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.

Emails Reveal: U.S. Officials Sided With Agrochemical Giant Bayer to Overturn Mexico’s Glyphosate Ban

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Kenny Stancilde from Ecowatch

While Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has given farmers in the country a 2024 deadline to stop using glyphosate, The Guardian reported  Tuesday that agrochemical company Bayer, industry lobbyist CropLife America, and U.S. officials have been pressuring Mexico’s government to drop its proposed ban on the carcinogenic pesticide.


”

The corporate and U.S.-backed attempt to coerce Mexico into maintaining its glyphosate imports past 2024 has unfolded, as journalist Carey Gillam detailed in the newspaper, “over the last 18 months, a period in which Bayer was negotiating an $11 billion settlement of legal claims brought by people in the U.S. who say they developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma due to exposure” to glyphosate-based products, such as Roundup.

(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)

Roundup, one of the world’s mostly widely-used herbicides, was created by Monsanto which was acquired by Bayer in 2018.

According to The Guardian, which obtained internal documents via a Freedom of Information Act request by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), “The pressure on
Mexico is similar to actions  Bayer and chemical industry lobbyists took to kill a glyphosate ban planned by Thailand in 2019. Thailand officials had also cited concerns for public health in seeking to ban the weed killer, but reversed course after U.S. threats about trade disruption.”

In addition to instructing Mexico’s farmers to stop using glyphosate by 2024, the López Obrador administration on Dec. 31, 2020 issued a “final decree” calling for “a phase-out  of the planting and consumption of genetically engineered corn, which farmers often spray with glyphosate, a practice that often leaves residues of the pesticide in finished food products,” the news outlet noted.

The Mexican government has characterized  the restrictions as an effort to improve the nation’s “food security and sovereignty” and to protect its wealth of biological as well as cultural diversity and farming communities.

Mexico’s promotion of human and environmental health, however, “has triggered fear in the United States for the health of agricultural exports, especially Bayer’s glyphosate products,” Gillam wrote.

Latin America, North America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,

Women’s leadership in the struggle for Palestinian freedom

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

Excerpts from a mail received at CPNN from Mazin Qumsiyeh

We know that women are often at the forefront of struggles for justice. Here is a good example received from Mazin Qumsiyeh and excerpted from his 2012 book on “Popular Resistance In Palestine: A history of Hope and empowerment.”


An image from the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

The first Arab Women’s Congress of Palestine was held on 26 October 1929 in Jerusalem and was attended by about 200 women. The demands were those of the Palestinian people against: the Balfour Declaration and the establishment of Jewish colonies, and for self-determination. They elected a 14-member executive committee headed by Matiel E. T. Mogannam. Mogannam later wrote a book titled “The Arab Women and the Palestinian Problem”, which detailed the activities of the movement. The women who participated were diverse. Some were fully veiled and some very liberal, some Christian and some Muslim. In their meeting with the British High Commissioner, the women ‘threw back their veils’ and presented their demands in strong language.The High Commissioner was impressed, but stated plainly that his ‘authority is limited and some things must be decided by the Ministry of Colonisation … [however,] I am pleased with the progress of the women’s movement in Palestine … and will do my best to help in the educational areas of the Palestinian woman so that she can reach her appropriate place in society’.   Energised by this meeting, the Congress concluded with a 120-car motorcade through the old city of Jerusalem and sent a telegram to Queen Mary, which opened with these words:

“Two hundred Palestine Arab Muslim and Christian women representatives met in twenty-sixth instant in Congress Jerusalem, unanimously decided demand and exert every effort to effect abolition Balfour Declaration and establish National Democratic Government deriving power from Parliament representing all Palestinian Communities in proportion to their numbers; we beseech assistance in our just demands.”

(continued in right column)

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

Presenting the Palestinian side of the Middle East, Is it important for a culture of peace?

(continued from left column).

The group was active for many years, developing novel forms of Palestinian resistance such as silent protests, publishing letters in foreign newspapers, direct support of those suffering from the occupation and prisoner support groups. They ‘sent hundreds of letters to the British government, newspapers, and news media outlets, Arab leaders, and other women’s organisations’. It was not without an impact; for example, their persistent letters about political prisoners in British jails resulted in three prisoners being pardoned.

