The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has convened a two-day Global Forum of Faith-Based Organizations in Istanbul. The main result was the formation of an Interfaith Network on Population and Development. The goal was "to strengthen cooperation against the global urgencies of maternal death, AIDS, and poverty." The press release says that the Global Forum was opened on October 20 by the Representative of Religious Affairs in Turkey , Mustafa Cagrici, who said that many of today's problems cannot be solved without the power of religion. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the executive director of UNFPA, said that the meeting in Istanbul aimed to find common ground but that despite different faiths people all "share the common values of compassion, tolerance, respect for differences, and a passion to try to improve the lives of the people we serve."
This picture of Ms. Obaid is from the UNFPA site.
