All posts by CPNN Coordinator

About CPNN Coordinator

Dr David Adams is the coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network. He retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

Mexico City prepares third culture of peace meeting

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Prensa Latina

Mexico City is preparing to celebrate the Third Culture Meeting of Peace from June 12 to 25 this year through the social program “Cultivating Art and Culture in Tlalpan,” the organizers reported today.


A poster from Cronica Jalisco

In a press release they indicate that the program will start with a series of activities broadcast on the social networks of the mayor of Tlalpan – one of the 13 municipalities that make up the Mexican capital. It will include three segments: videos, talks and a course-workshop , as well as the presentation of a documentary.

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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

(continued from left column)

The organizers explain that there will be talks, conferences, children’s forums, audiovisuals, debates around Covid-19 and its effects on children, public space and community cultural life.

Human rights personalities, the academy of institutions such as Mexico City, the Autonomous University, the Spain Cultural Center and the Ministry of Culture, as well as local cultural managers from Querétaro and Michoacán, among others, will actively participate in the 13 days of culture.

The Mayor’s Office of Tlalpan, through the Subdirectorate of the Arts and Crafts Centers, attached to the General Directorate of Cultural Rights where this unprecedented meeting was born, will raise the issue of how the confinement has affected children, as well as vulnerable groups and what are their consequences.

They will also include the importance that art, the culture of peace, the public space have for people’s daily lives, in these moments of virtuality and massive confinement.

Other aspects to explore are the types of social relationships and affections developed by those who are in contact and in communication with some cultural or artistic social program, online during confinement, compared to those who are not.

This third Culture of Peace meeting will have the participation of Nashieli Ramírez, president of the Human Rights Commission of Mexico City, and numerous professors and researchers specializing in childhood issues and public space.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Conference on the culture of peace in young people hosted by HEC-CHAD

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Mbaïnaissem Gédéon in Al Wihda Info

Amphi-Chine served as the framework for the interactive conference, “The involvement of young people in the preservation of culture of peace in Chad”. The objective was to make young students understand the essential role of peace and the culture of peace. Following ideas expressed by students regarding peace, the speakers emphasized that peace is the acceptance of others, peace being the foundation or the basis of life in society. It is a behavior and a culture. Having love for one’s neighbor, living together, peaceful cohabitation, social cohesion are among the topics discussed during this interactive conference.

(Click here for the original French version of this article)

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

(continued from left column)

The president of the United Nations association of Chad, Mahamat Silim Moustapha, the members of the Koisé association, Mahamat Alboukhari, Ousman Thiam, Hamza Ahmat Abrass, took turns explaining to the students, the importance and the role of peace in a society, especially in Chad. For them, in the current situation that the country is going through, the culture of peace is essential, especially in student circles for the development of the country.

Chad’s stability and social cohesion is a very relevant issue that everyone must understand. That said, living in peace is the best thing a family wants in the world. “Peace is not only the absence of wars, but also behavior,” said conference speaker Dr Hamid AZAZ. The example was given in countries which live in peace. They are now the host countries for migrants from around the world.

Conflicts maintained on social networks, and which fuel hatred, must be opposed by students. We have to bury the hatchet and build our country Chad, because it needs a new face, a new generation, and this new generation and new vision is you, the students. You are the future executives and ambassadors for peace, ”the speakers concluded. The president of the organizing committee, Wardougou Moussa Abdelkader, on behalf of the students of HEC-TCHAD, thanked the United Nations association of Chad, for the initiative, and pleaded for the sustainability of this theme.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Past virtual events in June

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Here are events and application deadlines in June that were previously listed on the CPNN page for upcoming virtual events. Where possible links are provided to recordings of the events. Unless otherwise noted the events are in English.

1 junio, 10:35 AM – 12:05 PM Argentina, 15:35 España
Justicia Económica, Desarrollo Local, Convivencia y Paz (Sesión 5 – Plenaria)

El objetivo de esta sesión es abordar la importancia que tienen las ciudades y territorios y las políticas públicas impulsadas desde sus instituciones para paliar las desigualdades económicas y, de esta manera, colaborar a fortalecer el clima de convivencia y paz.
IDIOMAS ING ESP FR
— PONENTES :
Ana Barrero Tiscar
Daniel Alejandro Passerini
Franco Ianeselli
Jhon Alexander Rojas Cabrera
María Carolina Duran Peña
Peter Knip
Samuel Rizk
— ORGANIZADORES:
PNUD
— YouTube recording

Wed, June 2, 2021 – noon Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Do Nonviolent Movements Aid the Peaceful Resolution of Civil War? Findings from a Global Analysis

The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) is pleased to host Luke Abbs as he discusses his forthcoming monograph, “The Impact of Nonviolent Resistance on the Peaceful Transformation of Civil War.” Events in the last ten years has shown the extraordinary impact that nonviolent resistance can have on political change. Echoing this sentiment, research shows that nonviolent campaigns against the government have a strategic advantage over armed rebellions and are more successful in achieving regime change and democratization.
— YouTube recording

Jun 3, 2021 – 05:00 PM España
La construcción de la paz desde la cooperación transfronteriza

En este cuarto diálogo se trata de generar conversación en torno a cómo la cooperación transfronteriza puede proporcionar herramientas concretas, no sólo en término de seguridad, de políticas estatales, sino también de los gobiernos regionales y locales y de los actores locales de las comunidades. Las zonas fronterizas pueden ser lugares de oportunidades para el desarrollo y la construcción de paz.
— Presentan
AEXCID – Ángel Calle Suárez
PNUD – Johannes Krassnitzer
— YouTube recording