[from anther section of the book:]
…. An Arab Women’s march to demand an end to the Zionist programme on 15 April 1933 heard speeches delivered by such notable Arab feminists as Tarab Abdul Hadi. A large demonstration on 13 September 1933 in Jerusalem led by Palestinian religious and civic leaders spilled over to other cities……

From the 1920s and 1930s women took the initiative at the most critical times when even the will of the strongest men was tested.30

Thus it was not surprising that women also took the lead in the early years of the post-1967 era while the national will was debilitated. The first demonstration in Jerusalem held in Spring 1968 was led by women and was dispersed by force. In February 1968, over 300 women demonstrated in Gaza about the policies of the occupation, including the expulsions and land confiscations. Kuttab and Awwad explained that ‘Women’s political associations connected with the different Palestinian political parties are considered the core of the Palestinian women’s movement. These include organisations such as the Union of Palestinian Women’s Work Committees (UPWC) and the Federation of Women’s Action Committees. The General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW), founded as a body within the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) in 1965, is an umbrella institution of the different women’s committees and charitable societies.’ In 1965, the Society for the Rejuvenation of the Family (In’ash Al-Usra) was founded by Samiha Khalil. She was born in Anabta, Tulkarem in 1923 and lived in the 1940s in Asqalan (Ashkalon). She became a refugee in 1948 in the Gaza Strip and in 1952 travelled via Beirut to the West Bank, becoming a member of the Palestinian National Council in 1965. She served as president of the Women’s Federation Society (El-Bireh), of the Union for Voluntary Women’s Societies and the General Union of Palestinian Women (GUPW), also founded in Jerusalem in 15 July 1965.34

Such women’s groups mushroomed in the 1970s and played a significant role in the uprising of 1987. In February 1968, 300 women demonstrated against the policies of deportation and land expropriation. On 8 March 1978, the Women’s Work Committee was established and by 1989, had more than 5,000 members. The growth of Palestinian women’s movements since then has been strong, though many challenges remain……

[references & footnotes in original book but here is a key one worth reading: Matiel E. T. Mogannam, The Arab Women and the Palestine Problem, London: Herbert Joseph, 1937]

Mideast, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, on International Women’s Day 2021

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

A statement from UN Women

International Women’s Day this year comes at a difficult time for the world and for gender equality, but at a perfect moment to fight for transformative action and to salute women and young people for their relentless drive for gender equality and human rights. Our focus is on women’s leadership and on ramping up representation in all the areas where decisions are made – currently mainly by men – about the issues that affect women’s lives. The universal and catastrophic lack of representation of women’s interests has gone on too long.



Video of Statement

As we address the extraordinary hardship that COVID-19 has brought to millions of women and girls and their communities, we also look ahead to the solid opportunities of the Generation Equality Forum and Action Coalitions to bring change.

During the pandemic, we have seen increased violence against women and girls and lost learning for girls as school drop-out rates, care responsibilities and child marriages rise. We are seeing tens of millions more women plunge into extreme poverty, as they lose their jobs at a higher rate than men, and pay the price for a lack of digital access and skills. These and many other problems cannot be left to men alone to solve. Yet, while there are notable exceptions, in most countries there is simply not the critical mass of women in decision-making and leadership positions to ensure that these issues are tabled and dealt with effectively and this has affected the pace of change for women overall.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for a French version of this article or here for a Spanish version.)

Questions for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

Prospects for progress in women’s equality, what are the short and long term prospects?

(continued from left column)

There are breakthroughs to celebrate, where women have taken the helm of organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank and we look forward to more such appointments that help to change the picture of what a leader looks like. Yet this is not the norm. In 2020, as a global average, women were 4.4 per cent of CEOs, occupied just 16.9 per cent of board seats, made up only 25 per cent of national parliamentarians, and just 13 per cent of peace negotiators. Only 22 countries currently have a woman as Head of State or Government and 119 have never experienced this – something that has important consequences for the aspirations of girls growing up. On the current trajectory, we won’t see gender parity in the highest office before 2150. 

This can and must change. What is needed is the political will to actively and intentionally support women’s representation. Leaders can set and meet parity targets, including through appointments for all executive positions at all levels of government, as has occurred in the few countries with gender equal cabinets. Special measures can work; where countries have put in place and enforced quotas, they have made real progress on women’s leadership, as have those that have policies to address representation. Where these measures do not exist, progress is slower or even nonexistent and easily reversed.

No country prospers without the engagement of women. We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.

This is the vision of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals and the vision of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. It is the vision of civil society and multitudes of young people who are already leading the way and of all those who will join us in the Generation Equality Action Coalitions. We need bold decisive action across the world to bring women into the heart of the decision-making spaces in large numbers and as full partners, so that we can make immediate progress on a greener, equitable and inclusive world.

