 Good evening, friends. It's my pleasure to be able to share with you some remarks on my experience with the Baha'i community's growing engagement in the life of society vis-a-vis its participation in discourses at the international level. The comments I offer are based on my own ideas formed by my reading of society, the sacred texts, and guidance of the Universal House of Justice as well as my experiences over the past 20 years in engaging at the international level. My comments are informed by my work with the Baha'i International Community's United Nations office and include experiences of colleagues and the office itself, but do not represent the official opinion of any Baha'i agency. I will begin tonight by considering the process of reading the reality in which we find ourselves. For efforts to engage in the discourses of society are shaped by the condition and circumstances of that society. The world today, as we all can see, is experiencing turmoil in numerous and contrasting forms and in virtually every geographical region of the planet. The resulting unrest, insecurity, and all too often violence is creating anxiety, disillusionment, and hopelessness in many quarters. But it is also giving rise to high levels of receptivity, to exploring and finding solutions to the critical issues being faced by humanity today. The picture presented in the news each day is gloomy indeed. But the full story is not so simple. As the past five decades have by many objective measures witnessed great progress in humanity's well-being. The world is clearly ailing from a spiritual standpoint and for multitudes, a material one as well. However, humanity is also increasingly starting to recognize its own affliction and sincere conversations about solutions are taking place everywhere. This growing awareness is significant as it presents increasing opportunities for collaboration. It also gives us reasons for hope as Bahá'u'lláh reminds us that the oppression of ignorance heralds the coming of the dawn. He writes, What oppression is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it. This oppression is the essential feature of every revelation. Unless it cometh to pass, the Son of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow the darkness of the night of error. The Universal House of Justice is unfolding before us, the continuation of the divine plan first traced by the beloved Master. At the present time, it has asked us to make three areas of endeavor, the object of focused learning, expansion and consolidation of the faith itself, social action and participation in the prevalent discourses of society. We understand these to be at present, to be the most effective means we have to address the ills that besiege our planet. For ultimately the House of Justice writes, It is systematic, determined and selfless action undertaken within the wide embrace of the plan's framework. That is the most constructive response of every concerned believer to the multiplying ills of a disordered society. In the work of expansion and consolidation, we assist with the multiplication of human resources, steadily building their capacity through careful accompaniment within an educational process, whose earliest fruits already bear the tangible, discernible seeds of hope and transformation. In the sphere of social action, whose first stirrings are increasingly more evident the world over, we learn how to apply the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh to promote the material and spiritual well-being of our communities. And in the arena of participation in the discourses of society, we work to contribute to and influence the thinking that leads to the formation of public policy and public opinion on subjects relevant to the spiritual and material advancement of civilization. Participating in the discourses of society, particularly at the international level, is intimately connected with the aim of the Bahá'í Faith to contribute to and promote the lesser peace. Bahá'u'lláh first communicated his vision on achieving peace to the leaders of the world more than a century ago. The winds of despair are alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divides and afflicts the human race is daily increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned. Inasmuch, the prevailing order appears to be lamentably defective. In reference to this passage, the Universal House of Justice wrote, This prophetic judgment has been amply confirmed by the common experience of humanity. Floors in the prevailing order are conspicuous in the inability of sovereign states organized as United Nations to exercise the specter of war, the threatened collapse of the international economic order, the spread of anarchy and terrorism, and the intense suffering which these and other afflictions are causing to increasing millions. Indeed, so much have aggression and conflict come to characterize our social and economic and religious systems that many have succumbed to the view that such behavior is intrinsic to human nature and therefore ineradicable. With the entrenchment of this view, a paralyzing contradiction has developed in human affairs. On the one hand, people of all nations proclaim not only their readiness by their longing for peace and harmony, for an end to the harrowing apprehensions tormenting their daily lives. On the other, uncritical ascent is given to the proposition that human beings are incorrigibly selfish and aggressive and thus incapable of erecting a social system at once progressive and peaceful, dynamic and harmonious, a system giving free play to individual creativity and initiative but based on cooperation and reciprocity. We can see then how this contradiction paralyzes collective will. If we do not believe we are actually capable of sustained peace, if we do not believe in human nobility, what are we working towards? Why are we laboring? This helps us to understand the pivotal role the manifestation of God plays in recasting the human being's conception of what it means to be human. He elevates our understanding of our station as a species. It is not only then that many do not know how to find the solutions to our gravest challenges. It is also that so many have lost the belief that we are at