Jun 3, 2021 – 08:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Eyewitness Syria: Resisting US Imperialism

On May 26, 2021 14 million Syrians voted in Presidential elections, overwhelmingly reelecting President Bashar al-Assad. An independent, international delegation of observers called the election “the legitimate, democratic expression of the Syrian people” and noted that “for many Syrians, the election represents the imminent ending of the war, the defeat of foreign plots, and hope for the future.”
— Join International Action Center organizer Ted Kelly, along with others who participated in the delegation, for an eyewitness account of the situation in Syria as the country continues to push back U.S. intervention, reasserts its sovereignty and rebuilds after years of imperialist war.
— YouTube recording

Friday 4 June, 4:00 – 5:30pm PM Jerusalem-Palestine Time
Planning for sustainability in the Urban Context

Palestine Action for the Planet invites you to join us for weekly conversations towards a better future for humans and nature. For this week, we are honored to have Hiba Burqan lead the discussion on “Planning for sustainability in the Urban Context: Towards a new strategic planning model. Heba Burqan is a strategic planning master’s student, working towards investigating tools and methods in urban sustainability and development. As an architect with work experience in architectural firms, Heba investigated the last 5 years in developing exhibits and exhibitions at A.M. Qattan Foundation, and today she aspires to take this experience and utilize it in the field of community design towards sustainable urban development. We also talk about our responsibility to safeguards our environment in honor of world environment day
— Register here

Jun 9, 2021 02:00 PM in Johannesburg
Ending Gender Discrimination: Equitable access to land and ownership for young women in Africa – Towards Gender Equality

Ending Gender Discrimination is demand 2 of the Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto, but also a widespread demand across the African continent, as it remains a prevalent reality. . . The webinar, co-hosted with SAYoF, will focus more particularly on a sub-demand that has emerged during consultations with young African women on the thematic of ending gender discrimination: The need to for equitable access to land ownership ensuring economic independence and personal empowerment. Young women make a stand against gender-discriminatory laws, customs and practices regulating inheritance and those which impede young women’s fair access to ownership of land and natural resources.
— The format of the webinar will be a hybrid between moderation and open discussion (Q&A).
— zoom registration

June 9, 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Asia-Pacific Elites: Money & Trade, and Foreign and Military Policies

State foreign and military policies don’t necessary represent the interests of a nation’s people. In the push-pull between ties with China and the United States, the foreign and military policy policies of South Korea., India and Taiwan, are powerfully influenced by the financial and trade ambitions of their elites. elites have shaped those policies..
— Speakers
— Youkyoung Ko is a consultant for Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom(WILPF) and women-led Korea Peace Now! Campaign, and a standing executive committee member of the Korea Peace Appeal Campaign. She is an expert on impacts of the US-ROK alliance and US military presence in South Korea.
— Andrew Lichterman is a policy analyst and lawyer with the Oakland,
California based Western States Legal Foundation and a member of the
Coordinating Committee of United for Peace and Justice.
— Brian Hioe is a founding editor of New Bloom and former Democracy and Human Rights Service Fellow at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
— Organized by the Asia Pacific Working Group – https://www.cpdcs.org/
— Recording of the event

June 12, 2021 02:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Voices of the International Peace Movement

From nuclear weapons abolitionists in Japan to Belgians working to reduce military spending to meet urgent human needs and stanch climate change, Iranian Americans working to build a just society and prevent conflict between the U.S. and Iran., and Spaniards building an integrated justice and peace movement, we have allies and partners around the world. They and thousands of others will be gathering in Barcelona and online this October. In preparation for this World Conference, join us in conversation on June 12 where you can meet, learn from, and build partnerships with them in our Voices of the International Peace Movement.
Speakers:
Reiner Braun – Executive Director, International Peace Bureau, Berlin
Chloe Meulwaeter – Centre Delas, Barcelona
Assal Rad – Senior Research Fellow, National Iranian American Council
Quique Sanchez – International Peace Bureau, Barcelona
Alicia Sanders-Zakere – International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, Geneva
Yayoi Tsuchida – Japan Council against A- & H- Bombs, Tokyo
Tom Unterrainer – Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation London
— Recording of the event

Sunday, June 13, 2pm-4pm Eastern Standard Time USA
Remembering Ramsey Clark, hosted by the International Action Center

Ramsey Clark founded the International Action Center in 1992 as a structure to oppose U.S. wars of aggression and occupation, defend liberation struggles, defend political prisoners. IAC militants joined Ramsey Clark’s international delegations that defied the blockade of Cuba, the war and sanctions on Iraq, the U.S.-NATO war on Yugoslavia, the kidnapping of then President Aristide in Haiti or joined the wave of resistance then sweeping Latin America.
— Ramsey Clark guided the production of hundreds of books, videos, mass meetings, internet campaigns and demonstrations that the IAC organized with him. We are determined to continue this vital work and to make available many of his books to a wider audience.
— YouTube recording

Sunday June 13:3pm-6:30pm Central European Time
Global NATO: a Threat to Peace – Online protest action

Since the end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, NATO has developed into a global alliance through expansion into Central and Eastern Europe, conducting destabilizing military interventions in the ‘war against terror’ and forging bilateral and multilateral alliances worldwide. At the NATO summit, the report “NATO 2030: United for a new Era” will be discussed. In this webinar we’ll analyse NATO as a global militarist actor.
— Interpretation: English, French and Spanish
— facebook recording

