United Nations Office of the Chaplain
35 representatives from 25 different religious NGOs working at the United Nations attended a luncheon workshop on the Global Day of Action on Military Spending entitled: “What is civil society’s role at the U.N., in the streets, and in the pew/temple/gurdwara/mosque regarding militarism, militarization and military expenditures?” Hosted by the Office of the Chaplain and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, presentations were made by three faith-based organizations who are already actively programming and strategizing around this theme. Speakers included Hiro Sakurai from Soka Gokkai International, Dennis Frado from the Lutheran World Federation and Allison Pytlak from Religions for Peace. The goal of the program was to reinvigorate the conversation and action around this vital topic in a community which, while very involved in multiple agendas and coalitions, do not necessarily have military expenditures as a focus of work. As an outcome, participants decided to meet again to further analyze and explore how we can better link vital actions in this arena and work across the silos.”