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.

What I Saw on Election Day in Nicaragua

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Rick Sterling in Transcend Media Service

US media and politicians have condemned the November 7 Nicaragua election as a “fraud” and “sham”.  On the day of the election, the White House issued a statement saying Nicaragua held a “pantomime election that was neither free nor fair, and most certainly not democratic.”

But are these accusations true?


Voting from a wheelchair

Along with other international volunteers, I was an eye-witness to the election last Sunday. Previously I have been an observer in elections in neighboring Honduras.  Here is a snapshot of what I saw:

Our group of 6 people (two from Canada and four from US) visited three voting centers and twenty voting stations in the small city of Juigalpa in Chontales province.

At 7 am Sunday morning, there were long lines of voters.  Hours later, there was still a steady of stream of voters. Election staff said the turnout seemed higher than the last election.

Voters were all ages.. Nicaraguans can vote starting at age 16.  There were lots of families coming to vote together. There were kids playing on swings while their parents voted. There were very old or disabled peopled voting. Family members were allowed to help them if needed. Otherwise election staff helped them.

One elderly woman got dizzy and almost collapsed as she was to enter the voting station.  She was adamant that she wanted to vote before taken away. The ambulance arrived in about five minutes and she was taken to hospital despite her protestations that she wanted to vote first.

The process was well organized and efficient.  At the entrance there were staff with computers. They scanned the citizen’s ID card, confirmed the identity and that he or she was registered for this voting center. Then they explained which voting station to go to. The voting station assignments were also printed and taped to walls at the entrance.

There were 3,100  voting centers with 13,459 voting stations throughout the country. These are mostly in educational institutions (schools or colleges).  Each voting station serves about 400 voters.  In urban areas,  there are 10 or 20  voting stations in one voting center (school).

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Question related to this article:
 
Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

(Article continued from the column on the left)

A huge number of people staffed the election process.  At each voting station, there were about ten people performing various tasks: two “electoral policia” for sanitary spraying the hands of each voter and to resolve any issues; three people verifying voter ID, recording the signature, and passing out the ballot; two or more “fiscal” from different parties who monitored the process. At each voting center, there were two co-coordinators. At all positions there were equal numbers of men and women.

All election staff wore vests or t-shirts with their official role as part of the Supreme Electoral Council. In Nicaragua this organization is independent of the government and responsible for organizing the election nationwide.

All voters wore masks and proceeded without difficulty, one person at a time. The process was clear: show your identity card and confirm that you are registered to vote in this station; receive an official ballot; mark your choices on the ballot (secretly); deposit your ballot in the ballot box; receive your identity card back;   have your finger painted to indicate you have voted and to prevent double – voting.

The paper ballots were counted at the voting station and verified by all the party representatives. The results were then transmitted electronically to the Supreme Electoral Council headquarters for tabulation of the final results.

Media accusations that FSLN leader Daniel Ortega was running unopposed are blatantly false. The voting ballot was clear and showed six competing parties.  Media reports that the population is fearful of President Daniel Ortega are laughably false and disproven by the large turnout. The final results show a turnout of 65% of registered voters with about 75% of those voting for FSLN.

We asked “fiscal” monitors representing both the Sandinista Front and opposition parties if there had been any problems. Each time they said the process was proceeding calmly -“Todo tranquilo”.  One would-be voter said he had moved and not been able to register his new location because he was too busy working. The voting staff calmly said, “Sorry, you had months to register your new location. You will have to vote at your old residence voting station.”

We asked numerous voters why they were voting. The answers were that the country’s leadership matters, the constitution requires it, and to protect Nicaraguan sovereignty.  “Sovereignty” and “peace” were the most common responses.
It is ironic and hypocritical that US media and politicians, who reject any question regarding the integrity of the US election, smear the Nicaraguan election based on false information. Biased media and information censorship are a major cause of the lack of knowledge and ability of major news outlets to repeat nonsense without correction. An example: While we were in Nicaragua, one of our team members, Dr. Tim Bood from Halifax Canada, was banned from Facebook just for posting a message regarding US interference in Nicaragua.

Washington politicians carry on the long tradition of US interference and aggression against Nicaragua. A few days before the election, the US Senate passed the RENACER Act imposing more sanctions based on false information about the election process in Nicaragua.