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

International Women’s Day 2021

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

A publication of UN Women

Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made.

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day (8 March), “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain.


Credit: UN Women/Yihui Yuan

Women’s full and effective participation and leadership in of all areas of life drives progress for everyone. Yet, women are still underrepresented in public life and decision-making, as revealed in the UN Secretary-General’s recent report. Women are Heads of State or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 per cent of national parliamentarians are women. At the current rate of progress, gender equality among Heads of Government will take another 130 years.

(continued in right column)

(Click here for a French version of this article or here for a Spanish version.)

Questions for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

Prospects for progress in women’s equality, what are the short and long term prospects?

(continued from left column)

Women are also at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, as front-line and health sector workers, as scientists, doctors and caregivers, yet they get paid 11 per cent less globally than their male counterparts. An analysis of COVID-19 task teams from 87 countries found only 3.5 per cent of them had gender parity.

When women lead, we see positive results. Some of the most efficient and exemplary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were led by women. And women, especially young women, are at the forefront of diverse and inclusive movements online and on the streets for social justice, climate change and equality in all parts of the world. Yet, women under 30 are less than 1 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide. 

This is why, this year’s International Women’s Day is a rallying cry for Generation Equality, to act for an equal future for all. The Generation Equality Forum, the most important convening for gender equality investment and actions, kicks off in Mexico City from 29 – 31 March, and culminates in Paris in June 2021. It will draw leaders, visionaries, and activists from around the world, safely on a virtual platform, to push for transformative and lasting change for generations to come.

Meet the activists, and get inspired by stories of women leaders we admire.

Event: United Nations Observance of International Women’s Day 2021
UN Women is pleased to invite you to the United Nations observance of International Women’s Day 2021. The theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world on the way to the Generation Equality Forum”. Learn more.

Statements

Statement by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director, on International Women’s Day 2021.

In her statement for International Women’s Day (8 March), UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.”

global, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

Past virtual events in March

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Here are events and application deadlines in March 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.

Mar 1, 2021 06:00 PM CET
World Future Day Launch of Youth Fusion Elders

An online intergenerational dialogue launching the Youth Fusion Elders initiative. The event is being held in conjunction with World Future Day and Nuclear Remembrance Day, both of which occur on March 1.
— This launch event will feature an inter-generational dialogue between youth and elders within the peace and nuclear disarmament fields. We will learn from the highly valuable experiences and knowledge of ‘Elders’ in a conversation facilitated by youth leaders.
Click here for YouTube recording.

3 Mars 2021 Heure : 10H (GMT)
“Repenser l’Afrique Post Covid 19”

Organisé par l’Institut Mandela en partenariat avec l’Ecole Doctorale GAMO et le Laboratoire de Recherches et d’Actions Diplomatiques (LaRAD) vous invitent à la Vidéoconférence Panafricaine.
— Panélistes:
1)- Son Excellence Madame Fatima HARAM ACYL, Vice-Présidente de la Commission de la CEMAC,
2)- Professeur Mohamed HARAKAT, Professeur à l’Université Mohamed V de Rabat, Responsable de l’Ecole Doctorale Gouvernance de l’Afrique et du Moyen-Orient (GAMO)
— Modérateur : Dr Paul KANANURA, Spécialiste en Géopolitique, Géostratégie et Gouvernance, Président de l’Institut Mandela.
— Youtube recording of Vidéoconférence

jeudi 4 mars 2021 de 9h30 à 13h00 (Central European Time)
Webinaire Sur Femmes, Education Et Culture

Un cycle de trois webinaires organisés en France par la Commission nationale consultative des droits de l’homme (CNCDH) dans le cadre de webinaires consacrés aux droits des femmes,
— Mme Stefania Giannini, Sous-directrice générale pour l’éducation prononcera l’allocution d’ouverture au nom de la Directrice générale de l’UNESCO, conjointement avec Mme Karima Bennoune, Rapporteuse spéciale des Nations Unies dans le domaine culturel.
— Mme Véronique Roger-Lacan, Ambassadrice, Déléguée permanente de la France auprès de l’UNESCO, prononcera l’allocution de clôture.
— Georges Kutukdjian, animera la Table ronde N° 1 sur Comment l’éducation peut-elle promouvoir l’égalité femmes-hommes ?
— Programme détaillé en ligne ici.
— Cliquez ici pour l’enregistrement vidéo.