all capable of solving them. Bahola's vision for humanity gives us not only a destination but also the hope and inspiration we require to sustain our collective journey there. Bahola offered his vision for peace. Abdu Baha traveled to the West and gave numerous talks that contributed to thought processes and challenged the outdated norms prevalent at the time. Shogi Effendi oversaw the building of the Baha'i administrative order and also established the Baha'i Bureau at the League of Nations and later the Baha'i International Community's United Nations office. Our engagement in this area continues as we work to facilitate the collective political cooperation of nations as a prerequisite to the planet's most great unification. This is central to the path towards the lesser peace. Those of us gathered here this weekend engaged with the divine plan in a variety of ways. What's important to realize is that participating in the discourses of society is something we are already doing, whether formally or informally, consciously or unconsciously. In the many spaces we occupy, whether as students at our universities, professionals in our fields, family members in our homes, children's class teachers in neighborhoods, animators in our junior youth groups or simply individuals in the world at large. Whatever this space, we have an opportunity to elevate conversations, uplift minds and possibly even change the nature of discourse. In doing so, we have the power to hasten the advent of the lesser peace. Yet it is important for our motives to be pure and to always keep in mind what the ultimate aim of participating in discourses is and what it is not. The purpose of such efforts is not to press others to accept a specific Baha'i proposal or to engage in direct teaching, nor should activities be conceived as part of a public relations or academic exercise. Rather, those involved are to adopt a posture of learning, seeking to stimulate a consultative process by engaging in genuine conversations in a range of social spaces, standing shoulder to shoulder with others and offering insights drawn from the Baha'i writings and from the community's growing experience in applying them. This is from the External Affairs Strategy shared by the Universal House of Justice. In the comments that follow, I will share the experience that some of my colleagues and I have had in engaging in discourses at the United Nations and other international spaces, including the challenges we face in fostering an environment that is consultative, coherent and conducive to working in unity. I will attempt to explore how participation in the discourses of society in a meaningful way helps to elevate the collective thinking and can eventually affect policy and the culture within which governments operate. The Baha'i international community represents the worldwide Baha'i community at the United Nations. It is also the agency tasked with participating in the discourses of society at the international level. Guidance from the Universal House of Justice, particularly the External Affairs Strategy document of October 2014, prepared at its request, as well as the growing body of experience being generated by the implementation of the current series of five-year plans, steer our work. Learning leaned from engaging in the series of global conferences of the 1990s that were convened by the United Nations remains relevant as well. In this sense and in many others, we greatly benefit from the work and goodwill earned by the representatives who have preceded us. Much of the discourse in the UN system proceeds within a framework of policy formulation and advocacy. As you might imagine, though well-intentioned, the space and language used are frequently characterized by competition, adversarialism and sometimes outright hostility. As Baha'is, then, we often have difficult waters to navigate. And in response, we have come to believe that our role is not simply to contribute content, important as that is. We also seek to improve the culture of the space within which the discourse proceeds. Like other areas of Baha'i endeavor, our engagement at the United Nations is guided by the evolving conceptual framework that governs the current series of global plans. This framework consists of a variety of interlocking, yet distinct elements. Other aspects can be found in the guidance of the Universal House of Justice, such as the message to the Baha'is of Iran dated 2nd March 2013. The cornerstone of this framework and therefore the work of the Baha'i international community is the principle of the oneness of mankind. This, of course, was characterized by the Guardian as the pivot around which all teachings of Baha'u'llah revolve. The theme was developed in the specific context of the collective efforts of the community of nations in the prosperity of humankind. The bedrock of a strategy that can engage the world's population in assuming responsibility for its collective destiny must be the consciousness of the oneness of humanity. Laying the groundwork for global civilization calls for the creation of laws and institutions that are universal in both character and authority. The effort can begin only when the concept of the oneness of humanity has been wholeheartedly embraced by those in whose hands the responsibility for decision-making rests and when the related principles are propagated through both educational systems and the media of mass communication. Once this threshold is crossed, a process will have been set in motion through which the peoples of the world can be drawn into the task of formulating common goals and committing themselves to their attainment. Only so fundamental a reorientation can protect them to from the age-old demons of ethnic and religious strife. Only through the dawning consciousness that they constitute a single people will the inhabitants of the planet be enabled to turn away from the patterns of conflict that have dominated social organization in the past and begin to learn the ways of collaboration and conciliation. The well-being of mankind Bahá'u'lláh writes, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. Non-involvement in partisan politics is a key element of the framework guiding the participation of the Bahá'í