• SMU signs MOU with Soka University Japan to promote understanding and research
• WKWC receives S$185,000 donation gift from Soka for various collaborations
• Event kickstarts new seminar series over five years

The Wee Kim Wee Centre (WKWC) held the inaugural Wee Kim Wee-Soka International Seminar on Global Peace & Understanding on 3 and 4 March 2016 at the Singapore Management University (SMU).

The five-year seminar series is co-sponsored by the Singapore Soka Association (SSA), which has generously gifted S$185,000 to SMU’s WKWC to organise a line-up of activities related to enhancing understanding on peace, increasing interfaith dialogue and augmenting research and collaborations in related topics. 

At the opening of the seminar for the public on 4 March, SMU signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Soka University Japan (SUJ), which focuses on higher learning for humanistic education. Under the three-year MOU, both SMU and SUJ will further explore areas of enhancing research collaborations, regularly organising interfaith conversations and expanding exchanges among students, faculty and senior management.

The partnerships underscore the common goal shared by SMU, WKWC, SSA and SJU – promoting deeper understanding of the impact of cultural diversity in the society.

[Photo (left to right): Professor Yoshihisa Baba, President, Soka University, Japan, and Professor Arnoud De Meyer, President, Singapore Management University, Singapore, during their opening remarks at the seminar on 4 March.]

In the welcome and opening speeches, both universities’ presidents shared that the future belongs to those who uphold peace, which can only be achieved through greater awareness, understanding, mindfulness and inclusiveness.

[Photo (clockwise from top left): The opening keynote session was delivered by Ambassador Mohammad Alami Musa, Singapore’s non-resident Ambassador to Algeria, and Head of Studies in inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies Programme, S Rajaratnam School of international Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. The other keynote speakers were Dr Neelakanta Radhakrishnan, Chairman, Indian Council for Gandhian Studies, India; Mr Viswa Sadasivan, CEO, Strategic Moves, Singapore; and Reverend Father Clarence Victor C. Marquez, Rector and President, Colegio de San Juan de Letrán, Philippines.]

[Photos: The speakers attended a closed-door session on the first day of the seminar.]

At the seminar, scholars and thinkers from around the world presented their views from many different perspectives on this important issue. Ten international speakers coming from various fields of study and diverse religious faiths in Asia, Japan, US, Europe and Australia shared insights through presentations and interactions with the audience. The event was attended by over 150 participants from various backgrounds across different academic and religious institutions.

The latest seminar series is founded on the thoughts and philosophy of Dr Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai International. He believes in empowering individuals to resolve global issues and achieve lasting peace.

He has been promoting outstanding institutions of education and higher learning in different parts of the world, believing that education can be an instrument of peace especially for many children in conflict zones. The question to constantly ask is how we can “value create” in order to build resilient and sustainable societies. “Soka” means “value creation” in Japanese.

A sustainable global society can be formed particularly through empowering the youth via education, thus allowing them to tackle the challenges faced by the society.

This is the second series inaugurated at SMU and organised by WKWC for SSA. In November 2015, His Excellency (HE) Professor Dr Surakiart Sathirathai, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and current Chairman of the Asian Peace and Reconciliation Council (APRC), delivered a lecture on “The Continuing Challenges to Peace” at SMU, inaugurating the five-year Annual Ikeda Peace and Harmony Lecture series.

[Featured photo (anti-clockwise from front left): Professor Arnoud De Meyer, President, Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore, and Professor Yoshihisa Baba, President, Soka University, Japan, signing an MOU at the seminar held at SMU on 4 Mar. They were flanked by Mr Michael Yap, Chairman, Soka, Singapore, and Associate Professor Kirpal Singh, Director, Wee Kim Wee Centre, SMU, Singapore.]