Monday, June 14, 2021 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Finding Common Ground Turning Racism & Extremism Into Hope & Healing

Join Common Ground Committee and sponsoring partner Bridge Alliance for a special virtual event to kick off the National Week of Conversation 2021. Our guest Daryl Davis, an award-winning Black musician, race reconciliator and renowned lecturer, has used the power of human connection to convince hundreds of people to leave white supremacist groups. Fellow guest Ryan Lo’Ree, a former white supremacist and extremist, is an interventionist working to deradicalize people who have been lured into extremism and white supremacy. Register now to join them for a Zoom conversation moderated by New York Times columnist David Brooks on strategies that work to combat hate, and how we can all play a part.
— YouTube recording

Monday, June 14 – 7pm to 8 pm EST
Wednesday, June 16 – 7pm to 8pm EST
Thursday, June 17 – 12pm to 1 pm EST
Discussion groups for United States: Root Causes: How Did We Get Here?

The growing divisions and distrust in our nation has led us to a dangerous point for our democracy. To put our country on a better course necessitates understanding how we got here in the first place. FixUS is hosting several small discussion groups throughout the National Week of Conversation on June 14, 16, and 17th where participants will engage with one another on what they view as the top underlying political, cultural, economic, and technological reasons for our current environment. Groups will have varying backgrounds and perspectives, and you can indicate which sessions you may be interested and able to join (via Zoom) below.
— If you’d like to see more about our work, please visit our website. If you have questions, please email fixus@fixusnow.org. Thank you!
— Please fill out the form here to participate in a discussion group.

Wednesday, June 16 • noon-1:30pm Eastern Standard Time (USA)
How Civil Resistance Movements Acquire Material and Other Resources They Need: Case Studies from Northwest Mexico and Palestine Area C

The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC) is pleased to host the authors of two forthcoming case studies on materials resources: Chris Allan and Scott DuPree, the authors of Social Movements and Material Resources in Northwest Mexico, and Mahmoud Soliman, the author of The Mobilization of Material Resources and Palestinian Nonviolent Resistance in the Occupied Territory of Area C.
— YouTube recording

Thursday June 17 at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Voices Against Empire: A Discussion on Black Radical Media

Join the Black Alliance for Peace at for this discussion. We will explore the radical traditions in Black emancipatory journalism and learn about how revolutionary struggle can be supported with media that share a vision for liberation.
— YouTube recording

Thursday, 17 June at 9:00am Costa Rica time
Integral design and regenerative projects through the lens of the Earth Charter

This webinar will offer unique perspectives on regeneration through Integral Design and the Earth Charter in Action. Our guest speakers will share examples of how regenerative climate parks and education programmes based on the Earth Charter are addressing environmental and social challenges in South Africa and Lesotho.
— Speakers: Bjorn Heyerdahl and Janika Heyerdahl
— Bjorn will share lessons in leadership on global citizenship from his recently published book The Midgard Viking Expedition – the Search for Intelligent Life on Earth.
— Janika will share her experience in connecting education, food security, regeneration with the Earth Charter Ethics.
— YouTube recording

Jun 18, 2021 04:00 PM Central European Time
Intergenerational Dialogue Pre-GEF Paris Forum – Young Women Demands at GEF – Ticking a box or Taken Seriously?

Fostering intergenerational co-leadership and dialogues is a pillar as part of Nala’s FEM objectives, as guided by the 10th Demand of the Africa Young Women Beijing+25 Manifesto calling for intergenerational co-leadership. This includes fostering African Young Women participation in intergovernmental spaces and inclusion towards the Decade of Action.
— The intergenerational dialogue at the dawn of the Generation Equality Forum will serve as a platform to converse with youth on specific thematics which touch their livelihoods on the one hand and with African elders who have committed their work to solving the existing gender equality gaps.
— The aim of the webinar is to provide an intergenerational platform as we head towards the Generation Equality Forum, and put an emphasis on the urgency for the institutionalization of co-leadership for young women’s full and effective political participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all decision making levels in the political, social, cultural, economic and public dimensions of life, while strengthening young women’s voices and creating spaces and resources for their agendas.
— Facebook recording

Jun 18, 2021 12:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
From Dialogue to Systemic Change

Dialogue can bridge divides and decrease polarization—but can it lead to systemic change? Search for Common Ground has a 40-year track record of working on the world’s most challenging conflicts and translating dialogue into collective action and enduring change. Join us on June 18th, 12pm ET to hear personal insights about how to start with bridge-building and end with a transformed society.
Our speakers:
Shamil Idriss, CEO, Search for Common Ground
Nawaz Mohammed, Country Director, Search for Common Ground – Sri Lanka
Claudia Maffettone, Track II Mediation Program Manager, Search for Common Ground
— Register here

Jun 23, 07:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (US and Canada)
Preparations for Nuclear War with China over Taiwan – Then and Now

Daniel Ellsberg has done it again! 50 years after his courageous whistleblowing release of the Pentagon’s secret Vietnam War history, The Pentagon Papers, he has again shaken the nation and the world with a new revelation. It has critically important implications for the new Cold War confrontation with China and the debate over the possibility over Congress or the the Biden Administration adopting a No First Use nuclear policy.
— For more than 60 years the government has kept secret its 1958 willingness to completely sacrifice Taiwan in order to save it. During that Taiwan crisis, the Eisenhower administration prepared and threatened to attack China with nuclear weapons. Ellsberg’s revelation demonstrates that Eisenhower and Dulles were willing to accept a retaliatory Soviet nuclear attack on Taiwan following U.S. nuclear bombing of China.
— As the U.S. and China ratchet up tensions over Taiwan, Ellsberg asserts that the Pentagon must again be debating the possibility of sacrificing Taiwan and its people to save them.
— Sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action, the Campaign for Peace Disarmament and Common Security, and the Committee for a Sane US-China Policy
— Youtube recording