international community in discourses at the United Nations. At this point in history, politics are the primary means whereby decisions regarding the future of humankind are negotiated. Reflecting this reality, the United Nations is a political body made up of 193 member states, each with its own national political agenda and interests as a priority. Navigating this terrain without being drawn into the various competing partisan agendas is a delicate task indeed. Since our ultimate goal is building unity, involvement in partisan politics, even with the best of intentions, would defeat the very purpose of our engagement. Yet the House of Justice notes in its message of 2nd March 2013 that Bahá'ís respect those who out of a sincere desire to serve their countries choose to pursue political aspirations or to engage in political activity. Moreover, it observes that the approach adopted by the Bahá'í community of non-involvement in such activity is not intended as a statement expressing some fundamental objection to politics in its true sense. Indeed, humanity organizes itself through its political affairs. In this connection, Bahá'ís view government as a system for maintaining the welfare and orderly progress of a society. A challenge for those seeking to contribute to contemporary discourse then is to not simply reject out of hand the political aspects of the life of society, but rather to learn how and in what ways they can be engaged in order to advance the common good. The Bahá'í international community therefore works, and this is referring to the United Nations office, works with all member states in areas where there is constructive common ground. Building unity of thought is the foundation of any sustainable outcome. This is a reality, Bahá'ís readily accept, but notable parallels to it can be found on the international stage as well. Much of the discourse in the United Nations is predicated on arriving at agreement by consensus. In practice, this means that final agreements often represent the weakest possible outcome. Instead of striving for ambitious or progressive policy measures, member states often settle for the lowest common denominator as a means to preserve consensus and secure broad-based support. This is unquestionably challenging for those who are working for say strong language in favor of equality and justice. But it is generally better to have a decision rooted in unity of thought than to have a decision arrived at by contested vote where the outcome will not only be implemented effectively because of conflicting agendas and priorities. So as you can imagine friends, it's often a slow and frustrating process. But we are in this for the long haul and have seen real change and lasting progress at the level of thought and policy in many arenas. One example is the change in legislation and national policies in a number of countries which have made the harmful traditional practice of FGM, female genital mutilation, illegal. Governments along with civil society organizations are now implementing programs to completely eradicate the practice. As Bahá'ís view, as Bahá'ís review consultation as the best means of reaching unity of thought and action. We are still learning however how best to introduce the concept to our collaborators and facilitate practical steps in this direction. Abdul Bahá defines true consultation as spiritual conference in the attitude and atmosphere of love. A difficult standard to meet even for devoted Bahá'ís, much less for collaborators who may have no particular commitment to unity. Some colleagues may even believe conflict to be inevitable and competition with others beneficial. In this sense we are learning about how capacity for consultation can be built through both conceptual and practical means. As regards the first, our office has found wide acceptance in presenting group discussions as an opportunity for unbiased investigation of reality and a collective search for truth. This framing has proved accessible to our collaborators and helped foster more fruitful discussion. We also strive to change the form and structure of the discourse at the UN. In one civil society forum, the Bahá'í international community was asked to organize. For example, we sought to introduce elements of the structure used in the global youth conferences of 2013. Instead of listening passively to panel presentations, participants were broken up into two small group discussions. The first was organized according to the thematic areas, so participants working on similar issues could share experiences and observations. The second was organized according to the continent and region from which these participants came, so they could make plans suited to the needs of their respective areas. This approach was well received and the organizing committee plans using it again next year. A key component of the framework guiding our work is the role of knowledge and its sources, specifically drawing on the dual knowledge systems of science and religion. Abdul Bahá'í's emphasis on the complementarity of the two is categorical. If we save religion as opposed to science, we lack the knowledge of either true science or true religion, for both are founded upon the premises and conclusions of reason and both must bear its test. He expounded that religion must not be at odds with reason and likewise science alone cannot ensure the healthy development of society. For without religion, it would lack spiritual and moral foundation. Another component for prosperity is an accurate understanding of human nature. In this vein, we must introduce the idea of the dual nature of humans, emphasizing our spiritual nature and the need to deepen our understanding of the implications of this nature for both individual and collective life. Whatever the focus or thematic area, contemporary discourses are inevitably predicated on a conception of human nature and the great majority of these are fundamentally materialistic. Because of this, taking part in these discourses often consists not in engaging their quandaries and conundrums directly, but rather stepping back to identify and assess the assumptions and beliefs on which the discussion is based. One example I can share in this regard comes from the area of social