- 1899-05-18 —
At the suggestion of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, the First International Peace Conference was held in The Hague. 26 nations attended.
Although the conference failed to achieve its primary objective, the limitation on armaments, it did adopt conventions defining the state of belligerency and adopted the Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes thus creating the Permanent Court of Arbitration. [Encyclopaedia Britannica]
- This was the second attempt by a sovereign to call for some sort of international peace conference. The first such effort was made by Napoleon III in the 1860s. [Modernity and Millennium by Juan Cole p131-135]
- 1907-06-15 — The Second Peace Conference in The Hague was attended by the representatives of 44 states. Again the proposal for the limitation of armaments was not accepted. The conference did, however, adopt several conventions relating to comportment of nations in time of war. It was resolved to hold another conference in eight years and although the conference scheduled for 1915 failed to meet because of the outbreak of World War I, the conference idea strongly influenced the creation of the more highly organized League of Nations after the war. [Encyclopaedia Britannica]
- 1912-05-12 — `Abdu'l-Bahá took a ferry to New Jersey then a train to Montclair where He addressed the congregation of the Montclair Unity Church before returning to New York to speak to the International Peace Forum at the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church on
West 104th Street, New York where He spoke to 2,000 people. [239D:66; AB191, PUP113, PUP116]
He used the situation in Libya as an example of the senselessness of war. See Promulgation of Universal Peace p119]
- 1912-05-14 —
`Abdu'l-Bahá attended the eighteenth annual Conference on International Peace and Arbitration at Lake Mohonk, presenting the first address during the second session of the conference. [239D:67–9; AB193; ABF15; MD101]
"His early public references in North America to the purpose of His visit there placed particular emphasis on the invitation of the organizing committee of the Lake Mohonk Peace Conference for Him to address this international gathering." [BWNS1297]
- The Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration was founded in 1895 and was held annually until 1917 for the purpose of creating and directing public sentiment in favour of international arbitration, arbitration treaties, and an international court. For archives see Swarthmore College Peace Collection.
- These meetings at Lake Mohonk were instrumental in the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands. [Wikipedia]
- Picture.
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent Zia Baghdadi back to the city to obtain a carpet to be used as a gift for the president of the International Peace Society and His host, Mr Smiley. Baghdadi rode a freight train to New York, awoke the sleeping residents at 2 a.m., boarded the first train for Lake Mohonk, begged to ride on the mail run and arrived just as 'Abdu'l-Bahá was shaking Smiley's hand at 10 a.m. [Luminous Journey 58:00] iiiii
- See Who Will Bell the Cat: 'Abdu'l-Bahá at Lake Mohonk by Janet Ruhe-Schoen.
- See "The Cause of Universal Peace: 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Enduring Impact" by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson. This article looks at the circumstances around 'Abdu'l-Bahá's participation in the 1912 Lake Mohonk Arbitration Conference and the urgency and timeliness of His message over the subsequent decades. The article also reviews efforts of the Bahá'í community to promote world peace in the decades that followed.
- See a photo of Lake Mohonk in the article The Cause of Universal Peace; 'Abdu'l-Bahá's Enduring Impact by Kathryn Jewett Hogenson.
- 1915-04-00 — The Central Organization for a Durable Peace was formed at The Hague (the Netherlands) in April 1915 by representatives from nine European nations and the United States. The deliberations of this meeting were summarized in a manifesto, and a nine point minimum-program calling for coercive sanctions, which were studied by nine international research committees and several national committees. Departing from strict pacifism, the organization expressed a willingness to accept military sanctions against countries that started hostilities without first making a good faith effort to resolve a dispute by submitting to international arbitration or making some other appeal to the existing peace machinery.
- 1915-05-00 — A third international peace conference was planned by the Central Organization for a Durable Peace in The Hague and to this end, they put out a request for interested specialists to participate. Two Bahá'ís in Tehran, Ahmad Yazdáni and 'Alí Muhammad 'Ibn-i-Asdaq, drew 'Abdu'l-Bahá's attention to the organization's invitation.
- 1919-01-18 —
The commencement of the Paris Peace Conference in Versailles.
- Ali Kuli Khan was named as a member of Persia's Peace Delegation to the Versailles. [SUP45]
- 1928-07-00 — The first International Religious Congress for World Peace was held at The Hague. It was attended by Martha Root. [BW3:45]
- 1990-00-14 —
The Asian Buddhist Conference for Peace was held in Mongolia.
- A representative of the International Bahá'í Community was the only non-Buddhist speaker invited to address a public meeting held in conjunction with the conference. [AWH88] [VV101]
- The paper that was delivered was entitled The Common Goal of Universal Peace in Buddhism and the Bahá'í Faith.
- 2000-08-28 — The Millennium Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders was held in New York and involved more than 1,000 attendees.
The "very specific purpose" of this meeting was "to further the prospects for peace among peoples and nations, and within every individual."
The outcome of this Peace Summit was the adoption and signing of a declaration committing the participants to global peace. Noting that "the United Nations and the religions of the world have a common concern for human dignity, justice and peace," accepting that "men and women are equal partners in all aspects of life and children are the hope of the future," and acknowledging that "religions have contributed to the peace of the world but have also been used to create division and fuel hostilities," the declaration resolved to "collaborate with the United Nations and all men and women of goodwill locally, regionally and globally in the pursuit of peace in all its dimensions."
The Baha'i' International Community was represented by its Secretary-General, Mr Albert Lincoln. Laurence Arturo and Bani Dugal-Gujral also attended as BIC representatives.
[BW00-01p89, Letter from the Universal House of Justice dated 24 September 2000; One Country]
- 2019-01-18 —
On this, the 100th anniversary of the commencement of the Paris Peace Conference, the Universal House of Justice released a message regarding World Peace.
- See BWNS1368 for a short video entitled 100 years on, remembering 'Abdu'l-Baha's call for peace in the First Tablet to The Hague. The Central Organization for a Durable Peace in The Hague was one of the preliminary steps taken that lead to the Paris Peace Conference.
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