Thursday, June 24, 2021 8:00pm Eastern Daylight Time (USA)
Ending America’s Forever War in Korea

On the 71st anniversary of what is officially recognized as the start of the Korean War, World BEYOND War will present a panel discussion with preeminent Korea historian Bruce Cumings, Korean-American peace activist Christine Ahn, and Youngjae KIM, a peace activist based in Seongju, South Korea. They will reflect upon the neglected history and human costs of the unresolved war and discuss what is needed to finally bring closure to America’s oldest, endless war.
— This event will include simultaneous translation in Korean.
— YouTube recording

Saturday, 26th June, AGM 1:00 – 16:30, Conference 17:00 – 20:00 CEST
Peace-Building in a post-COVID-19 World

Uniting for Peace is pleased to invite you to the AGM and Spring Conference 2021 on “Peace-Building in a post-COVID-19 World”
Speakers
Chair – Rita Payne, President Emeritus, Commonwealth Journalists Association
Molly Scott-Cato, Former Member of the European Parliament
Vijay Mehta, Author and Chair, Uniting for Peace
Keith Best, Former Member of UK Parliament
Brian Cooper, Vice President, Uniting for Peace
Ahmad Shahidov, Chairman, Azerbaijan Institute for Democracy & Human Rights
Frank Jackson, Vice President, Uniting for Peace
— Meeting Details: The meeting will allow 100 partricipants on first come first serve basis.
— YouTube recording

June 28 and 30
THE IMPORTANCE OF CLIMATE LITIGATION. INTRODUCTION TO THE ICJ INITIATIVE. LESSONS FROM THE ICJ ADVISORY OPINION ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Session A: Americas/Europe/Africa/Middle East, Monday 28 June 2021, 3pm Central Europe
Session B: Asia/Pacific, Wednesday June 30, 9am Central Europe Time

— The Normandy Chair for Peace on Law and Future Generations is cooperating with World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) on an initiative of WYCJ to achieve an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the issue of climate protection/stabilisation and the rights of future generations.
— This webinar (the first of four global webinars over the next five months) will cover the role of climate litigation, introduce the campaign for an ICJ case on the climate, and explore lessons learned from the historic ICJ Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons.
— Click here to register for Session A
— Click here to register for Session B

Wednesday, June 30 • noon-1:00pm Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Webinar: How Does Trust Shape Civil Resistance? Initial Evidence from Africa

The International Center on Nonviolent Conflict (ICNC)is pleased to host Dr. Jacob S. Lewis, the author of the forthcoming monograph Trust and Mobilization in Africa’s Third Wave of Protest. Democratic backsliding around the world has highlighted the importance of nonviolent civil resistance as a method of protecting and seeking democracy. One core component in both collective action and democracy is social trust, yet there has been comparatively little research on the role that social trust plays in shaping the onset and maintenance of civil resistance. Drawing evidence from Africa, this study examines two questions. First, do higher levels of social trust correlate with higher willingness to participate in nonviolent protests? Second, does trust correspond with increased preferences for nonviolent action? The study then verifies these individual-level findings by examining real-world data on proportional levels of violent and nonviolent conflict.
— YouTube recording

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

Netherlands: Court orders Shell to cut carbon emissions 45% by 2030

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Laureen Fagan in Sustainability Times (creative commons license)

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell must reduce its carbon emissions by 45 percent by the end of 2030, according to a landmark ruling by the Rechtspraak court in The Hague on Wednesday. It’s being celebrated across the globe by climate advocates who filed the suit and millions who support them.


“This is a turning point in history,” said Roger Cox, lawyer for Friends of the Earth Netherlands. “This case is unique because it is the first time a judge has ordered a large polluting company to comply with the Paris Climate Agreement. This ruling may also have major consequences for other big polluters.”

Friends of the Earth, six other organizations and some 17,000 co-plaintiffs filed the suit, following initial requests made in April 2018 that the oil company align its operations and policies with the climate accord. The Paris Climate Agreement calls for no more than 1.5ºC in global temperature rise, in order to limit sea level rise, extreme storms and other harmful consequences to the environment.

But Royal Dutch Shell documents cited in the full court ruling established the company’s Net Carbon Footprint targets – that is, the total emissions from both producing fossil fuel products and the emissions from end users – at just 20 percent reduction by 2035 and 50 percent in 2050. Shell also assured stakeholders that there would be no stranded asset losses across a longer transition timeline, with continued operations on that basis.

(article continued in right column)

Question for this article:
 
Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

(Article continued from the left column)

The Rechtspraak ruling stopped short of finding that Royal Dutch Shell is already in breach of its climate obligations, as the plaintiffs had argued. But the court concluded that breach was imminent because although Royal Dutch Shell is making progress, the company policies don’t actually reflect the changes necessary to realistically achieve the Paris targets.

“The Shell group is nevertheless heading towards more instead of less CO2 emissions in 2030, because of the growth strategy for the oil and gas activities, which has been set out until at least 2030, with a production increase of 38 percent,” the court said in its ruling.

