“The Audacity of Peace,” the 37th International Meeting of Religions and Cultures in Dialogue, was held from 10–12 September 2023 in Berlin, Germany. The meeting was hosted by the Community of Sant'Egidio, a Christian lay organization based in Italy and involved in international humanitarian aid and other activities. SGI representatives attended the conference along with representatives of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious groups from over 40 countries.

Twenty thematic forums were held during the conference, including sessions on climate change, migration and interreligious dialogue. At the session titled “A World Free from Nuclear Weapons Is Possible” on 11 September, SGI Europe Co-chair Robert Harrap spoke as one of the panelists.

Harrap noted the importance of sharing a vision for peace. He also introduced SGI’s work toward realizing a world without nuclear weapons, which is based on the Buddhist principle of respect for the dignity of life. This work, Harrap shared, also nurtures the culture of peace through grassroots initiatives. For example, SGI supports nuclear abolition exhibitions around the world as part of disarmament education, aiming to expand the disarmament movement and to encourage each citizen to think about peace and realize that they can be the agents of change.

In light of the steady progress the international community has made in signing and ratifying the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), Harrap stressed the importance of holding on to hope, no matter how many challenges may lie ahead. He concluded by calling for expanding the dialogue to a new phase of human history that is based on equality, respect and cherishing the dignity of life.