The high turnout and vote for the FSLN in the Nicaraguan election shows that the Nicaraguan people are not intimidated by Washington’s bullying and threats.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Fourth Paris Peace Forum ends with a series of initiatives

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from China.org (translation by CPNN)

The 4th edition of the Paris Peace Forum, which brought together 1,000 participants in Paris and 15,000 online, ended this Saturday (November 13) with a series of initiatives, including the launch of an international appeal to defend the rights of the child in the digital environment.


Frame from video of the Forum

The international regulation of digital technology was one of the main issues of this edition of the Paris Peace Forum. In addition to the opportunities it opens up for children, the digital environment can also expose them to “illegal or hateful” content online and to cyberbullying, hence the decision of this forum to host the launch of a international call to defend the rights of the child in the digital environment.

This appeal was signed by major digital platforms, including Amazon, Google, YouTube, and Twitter, a dozen non-governmental organizations and nearly a dozen states, according to a press release from the Forum.

The signatories also pledged through series of actions “to enable children to use digital tools safely and to benefit to their full potential, without being exposed to abuse,” the document said.

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(Click here for the original in French.)

Questions related to this article:

Rights of the child, How can they be promoted and protected?

(Article continued from left column)

Still in the digital domain, the United States and the European Union have joined the Paris Call for Confidence and Security in Cyberspace. Launched in 2018 during the first edition, this call invites “to react together in the face of new threats that endanger citizens and infrastructures”.

The “Net Zero Space” initiative which calls for a sustainable use of outer space by 2030, with the objective of reducing pollution of the “Earth’s orbit” environment has also been launched as part of the project. of the forum.

The Armed Forces of 22 countries, represented at the forum by their Minister of Defense, are also committed to reducing their impact on the climate.

The Forum participants thus recalled the importance of cooperation in responding to the challenges facing the world. This is for example the case of the call to defend the rights of the child in the digital environment. “Taking back control of a number of digital business operations can only go through international cooperation,” explained the president of the Paris Peace Forum, Pascal Lamy.

In a message addressed to the participants of this forum, the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres stressed the importance of dialogue and solidarity to reduce the fractures that threaten the world. “No state will be able to absorb them alone. Solidarity is our only chance,” he stressed.

It is this same global solidarity through cooperation that will rid the world of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“The pandemic will end when the world decides to put an end to it. It is in our hands. It is a question of political will and courage”, announced the head of the WHO during the forum.

The Paris Peace Forum is an international event focusing on issues of global governance and multilateralism. This fourth edition, which was held from November 11 to 13, brought together 45 heads of state and government and leaders of international organizations.

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, HUMAN RIGHTS

Amnesty International: Leaders’ catastrophic failure on climate at COP26 shows they have forgotten who they should serve and protect – humanity at large

. HUMAN RIGHTS .

An article from Amnesty International

Leaders have catastrophically betrayed humanity at large by failing to protect people most affected by the climate crisis and instead caving into the interests of fossil fuel and other powerful corporations, Amnesty International said today as the climate conference, COP26, concludes for another year.  Following two weeks of negotiations by world leaders in Glasgow, Amnesty’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:

“The United Nations Climate Change Conference has failed to deliver an outcome that protects the planet or people. Instead it has betrayed the very foundations on which the United Nations was built – a pledge first not to countries, nor states, but to the people. Throughout their negotiations, our leaders have made choices that ignore, chip away or bargain away our rights as human beings, often discarding the most marginalised communities around the world as expendable collateral damage.

(Article continued in the right column)

Questions related to this article:

Sustainable Development Summits of States, What are the results?

What is the relation between climate change and human rights?

(Article continued from the left column)

“Their failure to commit to maintaining the global temperature rise at 1.5°C will condemn more than half a billion people, mostly in the global south, to insufficient water and hundreds of millions of people to extreme heatwaves. Despite this disastrous scenario, wealthy countries have failed to commit money towards compensating communities suffering loss and damage as a result of climate change. Neither have they committed to providing climate finance to developing countries primarily as grants, a decision that threatens poorer countries – the least equipped to cope with the climate crisis – with unsustainable levels of debt.

“It is bitterly disappointing to see the many loopholes in the COP26 agreement which bow to the interests of fossil fuel corporates rather than our rights. The agreement fails to call for the phasing out of all fossil fuels and all fossil fuel subsidies – demonstrating the lack of ambition and bold action needed at this critical time. In addition, the focus on carbon offsetting by rich countries, without even putting in place adequate environmental and human rights protection  measures, ignores the threat to Indigenous peoples and communities who risk being evicted from their land to make way for these schemes. It is a hollow and unacceptable substitute for real zero emissions targets. 