development and the formulation of a global sustainable development agenda. One key report in this process spoke very strongly and eloquently about the importance of people and their choices in achieving sustainability. Yet the implementation section of the report devoted 31 paragraphs to financing, nine to technology, and only one each to volunteerism and culture. Our office produced a statement that noted the assumption that seemed to be implied by this and that while people are important, money and technology are the ways things actually get done. And our statement explored the capacity of people as the drive of social development. It was a very simple observation in many ways, but this statement was warmly received by a wide range of collaborators. In this sense, participating in the discourses of society is less about offering answers than discovering what the relevant questions are. The above represents some of the elements of the conceptual framework that guide the efforts of the Bahá'í international community in engaging in the various discourses. Another important element in the process is discerning with whom to engage. Building networks and working with others is absolutely critical to the work of our office. The impact we can have when we collaborate with other like-minded individuals and organizations is much greater and the learning gained more pronounced than when working alone. Operating with humility and learning from others who are engaged in discourses along with us and who in some cases have been there much longer than we have helps us to better understand both the wider discourse and our own perspectives and beliefs on key issues. The BIC's UN office works with a wide variety of actors including activists, development experts, policy specialists, human rights defenders, feminists, academics, service providers, and representatives of NGOs and faith-based organizations. It also works with a variety of collaborators from within the Bahá'í community. This diversity of collaboration is a source of strength as it can provide a wide cross-section of views on any given topic. It also puts our office into contact with a variety of spaces for discourses such as conferences, commissions, and panel presentations. Collaborating with others, of course, is not without its challenges. Individuals and organizations each have their own perspectives and ways of working and not all might fit perfectly be aligned with us. Sometimes they differ widely, but this is only to be expected and part of the work of engaging in discourse with others is exploring how learning can advance despite these differences. Neither reflexively shying away from collaboration with individuals from the wider community nor compromising on fundamental beliefs or points of principle. In following such a path, there is no black-and-white guidelines or rules of thumb to follow. It just calls for wisdom and ongoing reflection. By doing so ultimately increases our own capacity to translate the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh into reality in the world at large. It is also important to maintain confidence in our capacity to learn to engage constructively with others and to remember the tremendous impact Bahá'u'lláh writings can have on our collaborators. Identifying spaces in which contributions can be made and understanding the reality of those spaces is another key aspect of participating in the discourse of society. Such spaces can take various forms. Some will be physical spaces where people actually gather. Others will be less tangible but no less important such as periodic or one-time conferences, academic journals or symposia, networks of practice, online fora and others. Each has its own norms and possibilities for participation. Some of the spaces in which the office participates are well known. Others come to our attention through invitations, requests for participation, suggestions from collaborators or notifications from Bahá'u'llhs familiar with a certain field. Central to the identification of a space for participation is reading of those elements that influence and shape how discussion proceeds within it. What does this look like? Key elements that the office tries to become familiar with before committing significant resources to a given space might include the language and vocabulary used within it. Assumptions or mental models that seem central to the discussions, issues of particular interest to focus within the discourse, areas of controversy that tend to spark contention, areas that seem particularly vibrant or fruitful, and areas that seem particularly amenable or averse to principles from the Bahá'u'llhs writings or the experiences of the Bahá'u'llhs world community in putting them into practice. Due diligence of this kind helps the office prioritize where it will spend time. But reading spaces in this way is also critical to making contributions of true value to a discourse. The point is not just to be present in a discourse but to be advancing in advancing it in whatever way we can. And we know that if we are to contribute, we must first learn. Much of the time the Bahá'u'llhs international community is engaging in arenas that are characterized by partisan political divisions. On occasion we are obliged to engage in a discourse that is highly adversarial. An issue of ongoing reflection then is when it is fruitful to remain engaged and when it's best to disengage. More often than not, we seek to build unity and change culture of the space. Working to build our capacity to identify unifying factors, use unifying language and contribute to unity of vision, thought and action. We are acutely aware that Bahá'u'llhs do not have the luxury of standing aloof from all spaces that do not function exactly as we would prefer. Yet there are also times when we come to feel that the best path is simply to disengage from a particular discourse or space within it. The ability to recognize when that time has come is a key capacity in its own right. In addition to participating in spaces organized by others, we have found it highly beneficial to create spaces of our own. This gives us much greater latitude in shaping the process and structure of the experience and to incorporate much more directly