the International Organizing Committee

The first session of the Forum marked a milestone in the life of the world community. Self-organization of all people of good will on the basis of Spiritual Culture is the most important link of real and practical deeds. The World Forum of Spiritual Culture established as permanent body becomes an example of a breakthrough institute of self-organization of the world community.

Enormous preparatory work for the next session is in front of us. At the first stage, the WORD “Spiritual Culture” was announced and internationally approved, and Declaration, the main outcome of the Forum, accepted by the participants from 72 countries, put it into practice. Now we are to develop the idea of cultural vivification of the world. 

At the Anniversary conference this October in Astana the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture approved the main theme of the Forum 2013, which is “Towards World Peace through Spiritual Culture”. It was recommended that the work of the upcoming Forum should not be developed within the frame of the struggle for peace, but within the frame of the idea of ​​integration and unification of the peoples of the world, seeking to secure co-existence on the basis of spiritual harmony and friendship.

It is these questions, which became the main topics of the duly constituted meeting, attended by many members of the International Organizing Committee of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture: Co-chairman of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture (Russia), Deputy of the State Duma Iosif Kobzon; Co-chairman of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture (Kazakhstan), Director of the State Opera and Ballet Theatre “Astana Opera” Tolegen Mukhamejanov; Soviet and Azerbaijani singer, composer, actor, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Russian Federation Polad ByulByulogly; President of the Center “Soglasiye” Inessa Nemirovskaya; Executive Director of Private Law Research Center under the President of the Russian Federation, Vice-Rector of the Russian School of Private Law, Coordinator of the Public Movement “New Country”, member of the Presidium of the International Association “Peace through Culture” Yuri Ageshin; writer, public man, journalist, director of Artyom Borovik Charity Fund Genrikh Borovik; Professor of Gorki Literary Institute, poet, philosopher, President of the Russian Association “Peace through Culture”  Edward Balashov; Member of the Presidium of the International Association “Peace through Culture”, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of “Sphere of Open Relationships” JSC Irina Darneva; chief research scientist at the Institute of Social and Political Studies of the Russian Academy, Professor Sergey Kara-Murza; Chief Editor of the “Delphis” magazine Natalya Tootsi, and many others. 

            Iosif Kobzon, member of the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture, chaired the meeting.
In his opening remarks, he restated: “World Peace is more than a world without war. This concept has extremely high capacity. It involves structural changes in the whole system of civilization, and these changes, above all, must take place in those areas of life that are responsible for the safe coexistence of people. Fear, violence, destruction, death, poverty - all these are a product of the old world, its negative factors affecting destructively a human being. Among such factors we can find environmental problems of global scale and terrorism, the global economic crisis and the problems of food safety, information violence, damaging people's minds, religious-based disputes, lack of harmonious co-existence in families, problems of internal balance of a man and many other things as well as initiation of military conflicts. True peace is not just the absence of war. Only a World free of violence and fear is a real World. “

These words were unanimously endorsed by all participants of the meeting, and following the results of all presentations, the organizing committee decided:
- Recommend the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture focus upon the topic of the first session of the Forum 2013 “Towards World Peace through Spiritual Culture”.

Within the framework of the first session the following guidelines for promoting World Peace were proposed for consideration: “Peace-making Initiatives: For World without Wars”, “Economic cooperation and security”, “Environmental culture”, “Information Security”, “Supra-national policy”, “Interfaith Dialogue”.
However it is impossible to make the society highly spiritual and cultural in an instant. We can achieve the salvational sublevation of Human civilization only by patient and constant reminding of the highest cultural values and constant absorbing of these foundations. It is possible to achieve the main goal of the Forum 2013 “Towards World Peace through Spiritual Culture” if we continue on the path of spiritual enlightenment. Therefore, members of the organizing committee made the second decision:
- Recommend the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture focus upon the topic of the second session of the Forum 2013 “Spiritual Enlightenment - a key transforming vector of Spiritual Development”.
Within the frame of Session II it was offered to arrange the work of discussion platforms: “Education and Upbringing”, “Religions”, “Science”, “Art”.
As an organizational proposal it was expressed that each of two sessions should dedicate to it a single day as part of the Forum.
The Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture decided this October in Astana that the main outcome of the second session of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture should become a “Peace Pact”- an international agreement.
The second main result of the upcoming Forum in 2013 should be further development of the World Social Movement “Towards a New World through Spiritual Culture”, which was initiated by the participants from 72 countries at the first session of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture in 2010.
In this regard, members of the International Organizing Committee made the following decisions:

- Establish a working group to prepare a draft of Peace Pact, the main outcome of the second session of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture, consisting of T. Mukhamejanov, I. Kobzon, S. Glazjev, R. Abdulatipov, Y. Ageshin, I. Darneva, L. Trunina, E. Balashov, N. Bikalova, I. Polyakova, W. Augustat, M. Fisher, N. Maltsev, Polad ByulByulogly, Soheil Farah, (the list is open).

- For the next meeting of the organizing committee the working group should prepare proposals for the modification of the draft Concept of the Forum 2013 and content of the Peace Pact, the main outcome.

-Recommend the Presidium of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture take steps in the formation of organizational principles of the Global Movement “Towards a New World through Spiritual Culture".

Additionally, in accordance with the agenda of the meeting, members of the international organizing committee also decided:

- Recommend the Presidium of the WFSC establish the International Center of Spiritual Culture (Russia) as the Russian representative office of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture.

- Explore the issue of holding Youth Peace Forum within the frame of the second session of the World Forum of Spiritual Culture.
- Prepare and send submission letters to potential sponsors of the Forum.


Larisa Trunina, chief information officer of the International Center for Spiritual Culture, Member of the International Association “Peace through Culture”.