“The policy, policy intentions and ambitions of Royal Dutch Shell for the Shell group largely amount to little concrete, yet to be elaborated and non-binding intentions for the longer term (2050),” the court continued. “Moreover, those intentions are not unconditional, but – as can be read in the disclaimers and cautionary notes with the Shell documentation – depending on the pace at which global society moves towards the climate goals of the Paris Agreement.

“Targets for emission reduction by 2030 are completely lacking.”

The court-mandated target of 45 percent emissions reduction by 2030 also includes its suppliers and customers within its compliance, and holds Royal Dutch Shell accountable for any human rights violations arising from environmental and supply chain impacts. It also calls on the company to begin compliance immediately.

In response to the decision Royal Dutch Shell spokesman Harry Brekelmans said the company was disappointed by the ruling and expects to appeal. He reiterated the company’s goal of net-zero operations by 2050.

Although environmental lawyers and activists are jubilant over this decision, they’re already looking to the future.

“This is a historic victory for the climate and everyone affected by the climate crisis,” said Andy Palmen, interim director of Greenpeace Netherlands. “Coal, oil and gas must remain in the ground. People all over the world are demanding climate justice. Today the judge has confirmed that we are in our right. Multinationals can be held liable for the climate crisis.”

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

English bulletin June 1, 2021

SOLIDARITY WITH THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE .

As they suffered attacks from Israel which, according to the United Nations experts and Amnesty International, may end up being condemned as crimes of war, there was a global movement of solidarity with the people of Palestine.

It was as if the Israeli government and military wanted to prove the allegations, as described in last month’s CPNN bulletin, that they are imitating the apartheid policies of South Africa half a century ago.

The Israeli attacks began against Palestinians who protested forced evictions of their countrymen living in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. Amnesty International condemned the evictions and what they called “repeated, unwarranted and excessive force against Palestinian protesters in occupied East Jerusalem.” After that the Israeli attacks were broadened into a war against Gaza, where, according to the UN, “222 people, including 63 children, were killed . . . More than 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip were completely destroyed or damaged by missiles, the statement continued. Among them were six hospitals, nine healthcare centres and a water desalination plant, supplying around 250,000 Palestinians with clean drinking water, as well as a tower which housed media outlets including the Al Jazeera network, and Associated Press (AP).” The war was almost completely one-sided, as the UN said that only “12 people died in Israel as a result of the fighting.”

The list of solidarity events with the people of Palestine was global in scope, including events listed from almost all of the 50 states of the USA and 27 cities of the UK. Also in Europe: Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canary Islands, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, Also in the Americas: Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala. In Asia/Pacific there were events in Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand and Pakistan, while in Africa: Morocco and South Africa.

Photos showed huge mobilizations in London, New York City, Washington, D.C., Beirut and Pakistan.

In addition to the international solidarity movement, there were mobilzations for peace in Palestine and Israel.

According to our source in Palestine, “Today [May 18] will go down in history as one of the most powerful days of Palestinian non-violence resistance against the Israeli aggressions. Palestinians across the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and inside Israel took part in “GENERAL STRIKE” to protest against the Israeli occupation, aggressions in Jerusalem, and the bombardment in Gaza!!”

In Israel, thousands of Jews and Arabs rallied in Tel-Aviv in a mass march and rally for peace and coexistence, organized by the movements “Standing Together” and “Breaking the Silence”.

The solidarity movements made use of social media, despite attempts by facebook to censor them, according to a letter to facebook signed by many well-established progressive movements in the United States. They wrote that “Facebook executives’ decision at this moment to directly collaborate with Israeli Defense and Justice Minister Gantz on content moderation, without appropriate parity of government engagement until prompted by civil society, is beyond outrageous. . . . Facebook must take . . . urgent and crucial steps to repair this mistrust with our communities and ensure that we can count on Facebook and Instagram as free civic spaces and tools for holding governments accountable:”

In response to the question as to what people can do to support the Palestinian struggle for freedom, justice and equality, the BDS movement has listed five kinds of actions, including the kinds of international moral, economic and political pressure that contributed to the end of South African Apartheid.

Can we imagine that freedom, justice and equality will eventually be achieved as was the case in South Africa? The answer is “Yes,” according to this month’s blog for the culture of peace.

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

London

People Around the World Stand Up in Solidarity With Palestine

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Amada1
Nonviolent Response to the Crisis in Colombia

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

manif

France: March for the Climate: Thousands Demonstrate in Paris

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Haiti

Haiti: CNDDR workshop finalizes its national disarmament strategy

In addition to articles, we list virtual events for the culture of peace: Click here for upcoming events. Last month we registered 13 virtual events.

  

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

podcast

Think African Podcast Episode 1: Planting Seeds

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Brisbane

Australia : Brisbane Weapons Expo Protest Planned

HUMAN RIGHTS


Amnesty

Amnesty International : End brutal repression of Palestinians protesting forced displacement in occupied East Jerusalem

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Quintana

Mexico: Quintana Roo celebrated a unique virtual hip hop festival in Maya language
d-human rights, d-tolerance,

Movement Letter to Facebook

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

A petition from Facebook We Need to Talk


dear sheryl sandberg,

We write as civil society organizations in the United States, Palestine, and beyond, angered and disturbed by the recent censorship of Palestinian users and their supporters on your platforms. We are equally horrified by the high levels of inciting content directed towards Palestinians on Facebook’s platforms. At this moment, social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are often Palestinian protestors’ and residents’ only tools to share information to keep each other safe in the face of repression by the Israeli government and police, and during attacks on civilians. These platforms also play a key role in Palestinian users and their allies in documenting Israeli government human rights violations, and sharing the images, videos, and accounts of the murder and violent dispossession of Palestinians being perpetrated by the Israeli government and Zionist Israeli settlers. This blatant censorship of Palestinian political content is putting these activists further at risk. 