operational principles such as participation, consultation and collective learning. Such spaces have been used to bring together senior diplomats, UN bureaucrats and civil society actors, including members of academia and non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations and others. This in itself is unique as the different groups rarely have a chance to candidly exchange views on an equal footing. For the past few years we've been organizing a series of monthly breakfast meetings in collaboration with ATD Fourth World, an NGO well known for its work on poverty alleviation. And we do this to facilitate conversations about the global sustainable development goals within the context of a recently adopted agreement known as 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Owing to the popularity of this series, others in the international community have approached us with questions in order to emulate the structure and approach used by us. Through this series we have glimpsed some of the modest steps that can be taken on a path towards changing culture. A less formal example pertains to a series of meetings we organized several years ago on the sidelines of the sessions of the committee on the elimination of discrimination against women. This committee oversees the implementation of the convention of the convention by the same name, the CDOR Convention, which is working with governments to help them implement gender equality. These informal gatherings were hosted by our office and brought together a variety of actors to meet a variety of needs. Members of NGOs who were receiving training on how to prepare reports on the implementation of the convention in their country were able to meet with government representatives to the UN. Government representatives attended the meetings because they were an opportunity to engage informally with CDOR experts before whom their governments would soon be presenting its national report. And the CDOR experts were happy to attend as it allowed them to meet with members of civil society. So it was a win-win situation for all involved and gave us the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations with NGO representatives, diplomats, CDOR experts and UN staff regarding the role of this convention and other provisions in pursuing gender equality. Next I would like to explore the role of language in our discourses and content generation. Once we have identified the discourse and space within which we are going to engage and also studied the discourse in its current state and made connections with actors playing a role in the space, we begin to share our perspectives. Content generation and the language we employ is a critical element of our work. Contributing substantive inputs can take the form of formal statements, presentations at panel discussions or other events, articles, perspective pieces for our website or those of our collaborators, talking points we use in our engagement or simply conversations we have in the corridors with key individuals involved in the discourse. Developing content and learning to do so effectively takes time and practice. Like many others, we both individually and as an office have passed through a succession of stages in the development of our capacity in generating content. The process used to start with a simple act of stringing one by high quote with the next including a bit of commentary between them. Next we learned how to tailor these principles and writings to specific spaces within particular discourses, quoting when appropriate but also paraphrasing, summarizing and explaining when necessary. In recent years the office has been striving to come to a deeper understanding of how Baha'i concepts can be used not just to enrich the external discourse but to shape and guide our own thinking on a given topic. The goal in this sense might be understood less as introducing specific language or even a given principle into a discourse but rather offering a way of thinking about the world and understanding its component elements. The importance of reflection and collective study in this process should not be overlooked. Through practice we become able to sift through superficial jargon or the ephemeral and trendy ideas of the moment and work to explore real solutions or at least identify relevant barriers to progress. Our office is coming to deeper and deeper appreciation of the fact that the tone and approach used while participating in a discourse is every bit as important as the content conveyed. We are regularly told by collaborators that in its involvement with a project or gathering it is seen to be even-handed and fair regarded as an honest broker because it does not seek recognition or credit. Collaborators at the United Nations we are increasingly understanding appreciate the concepts and principles that the office has to offer but equally important to them is the spirit with which they are offered. So it should come this should come as no surprise for Baha'u'llah specifically addressed the spirit with which we should converse with others writing the great being saith one word may be likened unto fire another unto light and the influence which both exert is manifest in the world therefore an enlightened man of wisdom should primarily speak with words as mild as milk that the children of men may be nurtured and edified thereby and may attain the ultimate goal of human existence which is the station of true understanding and nobility. This constant attention to the manner in which we engage others is of course demonstrated time again in the life and demeanour of Abdul Baha. Consider for example this description made by the Unitarian Minister Howard Kohlbeives of the gestures the beloved master used in public addresses never a dogmatic downward stroke of the hand never an upraised warning finger never the assumption of teacher to the tort but always the encouraging upward swing of hands as though he would actually lift us up with them. Many probably associate the content generated by our office primarily with statements and documents that explicitly bear the name Baha'i international community on them and these are unquestionably important but more and more frequently our office is being asked to