March 8 from 11 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern Standard Time
Women’s Leadership in and for Health

Celebrated by the Pan American Health Organization
— Welcome remarks by Carissa Etienne, PAHO Director
— Panel Discussion:
Claudia López Hernández, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia
Alejandra Mora Mora, Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of
Women (CIM/OAS)
Julio Frenk, President of the University of Miami, U.S.A.
— Video – Women’s Leadership in and for Health
— Closing remarks by Mary Lou Valdez, PAHO Deputy Director
— Click here for the youtube recording

March 8 from 15:00-16:00 Central European Time
ILO celebration International Women’s Day

The International Labor Organization (ILO) proposes a high-level collective reflection on the challenges and opportunities in building a transformative agenda for gender equality as called for by the ILO Centenary Declaration
— Click here for the youtube recording.

Monday March 8 at 18:30 Central European time (12:30 Eastern Time USA)
Intergenerational Dialogue between Women Involved in Nuclear Disarmament

UNFOLD ZERO, Youth Fusion and Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND) cordially invite you to join an inter-generational dialogue on March 8 highlighting the roles of women in the peace, disarmament and security fields, and the importance of including gender approaches to these issues in order to build more effective and sustainable security for all.
— Click here for the recording.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021 • 7:00 PM • Eastern Standard Time
Webinar: Leah Bolger on the U.S. Overseas Military Base Empire

The Overseas Military Base Empire: Presentation by Leah Bolger, President of the Board, World BEYOND War and retired U.S. Naval officer. She will present on the social, environmental, and economic impact of U.S. bases and how to close them.
— Sponsored by the CNY Beyond War and Militarism Committee
— The United States has over 200,000 troops stationed on more than 800 bases in more than 80 countries and all seven continents? They are provocative, increasing tensions throughout the world. Maintaining these bases drains hundreds of billions of U.S. tax dollars annually which could be much better used to fund human needs here and abroad.
— Host Contact Info: Greta, greta@worldbeyondwar.org
— Click here for the youtube recording.

March 9, 2021 11:00 AM in Bangkok
Together for Peace : Living Well with Super Diversity

On 30 and 31 March 2021, UNESCO Asia and the Pacific Regional Bureau for Education will be hosting the ‘Together for Peace (T4P) Regional Dialogue on the role of education in building a peaceful and sustainable future in Asia-Pacific’. As a leadup to this event, a series of three webinars on January 27, February 16, and March 9, will explore different dimensions of positive peace and solicit engagement from UNESCO National Commissions, development partners, education policymakers, teachers and school staff, and the general public.
— Living well with Super Diversity. Over the past several decades, there is an increasing recognition and acknowledgement among peoples and nations worldwide of the urgent challenges of living ethically and sustainably on a shared planet. Building a peaceful world must recognize that we are now living in global, national and local contexts where societies and communities are hyper connected, where mobility is accelerating, and where encounters with diversity are more salient in everyday realities and across social media and digital platforms. Such extreme diversity, if not acknowledged properly by the political and socio-economic systems in place, including education and the media, can unfortunately lead to misunderstandings, exclusion, marginalization, and violence.
— Click here for the youtube recording.

Wednesday, March 10, 2021 • 7:00 PM Greenwich Mean Time
No Return to Blair Wars – Online Launch

by Stop the Wars Coalition
Anti-war opinion is deeply embedded within British society and has been since the disaster of the Iraq War. The desire for a new foreign policy was part of the attraction of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party; to distance itself from Corbyn, and the anti-war movement he represents, the Labour leadership has recently endorsed attacks on Stop the War – with accusations that by opposing wars we support dictators. Our members and supporters will recognise this trope.
— To rebuke these attacks Lindsey German and Andrew Murray have produced a new pamphlet, No Return to Blair Wars – A Reply to Open Labour, clarifying Stop the War Coalition’s anti-imperialist philosophy and setting out the left’s foreign policy choices.
— As a result of the overwhelming response and debate provoked by the pamphlet we’ve decided to host an online launch– event where you can hear from the authors and put forward your questions on the topics discussed in the pamphlet. We look forward to seeing you there.
— Click here for the youtube recording.

