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general. It aims to demonstrate that everyone can make a difference. The exhibition honours the
“Righteous among the Nations”, non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust at the risk of
their own lives. The organization has also designed a project aimed at managing cultural
diversity in the workplace; the project seeks to evaluate the policies and practices of Australian
companies through the analysis of patterns such as their dedication in productive diversity for the
company’s commercial gains; the reduction of prejudice and discrimination and the promotion of
harmony in the workplace; the enhancement of respect for people of diverse cultures; and the
provision of conditions which contribute to the material and spiritual well-being of workers.
C. Religious organizations
129. Several religious organizations also participate in efforts to combat racial discrimination
and to preserve social harmony. Several conferences on religion and diversity have been
organized under the aegis of the Australian Multicultural Foundation and in cooperation with the
various faith organizations in Australia (Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist) in order to bring
them closer together. The first one, held in 1997 in Melbourne in the context of the World
Conference on Religion and Peace Australia, was designed to provide “an opportunity to listen
and learn from each other’s experiences, and to address the issues of social cohesion, tolerance
and policy-making in religiously diverse societies”. The conference made some major
recommendations, including the promotion of inter-faith dialogue and understanding and the
establishment of a legal and constitutional framework that promotes respect for religious
difference.
130. The second one, the Religion and Cultural Diversity Conference, was held in
October 1999, in London in cooperation with the European Multicultural Foundation and its
outcome contained some landmarks for the consolidation of Australian religious diversity. It
was organized as a forum where discussion could be generated in a bid to promote global peace
and harmony. It was agreed that a country rich in cultural and religious diversity was wealthy,
despite its economic or political position. Participants also agreed on the paramount role of
Governments in fostering qualities such as acceptance, respect and equality.
131. Among the organizations active in the field, mention may be made of the National
Council of Churches, a Protestant organization which devotes itself, inter alia, to the
rehabilitation of Aboriginals and the protection of refugees. The Protestant churches have
recognized their responsibility in the destruction of Aboriginal societies and are now helping to
ensure the autonomy of these peoples, notably by encouraging the emergence of an Aboriginal
clergy. One officer of the National Council of Churches states that membership of the Christian
faith no longer presupposes the acculturation of the Aboriginals, Aboriginal culture being
respected and integrated in Christian religious practice. The Anglicare organization is a
charitable institution of the Anglican Church which provides various services to immigrants,
including English teaching, assistance in finding jobs and housing, social assistance, migrant
counselling, support for women and supervision of young people subjected to mandatory
sentencing.