Baha'i International Community Brussels Office

At last week's Article 17 meeting in the European Parliament, which focused on the importance of intergenerational dialogue in tackling Europe's future challenges, Sina Varaei from our Brussels office emphasized the need to strengthen interactions between generations and to value the unique contributions each generation brings. #Art17Dialogue #SocialCohesion #IntergenerationalDialogue

“Conceptions about how society operates, who we are as people, and what the notion of power entails, need to be fundamentally revisited. And, the very exercise of this re-imagination can only occur when all participate”. With these remarks, Rachel Bayani, Representative of the Baha'i International Community Brussels Office, opened an event on the importance of gender equality and its implications for a peaceful and prosperous world. Thank you to the Global Governance Forum for co-hosting, to the panelists, and all who took part, for their insights. Augusto Lopez-Claros Amanda Ellis Ruth Halperin-Kaddari Georgia Mourad Brooks #GenderEquality

"The equality of women and men is not a condition whose effects will be limited to half of the world’s population. Its operationalization will revolutionize all facets of human society." The Baha'i International Community Brussels Office recently hosted a panel on the importance of gender equality and its implications for a peaceful and prosperous world. This is a central conviction in the Baha'i teaching-- that peace is conditional on the equal opportunities, education and responsibilities shouldered by both women and men. The biggest takeaway from this space was the fact that we need to fundamentally rethink the principles underlying our inherent equality as women and men. Technical solutions, purely focused on equalising the number of men and women in different spaces are far from what it takes to create true equality. We need to re-conceptualise what these spaces even look like. A change of mind and heart, on the individual and collective level, is needed. Thank you for a truly thought-provoking space Augusto Lopez-Claros Rachel Bayani Amanda Ellis Ruth Halperin-Kaddari Georgia Mourad Brooks

It was a pleasure to join POLITICO Europe’s Sustainable Futures Week, which explored the future of sustainable agriculture in the European Union. The discussions focused on overcoming the challenges associated with food security, especially in the context of increasing uncertainty. Participants also explored what is needed to encourage younger generations to find meaningful careers in agricultural work. “Envisioning a food system that harmoniously integrates the essential needs of all, both in Europe and worldwide, requires a fundamental reexamination of the values, assumptions and practices that underpin our food systems,” said Chloe Jamali, policy officer at the Baha'i International Community Brussels Office. Thank you to the panellists, moderators and participants for their insights. Photo credits: PolitcoFlikr©️ #POLITICOSustainableWeek #agrifood #foodsystems

Heartfelt thanks to the International Association for the Defence of Religious Liberty and the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - United Nations Human Rights for this invitation to participate and contribute to a #Faith4Rights Peer-Learning Experience a few weeks ago. I had the pleasure of learning alongside 23 experts in Freedom of Religion or Belief and sharing insights from the Board of Coordinators of EPRID and the work of the Baha'i International Community Brussels Office. The initiative was a great opportunity to explore the synergy between faith and human rights, to discuss practical examples of how to promote inclusive societies and share best practice for addressing violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief. What does it mean to uphold FoRB for all and acknowledge the shared dynamics underlying all cases? How can #FoRB practitioners act with a common voice to overcome hate-speech and promote a culture of inclusion?

Join us for our next hybrid roundtable discussion co-hosted by the Global Governance Forum and the Baha'i International Community Brussels Office. Event details: ✉️Title: Gender Equality & its Role in Creating a More Prosperous and Peaceful World 📆 Date: Monday 9 December 📍Location: Rue Montoyer 31, 1000 Brussels & online ⏰ Time: 15:00 - 16:30 CET Register via the link below 🔗 Panelists include: • Amanda Ellis, Former New Zealand Ambassador to the United Nations • Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, Former Vice-President of CEDAW and Director, Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women • Georgia Mourad Brooks, Founder & CEO, The Nine and Founder & Managing Director, Fempower Initiative • Donald Steinberg, US Ambassador and Executive Director, Mobilizing Men as Partners for Women, Peace, and Security; and former Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Opening Remarks: • Rachel Bayani, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the European Union Moderated by: • Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum #GenderEquality

Thank you to Member of the European Parliament Abir Al-Sahlani for highlighting the persecution of #Bahai women in #Iran in a debate ahead of the urgency resolution “On the increasing and systematic repression of women in Iran”. The resolution was adopted yesterday by an overwhelming majority at the European Parliament plenary and cites the 1991 memorandum signed by Iran’s supreme leader, which describes the government’s state-sponsored policy to persecute the Baha’is. The resolution also insists on “the immediate and unconditional release” of all victims of arbitrary detention, including human rights activists and women’s rights defenders, and denounces the Iranian authorities for summoning or jailing at least 72 Baha’i women in recent months. See the resolution here 👉 https://lnkd.in/euBCVgT4

An “urgency resolution” by the European Parliament “strongly condemned” the Iranian government’s “persecution of ethnic and religious minorities” yesterday with an overwhelming majority, citing a 1991 memorandum signed by Iran’s supreme leader, which describes the government’s state-sponsored policy to persecute the Baha’is, and which calls for the “progress and development” of the Baha’i community to be “blocked”. "The European Parliament is showing Iran’s government that they know the persecution of Baha’is is a state-sponsored policy and that representatives of 27 European countries are watching.” - Rachel Bayani, Representative of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) to the European institutions in Brussels. Read our full story: https://lnkd.in/eTsCZ8A9

How can institutions—at regional, national, and local levels—engage meaningfully with #youth and align their approaches with the needs and realities of young people today? This question was at the heart of a recent roundtable discussion hosted by the BIC Brussels Office, titled "Strengthening the Relationship Between Youth and Institutions: What Is Needed for Meaningful Engagement?" The conversation highlighted the need to establish a culture of engagement that extends beyond formal mechanisms and which is authentic and inclusive. Participants shared that central to such a culture is the creation of spaces for dialogue which are characterized by mutual respect and a posture of learning—one rooted in a shared commitment to addressing the aspirations of young people.

Thank you Paul Kleebinder for sharing your thoughts on reimagining education in transforming food systems at the #WorldFoodForum2024