SGI is committed to making a difference.
All its activities are based on the compassionate desire to relieve
suffering and make an active contribution to society.
Projects and awareness–raising activities initiated at local and community levels
encourage people to feel a sense of connection to global issues
such as disarmament and sustainable development.
As a non–governmental organization affiliated to the United Nations,
SGI believes that despite its flaws,
the UN has the potential to effect a positive change in the world.
"One of the ways that SGI tries to bring people's voices back to the UN is through
SGI President Daisaku Ikeda's annual peace proposals.
He's been issuing peace proposals over 20 years.
These proposals have been reflected in UN initiatives such as
the World Program for Human Rights Education.
We have also conducted petition drives for the abolition of nuclear weapons and
presented the signatures of millions of ordinary citizens to the UN."
In the public domain, as a Non-govermental Organization, SGI has launched educational campaigns
and created a range of international exhibitions that promote
human rights, peace and disarmament.
Every year thousands are killed, injured and displaced in the wake of natural disasters
such as tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes.
SGI has mounted numerous relief programs for war refugees and victims
of environmental and climatic disasters.
SGI supports the Earth Charter movement, which is working towards the establishment
of a sustainable and peaceful world.
A proposal initially put forward by SGI representatives for
an "International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development"
gathered international support
and was eventually adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2002.
In the Amazon basin in Brazil,
where there is an urgent need to promote reforestation and sustainable development,
SGI has set up the Amazon Environmental Conservation Center.
In response to the tragic Columbine High School massacre in Colorado,
SGI–USA's Youth Peace Committee launched a "Victory Over Violence" campaign.
Culture festivals and outreach programs which have been adopted by schools and communities
form part of the initiative which helps young people identify
and counteract the root causes of violence in their lives.
This campaign, which promotes a culture of peace, has now spread overseas.
SGI believes that the empowering message of Buddhist humanism
and he compassionate commitment and vision of young people
can make the 21st century a century which cherishes life
where sustainability and the alleviation of suffering become universal concerns
and where, for future generations, world peace becomes a reality.
Each person has the power to make a difference.