Third symposium of Indian Ocean islands sends message of hope, peace and solidarity |08 October 2016

The third Interfaith Symposium of the islands of the south-west Indian Ocean ended on September 25, 2016, with a day of fraternity at the ‘Jardin de L’Etat’ preceded by a gala evening at the old Hotel de Ville in St Denis, Reunion.

It brought together delegates and representatives from Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, Reunion, Mayotte and Comoros.

Terrorism, global competition for trading markets and marine resources, illegal fishing, exploitation of national resources, the growing spheres of interest by world powers and climate change are some of the potential threats to peace and sustainable development in the region.

Poverty, corruption and institutional or indirect aggression are also potential sources of conflict.

The United Nations in 2015 declared the Indian Ocean as a zone of peace, which includes the demilitarisation and de-nuclearisation of the zone. France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America are non-signatories but further discussions will take place in 2017 regarding the practical challenges of implementation and the steps to be taken to secure our zone. The strategic importance of a zone through which 25% of the world traffic, 75% of all European Union exports and 70% of Middle East oil and gas are routed, was clear.

The official opening speeches were from the chairperson of the Inter-religious group of dialogue of Reunion, the secretary general of the African Council of Religious leaders, the French ambassador for regional co-operation, representatives of the region, the department and the mayor of Reunion. University professors, institute directors, psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, environmental engineers, geographers, ex-secretary general of the IOC (Indian Ocean Commission), and other consultants gave very informative talks on the following themes:

• Peace in the Indian Ocean, in our society and in the family;

• The challenge of climate change;

• Ecology and sustainable development; and

• L’Indianocéanité; our common culture, history and interdependence.

Representatives from various religions, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam and the Baha’i faith conveyed the beliefs based on their sacred texts, on the themes of inner peace, poverty, the causes of youth radicalization and the link between the environment and spirituality. Religion has an important role to play in building relationships, in environmental preservation for sustainable development and the restoration of moral and spiritual values in everyday life.

During the round table discussions, confined to the delegates of the islands’ interreligious groups, the main issues were:

• The importance of strategic planning;
• The structuring of the co-ordinating body of the Indian Ocean network to be based in Mauritius with focal points from each country;
• The importance of setting up interreligious dialogue groups in Mayotte and the Comoros;
• The challenges of financing projects;
• The right of the people of Chagos to return to their homeland.

Contributed by the Seychelles Interfaith Council, Seychelles.