“The decisions made by our leaders in Glasgow have grave consequences for all of humanity. As they have clearly forgotten the people they serve, the people must come together to show them what can be achieved. Over the next 12 months, we must stand together to call on our governments to take ambitious action on climate change that puts people and human rights at its centre. If we do not put our hearts and minds into solving this existential threat to humanity, we lose everything.”

global, HUMAN RIGHTS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, United Nations,

From LA to Bogotá to London, global mayors unite to deliver critical city momentum to world leaders tasked with keeping 1.5 degree hopes alive at Glasgow’s COP26

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

A press release from C40 Cities

In Glasgow today (November 2), Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti announced the successful delivery of UN-backed Cities Race to Zero campaign before handing the baton as C40 chair to his successor London Mayor Khan, who outlined his bold new vision for leveraging what cities can deliver in the fight against climate change.

As the world seeks to turn climate action commitments into tangible emissions reductions within the next decade, cities have emerged as enthusiastic and ambitious engines of the global energy transition. Under Mayor Garcetti’s leadership, more than 1,000 cities and local governments have joined the Cities Race to Zero to raise climate ambition and put the world on track to halve emissions within the next decade, and reach net-zero no later than 2050.

(Global city partners C40, ICLEI, the Global Covenant of Mayors, CDP, UCLG, WRI and WWF, are working together to recruit 1,000 cities to the Race to Zero.)

The 1049 cities and local governments signing onto the Race to Zero represent 722 million people and will pursue ambitious climate action in line with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5℃ – the global standard for climate action. New estimates from Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy show that this collective action has the potential to reduce global emissions by at least 1.4 gigatons annually by 2030.

C40 Mayors’ presence at COP26 is the culmination of years of visionary climate leadership from local leaders who have leveraged their influence to bolster global climate ambition. Under Mayor Garcetti’s chairmanship, C40 mayors have promoted their vision for a Global Green New Deal, which aims to place inclusive climate action at the centre of all urban decision-making to create healthy, accessible, liveable, and sustainable cities for all.

In his first public speech as C40 Chair-elect, Mayor Khan committed to align C40’s budget and staffing behind efforts to tackle air pollution worldwide and support emissions reduction strategies particularly in Global South cities who are at the frontline of climate impacts – putting social justice at the heart of his vision for C40 cities.

As Chair, Mayor Khan will commit two thirds of C40’s budget to support climate action and green recovery efforts in Global South cities experiencing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

Mayor Khan also announced an expansion of the C40’s Global Green New Deal program funded by the Open Society Foundations, which will direct additional funding to increase the number of cities working in partnership with trade unions, young people and community organisations to ensure climate action benefits everyone.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

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Mayor Khan will also bring his visionary work to tackle air pollution in London to the broader C40 network, expanding Breathe Global, based on his flagship air quality monitoring programme Breathe London, to C40’s almost 100 member cities, as well as targeted, high-level support for seven megacities where air pollution is highest to bring down pollution levels. Last week Mayor Khan oversaw the 18-fold expansion of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone, his world-leading initiative to reduce vehicle pollution, which now covers an area with almost four million residents. The introduction of the scheme has led to Londoners moving to cleaner vehicles, with more than 87 per cent of vehicles seen in the zone now compliant with the new green standards.

C40 Cities Chair and Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, said: “Today, more than 1,000 cities stood united around a historic commitment to make this decade one of exponential action toward a green and just future. Cities are leading the way to save our planet, invest in our people, and leave no one behind — and I’m proud to stand with incoming Chair Khan and this global coalition of mayors who have come together to show the world what’s possible.”

C40 Cities Chair-elect and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Cities are leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate emergency and I am committed to doing more to support cities in the global south, which are on the frontline – facing the worst consequences of climate change. I want to ensure C40’s resources help all C40 cities around the world speed up their efforts to tackle the climate emergency, toxic air pollution and address inequalities within and between our cities with inclusive climate action. That’s why I’m expanding C40’s Global Green New Deal programme and announcing that our next budget will see two thirds of our total funding allocated to the Global South.

“The world is at a crossroads. We must ensure we help cities around the globe become greener, fairer and more sustainable, and convince national governments to unleash the potential of cities with powers and additional investment to boost our green economies and accelerate climate action.”

