Introduced in 1993 by the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR), the Global Ethic is a declaration stating “the universal values and principles shared by the world’s religious, spiritual, and cultural traditions.” Upon its thirtieth anniversary at the 2023 PoWR in Chicago, IL, Dharma Master De Yuan signed it on behalf of Tzu Chi.

Steve Chiu, GPAD Coordinator at Tzu Chi USA, illuminated that “this is the first time that Tzu Chi has endorsed this Global Ethic document.” He went on to explain that it signifies “not only an alignment to the values and ethics espoused by the Global Ethic document, but a commitment to continue to work hand-in-hand with the Parliament of the World’s Religions to ensure that interfaith collaboration, dialogue, and connection continues forward to create a better world.”

Kaleb Nyquist, who serves on the Board of Trustees at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, believes that supporting such a declaration “is a way of saying, ‘I see my own religion in this document.’” Yet, he also acknowledged that the climate of our society has changed since the Global Ethic’s introduction, making it more difficult to stay connected to the declarations in it.

Later on, at a panel discussion called “Can the Global Ethic Meet the Challenge of Intergenerational Interfaith Work,” participants broke out into groups to discuss the challenges but also the solutions to overcoming the adoption and implementation of the Global Ethic. Attendee Jac O’Keeffe, Cofounder and President of the Association for Spiritual Integrity, mused that the solution may lie in the answer to this: “even though we have so many differences that must be honored and respected, where do we meet in our humanness?”

Keep watching and and see more from the 2023 PoWR at https://tzuchi.us/parliament-world-religions.