The Toda Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization committed to the pursuit of peace through peaceful means and a complete abolition of war. In cooperation with other peace organizations that resist injustice and promote nonviolent conflict transformation and resolution, the Institute aims to maximize the efforts of people of peace of all backgrounds and convictions everywhere. We believe in the power of personal transformation, dialogue and effective global governance for peace. [Full Mission Statement]

Humanitarian Competition for Global Visioning
CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Deadline: Sept 1, 2009

The idea of “Humanitarian Competition,” also found in the 2009 Peace Proposal, was first proposed by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi in his 1903 work The Geography of Human Life. It sprang from Makiguchi’s observation that competition based on military, political or economic superiority was not serving the best interests of humankind. Instead, he envisioned a world in which groups and nations would vie with each other to find the most effective and humane solutions to our most urgent problems.

In this spirit, we would like to announce a call for project proposals that will bring together the best ideas for this kind of global visioning. Since relations between the UN, NGOs, transnational bodies and many other organizations are becoming more extensive, project proposals need not focus exclusively on the UN, but can freely concentrate on the main issues affecting our planet.

More information about Humanitarian Competition for Global Visioning

New Book: The Challenge of  Abolishing Nuclear Weapons,
from the Toda Institute 2007 Conference on Nuclear Abolition.

The year 2009 is crucial for our survival in the nuclear age. President Obama called for a nuclear weapons-free world on 5 April in Prague, but North Korea carried out an underground nuclear test on 25 May. Where are we heading to?

In the more than sixty years since the advent of nuclear weapons, there has been little meaningful progress toward nuclear disarmament. Some countries have nuclear weapons, while other states are forbidden to acquire them, a status quo that lacks rational basis and cannot be sustained. The vast majority of people would surely opt to abolish nuclear weapons; however decisions about nuclear weapons are not made by the public, but by small groups of political elites. Consequently, the fate of humanity rests in the hands of a small number of individuals, whose perceptions, communications, and judgment determine whether there is to be a future. In this remarkable collection, scholars and policy analysts argue that humankind has a choice: either allow nuclear weapons to continue to proliferate throughout the world or move toward their complete elimination.

More information about this crucial and timely volume

The Ben Ali’s Chair for the Dialogue of Civilizations and Religions organized an international conference entitled “Justice and Peace in the Holy Scriptures and the Philosophical Thought” from 20 to 23 April 2009 in Tunisia.

Please read more about the "Justice and Peace" conference here.

Toda Institute Organizes Symposium on “Alliance of Civilizations,” co-sponsored by the Soka University Peace Research Institute (SUPRI) in Japan on 23 March 2009

Please read more about the "Alliance of Civilizations" symposium here.

The research question at the center of the DIPP project is: “What is Daisaku Ikeda’s Philosophy of Peace?” The goal of this project is to create a database of different research efforts in order to create a coherent picture of the many facets of Ikeda’s philosophy of peace by the year 2020.

Please read more about the DIPP (2008-2020): Daisaku Ikeda’s Philosophy of Peace project here.

A place for sharing ideas, we invite you to join our newly updated Discussion Forum, only a few clicks away on this web site.

Toda Institute Discussion Forum [link]
How To Register [instruction page]

Archived news may be accessed here.