Michael R. Bloomberg, UN Special Envoy for Climate Ambition and Solutions, Founder of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and Global Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Campaigns said: “Cities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis and they’re leading the way in finding and implementing the solutions we need to confront it head-on. Mayors are also playing a critical role in pushing world leaders to take action at the national level – through their words, and by providing a blueprint for countries to follow. With more than 1,000 cities now working together to raise their climate ambitions and meet their goals, cities and mayors have never been more influential in the global fight against climate change.”

Mayor of Bogotá, Claudia López Hernández, said: “As mayors gather in Glasgow, the influential C40 network of global cities should be proud of its historic leadership under Mayor Garcetti and excited about the visionary future represented by Mayor Khan. I look forward to continuing this important work with colleagues around the world to create greener, healthier, more inclusive cities that drive the large-scale collective action essential to constraining global warming to 1.5 degrees.”

Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40 Cities, said: “Under the leadership of Mayor Eric Garcetti, C40 cities around the world have taken climate ambition and action to new heights. From standing up a Global Green New Deal, securing ambitious, science-based commitments from more than 1,000 cities, and urging national leaders to invest in a green and just pandemic recovery, Mayor Garcetti has been instrumental in cementing cities’ place as global climate leaders. As we look towards 2030 and turning commitments into tangible progress, Mayor Khan’s bold vision for the C40 Cities network will be critical to moving us towards our goal to limit global warming to 1.5C and secure the future we want.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

A message from Palestine: This is the time to re-imagine, re-create and restore.

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An post from the Facebook page of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability

A few days ago we were sent a message about the failure of political leaders to change the catastrophic situation we are facing for our planet. One can attest to many things: 85% of the world’s wetlands lost, 50% of reefs died since 1950 (14% since 2010), a third of forests disappeared, and a 15% increase in the global consumption of individual materials since 1980, and bees decreased 40% (the bees) Crops Which depend on insects for vaccination is 36% of the world crops), humans were less than 1% of the breast biological mass and now humans and our hybrid animals have become 96% of the mammals biocals and soon there will be more plastic than fish in the planet’s water

This is the time for work. This is the time to re-imagine, re-create and restore….

1) We held a workshop to launch work on the National Biodiversity Strategy and Work Plan (NBSAP) for Palestine. This is based on our work on the National Biodiversity Report of the Diversity Agreement (posted here. ). Director General of Natural Resources in the Environment Quality Authority, Dr. Issa Adwan, opened the workshop, who pointed out that the national strategy for biodiversity contributes to supporting Palestine commitments globally and locally to a healthy planet even in the face of colonial occupation.

(Article continued in the right side of the page)

Question for this article:

If we can connect up the planet through Internet, can’t we agree to preserve the planet?

(Article continued from the left side of the page)

Professor Mazen presented a presentation on the mechanism of building strategies and national work plans for biodiversity including examples of strategies for other countries. Mr. Mohammed Mohasna, Director of Biodiversity Management in Environmental Quality Authority, presented the roles of stakeholders including organizing a weekly workshop on key topics every Thursday 11 am Palestine Time for the next six months. The meeting is here – in two parts (Let us know if you would like to participate and/or help in this crucial project).

2) Participate in Rotary meetings for Palestine and House of Meat to plan more service projects. Rotary puts the global environment in its top five priorities

3) Participating in a workshop on gas species management (this in addition to climate change and habitat destruction are the three most negative issues affecting biodiversity)

4) Participating in a workshop on preserving biodiversity in developing countries (speakers from 10 countries).

5) We presented many seminars to students and others from Palestine and the world on areas ranging from human rights to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

6) Through the project “Unity and Diversity in Nature and Society” funded by the EU Peace Building Initiative we organized in cooperation with the Directorate of Education in Bethlehem a training workshop for teachers on biodiversity in Palestine

7) With the same funding, we organized Thursday students’ visit to the museum and parks and learned about the importance of preserving biodiversity. We’re getting a mobile education unit this week to provide conservation efforts for remote communities.

This is the time for work. This is the right time…. Join us.

Email info@palestinenature.org

Mideast, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Rallies around the world send a message to COP26

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A press survey by CPNN

While negotiators for a climate agreemen meet, they are face with a worldwide movement in addition to the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Glasgow. Here are some photos from the media.



