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Chronology of the Bahá'í Faith

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Date 1995-0, descending — sort earliest first

date event tags firsts
1995 4 - 15 Sep Fourth World Conference on Women was held at the Beijing International Conference Centre. It was one of the largest international meetings ever convened under United Nations auspices, some 17,000 people were registered including 5,000 delegates from 189 states and the European Union, 4,000 NGO representatives, and more than 3,200 members of the media. [BW95-96p151-158]
  • See Equality, Development, and Peace: Baha'is and the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women and NGO Forum. [BW95-96p145-158]
  • The conference was called by the United Nations to review progress made toward implementation of the "Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women" adopted at the Third World Conference in Nairobi in 1985.
  • Seven Bahá'í delegations were accredited to the conference: the Bahá'í International Community, the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States, the Bahá'í community of the Netherlands, the Bahá'í community of Canada, l' Association Bahá'íe de Femmes (France), l' Association médicale Bahá'íe (France), and the National Bahá'í Office for the Advancement of Women (Nigeria).
  • By the end of the conference it was determined that much remains to be done, and a Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted aimed at launching a global campaign to bring women into full and equal participation in all spheres of public and private life worldwide. The Platform addressed twelve critical areas of concern: poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, economic structures, power sharing and decision-making, mechanisms to promote the advancement of women, human rights, the media, the environment, and the girl child.
  • The Greatness Which Might Be Theirs: Protection of Women's Rights
  • The BIC distributed the statement The Role of Religion in Promoting the Advancement of Women. The Bahá'í International Community and and the parallel Non-Governmental Organization Forum,
  • In year 2000, the follow-up documant for the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action entitled Beijing +5 Political Declaration and Outcome which reviewed progress towards the Platform for Action five years after its adoption.
  • See UN Women.
    		•  United Nations; Bahá'í International Community; Women; - BIC statements; Beijing, China; China
    1995 Sep The arrest and imprisonment of Mr. Zabihullah Mahrami in Yazd because of his adherence to the Bahá'í. He was given a life sentence. [Planet Bahá'í] Persecution, Iran; - Persecution, Arrests; - Persecution; Yazd, Iran; Iran
    1995 30 Aug – 8 Sep Some 400-500 Bahá'í women and men from more than 50 countries around the world participated in the NGO Forum on Women at the Fourth United Nations International Conference on Women held in the resort city of Huairou some 50 kilometers north of Beijing.
  • See One Country Vol 7 Issue 2 for profiles of some of the attendees.
  • Bahá'í perspectives on equality were also shared with both Conference and Forum participants through distribution of The Greatness Which Might Be Theirs , a collection of Bahá'í International Community statements and essays by Bahá'ís reflecting on the Agenda and Platform for Action. The booklet's title is drawn from the words of `Abdu'l-Bahá: "As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibility, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs."
  • See Towards the Goal of Full Partnership: One Hundred and Fifty Years of the Advancement of Women by Ann Boyles written in anticipation of the conference. It is a survey of the Bahá'í community's efforts to understand and practice the principle of equality between men and women. [BW93-94p237-275]
    		• United Nations; Women; Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; Beijing, China; China; Huairou, China
    1995 Aug More than 7,000 people became Bahá'ís in Haiti in two weeks. [BINS348:3] Mass conversion; Haiti
    1995 Jul 26 The inaugural meeting of the Association for Bahá'í Studies of Ghana was held in Accra. [BINS348:3] Bahá'í Studies, Associations for; Accra, Ghana; Ghana
    1995 Jul The first Bahá'í summer school of Lithuania was held in Ukmerge, attended by 20 people. [BINS346:1] First summer and winter schools; Ukmerge, Lithuania; Lithuania
    1995 8 - 11 Jun The First European Baha'i Conference on Law and International Order was held in De Poort, the Netherlands. The Dr Àziz Navidi Memorial Lecture, The Theme of Service in the Evolving World Order of Bahá'u'lláh was delivered 9 June by Kiser Barnes.

    For the proceedings see Law and International Order: Proceedings of the First European Bahá'í Conference on Law and International Order and for a review of the book by Joshua Lincoln see Bahá'í Library Online.