As Palestinian residents defend their homes in Jerusalem from forced dispossession by the Israeli government and state-sanctioned Zionist settler groups, their calls for support have received widespread international attention—inspiring social media campaigns and mass protests around the world. This international outcry only grew after the Israeli military attacked Ramadan worshippers at al-Aqsa mosque and started brutally bombing Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip —an ongoing onslaught that killed over 200 people, including at least 60 children. And the the international community continued to mobilize as, immediately in the wake of a ceasefire, Israeli police fired stun grenades on Palestinian worshippers at the al-Aqsa complex and embarked on a mass-arrest campaign of Palestinian citizens of Israel that has resulted in over 1,500 arrests targeting protestors.

Facebook executives’ decision at this moment to directly collaborate with Israeli Defense and Justice Minister Gantz on content moderation, without appropriate parity of government engagement until prompted by civil society, is beyond outrageous. Facebook may need to consult governments on various content and policy issues in its work; however, to coordinate with the Israeli government — which the United Nations and multiple human rights organizations have called an apartheid state — publicly in the middle of a military assault on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, attacks on Palestinian citizens in Israel, and forcible displacement of Palestinians in East Jerusalem is dangerous overreach at best. 

In addition, the numerous reports of removal or chilling of political speech that several of our organizations have received over the past two weeks, combined with the report released by 7amleh last week that includes 429 reported incidents from Instagram and Facebook, raise concerns about Facebook’s relationship with the Israeli Ministry of Justice’s extra-legal Cyber Unit. The fact that since May 6 there has been widespread removal of Palestinians’ content or supportive content (including removal of content and deactivation of accounts or pages based on Community Standards violations, as well as the mass removal of Instagram stories) that after review have been restored for lack of any violation, indicates that Facebook is perhaps voluntarily agreeing to takedowns recommended by the Israeli Cyber Unit. This unclear relationship between Facebook and the Israeli Cyber Unit is concerning, as it is not subject to any formal governmental or legal process. 

Such indications of Facebook’s privileged relationship with the Israeli government contradict the assurances that Facebook community engagement and content policy representatives have repeatedly made to those of us that have engaged in good faith as stakeholders in Facebook’s content policy process, specifically over the past six months around Facebook’s possible reinterpretation of “Zionist.” When expressing concern that current or future policies (such as those stifling criticism of “Zionists” or “Zionist” institutions) would silence Palestinians and those of us organizing to hold the Israeli government accountable, we have often been assured that Facebook does not have a privileged relationship with the Israeli government —that our concerns are unfounded. Given Facebook’s decision to collaborate with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and Justice, the possible relationship between Facebook and the Israeli Cyber Unit, and The Intercept’s recent investigation regarding Facebook’s content moderation rules silencing criticism of Israel, our communities’ mistrust of the company is increasing.

Facebook must take the following urgent and crucial steps to repair this mistrust with our communities and ensure that we can count on Facebook and Instagram as free civic spaces and tools for holding governments accountable:

  1. Uphold your own commitment to respect human rights and “to be a place for equality, safety, dignity and free speech” as set in your corporate human rights policy, engage with human rights organizations and civil society groups to immediately address the concerns we have raised, and stop censoring Palestinians on your platforms.

  2. Provide transparency on how Facebook is applying content policies, such as those around hate speech and incitement of violence, as it relates to the following ethnic and religious identities and political ideologies: Palestinians, Jews, Israelis, and Zionists. 

  3. Evaluate Facebook’s relationship with the Israeli government across ministries and sever ties with Israel’s Cyber Unit, which may be directing the takedown of content that does not violate any community standards and, therefore, may be leading to the censorship or chilling of political speech. 

  4. Preserve and share all data on content removals. This includes, but is not limited to, information about which takedowns did not receive human review, whether users tried to appeal the takedown, and reported incidents from Facebook and Instagram users that were not acted upon.

  5. Allow independent researchers and stakeholders to review blocked or removed content and all data related to such content removals, subject to data protection and privacy requirements. This good-faith gesture will allow external oversight of moderation mechanisms to vetted researchers and independent stakeholders with relevant expertise to provide additional oversight of redress mechanisms and the fairness and effectiveness of appeal mechanisms, particularly for historically marginalized groups, and work to rebuild trust with those groups.

 Urgent action is required from Facebook to examine its complicity with the Israeli government’s apartheid and ethnic cleansing policies. We urge you to reply to this letter publicly and engage with us immediately. 

(Continued in the column on the right.)

Questions related to this article:

Is Internet freedom a basic human right?

Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

(Continued from the column on the left.)