Members of the climate action group Extinction Rebellion lay in the street during a protest in Brussels, Belgium, November 6. (Julien Warnand/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)


Extinction Rebellion protesters conducting a mock funeral procession featuring a burning Koala march in St Kilda on November 06, 2021 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Getty Images


Members of the ‘climate crisis resistance alliance’ hold a protest in Palu, Indonesia, on November 6. (Adi Pranata/ZUMA Wire)


Environmental activists display portraits of world leaders in front of the Paris city hall on November 6, in France. (Christophe Petit Tesson/EPA-EFE-Shutterstock)


People participate in a rally during a global day of action on climate change in Seoul, South Korea, on November 6. (Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images


People participate in a rally during a global day of action on climate change in Manila, Philippines, on November 6. (Maria Tan/AFP/Getty Images)


Exile Tibetans participoate in a street protest to highlight environmental issues in Tibet ahead of he COP26 summit, in Dharmsala, India, Friday Oct. 22, 2021

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Question for this article:

Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

(Article continued from the left column)


In New York, climate change protesters form a blockade against rush-hour traffic on the FDR Drive by Cherry St. Photo by Robert Mecea


People stay in front of the Brandenburg Gate as they take part in a ‘Fridays For Future’ climate protest rally in Berlin, Germany, Friday, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)


Extinction Rebellion began a week of protests in Wellington this week, on Monday demanding Te Papa change the English translation of the Treaty of Waitangi currently on display. Photo by Kevin Stent/STUFF.


Fiji police stop climate rally by youths. Organisers told local media police also removed their banners. They say the youths wanted to show their support for the Fijian COP26 delegation in Glasgow. Photo: Facebook


Activists take part in Global Day of Action For Climate Justice on day seven of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Istanbul [Dilara Senkaya/Reuters]


In Victoria (Canada), climate activists march down Government Street on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 as they make their way from Centennial Square to the B.C. legislature as part of a global day of action coinciding with the COP26 UN global climate summit in Glasgow. DARREN STONE, TIMES COLONIST


Representatives of parent groups tell Alok Sharma in Glasgow that their children’s health depends on an end to funding for fossil fuel industries. The delegation represented almost 500 parent groups from 44 countries and may be the biggest parent mobilisation on any issue in history. Photograph: Handout

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Mouvement de la Paix Appeals for the French to Contribute to the Success of the Global Day of Action on Climate Change

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A declaration by Mouvement de la Paix (translation by CPNN)

Previously, on September 25, in some sixty cities, Mouvement de la Paix demonstrated for “peace, climate, nuclear disarmament, social justice and human rights” through appeals signed by numerous organizations (see the texts of the calls below).

For the actions of November 6, on the occasion of the COP 26 in Glasgow, Mouvement de la Paix is a signatory of the national call “United for the climate” which states that “Climate change endangers everyone all over the world. It is global. It demands global responses: massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, the fight against polluters and their systems of production system, international solidarity between the rich countries and the global South. Social justice and the protection of Human rights. must be the guiding principles of action for climate justice ”.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for the original article in French)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between the environment and peace

(continued from left column)

In addition to these objectives Mouvement de la Paix, like the UN and hundreds of organizations around the world, stresses that actions for climate, peace and human rights are linked and that the climate challenge requires a drastic reduction in global military spending and the elimination of nuclear weapons which also represent a mortal danger to humanity.

We regret as an example that the European Green Deal for the climate provides only 100 billion euros per year at European level, while the European Court of Auditors recommends 1112 billion euros per year and that in a single year, world military spending is 1,732 billion euros according to Sipri. With this logic and with the concern for transparency of the data, Mouvement de la Paix joins 180 other organizations at the international level in the international appeal that during the COP26, the governments commit themselves to significantly reduce their military greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (See the petition here) and that a specific working group be set up within the IPCC to measure the pollution linked to military activities.

For these reasons, Mouvement de la Paix is ​​calling everywhere in France, on Saturday November 6, 2021, to contribute to the success of the global day of action for the climate.

Appel unis pour le climat pour le 6 novembre

Appel national unitaire de convergence pour le 25 septembre : paix, climat, désarmement nucléaire, justice sociale et droits humains

Appel du collectif national en marche pour la paix pour le 25 septembre

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Amid rain and wind, Catholics join 100,000 demonstrators at COP26 climate march

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Brian Roewe from the National Catholic Reporter

On a wet, windy and cold day in Scotland, an estimated 100,000 people took to the streets of Glasgow on Nov. 6 in demonstrations calling for increased action and results from COP26, the two-week United Nations climate summit being hosted by the United Kingdom.

