New York, United States – The Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns-NY (CSVGC-NY) organized a side event during the ECOSOC High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, which was held at UN Headquarters in New York on July 8-17, 2024. The CSVGC-NY event took place on July 10 at the UN office of the Baha'i International Community.
The title “Breaking Bread: Fostering unity and compassion to end poverty” was chosen with the aim of cultivating spiritual and material nourishment as we seek to uphold human dignity and interdependence.
With the understanding that sharing is caring, and caring is love and life, "breaking bread" between people from diverse cultures, faiths and regions of the world, through storytelling, music and meditation, left many with opened hearts and uplifted spirits.
The celebration began with warm words of welcome and an introduction to the event by Mr. Danilo Parmegiani, chair of CSVGC-NY, followed by moments of silence led by Mr. Michael Braudy on the violin. Mr. Braudy performs and teaches Western classical, Indian and Celtic music. He also led everyone in a chanting meditation at the event closing.
Ms. Laura Simms, an award-winning performer, writer, educator and storyteller, opened the dialogue with stories about the deeper meaning behind "breaking bread" and how it relates to ending poverty. She then invited the participants to share their stories. These created a colorful bouquet that brought joy, warmth and respect to all present.
Participants included Mr. Muhammad Naeem and Mr. Sukhyo Mahikari from Pakistan; Ms. Sabita Geer from Guyana, representative of Brahma Kumaris at the UN; Amb. Isaiah Chabala from Zambia, founder of Visionary Empowerment; Mr. Danilo Parmegiani from Brazil, UN representative of Legion of Goodwill; Ms. Rosleny Ubiñas from Dominican Republic, representative of the Baha’i International Community Office at the UN; and Ms. Keiko White from Japan, representative of UPF at the UN.
