Dalai Lama to lead ‘dream spiritual team’ at peace summit

TORONTO - The Dalai Lama, who is an honorary citizen of Canada, will lead Nobel Peace Prize laureates at a global peace summit in Vancouver in September.

According to the organisers of the summit, the Dalai Lama will lead a so-called ‘dream spiritual team’ at the ‘Vancouver Peace Summit: Nobel Laureates in Dialogue’ from Sep 26 to 29.

The team includes Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize for his opposition to apartheid in South Africa, and Wangari Maathai, who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on the environment and peace.

Others in the Dalai Lama’s ‘dream team’ are Jody Williams, who won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on banning landmines; Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan, who received the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for their work to end violence in Northern Ireland, and Maria Shriver, who is the wife of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Former Irish President Mary Robinson, and spiritual writer Eckhart Tolle will also join the Dalai Lama’s spiritual star cast.

The four-day summit will focus on peace in the world, interfaith dialogue and issues related to women and youth, said lead organiser Victor Chan, who has set up the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education in Vancouver.

Chan, who is with the Asian Institute at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said the summit will be a great opportunity for people to learn from these spiritual leaders.

During the peace summit, the Dalai Lama will lead many events, including ‘Connecting for Change’ in which he will join people from diverse backgrounds to discuss how to bring about positive changes in the world. The Tibetan spiritual leader will also join Bishop Tutu and others in ‘World Peace through Personal Peace’.

During his visit to Canada, the Dalai Lama will also attend functions at the University of Calgary.

The Tibetan spiritual leader was given the honorary citizenship of Canada in 2006.