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.

Sudan: Darfur deal welcomed by UN chief as ‘historic achievement’

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from the United Nations

A peace agreement between Sudanese authorities and key armed movements from Darfur could provide a path to national unity, the head of the joint UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) said on Monday. Secretary-General António Guterres later described it  as an “historic achievement” towards lasting peace.


UNAMID/Albert Gonzalez Farran. UNAMID, in collaboration with the North Darfur Committee on Women, organised an open day session on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security (file photo).

Sudan’s transitional Government initialled the deal alongside the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) and Sudan Liberation Movement–Minni Minnawi (SLM/MM), at a ceremony held in neighbouring South Sudan. 

Determination, courage and commitment 

“The Secretary-General congratulates the people of the Sudan for this historic achievement and commends the parties to the negotiations for their political will and determination in working toward the common objective of peace”, said the statement released on Monday night in New York.

“He also thanks the Government of South Sudan and President Salva Kiir for their important role in facilitating the talks. The Secretary-General calls on the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North–Abdelaziz Al-Hilu and the Sudan Liberation Movement–Abdul Wahid Al-Nur to join the peace process.”

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Question for this article:

Can peace be achieved in South Sudan?

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Mr. Guterres said he was fully committed to supporting the implementation of the agreement, “which marks the start of a new era for the people of the Sudan and for people living in Darfur and the Two Areas, in particular. This will require sustained commitment and collaboration between the parties and the people of the Sudan.”

Earlier, Jeremiah Mamabolo, the UNAMID Joint Special Representative who attended the ceremony, said  the deal was a “significant step” and commended in particular the signatory parties for their “determination, courage and commitment to lasting peace in Sudan”.

17 years of brutal fighting

It is expected that the peace agreement will end 17 years of often brutal conflict in Darfur. 

Fighting between the forces of former President Omar al-Bashir, backed by allied militia, and various rebel movements, left around 300,000 dead, according to UN estimates, and millions displaced. 

President al-Bashir was overthrown in April 2019 following unrest that began in December 2018. 

 “We hope that this agreement is perceived as the start of a process that includes all in a positive move towards peace, justice and national unity. This includes the full realization of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of all the people of Sudan, including Darfuris”, said Mr. Mamabolo. 

Praise for South Sudan mediation 

At the ceremony, the UNAMID chief conveyed greetings from UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the AU Commission Chairperson, Moussa Faki. 

He also applauded the South Sudanese mediation team for facilitating the negotiation process amidst challenges. 
Mr. Mamabolo hoped that those parties who remain outside will soon join the peace process to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the Sudanese people and the objectives of the December 2018 Revolution. 

“To that end, the United Nations and the African Union remain committed to supporting this process to the very last day of UNAMID’s mandate”, he said. 

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast,

Côte d’Ivoire: traditional chiefs gather in Yamoussoukro

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by TKEmile in KOACI (translation by CPNN)

A great meeting between the Mediator of the Republic and the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs of Côte d’Ivoire was held at the Félix Houphouët Boigny Foundation for the search for peace in Yamoussoukro, hosted this Saturday, August 29, as noted on the spot by KOACI,.


Traditional leaders at the Foundation in Yamoussoukro (photo by KOACI)

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

The Houghouët-Boigny Foundation of Yamoussoukro: what is its contribution to the culture of peace?

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This meeting which saw the effective participation of the President of the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs, His Majesty Amon Désiré Tanoe, of the Minister of State, Minister to the President of the Republic, in charge of Relations with Institutions, Gilbert Kafana Koné, was placed under the theme “the mechanisms for establishing a lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire.”

The Mediator of the Republic, Adama Toungara, said that the kings and traditional leaders of the country on mission are at the heart of the culture of peace, pledge of lasting stability and harmonious development of Côte d’Ivoire. “I remain convinced that it is with the involvement of all, members of the government, traditional leaders, political leaders, religious guides and civil society, that we will succeed in forging and sustainably maintaining the image of fraternity, solidarity, union and peace.” said the mediator.