March 10, 2021 01:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
Taps for America’s empire of bases? Reducing the U.S. global bootprint

Sponsored by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
The Biden administration is conducting a “Global Posture Review” meant to ensure that the worldwide presence of U.S. military forces is “appropriately aligned with our foreign policy and national security priorities.” This review offers an opportunity to change the way the United States deploys its forces, currently scattered on 800-some overseas bases. Momentum is growing to close hundreds of those bases and bring troops home, as proposed by experts across party lines in a new open letter. Join a group of those experts on Wednesday, March 1o from 1-2 pm EST to discuss why the Biden administration should sunset America’s base empire and how to strengthen U.S. national security in the process.
— The panel will include David Vine, professor of political anthropology at American University and board member of the Costs of War Project; Christine Ahn, Executive Director of Women Cross DMZ; and John Glaser, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Quincy Institute President Andrew Bacevich will moderate.
— Click here for a recording of the event.

Wed, March 10th, at 10:00am-11:30am Eastern Standard Time (15:00-16:30 GMT)
Resisting Occupation: Connecting Palestine and Western Sahara

Sponsored by Nonviolence International (NVI)
— We will hear Palestinian, Sahrawi and other voices share their stories of nonviolent resistance to Moroccan and Israeli occupations. We have an amazing array of panelists that Mubarak Awad will be co-hosting with Rafif Jouejati a fellow NVI board member and Syrian-American human rights activist.
— Panelists:
Salka Barca, Founder of Karama Sahara, a Sahrawi advocacy group
Kamal Lfahsi, A Moroccan human rights activist
Stephen Zunes, Professor in international studies.
Jonathan Kuttab, NVI co-founder and Palestinian human rights lawyer.
— Click here for a recording of the webinar..

11 March 2021 08:00 – 09:30 Eastern Standard Time
Interactive dialogue: Counter-terrorism and COVID-19: Gendered perspectives

Join UN Women, the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE ODIHR), the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), and a panel of experts for a discussion on the gendered impacts of securitized approaches to preventing violent extremism and counter-terrorism, the new challenges that have emerged through the global pandemic, and the principles to guide civil society and governments moving forward. The webinar will be in English with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, Spanish, French, and Russian.
— Full details
— Click here for a recording of the event.

March 11 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm Greenwich Mean Time
Three forms of power-sharing and their relationship

sponsored by the Political Settlements Research Programme of The University of Edinburgh
— This webinar will examine the relationship between power-sharing and inclusion of non-dominant groups, and will use PA-X data to demonstrate how peace agreements provide for above-average inclusion of women, girls, and gender.
— Many case studies show post-conflict power-sharing to be exclusionary of various non-dominant groups. However, analysis of the PA-X database of peace agreements shows that those agreements with political power-sharing have provisions for women, girls and gender at a well above average rate. This research shows how Prof Christine Bell’s three-way functional typology of political power-sharing gives explanatory value to the relationship between power-sharing and inclusion. It shows that sub-state indigenous autonomy in particular is related to higher levels of inclusion of a variety of non-dominant groups in peace agreements. Further, the provisions in these agreements also tend to articulate inclusion in a particular way that emphasises community power rather elite driven aid. Featuring PSRP’s Dr Kevin McNicholl.
— The webinar was be held over Zoom, with joining links emailed to participants ahead of the event.
— Click here for a youtube recording.

March 16-25
Three Events at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women 2021 (CSW65) sponsored by Pathways to Peace

Forced Sterilization and Rape as a Form of Genocide, March 16, 1:30 pm EST
Empowering the Divine Feminine Within, March 21, 4:30 pm, EST
Child Sexual Abuse Prevention, Identification, and Eradication, March 25, 9:30 am, EST
— Sign up for an account here. Due to an overwhelming response to our virtual platform and Parallel Event application, you can now register for free!

March 18, 7:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
The Doomsday Machine with Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg, the man best known for his courageous act of sharing the secret history of disastrous U.S. Vietnam War planning, also – at the age of 30 – designed the U.S. nuclear warfighting strategy and doctrine. Chastened and committed to preventing nuclear war and preparations for omnicide, Dan wrote The Doomsday Machine, which describes the dangerous and illusionary foundations of U.S. nuclear war planning and urges specific steps that can be taken to reduce the dangers of nuclear war.
— Registration

18 March 2021 at 9am Eastern Standard Time
Advancing Gender Equality

Based upon the feedback and recommendations received from the first Global Webinar Series, Religions for Peace, in coordination with Regional Offices, will convene the second series of global capacity development webinars in 2021, with a view to continuing to facilitate the process of strategic Learning Exchange among IRCs across the movement.
— These webinars will focus on our Six Strategic Goals:
Promote Peaceful, Just, and Inclusive Societies
Advance Gender Equality
Nurture A Sustainable Environment
Champion the Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion
Strengthen Interreligious Education
Foster Multi-religious Collaboration and Global Partnerships
— Simultaneous translations for Arabic, French, and Spanish will be provided for all global webinars. Following each of these, regional webinars will be organized under the leadership of the Religions for PeaceRegional Secretaries General, in coordination with Religions for Peace International Secretariat.
— This event is by invitation only. Inquiries can be sent to pbartoli@rfp.org.

