December 6, 2007

The Chair of the Interfaith Committee of the World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR), Dr. Tarunjit Singh, has been elected as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (CPWR).

Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of CPWR, in a letter dated November 21, stated "Now more than ever, the world needs the wisdom and energy of people of faith, spirit, and good will to be working for peace, justice, and sustainability. We look forward to a partnership with you in making this indispensable contribution possible."

Dr. Tarunjit Singh remarked, "the idea of forming a World Sikh Council – America Region was proposed by Sikh participants at the 1993 Parliament of World's Religions in Chicago. I look forward to working with fellow trustees to promote interfaith respect and understanding in a world that is being increasingly polarized along ethnic, religious, nationalistic, and class boundaries."

Dr. Singh served as the Secretary General of WSC-AR for 2004-2005. He represents WSC-AR on the President's Council and Steering Committee of Religions for Peace – USA as its Moderator and serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Interfaith Network as its Vice-Chair.

The Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions, formed initially in 1988, was set up to organize a centennial celebration of the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago. The 1893 Parliament is recognized as the occasion of the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide. The mission of the Council is to cultivate harmony among the world's religious and spiritual communities and foster their engagement with the world and its other guiding institutions in order to achieve a peaceful, just, and sustainable world. The Council has organized the Parliament at Chicago, USA (1993), Cape Town, South Africa (1999), and Barcelona, Spain (2004). The next Parliament will be held December 3-9, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia.

The World Sikh Council – America Region (WSC-AR) is a representative and elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions in the United States. Its members include 45 Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) and other Sikh institutions across the nation. WSC-AR works to promote Sikh interests at the national and international level focusing on issues of advocacy, education, and well-being of humankind.

World Sikh Council – America Region