UNITED NATIONS AND FINDHORN FOUNDATION PARTNERSHIP

 

 

In Service for Humanity and the Earth

 

On arriving in 1992 at Findhorn, I learnt about the Community elders’ enduring aspiration of collaboration with the United Nations. Over the years they had been nourishing subjective links through meditation. I took this field of responsibility as an assignment and started gradually to weave the official bridges.

We started by participating in the major UN conferences of the 90s. We went on to promote the UN agendas and create programmes addressing the international conventions, including Agenda 21 of the Rio Earth Summit, Agenda Habitat of Istanbul and the Platform of Action of Beijing.

A series of official collaborations between the World Organisation and the Findhorn Foundation, culminated on 8 December 1997 in Findhorn being accepted for formal association with the United Nations, through the Department of Public Information as a recognised Non-Governmental Organisation.

This association sealed the Findhorn Foundation’s commitment, “To disseminate information and raise public awareness about the purposes and activities and achievements of the United Nations and issues of global concern,” related to sustainability, environment, culture of peace, human settlements and education.

Our involvement with the United Nations occurred at a time when the global agenda had never been so varied, critical and complex, demanding new approaches, new visions and commitments of higher will from the international community of NGOs. Whatever the field of service – human rights, humanitarian relief, sustainable development, international law, disarmament, poverty eradication, peace education – NGOs’ influence over the world scenario is incontestable. We are creating new coalitions around emerging issues and crafting strategies for reversing unsustainable trends of a transitioning world.

Since 1998, Frances Edwards and John Clausen have been playing a pivotal role in representing Findhorn at the UN New York Headquarters; at the weekly UN DPI briefing sessions, Values Caucus and Spiritual Caucus meetings and meditations and various other conferences and workshops.

Twenty years of official collaboration have seen over 90 official conferences, seminars and trainings and thousands of participants, including the renowned Ecovillage Trainings at Findhorn, Ecovillage Design Education programmes and CIFAL Findhorn activities. Each year provides renewed responsibility for being part of the larger action network supporting the implementation of the UN’s humanitarian agenda on Earth.

The Findhorn Foundation’s work under the inspiration of the United Nations continues to be a practical response to the challenges we face, and is a beacon leading towards a global culture of peace, justice and sustainability for our generation and many generations to come.

May East