Among the throngs of people marching from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow Green as part of the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice were hundreds of Catholics, many hailing from the U.K. while others represented countries across Africa, the Pacific, Europe and the Americas.


(Alphonce Muia/CYNESA)

EarthBeat asked some of the participants to share in their own words what the march meant to them and what message they sought to send to delegates and world leaders at COP26.

Ayaat Hassan, Student at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Glasgow, and part of SCIAF, the official relief and development agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland

“We’re here to represent the youth of today, because climate change is going to have the biggest impact on us and we deserve to have our voices heard. The message this march sends is that we care about this a lot.”

Lorna Gold (pictured), Board chair, Laudato Si’ Movement

“It’s very moving to be here with the Laudato Si’ globe and all the activists. We just hope the message here gets through to the COP itself. … So far it’s very high on aspirations and it’s high on long-term targets. But there’s no detail.”

Jesuit Fr. Leonard Chiti, Provincial for Jesuits in Southern Africa

“I bring a message from the poor adversely affected by climate change. Global warming and extreme weather patterns are making it difficult for people to survive. I come here asking everyone to act now to save the planet and save the lives and livelihoods of people in Southern Africa and other less-developed countries.”

Members of the Catholic Youth Network for Environmental Sustainability in Africa (CYNESA)

“CYNESA joined the global environmental movement [at both the youth climate strike on Nov. 5 and Global Day for Climate Justice on Nov. 6] to march and send a strong message of acting for [the] climate crisis with the urgency it deserves in the streets of Glasgow.

(article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Sustainable Development Summits of States, What are the results?

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

(Article continued from the left column)

“We made it known to the world that in Africa, most young people do not choose to be climate activists, but are forced, because their own survival is fully threatened and their future is not certain [because of] water scarcity, food insecurity, extreme weather events forcing high numbers of them to migrate to Europe in very appalling conditions.

”The future is not a destination that will wait for us; it is one that we must create, and CYNESA joins the global environmental movement to demand climate justice and a more ambitious outcome from this COP26 as the window of the opportunity to turn around the devastating effects of climate change, as we are the only generation with this unique burden of responsibility to do something about [the] climate crisis.”

Rodne Galicha, Executive director, Living Laudato Si’ Philippines

“Eight years after the onslaught of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, more than a thousand people are still missing. Year after year thenceforth, the intensity of extreme weather conditions is increasing.

“COP26 is an opportunity to address losses and damages, both for humanity and ecosystems. Climate action is not only about common but differentiated responsibilities, but a collective conscience and uncompromised moral imperative towards intergenerational justice, equity and common good.”

Alex Ugoh (pictured), 19-year-old CAFOD climate campaigner from Rainham, East London (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development)

“I am here to represent the drive and enthusiasm of young people across the globe who want a more sustainable tomorrow. The opportunity to be surrounded by a community of passionate young adults focused on future-proofing their planet for generations to come was something I simply could not pass up.”

Lydia Machaka (pictured), CIDSE climate justice & energy officer

“We push on, no matter what! We need climate action now!” she said, even despite barriers, whether inside the summit or with the rainy weather outside.

Sophie Pereira (pictured), 18-year-old CAFOD climate campaigner from Colchester, Essex

“We are living in a climate crisis, and I believe the youth deserve to be standing right next to the world leaders, contributing to their decisions.

“As young people, we are the next generation. We will be living in the world that the generation before left us. Because of that, we deserve a voice and deserve to stand together and fight for the world we’re living in before it’s too late.”

Giorgio Gotra, CIDSE campaign project officer

“Inspired by Laudato Si’, we renew our commitment to ‘change for planet and to care for the people’ and joined the march in Glasgow.”

Jane Mellett (pictured), Laudato Si’ officer, Trocaire, and member of Laudato Si’ Movement

“We sang. We chanted. We prayed. And it just was a very powerful day. Everyone is here for our common home, for climate justice and to call for justice for the most vulnerable people in our world and planet Earth.”