    		 Conferences, Bahá'í; - Conferences, International; Conferences, Law; Laws; - First conferences; De Poort, Netherlands; Groesbeek, Netherlands; Netherlands; - Europe first European Bahá'í Conference on Law and International Order
    1995 May 30 – Jun 1 The first International Medical/Surgical Conference of Tirana was held under the auspices of Health for Humanity and the University of Tirana, attended by more than 400 Albanian physicians. [BINS343:2–3] Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Health; - Conferences, International; Tirana, Albania; Albania
    1995 May 14 The Universal House of justice representative Mr 'Alí Nakhjavání began his tour of major Bahá'í communities to discuss the significance of the Arc projects on Mount Carmel. `Alí Nakhjavání; Arc project; Funds; - Bahá'í World Centre
    1995 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Eritrea was formed. [BINS341:2; BW24p15; Ridván Message 152]
  • A brief history of the Bahá'ís of Eritrea. [BW24p50]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Eritrea
    1995 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Sicily was formed. [BINS341:1–2; BW24p15; Ridván Message 152]
  • A brief history of the Bahá'ís of Sicily. [BW24p52; BW24p43]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Sicily, Italy
    1995 Ridván The Bahá'í communities of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, South Africa, and Transkei were merged into one community under the jurisdiction of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of South Africa, to reflect the political reunion of that region. [BW24p29; BW24p44] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Bophuthatswana, South Africa; Ciskei, South Africa; South Africa; Transkei, South Africa
    1995 Ridván In 1992 the National Spiritual Assembly of The Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova formed. This Ridván Belarus left the union and so The National Spiritual Assembly of the Ukraine and Moldova was formed with its seat in Kyiv. [BW24p15] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Kyiv, Ukraine; Ukraine; Moldova
    1995 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of the Ukraine and Moldova was formed with its seat in remaining in Kyiv. [BINS341:2; BW24p15; Ridván Message 152] National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Ukraine; Moldova
    1995 Ridván In 1992 the National Spiritual Assembly of The Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova was formed with the seat in Kyev. Belarus left the union this Ridván and formed The National Spiritual Assembly of Belarus. Counsellor member of the International Teaching Centre Hartmut Grossmann represented the Universal House of Justice.
  • A brief history of the Bahá'ís of Belarus. [BW24p48]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Belarus
    1995 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Armenia was formed [BINS343:3; BW24p15; Ridván Message 152]
  • A brief history of the Bahá'ís of Armenia. [BW24p47]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Armenia
    1995 Ridván The National Spiritual Assembly of Georgia was formed with its seat in Tbilisi. [BINS341:1; BW24p15; Ridván Message 152]
  • A brief history of Georgia. [BW24p46]
    		•  National Spiritual Assembly, formation; Tbilisi, Georgia; Georgia
    1995 17 Mar The Universal House of Justice sent a message to the National Spiritual Assemblies of Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States advising them that the flow of funds for the Arc Project was not sufficient to support the progress of the work and if $40M were not raised in the final Year of the Three Year Plan, there would be serious consequences for the Project. Universal House Member 'Alí Nakhjavani was asked to travel to inform the friends of the needs. The 35 day itinerary took him to London, New york City Washington D.C, Dallas, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, Brussels and Frankfurt am Main.

    On June 20th the Universal House of Justice informed the same National Spiritual Assemblies that the entire sum had been ensured but that $10M annually would be required until the end of the century. [Ridván 152; Vineyard of the Lord No 11 p8; Sacred Stairway p66-67]

    		 Mount Carmel Project; - Bahá'í World Centre; Haifa, Israel
    1995 Mar 3 – 12 The Bahá'í International Community and Bahá'ís from many countries participated in the United Nations World Summit for Social Development and the parallel Forum '95 for non-governmental organizations in Copenhagen. The delegation from the Bahá'í International Community focused on concepts of world citizenship and global prosperity as a means of suggesting how the Conference's main concerns about social integration and the alleviation of poverty could be creatively addressed. [BINS337:1–2; SBBR14p250-251]
  • For a report of the Bahá'í involvement in the Summit see BW94–5:37–6.
  • For the text of The Prosperity of Humankind the Bahá'í International Community statement released at the Summit, see BW94–5 273–96.
  • For pictures see BW94–5:39, 43, 45.
  • A Summary Report on the World Summit for Social Development (PDF).
    		•  United Nations Summits; Bahá'í International Community; Social and economic development; Prosperity of Humankind (statement); - BIC statements; - Statements; * Publications; Copenhagen, Denmark; Denmark
    1995 Feb Jacinto Peynado, Vice President of the Dominican Republic, visited the Bahá'í World Centre. [BW94–5:77] Jacinto Peynado; Dominican Republic; - Bahá'í World Centre
    1995 23 Jan To respond to the increased attention given to the issues of social and economic development following the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992, the Universal House of Justice asked the Bahá'í International Community's Office of Public Information to prepare a statement on the concept of global prosperity in the context of the Bahá'í teachings. The statement is entitled The Prosperity of Humankind. [Mess86-01p417-8]