assist or head the drafting of consensus documents on behalf of committees networks or working groups such documents will never be publicly associated with the Baha'i international community and few beyond a small group of organisers will know of the contribution yet such efforts can be a powerful way of both contributing to and shaping the discourse of the course of various discourses sometimes at a level of visibility the office would be unable to attain on its own. Just a few months ago a global conference on education for global citizenship was held in South Korea drawing nearly 4,000 people including the UN Secretary General. A representative from our office contributed to the outcome document action plan entitled education for global citizenship achieving the sustainable development goals together and because there will be a plenary panel on citizenship later this weekend I thought it might be interesting to share an example and a story about our engagement in the development of this document. In outcome documents and resolutions the United Nations frequently resorts to lists of groups of people. The most common list includes categories like race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. In an initial draft of the action plan the drafting team of which our representative was a member decided to use language from another recent UN document for a similar non-discrimination list. Naturally no list is entirely inclusive and tempers flared with respect to a certain group that was not included in the list. Our representative felt that the process might be assisted by the concept of distinguishing between primary identities and secondary identities. This led to the introduction of language that noted the discrimination minority identities of groups can face when they are not mentioned in lists but also noted the document was making a conscious decision not to list any identity or group as by doing so someone would always be excluded. Put more simply the document intended to focus on our primary identity as human beings rather than articulating and focusing on our secondary identities in list form. The drafting committee was pleased with the approach however at the town hall meetings where conference attendees had the opportunity to provide feedback three distinct camps emerged. One wanted to stick with the UN's list because legally it has been interpreted to mean all people. Another camp wanted to include a list in order to ensure that some kinds of people were in fact excluded. A third camp agreed with the drafting committee that no list at all might be best. Consultations on this and one and one other challenging issue lasted until three o'clock in the morning. Without going into too many details of the back and forth that ensued let me just read you the language that was ultimately agreed upon. We affirm in the spirit of global citizenship in which our primary identity is that of human beings all people regardless of circumstances should have access to lifelong learning opportunities that help them acquire the knowledge and skills needed to exploit opportunities and to participate fully in society. We affirm the importance of universal inclusion acknowledging that the absence of a particular group or identity in text can lead to the exclusion of that group or identity in policy. We have made a conscious decision not to highlight any particular group or identity to ensure full inclusion and equal treatment of all people especially those in positions of specific vulnerability and marginalization. It is unacceptable that diverse group memberships and identities have been used to deny the right to learn or otherwise marginalize individuals. In education as in all things the basis of non-discrimination is and ought to be our common humanity. Now this is not exactly what the Baha'i international community would have said on its own however in situations such as this where we are one collaborator among many our role is to contribute to the discourse not to dictate it and in this scenario we can only offer suggestions with pure motives take joy in those cases where they are accepted and continue to learn how to more effectively offer assistance moving forward. Baha'u'llah exhorts us to occupy ourselves with the pressing issues facing society be anxiously engaged with the needs of the age you live in and center your deliberations upon its exigencies and requirements. In these turbulent times there are a vast number of issues that we could be following. Over the years the Baha'i international community has engaged in a wide variety of issue areas depending on the conditions of the world agendas at the UN and experience accrued in our Baha'i communities and in some cases the meaning and form of engaging with these discourses has varied widely over time. When I came to the Baha'i international community's UN office in 1994 religion was a taboo subject at the UN our representatives took great pains to present themselves as representing an international non-governmental organization and not a religion. Today faith-based organizations are highly sought after in fact at the UN there's now an interagency task force on faith-based organizations and how to engage with them. This evolving mosaic of engagement notwithstanding there are some discourses we have followed since the very beginning of our formal relationship with the United Nations. Promoting the advancement of women and girls and gender equality is one area in which the contributions of our office are widely recognized. I will therefore give a brief history of our participation in the discourse on the girl child which resulted in some significant international policy decisions as a means of illustrating what long-term ongoing participation in a discourse can look like and what opportunities can arise. The Baha'i international community has consistently expressed concern for the girl child and presented written and oral statements at the UN and international fora recommending greater emphasis on the importance of educating girls and taking care of their well-being in all respects. In the early 1990s as the issue of the girl child gained greater attention at the UN the office continued to emphasize its importance and collaborated around it with NGOs and United Nations entities in particular UNICEF. Our representatives worked diligently over the years leading up to the fourth world conference of women in Beijing to highlight issues related to the girl child and we also worked closely with the International Federation of University Women and at least 35 other international NGOs to submit a statement to the United Nations to urge delegates to include and integrate into the platform for action the very critical issues of health nutrition poverty human rights and education of the girl child in her difficult struggle to become a fully developed adult and included specific recommendations for member states to improve the conditions for the girl child. Ultimately the Beijing declaration platform for action included as a critical area of concern Section L the girl child this inclusion among the goals of the Beijing platform for action was achieved with the support of the African group. Many European member states were initially opposed to including the girl child and it was because they didn't want to duplicate efforts because the convention on the rights of the child addresses issues relating to girls but by the end of the process many if not all European countries also spoke about the importance of including girls in their agenda. Another effort our office addressed fragmentation in the mechanisms and architecture that promotes gender equality at the United Nations. Around the time when the Universal House of Justice was asking the Baha'i world to bring coherence to all its areas of endeavour the United Nations was looking to do the same in its work. Secretary-General Kofi Annan set up a coherence panel to look into bringing about system-wide coherence especially to address fragmentation in the delivery of humanitarian aid and development assistance. The panel's mandate however did not address the UN's approach to gender equality issues which was spread across at least four distinct mechanisms. Each of these had overlapping and competing responsibilities agendas and budgets and therefore often ended up working at cross purposes. This tension also contributed to issues of gender equality not being given the attention that they required. The Baha'i international community along with a number of feminist women's rights and social justice organizations therefore brought this problem to the attention of the Secretary-General and his coherence panel and the BIC became one of the co-conveners of the gender equality architecture reform campaign. Four years of advocacy by the GEAR campaign resulted in the creation of UN Women, a new hybrid entity at the UN with a stature befitting the ambitious mandate of achieving gender equality. The success of the campaign and the discourse it generated has come to be seen as a model for UN reform and UN civil society interaction. Freedom of religion or belief is another area that the office has been engaged for decades. Our experience in defending the rights of Baha'is in the cradle of the faith has given us a special understanding of the issue and empathy for other groups that are yearning for the freedom to practice their religion and belief. The Baha'i international community's offices in Geneva and New York have been very active in this space and our engagement in the space has been shaped not only by internal growth and development but also by external events on the world stage. For example, as you likely recall in 2014 Ayatollah Abdul Hamid Masumi Tehrani, a prominent Muslim cleric in Iran, announced that he had prepared for the Baha'is of the world an illumined work of calligraphy depicting a paragraph from the writings of Baha'u'llah as a symbolic action to serve as a reminder of the importance of valuing human beings of peaceful coexistence, of cooperation and mutual support, and avoidance of hatred, enmity, and blind religious prejudice. The gift, he said, was for the Baha'is of the world, particularly for the Baha'is of Iran, who have suffered in manifold ways as a result of blind religious prejudice. He further stated that this act was an expression of sympathy and care from me and on behalf of all my open-minded fellow citizens. The Baha'i international community was deeply touched by this act of high-mindedness and the sentiments of religious tolerance and respect for human dignity that prompted it. This bold action by senior Muslim cleric in contemporary Iran was unprecedented and remarkable in light of the ongoing systematic persecution of the Baha'i community in that country by its government. At the time we were serving as president of the NGO committee on freedom of religion or belief in New York. And when we brought this action to the attention of the other members of the committee, there was discussion about how such actions often go unnoticed, while all sorts of bigotry dominates the new cycle. So along with other NGOs, the UN Office of the Special Advisor on Genocide Prevention, we decided to host an event at our office to call attention to this and similar acts of courage. The event was entitled Unseen Valour, Acts of Interfaith Courage in the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief. Speakers at the event included an ambassador, a genocide survivor, an academic and a special advisor to the Secretary General. The event contributed to the discourse in ways that we had not expected. And the participants related moving personal experiences of when individuals inspired by their higher nature had touched others' lives or made a positive difference in societies in which they lived. Among these, when Albanians refused to round up Jews during World War II. When two Italian priests sheltered minority Tutsi orphans from genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. When Muslim and Christian women negotiated the release of children held hostage by a rebel group in Sierra Leone. Or the most recent act by Ayatollah Tehrani who bravely called for coexistence with Baha'is. At the UN, discussion about human rights in general and freedom of religion or belief in particular often revolved around the obligations of member states or the importance of citizen action in upholding freedom. This event highlighted the role that courageous individuals can play when they speak out, sometimes at great personal peril. To demonstrate solidarity with those at risk and to inspire and influence others with spiritual ideas of unity and harmony. One of the speakers shared that choosing peace in the midst of a conflict can be dangerous. But a true sustainable peace comes about when someone in the system is able to imagine a way to create a discontinuity in the vicious cycle of revenge and act upon it. This is a choice an individual, a group or state makes. And such actions or statements elevate the discourse and result in real lasting changes in the community. It is through offering platforms like this with genuine intentions that we see the fruits of our labour. At such times the fruits can be sweeter than expected. Friends, if I may, I would like to take these closing moments to address the reality of our own communities and the conversations unfolding within them. Without a doubt, we have made immense progress over the years. In communities across the globe, we are bearing witness to the truth that the Training Institute represents an instrument of limitless potentialities. In Bihar Sharif, India, we have seen elements of the centuries-old caste system begin to dissolve within the span of one generation. Early childhood marriages are being questioned and finally rejected. In island states, like Yap, where social conventions have long demanded that women bow before men, we have witnessed the youngest members of our faith question prevailing norms and lead an entire community to reject outdated but firmly woven patterns of behaviour. Examples abound. Nevertheless, we would be foolish to assume that our community has learned all it needs to learn or imagine that we ourselves are not influenced by the disintegrated forces of society pitting people against one another and imposing lethargy on the masses. We must ever be on our guard lest these forces take hold in our own communities, dulling or stilting our growth. We must be honest with ourselves and assess without bias the realities of our communities. What to give examples from the gender discourse are the conversations we need to have with our sons to prevent subtle or overt forms of misogyny that would perpetuate destructive inequalities. What are the conversations we need to have with our daughters to prevent them from objectifying themselves in the name of freedom? What are the conversations husbands and wives need to have to ensure their sacred institution engenders equality while giving due consideration to the distinct role of each? What are the conversations we need to have with one another to ensure that our discourses do not mirror everyone else's? That our aims be higher, our goals loftier, our lives more meaningful, and our pursuits more worthy? And how do we extend these conversations to our neighbours, co-workers, extended family members, and friends? Despite all the high-level examples I have given above, I still find in my daily work that the greatest impact I can have in any given situation is more likely than not through a one-on-one conversation. Moreover, it is rarely about sharing of a lofty statement or the bringing together of important actors. It is about the authenticity of a relationship, the purity of intention, and the shared aspirations we have for the construction of a better world. One reason I was hesitant to accept the invitation to speak tonight is because engaging in discourses is not only the purview of specific agencies. It's something that we all do every day. I just happen to do it in a more formal capacity. I think the more pertinent question for all of us is what are the means available at our disposal to engage in the discourses of society? This question is crucial to our ongoing development and our ability to continue learning how more and more effectively share Bahá'u'lláh's vision for humanity. It is also central to our ability to respond effectively to the needs of those around us, which lies at the very heart and purpose of our faith. Let us consider the very origins of our faith. Was our faith not set in motion by a meaningful and distinctive conversation between the Ba'ab and Mullah Hussain that fateful day 172 years ago? What was the nature of this conversation? What power could have existed in those words, in that posture, in that atmosphere, so as to set the whole of humanity on an irreversible, in an unalterable path towards the world order of Bahá'u'lláh? If we consider that all of humanity is on a path towards the advancement of civilization, we understand that our participation in discourses helps accelerate this movement. The right conversation offered in a loving and insightful manner can inspire change in minds and hearts. The conversations taking place in formal spaces can impact policy, public discourse, and ultimately real lives. The ongoing conversations we have with our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, our spouses, our children, one another have the capacity to render thunder, the veils acting as obstacles between us and the very purpose of our lives. We see how refining our powers of expression, how turning to the writings again and again for guidance and inspiration, how learning to articulate our accumulating experience in applying the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh to the ills of humanity, how expressing ourselves with love, humility, and unfailing confidence in the writings as a source of unearing truth, how all of these things continue the conversation the Barb began with Mullah Hussain, 172 years ago, and bring to life the desire of Bahá'u'lláh that we subdue the citadels of men's hearts with the swords of wisdom and of utterance, that we draw forth these swords in his name and through the power of his might, and conquer then with the cities of the hearts of them that have secluded themselves in the stronghold of their corrupt desires. The Universal House of Justice reminds us that our increasing engagement with the life of society which enables us to offer fresh perspective to formal and informal conversations of all kinds carries distinct echoes of Abdu'bahá's deep concerns for the needs of the age. Let us then give this vital work the focused attention and sustained effort it so clearly deserves. Thank you.