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, United Nations,

Remembering Georgi Vanyan: for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Onnik James Krikorian from Osservatorio balcani e caucaso transeuropa

Peacebuilder and true activist, anti-nationalist Georgi Vanyan died at the age of 58 on October 15th. He is especially remembered for the enormous effort to bring Azerbaijani and Armenians to dialogue


Georgi Vanyan © Meydan TV

The last time I spoke to Georgi Vanyan was by telephone at the end of September. The Armenian human rights and peace activist was visiting Tbilisi to meet with Emin Milli, the Azerbaijani founder and former director of Meydan TV. He had already interviewed Georgi about his peacebuilding activities and there were now plans to visit the Georgian village where many of his previous activities were held.

Georgi invited me accompany them, but there was one problem.

The 58-year-old was feeling ill and needed to test for COVID-19 before we could meet. Two days later, he sent a text message to say that he had tested positive and had to self-isolate in Tbilisi. He’d be in touch once he had recovered, but things took a turn for the worse and he was hospitalised. Eventually moved on to a ventilator, Georgi Vanyan was pronounced dead on 15 October.

The loss was a personal tragedy for those that knew him and also for a handful of committed individuals that had been working across closed borders in pursuit of regional peace.

“Now, at this stage of the Armenian-Azerbaijani reconciliation process, the peacebuilding community needed him more than ever,” tweeted Baku-based regional analyst and researcher Ahmad Alili. “Sincere Person. Genuine Peacebuilder. Great Loss. Rest in Peace, Georgi.”

For most others, however, Georgi’s passing went unnoticed.

“I am so afraid that Georgi Vanyan’s story will be left untold in Armenia as well as globally,” says Milli. “I observed social media yesterday and I saw almost no Armenians, with rare exception, talking about this [loss]. It was as if nothing happened and as if this man did not exist. It was as if this wasn’t the only courageous man in Armenia and Azerbaijan that did the things that he did.”

A controversial figure in Armenia, the silence was hardly surprising. The whole media and information space had been engaged in a coordinated campaign of public defamation against him for well over a decade. In 2007, a group of nationalist bloggers disrupted his Days of Azerbaijan event at an experimental school in Yerevan and in 2012 a nationalist mob launched an assault on his attempts to screen Azerbaijani films in Armenia’s second largest city of Gyumri.

And during the 2020 Karabakh War, while many peace-builders instead became proponents of war, Vanyan released an open letter calling for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to stop the fighting and to enter into dialogue with Baku. His words fell on deaf ears in both countries, although the Armenian police did notice enough to threaten a hefty fine if he continued to make such calls.

But perhaps Georgi’s best-known project was his convening of regular meetings of Armenian, Azerbaijan, and Georgian activists, academics, and journalists in the village of Tekali. Inhabited by ethnic Azerbaijanis, Tekali is located in Georgia close to its borders with Armenia and Azerbaijan and was arguably one of the few genuine grassroots peace initiatives in the region.

The proximity of Tekali for those living in the regions of all three countries allowed almost anyone to participate. Bucking the usual ‘closed doors and usual suspects’ approach by other peace-building projects held in expensive hotels or holiday resorts, the local community also benefitted from the Tekali Process. Villagers, for example, would provide and earn income from the catering.

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Question related to this article:
 
Can peace be achieved between Azerbaijan and Armenia?

(Continued from left column)

And as a sign of how effective Tekali had been in facilitating people-to-people contact, one discussant on an Azerbaijan TV show warned in 2019 that Georgi Vanyan’s approach was dangerous. “For Azerbaijan there is only the enemy on the other side of the border, nobody else” the discussant said. “If an Azerbaijani soldier sees that the other side also has mothers, sisters, coffins, and tears then he won’t obey his orders.”

But this criticism was unknown in Armenia where he had been forced to live out his last remaining years in poverty close to the border with Azerbaijan. In one online meeting dedicated to his memory, Armenian activist and Tekali participant Sevak Kirakosyan remembered that Georgi still pushed NGOs to move their activities to where it really mattered – in actual conflict-affected communities.

When Georgi’s body was transferred to the Armenian capital for burial, several prominent figures did at least go to pay their last respects. There was Boris Navarsadyan, head of the Yerevan Press Club (YPC), Ashot Bleyan, the head of the school where Georgi had invited Azerbaijani intellectuals and writers in the late 2000s, and Soviet-era dissident Paruyr Hairikyan, for example.

Armenia’s Epress.am, a regular fixture at Tekali, also covered the memorial but only a few others joined them.