About 200 chiefs, from 108 departments of Côte d’Ivoire, took part in the meeting in Yamoussoukro this Saturday. The Mediator of the Republic and the President of the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs, called on the traditional chiefs, guarantors of customs and traditions, to be messengers of Peace and social cohesion in their different villages, cantons and kingdoms in this election year. To conclude, they invited the political actors in the right tone and to avoid any action likely to undermine the peace and the unity of the Nation.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

The International Network of Latin American and Caribbean Women is inaugurated

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from El Mostratodor

The network seeks, from a gender perspective, to foster a culture of peace and promote regional integration.

We are “Latin American women with a deep vocation for peace, committed to the democratic struggle, social equality and human rights of women and all citizens.” Thus the International Network of Latin American and Caribbean Women (RIMLAC) presented themselves on Saturday 29, via zoom.

To date, the network has 50 members from the region.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Questions related to this article:
 
Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

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The group’s statement states that “in our political and professional career we have been linked to the international field, foreign relations and feminism.”

Along with highlighting the commitment to the gender equality agenda, the document underlines the interest in “socializing collaborative practices that reject traditional dualisms” and that contribute to creating trust and reaffirming a Latin American identity, fostering a culture of peace and promoting regional integration. .

Coming from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Uruguay, Haiti, El Salvador, Paraguay, the women express in the document: “We promote policies and cultural changes that stop violence against women , guarantee sexual and reproductive rights and sexual dissidence, as well as the permanent fight against racism and social inequality “.

These objectives, say its members, “call us to work for fairer and more inclusive democracies, the full validity of human rights, a lasting peace and the strengthening of multilateralism at the regional and global levels.”

The initiative to create this Latin American network arose from the reflections of the Group of Women that develops the Permanent Forum of Foreign Policy of Chile.

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Burkina: The Movement for the Culture of Peace and Love of the Fatherland

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from Le Faso

The Movement for the Culture of Peace and Love of the Fatherland (MPAP) held its second ordinary congress on August 29 and 30, 2020 in Bobo-Dioulasso. This meeting brought together the officers from 13 regions and the focal points of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso under the theme: “Election year in Burkina Faso: what contribution for a free and transparent election, pledge of peace and social cohesion?”. The ceremony which took place on Saturday, August 29, 2020, was sponsored by the chef de canton des bobos mandarès.

The elections of November 22, 2020 crystallize debates both nationally and sub-regionally. They constitute a major stake for the consolidation of democracy and social cohesion.

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

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According to the president of the Movement for the Culture of Peace and the Love of the Fatherland (MPAP), Samuel Kalkoumdo, these elections are being held in extremely difficult conditions, in that there are more than a million displaced people under conditions of insecurity that persist and make localities inaccessible. “In this condition, how can we succeed to hold free, transparent and universally accepted elections and avoid a social divide?” he asked.

It is in this context that the MPAP is committed to the quest for social cohesion, peace and living together through its congress held in the city of Sya. For the president of the MPAP, this is what motivated the choice of the topic of reflection which will allow the delegates to return home, seasoned and enlightened, to be real vectors of peace in their respective localities.

“The choice of this theme is imperative. In such a context, the country must be united. We must advocate social cohesion in order to be able to hope to build a bright future. All 45 provinces are represented at this congress. And during the two days of work, the delegates will be trained and steeped in experience,” he said.

Participants will take part in several communications, including one on the electoral process. “We are convinced that if people understand how the process is going, they will be less inclined to say without evidence that there has been fraud. The participants will be trained as association leaders, in order to be able to send a message of peace to the population,” explains the president of the MPAP. The Burkinabè shoujld cultivate peace by working for free and transparent elections accepted by all.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Culture of Peace in Guinea: Journalists Equipped with a ‘Common Ground Approach’ for Managing Rumors During Election Periods

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Adama Hawa Bah in Guinee 360 (translation by CPNN)

On the initiative of the international NGO Search for Common Ground, ten journalists from the written press and online media benefited from training on the roles and behaviors that journalists should adopt during elections: conflict-sensitive journalism, rumor management and the “Common Ground approach ”.