Sincerely,

(list as of May 27)

7amleh – The Arab Center for the Advancement of Social Media

Access Now

Action Center on Race and the Economy (ACRE)

Adalah Justice Project

American Friends Service Committee

American Muslims for Palestine

BDS Berlin

BDS France

Center for Constitutional Rights

CODEPINK

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

docP – BDS Netherlands

Een Andere Joodse Stem, Another Jewish Voice, Belgium

Fight for the Future

For Us Not Amazon

Free Speech on Israel (UK)

Friends of Sabeel North America

ICNA Council for Social Justice

IfNotNow

Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Jetpac Resource Center

Jewish Voice for Just Peace (Ireland)

Jewish Voice for Labour

Jewish Voice for Peace

Jewish Network for Palestine

Jordan Open Source Association (JOSA)

Kairos

La ColectiVA

Masaar – Technology and Law Community

MediaJustice

MENA Rights Group

Mnemonic

MPower Change

National Lawyers Guild

National Students for Justice in Palestine

Palestine Legal

Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Palestinian BDS National Committee (BNC)

Ranking Digital Rights

R3D: Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales

South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT)

SMEX

Taraaz

The Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy

United Methodists for Kairos Response (UMKR)

Uplift – A People Powered Community (Ireland)

We Are Not Numbers

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, Uncategorized

Rutilio Escandón holds meeting with Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize winner

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Excelsior

Chiapas Governor Rutilio Escandón Cadenas held a meeting with Rigoberta Menchú Tum, Nobel Peace Prize winner, in which he recognized her tireless struggle in favor of the dignity, defense, respect and unrestricted compliance with the human rights of indigenous and vulnerable peoples.


video of the meeting

(This article is continued in the column on the right.)

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

(This article is continued from the column on the left.)

During this meeting held at the Government Palace, the president expressed that Menchú’s example of work for those who need it most, coincides with the vision and will of his administration, to promote actions and projects that provide peoples and communities better opportunities for growth, progress and, above all, a better future for present and future generations.

In turn, Rigoberta Menchú described the work she does through the Menchú Tum Association towards a Culture of Peace and the Rigoberta Menchú Foundation. She expressed that her visit contributes to the relationship between Chiapas and Guatemala, since they not only share a border and a great cultural and natural wealth, but also concerns for well-being and development of their peoples.

The Guatemalan activist hoped that the actions promoted by the Government of Chiapas will continue to reflect a greater well-being of the population. She also expressed her thanks for the openness and availability of this type of friendly meetings.

Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

International Day of Living Together in Peace – Joint Declaration by Mouvement de la Paix and MRAP

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A declaration of Friendship between peoples

May 16 has been declared by the United Nations as the International Day of Living Together in Peace in order to “regularly mobilize the efforts of the international community in favor of peace, tolerance, inclusion, understanding and solidarity, and the opportunity for all to express the deep desire to live and act together, united in difference and in diversity, with a view to building a viable world based on peace, solidarity and harmony “.

National situations are marked by acts of racism, intolerance, the development of violent and fascistic extremisms including terrorist acts, while the international situation sees the persistence of conflicts, the worrying rise of fascistic far-right movements, the growth world military spending which reached the amount never reached in the history of humanity of 2 trillion dollars in 2020. We are encouraged to give a more important place to this international day which is based on the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and the United Nations resolution on the Culture of Peace [see below], and more simply on the promotion of friendship between peoples.

Living together in peace means individually accepting differences, listening, showing esteem, respect and recognition towards others. However, these individual or collective attitudes and behaviors can only be fully effective if, at national and international level, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian policies are implemented to fully realize human rights (economic, social, cultural, etc.). environmental) for all without distinction of origin, sex, language or religion. At the same time, these policies must tackle all forms of discrimination affecting individuals or groups, development inequalities that exist within societies or between societies; and substitute for security based on power (in particular military) a collective security based on the realization of human rights.

It is on these foundations that the MRAP and the Peace Movement intend to strengthen their cooperation to participate in the construction of human security in its physical, economic, social, health and environmental dimensions which will promote living together in peace in allowing unification in action around humanist objectives while removing the specter of ideologies of hatred which feed on inequalities, discrimination and the absence or non-realization of human rights.

In Paris, Sunday May 16, 2021

(Click here for the original French version of this article.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

Article 3 of resolution 53/243 of the UN General Assembly on the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace states that “The fuller development of a culture of peace is integrally linked to:

Promoting peaceful settlement of conflicts, mutual respect and understanding and international cooperation;

Complying with international obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and international law;

Promoting democracy, development and universal respect for and observance of all human rights and fundamental freedoms;

Enabling people at all levels to develop skills of dialogue, negotiation, consensus-building and peaceful resolution of differences;

Strengthening democratic institutions and ensuring full participation in the development process;

Eradicating poverty and illiteracy and reducing inequalities within and among nations;

Promoting sustainable economic and social development;

Eliminating all forms of discrimination against women through their empowerment and equal representation at all levels of decision-making;

Ensuring respect for and promotion and protection of the rights of children;

Ensuring free flow of information at all levels and enhancing access thereto;

Increasing transparency and accountability in governance;

Eliminating all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;

Advancing understanding, tolerance and solidarity among all civilizations, peoples and cultures, including towards ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities;

Realizing fully the right of all peoples, including those living under colonial or other forms of alien domination or foreign occupation, to self-determination enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and embodied in the International Covenants on Human Rights,2 as well as in the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples contained in General Assembly resolution 1514 (XV) of 14 December 1960.

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nations, ,

Thousands of Jews and Arabs Rally in Tel-Aviv for Peace and Coexistence

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Information from Israeli media, Haaretz, Jerusalem Post and Times of Israel

A mass march and rally for peace and coexistence, organized by the movements “Standing Together” and “Breaking the Silence” took place on Saturday (May 22) in Tel Aviv.


Photo from Twitter account of Haaretz

The marchers welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and demanded the government to end its occupation of the West Bank and to make peace with the Palestinians. Their chants included “This is all of our homes,” “We stand together without hatred and without fear,” and “The answer to the Right is Israel and Palestine,”

(article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

How can a culture of peace be established in the Middle East?

