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"The fact that the Global Working Group (GWG) has been functioning for 16 years is a testimony to our resilience,” remarked chair Neville Shroff at the 16th annual general meeting (AGM) of this body and the second AGM of the Global Council of Zoroastrians Trust (GCZT) convened as a hybrid meeting at Bombay’s West End Hotel on February 2, 2025. 

"The challenges are significant and so are the opportunities. We need to harness our collective strength to make a meaningful difference, focus on the values that unite us. We believe in… resource sharing within the community. As a digitally empowered entity we need to leverage technology to enhance our impact. We need to foster collaboration within the trust, create sustainable solutions for an equitable future,” added Shroff who is president of the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao.

Registered as a public trust in Bombay two years ago, GCZT is "dedicated to the well-being and prosperity of community members worldwide.” GWG initially functioned as an informal body with representatives from 10 regions. Following the formation of GCZT, eight trustees who oversee the functioning of the body comprise one arm and the regional representatives who constitute GWG, the second arm. 

Commencing the AGM with a benediction, GCZT trustee Ervad Burjor Antia urged, "Let us pray to the Almighty for new light, vision and direction for members of the community spread from America to New Zealand.” According to GCZT trustee Meher Bhesania from Dubai who coordinated the meeting, "GCZT was formed for the upliftment and betterment of the worldwide community. So many of us have traveled large distances to attend this meeting. GCZT is a movement that endeavors to be progressive, unstoppable.”

"There is transformational potential only if we work together. In strengthening this global body lies our future ahead,” remarked GCZT trustee Rohinton Rivetna from Chicago, founder president of the Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America. "Strength in harmony” being the motto of GCZT, he further reminded, "We are one worldwide community without borders. Parochial thinking has to change. ‘Local to global’ should be our aim. There are 10 regions around the globe, each different but each equal… Half of us live outside India and Iran. The world has shrunk distances… We have to set aside our differences as liberals and conservatives and work together as one to tackle the most urgent issues facing the community. Divisiveness, however right the motives, needs to be condemned. 

  top: a section of the committee members and invitees

"In North America we were a divided community but good sense prevailed. The motto of US, ‘E pluribus unum (that appears on the US currency and the national seal) translating to out of many, one’ should be the approach for the Zoroastrian community too.” He further quoted the US founding father Benjamin Franklin who commented at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, "We must all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” 

The theme for the 13th World Zoroastrian Congress in Singapore will be ROAR: Reach Out, Apire, Rise. It will be held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre from December 28 to 30, 2026 which has an expandable capacity. The delegates will be given an option of accommodation at three hotels, within five to 10 minutes shuttle ride. "We would like to bridge the east with the west and our aim is high attendance from Iran,” said Cyrus Driver, co-head of the program committee, who had joined on Zoom to give an update on the Congress. Promising teen tracks as also professional mentoring and networking, "youthful participation will be the oxygen we need,” stated Driver. While about 20 speakers have confirmed participation, their target is to have 100. The skeleton program is expected to be ready by June 2025. 

The 40 volunteers working on 15 committees were enthused that a presentation made by two Singapore youngsters at the 18th  North American Zoroastrian Congress resulted in 187 delegates evincing interest in getting regular email updates.  The organizers realize that the success of the event will depend on the coordination and support from global associations, said Driver. Besides digging into their local resources and association to raise funds, they acknowledged the initial support from the Zoroastrian Charity Funds of Hongkong, Canton and Macao, and were hopeful of additional assistance from community stalwarts. Singapore being as expensive as New York, the cost per delegate is expected to be in the region of USD 400 to 500 (Rs 34,730 to 43,413). Optional excursions at extra cost could be arranged as evening programs and a New Year’s eve party for those who decide to stay back. 

The Ninth World Zoroastrian Youth Congress to be held in Bombay in the week before Christmas in December 2027 will be hosted by the Zoroastrian Youth for the Next Generation (ZYNG). Their multicolored Congress logo is meant to denote stability and adaptability to achieve balance and harmony at the Congress, said organizing committee (OC) member Delzin Irani Banajee. Fellow OC member Pourushasp Mehta and Bombay Parsi Punchayet chairman Viraf Mehta supplemented with other information. The venue will be Taj Land’s End, a Tata legacy that has offered special discounts and an extendable venue. They would prefer that everyone stays at the hotel so that "they tend to stray less. Past experience has shown that if they have to commute they may wander off,” stated Viraf.

They are expecting more than 750 participants in the 18-40 age bracket but don’t want to put a cap on registration for the four-day, three night event. Their target is 1,000 registrants with 500 from within India and 500 from abroad. Rather than see a preponderance of attendees from certain regions, they are considering assigning a predetermined number  to youth from different overseas associations. Recognizing the cultural gap among the youth, they will try and balance it out with mutual respect. Hoping to get financial support from associations, they would also like each event to be sponsored by separate sponsors. Three events are being planned outside of the venue. A visit to atash behrams, to a Zoroastrian industrial/ business house, and an excursion to Bahrot Caves are also being considered.