This USAID-funded project is part of the ” Electoral Capacity Building, Orderly Standards and Democratic Responsibilities” executed by Search for Common Ground with the theme ”the Common Ground Approach, the Journalist’s Role in election period and rumor management.”. The meeting served to remind media workers of their responsibilities before, during and after the elections.

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

(Article continued from left column)

“We know that the press plays a crucial role in the elections. We decided to talk to the media to remind them of their responsibilities in the conduct of his elections so that they do their job in a professional and responsible manner,” explained Fanta Conté, program manager at Search for Common Ground.

“We hope that these two days of work (25 and 26 August) will allow journalists to play their roles and do their work in a professional manner during this election period. After this workshop, we will establish a partnership with the participating bodies. They will produce articles on the electoral process but also on the promotion of peace because, it is important to educate citizens and to get people to understand how to participate in an election. … ”

Siba Guilavogui represented the editorial staff of the nimbanews.org site at this workshop. He was especially impressed by the quality of the modules provided by the trainers.

“I am very pleased with the quality of this workshop. The topics discussed were interesting. The presidential election will take place soon in our country and it is often peppered with violence. So as a man of the media, I have to know how to identify the right information to publish, to know how to give information that is in the sense of advocating peace instead of contributing to violence. ”

Nowadays, many people call themselves journalists without knowing the ethics and professional conduct of the profession, regrets Mantenin Sacko, a reporter who received the training. “I would like to thank the organizers for this great initiative, which has increased our knowledge of the journalistic profession. This training allowed us to learn much more about the social responsibility of journalists, and the behavior they should adopt during an election period. It also allowed us to understand a lot of things about life in society through practical exercises. It made a big impression on me,” she said.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Annual meeting of the United Nations High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An annoucment from the President of the United Nations General Assembly

. . . In 2020, despite the difficulties in ensuring business continuity in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is of utmost importance that the United Nations continues to support the global movement to promote the culture of peace, its Declaration and Programme of Action, and that our response and recovery efforts are guided towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande

The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID-19

This year’s High-Level Forum is intended to be an opportunity for an exchange of views on possible ways to further promote the culture of peace, while the world is striving to recover and respond to the global pandemic and trying to address other pressing issues affecting the lives of many people around the globe. The COVID-19 situation has underscored the urgent need to leverage a culture of peace as a means of bridging divides across and within societies, as well as ensuring peaceful coexistence as a foundation for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

International cooperation and multilateral partnerships are necessary to tackle the pandemic and other global threats. Concrete action is needed by all stakeholders to realize this vision through education, inclusion, poverty eradication, and social cohesion, with more participation from women, the youth, and other segments of society.

The theme for the 2020 High-Level Forum will be “The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID-19”.

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Question(s) related to this article:

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

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Building global solidarity is the need of the time and can be achieved through promoting inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue that enable communities to come together to better understand each other and stand against the spread of hate, intolerance, division, and discrimination. The resilient nature of people to overcome the challenges with renewed optimism should be strengthened and put at the core of all our collective response and recovery plans, so that this crisis does not exacerbate the already high levels of inequality and discrimination. Vulnerable populations with less access to health care, basic public services, and economic resources should be our top priority. The event will provide a platform to explore opportunities to change our world for the better after the pandemic.

Participation

Member States and Observers of the General Assembly are invited to participate in the virtual High-Level Forum. The meeting will be webcast and it is open to UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.

Format of the High-Level Forum

The High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, convened by the President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, will take place on Thursday, 10 September 2020, via online WebEx platform from 10 am to 1 pm. The event will consist of an opening segment and a plenary segment. The opening segment will feature statements by the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General [tbc]. The plenary segment will comprise statements by Member States and Observers of the General Assembly, as well as other participants, time permitting.

