Buddhism
SGI-Europe Youth Representatives Gather for General Meeting in France; UNHCR Commends SGI President
Some 1,000 SGI youth from 29 European countries gathered for a general meeting on July 6, at the SGI European Center in Trets, southern France. The gathering commemorated the SGI's 30th anniversary as well as the 30th anniversary of the SGI European Center. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda sent a congratulatory message. SGI-Europe Chair Shoichi Hasegawa and SGI-Europe Women's Chief Sakae Takahashi attended.
On the occasion, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda received a commendation from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres, former prime minister of Portugal, for his "commitment to peace, culture and education, the respect of human dignity, and dedication to the cause of refugees." Mr. Pierre Bernard LeBas, head of Private Sector and Public Affairs Service of UNHCR, entrusted a certificate to SGI-Europe Youth Committee Chair Bertrand Rissignol, who received it on Mr. Ikeda's behalf.
At the same venue, SGI-Europe youth representatives--a total of 20 groups--will be meeting for their annual summer sessions through the end of September 2005.
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