Consultations inspire new hope for humanity’s future
May 2, 2023
BAHÁ’Í WORLD CENTRE — The International Bahá’í Convention drew to a close today, following days of consultation among delegates on the capacity-building process under way in communities around the world to contribute to the spiritual, moral, and material advancement of the societies where they reside.
Tessa Scrine, a member of the Board of Counsellors in Australasia who chaired one of the sessions, said in her opening remarks: “The vision before us has far reaching implications. Each nation whose representatives are gathered here and each of those who cannot be present… is learning to navigate the path of their own development.”
Ramazan Asgarli from Azerbaijan highlighted experiences from a national conference on coexistence held by the government’s State Committee on Religious Associations, which was inspired by discussions with the Bahá’í community on the principle of unity in diversity. “This was our country’s first ever conference about social cohesion,” he said. “From that experience, the government encouraged the holding of many conferences across the country to explore themes such as selfless service as a way to strengthen the fabric of our society.”
Ballakissa Togola, a delegate from Mali, said that many women in her village struggle with literacy. The Bahá'ís’ efforts have focused largely on the advancement of women. “We have been holding devotional gatherings, as well as offering spiritual and moral empowerment programs, which are open to all of the women in the village” she said. “These programs are enabling the participants to improve their literacy skills and some women are themselves becoming facilitators.”
Many of the delegates, some of whom were quite young themselves, emphasized the significance of their work with young people and the profound impact it has on both individual and collective lives.