Member States are encouraged to deliver statements on behalf of a group of States, whenever possible. Member States are encouraged to limit their statements to three (3) minutes for individual delegations and five (5) minutes for statements made on behalf of a group of States. There will be a pre-established list of speakers and it will be open for registration before the event. In view of time constraints for the online plenary segment, delegations that did not have the opportunity to speak can send their statements for uploading on the PGA’s website. A President’s summary of the meeting will be circulated to Member States upon its conclusion.

Details pertaining to the virtual arrangements for the meeting will be circulated in due course. Further information regarding this meeting will be made available on the PGA’s website: https://www.un.org/pga/74.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nations,

English bulletin September 1, 2020

HOPE FOR THE US . .

In the face of pessimistic predictions, even to the point of civil war, there are progressive mobilizations in the United States.

Unionization . The public approval rating for unions has climbed to nearly its highest level in fifty years. There has also been a surge of unionization among adjunct professors, grad students, digital and print journalists, museum workers, nurses, cannabis store workers, and nonprofit employees.

Colleges and Universities .. Search for Common Ground has partnered with Soliya and Tiger 21 to implement an orientation program for first-year students that will facilitate intra-campus dialogue and build trust, respect, and constructive coexistence across differences.

Black Lives Matter .. The movement continues to mobilize, most recently in professional sports. Players of the Women’s National Basketball Association are wearing t-shirts to support a progressive Congressional candidate opposing a team owner who opposes racial equality.

Youth climate activists .. A teen-age activist from the US has launched an international nonprofit organization, Climate Cardinals with over 5,000 volunteers translating climate information into more than 100 languages and dialects. The average age of the volunteers is 16!

International Day of Peace .. Campaign Nonviolence has already listed over 3500 actions planned for the national week of actions the third week of September around the International Day of Peace – “to take to the streets against violence and injustice, and to carry on Dr. King’s vision of what we could become—a new culture of nonviolence”

Peace movement .. The United National AntiWar Coalition, which unites a broad specturm of American peace organizations, has issued a “Call to Action”:

* Demanding justice and accountability against racist killer cops!*

* For economic justice in response to the economic collapse.


* In defense of migrants rounded up and deported!

* In solidarity with LGBTQ+ and disabled people

* Against endless wars, sanctions and occupations

Peace on the ballot .. New Haveners will vote on a referendum, proposed by the city’s peace commission and unanimously endorsed by the city’s Board of Alders on the following question: “Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?”

Progressive political agenda .: Addressing the Democratic National Convention, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a mass people’s movement working to establish

* 21st century social, economic, and human rights, including guaranteed health care, higher * education, living wages, and labor rights for all people in the United States;

* a movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny, and homophobia, and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration

* and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past;

* a movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many.”

Hopefully, in future editions of the bulletin, we will be able to report that these progressive mobilizations in the United States are able to provide a “soft landing” for the crash of the American empire.

HUMAN RIGHTS




Plan for Campaign Nonviolence Action Week, September 19-27, 2020

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



USA: Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks to the 2020 Democratic National Convention

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



First Person: Turning ‘apathetic people into climate activists’; a young person’s view

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Colombia: Details of the Non-Violence Secretariat to be created by the Mayor’s Office of Medellín
          

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



For colleges in the United States: First Year Connect

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



International Alert Programme on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY


Palestine: 15 lessons from 15 years of BDS

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



US: The United National AntiWar Coalition – Call to Action
d-democratic, North America,

International Alert Programme on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from International Alert

In 2000, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325, which stressed the importance of the equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. This resolution, with its four pillars of prevention, participation, protection, and peacebuilding and recovery, has become the focal point for galvanizing worldwide efforts to deal with the many challenges that women face in situations of conflict.

International Alert is implementing a programme on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria, to support the federal government’s commitments to localising the broad goal of gender-inclusive and sustainable peace. Alert will support the Ministries of Women Affairs to develop action plans to support engagement with legislative, security and judicial actors to facilitate strategic policy-making that accounts for gender dynamics in dealing with conflict issues.

