Our world today is barraged by crises-war, famine, poverty, illness, global warming, a struggling economy. Are solutions even possible? Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute, tells us: "None of the problems we face are beyond solution if we overcome the fear, which is the greatest obstacle of all." Voices for the Culture of Peace, volume 2, brings together fourteen speakers who share a broad spectrum of expertise and experience, from community activists to human-rights experts to conflict-resolution professionals and beyond. Each brings to the mix a wealth of ideas and, more important, hope for a better future by empowering the contributions of each of us. As Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, a longtime leader of efforts to build a culture of peace, says: "I have seen time and again how people-even the humblest and the weakest-have contributed to building the culture of peace in their personal lives, in their families, in their communities and in their countries. And that ultimately is contributing to build a new and better tomorrow for humanity and to the global movement for the culture of peace." The Soka Gakkai International-USA Culture of Peace Resource Centers-located in New York, Santa Monica, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Honolulu and San Francisco-offer the Culture of Peace Distinguished Speaker Series to engage people in a dialogue on the values, attitudes and behaviors that reject violence and inspire creative energy for peace. Lecturers in this series focus on one or more of the eight action areas defined by the 1999 United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace: (1) Fostering a culture of peace through education, (2) Promoting sustainable economic and social development, (3) Promoting respect for all human rights, (4) Ensuring equality between women and men, (5) Fostering democratic participation, (6) Advancing understanding, tolerance and solidarity, (7) Supporting participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge and (8) Promoting international peace and security.