    Humanity has done well to articulate material indicators of development, and even to achieve a number of them. But focusing only on that which is quantifiable has obscured the critical importance of factors related to higher aspects of the human spirit, such as the value of relationships, the quality of one's character, and the coherence between principles and deeds. The need to bring such factors to the centre of the development discourse was outlined in The Prosperity of Humankind, which made clear that ideals require the force of spiritual commitment to cement them. The statement laid out an ambitious vision of humanity's capacity to take charge of the course of its development, and addressed a set of principles and concepts indispensable to the task, from reimagining collective decision-making to rearranging economic priorities. It called for "unconditioned recognition of the oneness of humankind" and "a commitment to the establishment of justice as the organizing principle of society". [BIC 3 March 2020]

    		Prosperity of Humankind (statement); Social and economic development; Social action; Bahá'í International Community; - BIC statements; - Statements; * Publications; - Basic timeline, Expanded; - Bahá'í World Centre
    1995 Jan By decision of the National Spiritual Assembly of the United State, the Wilmette Institute was established as an agency of the National Assembly.

    "The Wilmette Institute is a center of Bahá'í learning. Its programs aim to facilitate study and dialogue on the teachings and principles of the Faith to help individuals and communities apply learning and advance human civilization."

  • In 1998, the Wilmette Institute moved to a largely online study approach in order to provide educational classes to a broader student body. [Wilmette Institute]
    		•  Wilmette Institute; Bahá'í study centers; Wilmette, IL; Chicago, IL; USA
    1995 Jan The first meeting of the Association of Bahá'í Doctors and Health Professionals in India took place. [BW94–5:116] Conferences, Health; Bahá'í associations; India
    1995 Jan The first National Teaching Conference of Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh, attended by more than 50 Bahá'ís. [BINS334:2] Conferences, Bahá'í; Conferences, Teaching; - Conferences, National; - First conferences; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Cambodia first National Teaching Conference of Cambodia
    1995 (In the year) Following the resignation of Galindo Pohl, the UNCHR appointed Maurice Copithorne, a Canadian lawyer, as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran.
  • On 22 April 2002, the UNCHR voted not to renew the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, a decision condemned by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).
  • The BIC paid tribute to him upon his passing on 14 February, 2019.
    		• Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran; United Nations; United Nations; Maurice Copithorne; Bahá'í International Community; New York City, NY
    1995 (In the year) The publication of Desinformation als Methode by Udo Schaefer, Nicola Towfigh and Ulrich Gollmer. This book was written in response to a pseudo-academic monograph on the Bahá'í Faith by an embittered ex-Bahá'í, Francesco Ficicchia, claiming to be the standard work on the Faith and published in Germany under church auspices. For over 15 years the accusations raised in Ficicchia's book largely shaped public and academic perception of the Bahá'í Faith in German-speaking Europe, damaging its reputation with a picture of an authoritarian cadre-dominated cult with totalitarian, fascist goals.
  • was translated from the German to English by Dr Geraldine Schuckelt and published in 2000 under the title Making the Crooked Straight; A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics and is available from George Ronald Publishers.
    		• Propaganda; Persecution, Iran; Propaganda, counter; Udo Schaefer; Nicola Towfigh; Ulrich Gollmer; Germany
    1995 (In the year) The Association for Latin American Bahá'í Writers and Authors was formed at the fifth Latin American Seminar for External Affairs in Cali, Colombia. [BINS336:2] Association for Latin American Bahá'í Writers and Authors; External Affairs; Cali, Colombia; Colombia

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