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(Click here for the original Spanish version)

Question for this article

Can the women of Africa lead the continent to peace?

UN Resolution 1325, does it make a difference?

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Alert will also identify, enable and support a network of women mediators who will take tangible action on peace and security issues; amplify messaging that promotes women’s participation and leadership in decision-making on peace and security; and identify male champions to influence social behaviour change towards women’s participation in peace and security mechanisms.

This will help to increase women’s effective participation in peace and security processes, peace negotiations, and conflict prevention and resolution. It will also help improve public perception on the role of women in peace and security, at all levels.

This project is currently implemented in Bauchi, Ningi, Tafawa Balewa and Itas Gadau Local Government Areas of Bauchi and Gwer West, Guma, Logo and Agatu Local Government Areas of Benue State, respectively.

The project run from July 2019 to November 2020.

Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Colombia: ‘Incubator of Ideas in Culture of Peace’

… . HUMAN RIGHTS … .

An article in El Universal (translation by CPNN)

This Thursday, August 20, at 4 in the afternoon, the Spanish Cooperation Training Center in Cartagena will hold the first session of this year of the project ‘Incubator of Ideas in Culture of Peace with a differential approach’, defined as a space to highlight experiences of peace in Colombia.


Arturo Zea will participate in the activity

This initiative of the Spanish Cooperation is aimed at leaders and social leaders, victims of the armed conflict, members of social organizations, indigenous communities, researchers, teachers, university students and the public interested in learning about experiences of building a culture of peace.

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

 

Question related to this article:

Truth Commissions, Do they improve human rights?

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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This first session will address the role of the Commission for the Clarification of the Truth (CEV) within the framework of the Peace Agreement and how it works to fulfill the mandate to ensure the dignity of the victims, their contribution to the truth and to the guarantees of non-repetition. Arturo Zea Solano, Coordinator of the CEV for the Caribbean Coast, and Ricardo Corredor Cure, Coordinator of the Communications strategy of the same institution will participate.

The conversation will be moderated by Melissa Mendoza Turizo, social communicator, journalist and Coordinator of the School Press Program of the newspaper El Universal. The Ideas Incubator will be held this year under the theme “Dialoging for peace”. It will be done through a participatory dialogue, which facilitates the generation of ideas and the creation of stories about peace. Those interested in participating must register at the link: https://bit.ly/3kwrqfo.

HUMAN RIGHTS, Latin America

India: Nagaland’s Rebecca Changkija Sema conferred with ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Award’

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from The Sentinal of Assam

Filmmaker and social worker Rebecca Changkija Sema from Nagaland was conferred with the esteemed Mahatma Gandhi National Award during the 4th International Web Conference on Global Peace on July 25 by the Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Forum.

Joining the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who were previous awardees of the Mahatma Gandhi National Award, Rebecca Changkija Sema has broken the glass ceiling for female social workers in India.

Sema is an Advisory Panel Member at the Censor Board Mumbai and the founder of “Northeast Unsung Heroes”. She describes it as a non-profit organization, emphasizing that there are people from all walks of life, who choose to do good for the society and their country who have not received enough recognition.

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

She reiterates that bringing recognition to these ‘heroes’ translates into them receiving better opportunities further ahead in life.

Sema promotes tourism as well and takes a keen interest in utilizing the talent that comes up from the Northeast region; primarily through social work and cinema. She reiterates that the award has “humbled” her.

“Words are not enough to describe how humbled am today to receive this prestigious award. this is extremely encouraging beyond any words. Thank you Human Rights Saviour to be considering me for @Nagaland #northeast_india #BlessedAndThankful #HumanRights”, she wrote on Twitter.

The Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Forum is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to promote the culture of peace around the world through the medium of arts, culture and education.

A total of 14 personalities from various parts of the country working in the field of Human Rights were conferred with the award.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, South Asia