On January 26, 2021, the 39th annual peace proposal by Daisaku Ikeda, president of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Buddhist association, titled "Value Creation in a Time of Crisis" was released, marking the anniversary of the founding of the SGI.
Ikeda calls for further global cooperation to address the key issues of our time: the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and the need to rid the world of nuclear weapons. These issues are not constrained by national borders and cannot be solved by any one government or organization alone.
He comments, "Our shared efforts to respond to the pandemic can serve as a foundation for generating global awareness of the essential role of human solidarity in transforming crises."
Regarding the pandemic, he welcomes the COVAX facility that aims to ensure the global procurement and availability of COVID-19 vaccines. He proposes the holding of a high-level meeting at the UN to address COVID-19 and the convening of an online "beyond COVID-19" youth summit to discuss the kind of world young people want to see in the aftermath of this crisis.
Ikeda also highlights the economic devastation brought about by the pandemic, estimated to be threatening the livelihoods of 1.6 billion people, half the world's workforce, and emphasizes the need to promote global social protection initiatives. He calls on the OECD to play a leading role here and in a transition to a green economy, where resources saved on military expenditure can be allocated to expanding healthcare and social services.
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