(article continued from left column)

The rally was addressed by Israeli novelist David Grossman, author ʻAwdah Bishārāt, Joint List leader Ayman Odeh and Knesset member Tamar Zandberg (Meretz), as well as two of the organizers of the demonstration, Itamar Avnery and Sally Abed.

Ayman Odeh said, “People are speaking about the darkness that is descending on this country,” he said. “ I see light. I see a strong light. Jews and Arabs together will dispel the darkness. You are the light.”

The article in the Times of Israel quoted participants at the rallies who came to “hear different voices from what is in the media” and to see others who want peace and coexistence.

A similar rally with about 200 people took place on Saturday in Jaffa.

Also on Saturday, hundreds protested outside the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Residence in Jerusalem, blaming him for the escalation in Gaza and calling for his resignation.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Ceasefire can’t hide scale of destruction in Gaza, UN warns, as rights experts call for ICC probe

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article from the United Nations

The humanitarian community has welcomed the ceasefire agreed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel but warned that the destruction in Gaza will take years, if not decades, to fix.

Speaking from Gaza, Matthias Schmale from the UN relief agency for Palestinians UNRWA, said that there was no “going back to normal” in the enclave, after more than 10 days of rocket fire and airstrike exchanges between the warring parties that have killed more than 250 people and injured thousands.


© UNRWA/Mohamed Hinnawi A tower block lies in ruins in Gaza city following an Israeli air strike.

“Going back to normal life means having to watch very carefully where we are going; unexploded devices, we know that at least one school, one of our 278 schools, where we have established two deeply buried bombs, and we have alerted the Israeli authorities”, he said. “Obviously we cannot just rush back into our buildings and schools, we have to make sure they’re safe.”

The senior UNRWA official also noted that the Kerem Shalom crossing was due to open for several hours on Friday but that for the duration of the clashes, it had not been possible to get people out for medical treatment, or aid reinforcements in.

Mr. Schmale noted that UNRWA staff who are mainly residents of the region said that the violence had been “worse in intensity and terror than 2014”, before echoing the UN Secretary-General’s call  for a meaningful political process to resolve the grievances of both Palestinians and Israelis.

War still looms

“Normality here also means 50 per cent employed and rising…I’m convinced after being here two and a half years that we will be back in war unless underlying causes are not addressed; and from a Gaza perspective that means giving people and especially young people a dignified perspective of a dignified life”, he said.

“If you have your own money and take home your own money to buy food instead of depending on handouts from the UN”, the top UN official added, “you’re less likely to run into groupings like Hamas”.

The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, allocated $4.5 million towards the cost of meeting rising needs across Gaza on Friday. The money comes from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which is in addition to $14.1 million allocated on Thursday. It is expected that an inter-agency Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory will be issued next week. 

(continued in right column)

(click here for the article in Spanish.).)

Question related to this article:

Israel/Palestine, is the situation like South Africa?

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

(continued from left column)

UNICEF delivers aid containers

The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, delivered 18 containers of aid on Friday following the resumption of relative calm in the Gaza Strip, through the Kerem Shalom crossing, to support children and families in need.

Among the items delivered were first-aid kits, blood supply bags and solution, fire extinguishers, antibiotics and other infection-control kits, together with 10,000 doses of the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

“We are extremely thankful that a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza strip came into effect at 2am this morning, because the human toll there has been huge”, said Lucia Elmi, UNICEF Special Representative in Palestine. “This will allow families to have much-needed respite and allow for the delivery of much-needed humanitarian assistance and personnel to the Gaza Strip”, she added.

UN rights experts call for ICC probe

UN independent human rights experts on Friday called on all parties  to the conflict in Gaza and Israel to respect the ceasefire, and urged an investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) into the attacks on civilian populations and other “gross violations of human rights”, according to a statement released through the UN rights office (OHCHR).

The experts pointed to the forced evictions of Palestinian families living in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan, in Occupied East Jerusalem, as the spark that set off a full-blown war.

They said that at least 222 people, including 63 children, were killed in Gaza and 12 people died in Israel as a result of the fighting.

More than 450 buildings in the Gaza Strip were completely destroyed or damaged by missiles, the statement continued. Among them were six hospitals, nine healthcare centres and a water desalination plant, supplying around 250,000 Palestinians with clean drinking water, as well as a tower which housed media outlets including the Al Jazeera network, and Associated Press (AP). 

‘Asymmetry of power’

“Owing to the vast asymmetry of power, the victims of this conflict are disproportionately Palestinians in Gaza, of whom over 74,000 have been forcibly displaced and made homeless, mostly women and children”, the experts said. 

“The conflict has led to a new wave of unprecedented mass destruction of civilian homes and infrastructure, including electrical grids in Gaza, and indiscriminate or deliberate missile attacks on civilians and residential areas in Israel and Gaza, that violate not only international human rights standards, but amount as well to crimes under international law for which there is individual and State responsibility”, the experts continued.

The experts said that all “indiscriminate or deliberate bombardment of civilians and towers housing civilians, media organizations and refugee camps in Gaza and Israel are war crimes that are, prima facie, not justified by the requirements of proportionality and necessity under international law. All parties who engage in such attacks must bear individual and State responsibility as appropriate.”

Independent Special Rapporteurs, are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor specific countries or thematic issues.  They serve in their individual capacity and are not UN staff, nor are they paid by the Organization. 

HUMAN RIGHTS, Mideast, United Nations,