"A better future for our youth is imperative,” commented Shroff. When erstwhile co-chair of the Zoroastrian Youth of North America and chair of the FEZANA Advocacy Committee, Parshan Khosravi joined the GCZT meeting on Zoom he expressed the hope of formalizing the World Alliance of Young Zoroastrians (WAYZ) as the youth body of GCZT. Dynamic youngsters who had attended the second World Zoroastrian Youth Leaders Forum (WZYLF) in 2024 at the Asha Centre in the UK, had conceived WAYZ to connect the youth across the diaspora, to empower, stimulate and support them. They have been holding monthly meetings on the programs they would like WAYZ to pursue. 

Interjected Viraf, "You guys have missed out Bombay that will be hosting the next Youth Congress… that has the largest youth body in the world, where the GCZT is registered. I don’t think anyone in this room has any idea of what you are talking about.” Reporting on WZYLF (see "Activating alliances,” August 7-20, 2024), Parsiana had quoted Khosravi six months earlier, "WAYZ aims to serve as the youth voice of the GWG as also a one-stop-shop for all Zarathushti youth leaders across the diaspora who would like to get involved… Whether you are a youth leader at ZYNG looking to expand your network and build on best practices for youth programing, or a young Zarathushti in a corner of the world looking to connect with your faith, WAYZ will be the bridge to connect you… There is still a lot to be figured out before WAYZ becomes a reality, but one thing is certain: the need for this body has never been felt more.”

At the GWG meeting, Khosravi tried to appease Viraf saying, "This is just the starting point; we need recognition for it.” Further exchange on this subject was brought to an end by Shroff saying, "We need to discuss this separately.”

Realizing the need to prepare the next scholar priest like Dastur (Dr) Firoze Kotwal who is over 90 years of age, the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (ZTFE) will be making an announcement in the next few months, covering the cost of higher studies for a promising mobed at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. After his studies he could return to India to practice as a respected scholar priest, mentioned ZTFE trustee Dorab Mistry.

Of premium and portals

"Our community is declining demographically. There is attrition in India and assimilation in the diaspora. Organizations struggle for finance. We need to be industrious with integrity,” commented Rivetna.

Among the GCZT initiatives contemplated to specifically assist Zoroastrians in India in need of financial assistance is a portal Zfunds.org on the GCZT website gczt.org. It is meant to be a transparent system where data will be instantly available on applications received and allocation of funds by different community trusts towards educational and medical aid.

As clarified GCZT secretary Yazdi Tantra, the proposed "portal will bring together both givers and takers. Under the current scenario, those in need of educational and medical help have limited knowledge of the trusts available, the tedious process that every trust adopts, and critical delays faced when time is of the essence in medical cases. Conversely, trusts are often faced with the prospect of unutilized resources, un-met targets, untapped potential when they don’t find Parsi beneficiaries.” 

The solution through Zfunds.org would result in one-time registration, centralized visibility, efficient processing. The benefits for applicants would be a single application, wider reach, faster response and accessibility. For the trusts it would result in an impartial allocation and meeting of targets.

 

But this ambitious project would work "only if all 2,500 trusts (in India) get registered on the portal,” said Tantra. Many apprehensions were voiced by those present: Who will be entrusted with due diligence and vetting of applications? Will the aid sanctioned as loan or grant be indicated separately on the portal? Will there be a facility to upload supporting documents? Who would have access to the details furnished by applicants? Would a no objection certificate be required from applicants before their details would be uploaded on a public platform? Should a fee be collected from trusts benefitting from this portal? Would a translation facility be available for those facing difficulty to comprehend English?

Yet another ambitious project is a group medical insurance scheme for the less fortunate in India where a family of four (with two dependent children) would be covered for five lakh rupees. GCZT would take the onus to arrange for the premium of Rs 25,000 payable per family each year. According to Maneck Dastur, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at K. M. Dastur Reinsurance Brokers they are "looking for sponsors and are hopeful something will come up in the next few months.” The major benefits under this scheme are: no age limit for entry and exit, pre-existing illnesses are covered immediately, a newborn is covered from day one, no medical check-up is required. 

"We have got a good response from Sir J. J. Charities and the N. M. Wadia Fund,” mentioned Antia. Reinforced Rivetna, "Self-sufficiency is the best help. Let us develop an ethic of collective giving.”

Speeches made by the guest speakers, GCZT advisors and regional representatives will be covered in forthcoming issues of Parsiana.