Mariam Yeghiazaryan was one. The 26-year-old team member from Bright Garden Voices, a grassroots cross-border initiative to bring Armenians and Azerbaijanis together online in the aftermath of last year’s 44-day war, implies that this might have been for the best.

“Before going to the funeral, I was afraid that something bad would happen in the mourning hall,” she says. “Something that would be disrespectful to him and his legacy, as had happened during and after the [film] festival. Fortunately, it didn’t․”

And even though the young activist had never met Georgi, she says that she payed more attention to his peacebuilding work following the 2020 Karabakh War and especially his death. Yeghiazaryan now compares him to other prominent Armenians, including the great Armenian writer Hovhannes Tumanyan and slain Turkish-Armenian newspaper editor Hrant Dink.

“We honour Tumanyan, a truly great writer and a humanist,” she says, “ but I do not know how many have read his letters and articles about the Armenian-Tatar clashes. We honour Hrant Dink, not so much for his legacy and contribution, but for the chance to use and manipulate his death because he was murdered by a Turkish nationalist, forgetting that his whole life was aimed at Armenian-Turkish dialogue. What is the difference between them and Vanyan?”

She also remembers how Georgi had instead been labeled as a ‘traitor’ by those who were, in effect, opposed to a negotiated and mutually concessionary peace deal.

“Journalists played a big role in this case I note with regret,” she says. “There are terrible articles with terrible headlines, reports, and videos. How many quality articles, interviews can be found in Armenian about Vanyan? The fact that Vanyan’s death was almost not covered in the Armenian media is not about him, but about Armenia and Armenian journalism. It is extremely sad. Extremely.”

And it is this that concerns Milli the most.

“I’m very worried that his narrative could die with him,” he says. “I had seen courage that I had never seen before and I realised that there was nobody in Azerbaijan, including myself, that would dare to organise a Days of Armenian Cinema [in Azerbaijan]. Vanyan’s courage was so powerful that it impacted me profoundly. It was the moment that nationalism died in me.”

Milli, now having left Meydan TV, now has a new project, the Restart Initiative, which while primarily seeking to contribute to the development of Azerbaijan will also seek to nurture and develop dialogue with Armenia and Armenians. Some of Georgi’s former initiatives might well be resurrected for this purpose.

“I hope his Tekali project will be implemented [again],” remarks Yeghiazaryan, and I hope his approach will be the subject of discussion, debates, research, and daily conversations – both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan.”

(Editor’s note: In a new article about Georgi Vanyan in Al Jazeera, entitled Georgi Vanyan’s peace legacy must live on, Emin Milli adds that there is talk about a forthcoming meeting between Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, with increasing hope in the South Caucasus that perhaps the two countries will make some progress on peace.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, Mideast,

Fridays for Future: Who we are

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

Excerpts from the website of Fridays for Future

FRIDAYS FOR FUTURE or FFF, is a youth-led and -organised global climate strike movement that started in August 2018, when 15-year-old Greta Thunberg began a school strike for climate. In the three weeks leading up to the Swedish election, she sat outside Swedish Parliament every school day, demanding urgent action on the climate crisis. She was tired of society’s unwillingness to see the climate crisis for what it is: a crisis.

To begin with, she was alone, but she was soon joined by others. On the 8th of September, Greta and her fellow school strikers decided to continue their strike until the Swedish policies provided a safe pathway well under 2° C, i.e. in line with the Paris agreement. They created the hashtag #FridaysForFuture, and encouraged other young people all over the world to join them. This marked the beginning of the global school strike for climate.
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Question for this article:

Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

How can just one or a few persons contribute to peace and justice?

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Their call for action sparked an international awakening, with students and activists uniting around the globe to protest outside their local parliaments and city halls. Along with other groups across the world, Fridays for Future is part of a hopeful new wave of change, inspiring millions of people to take action on the climate crisis, and we want you to become one of us!

JOIN US

OUR GOALS​

The goal of the movement is to put moral pressure on policymakers, to make them listen to the scientists, and then to take forceful action to limit global warming.

Our movement is independent of commercial interests and political parties and knows no borders.

We strike because we care for our planet and for each other. We have hope that humanity can change, avert the worst climate disasters and build a better future.

Every day there are more of us and together we are strong. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is needed. No one is too small to make a difference.

OUR DEMANDS

HOW TO STRIKE

Check how you can make a difference with a strike or action.

FIND OUT HOW!

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT