328
L. Rydén
extinction of species is estimated to be from 100 to 1000 times larger than before
human society (Mace et al. 2014). It is also deeply connected to the spiritual side of
SD as each species being destroyed is an impact on and reduction of the Creation.
Many individuals feel very strongly about this. SD is not only for us humans. It is also
for all species on the planet. We do not have the right to deny them their existence.
7 The Peace Movement and the United Nations System
We may also look for spiritual roots of sustainability in the United Nations, the
organization which embodies more than anyone else the strife for peace-making
and development. UN has through its much wider agenda, including environmental
concerns through UNEP and social and economic concerns through i.a. UNDP and
ECOSOC, been a leader in the development of Sustainability. In 2015 UN made
public its SD Goals.
It is obvious that the UN charter and many of the activities of the UN have
promoted the peace and justice cause of the WCC. As mentioned the UN system
offered the WCC to be included in its rank at its conception, and was prepared to
offer venues for the secretariat of the WCC in the UN building in Geneva. Even if
WCC then decided to be formally independent of UN, the ties have continued to be
close.
Is there a spiritual background to this leading role of UN in sustainable development? To answer this question one needs to look not at the official bodies of the UN
system but rather to the individuals who have been shaping these bodies. The role
of Dag Hammarskjöld, the 2nd Secretary General of the UN in office 1953–1961,
is of special significance here. Dag Hammarskjöld died on duty in Congo in 1961.
After his death a manuscript covering some 600 notes, reflections, some in poetic
forms, was discovered. This was published as Vägmärken (Markings) in 1963 (Hammarskjöld 1964). In a covering letter to his literary executor he calls it “a sort of White
Book concerning my negotiations with myself—and with God.” It is highly regarded
as a classic of contemporary spiritual literature (Van Dusen and Henry 1967).
Many of the entries in Markings describe Hammarskjöld’s struggles to view his
professional duty as a spiritual responsibility. It is very personal, not in immediate terms covering his work. Hammarskjöld was however very much connected to
Nature and its protection. He had a leading role in the Swedish Society for Nature
Conservation and valued highly the few moments ha had to himself in the Swedish
high mountains (fjäll) also touched on in Vägmärken.
Much less is known about other leading personalities in the UN system or to what
extent Hammarskjöld was able to influence his immediate coworkers.
L. Rydén
extinction of species is estimated to be from 100 to 1000 times larger than before
human society (Mace et al. 2014). It is also deeply connected to the spiritual side of
SD as each species being destroyed is an impact on and reduction of the Creation.
Many individuals feel very strongly about this. SD is not only for us humans. It is also
for all species on the planet. We do not have the right to deny them their existence.
7 The Peace Movement and the United Nations System
We may also look for spiritual roots of sustainability in the United Nations, the
organization which embodies more than anyone else the strife for peace-making
and development. UN has through its much wider agenda, including environmental
concerns through UNEP and social and economic concerns through i.a. UNDP and
ECOSOC, been a leader in the development of Sustainability. In 2015 UN made
public its SD Goals.
It is obvious that the UN charter and many of the activities of the UN have
promoted the peace and justice cause of the WCC. As mentioned the UN system
offered the WCC to be included in its rank at its conception, and was prepared to
offer venues for the secretariat of the WCC in the UN building in Geneva. Even if
WCC then decided to be formally independent of UN, the ties have continued to be
close.
Is there a spiritual background to this leading role of UN in sustainable development? To answer this question one needs to look not at the official bodies of the UN
system but rather to the individuals who have been shaping these bodies. The role
of Dag Hammarskjöld, the 2nd Secretary General of the UN in office 1953–1961,
is of special significance here. Dag Hammarskjöld died on duty in Congo in 1961.
After his death a manuscript covering some 600 notes, reflections, some in poetic
forms, was discovered. This was published as Vägmärken (Markings) in 1963 (Hammarskjöld 1964). In a covering letter to his literary executor he calls it “a sort of White
Book concerning my negotiations with myself—and with God.” It is highly regarded
as a classic of contemporary spiritual literature (Van Dusen and Henry 1967).
Many of the entries in Markings describe Hammarskjöld’s struggles to view his
professional duty as a spiritual responsibility. It is very personal, not in immediate terms covering his work. Hammarskjöld was however very much connected to
Nature and its protection. He had a leading role in the Swedish Society for Nature
Conservation and valued highly the few moments ha had to himself in the Swedish
high mountains (fjäll) also touched on in Vägmärken.
Much less is known about other leading personalities in the UN system or to what
extent Hammarskjöld was able to influence his immediate coworkers.