promoting legislation and problem-solving strategies based on the science of energy and creating public awareness about energy balance and programmes to allow individuals to realize its benefits.
Developed on the basis of Westminster parliamentary debates, the GEP says it encourages young people to get a taste of parliamentary proceedings by participating in a full-day event convened as a simplified parliament session including a question hour, introduction of Bills, submission of call-attention motions and voting on resolution.
According to GEP, the spirit of this parliament is scientific evidence to find global solutions, and collaborations from across all sectors to formulate policy suggestions on achieving harmony. The IPCSL says its vision is to facilitate a cohesive Sri Lankan Nation sustained and nourished by our spiritual values and resources where all our religious and ethnic communities live in peace and harmony. It will be unity in diversity where all our Sri Lankan people live with dignity and security.