Thursday 18 March 2021, 15.30-17.30 Eastern Standard Time
Webinar – Seizing the moment: preparedness in early peace processes

An event hosted by Conciliation Resources and the United States Institute of Peace.
— This event, will explore how and under what conditions diverse stakeholders to conflict – such as non-violent movements, mediation support actors and conflict parties themselves – can seize opportunities to build nascent peace processes in the midst of challenging conflict contexts. The conversation will draw on Conciliation Resources’ latest Accord series publications, Pioneering peace pathways, outlining strategies and innovations to enable more resilient peacemaking practice, with reference to the emergence of Covid-19 and the growing climate crisis.
— Speakers:
Alexander Ramsbotham (Conciliation Resources)
Tabatha Thompson (United States Institute of Peace)
Cate Buchanan (Independent, Pioneering peace pathways Issue Editor)
Sophie Haspeslagh (American University Cairo)
Jonathan Pinckney (United States Institute of Peace)
Irena Grizelj (Independent, expert on youth participation in peace processes)
Michael Frank Alar (consultant, currently World Bank’s Fragility, Conflict and Violence team)
Ayak Chol (Strategic Defence and Security Review Board, South Sudan)
John Packer (Professor of International Conflict Resolution, University of Ottawa)
Ulrike Hopp-Nishanka (Senior Policy Officer, German Federal Government; conflict transformation practitioner)
TBC (Sasakawa Peace Foundation)
— Click here for a youtube recording of the webinar.

18 March 2021 (Thursday) 10:00-11:00 AM Japan Standard Time (08:00-09:00 PM Eastern Standard Time)
Initiative for Peace in South Sudan: Insights from the Work of the Community of Sant’Egidio

A Webinar of the Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability
— Speaker: Dr. Andrea Bartoli, the President of the Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue. He works primarily on peacemaking and genocide prevention.
— Discussant: Mari Katayanagi, teacher at both International Peace and Coexistence Programme (IPC Programme), Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences; and Department of Integrated Global Studies, Faculty of Integrated Arts and Sciences, Hiroshima University.
— Click here for a recording of the webinar.

March 20, 2021 15:00 Central European Time
“Peace & Security in Albania” conference

Sponsored by Pathways to Peace, Së Bashku and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
— This conference will focus on further establishing peace & security in Albania and will address humanitarian impact, European security, health, and women, peace, and security.
— Some notable speakers include:
Parliamentarian Elona Gjebrea Hoxha,
Parliamentarian Ermonela Felaj,
Daniel Högsta (ICAN),
Deputy Ambassador Clarisse Pasztory of the OSCE PiA,
Mayor of Mati Agron Malaj,
Secretary General of Red Cross Albania Artur Katuci,
Rinor Jani of Pathways To Peace,
Suela Lala of Fondacioni Së Bashku,
Christian Ciobanu of Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and more.
— Register here

Sunday, March 21st – 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
THE COLD WAR TRUTH COMMISSION: A Day of Education, Testimonials & Action

Sponsored by Witness For Peace Southwest, CODEPINK & Addicted To War
— Part 1 Roots of U.S. Anti-Communism and Cold War
— Part II The Domestic U.S. Cold War
— Part III The U.S. Global Cold War, Then and Now
— Detailed program
— For More Information Contact Rachel: sojournerrb@yahoo.com – 310-971-8280 or Frank at: frank.dorrel@gmail.com – 310-838-8131
— Click here for a recording of the event.
— A youtube recording is also available here

Mon, March 22, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM Central European Time
An evening with Ray Acheson and a preview of her brilliant new book: “Banning the Bomb, Smashing the Patriarchy”

The book offers a look inside the antinuclear movement and the recent successful campaign to ban the bomb — from scrappy organising to winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017 and achieving a landmark UN Treaty banning nuclear weapons.
— Hosted by Scottish & UK ICAN Partners: WILPF, Scottish CND, Medact Scotland, UN House Scotland, Peace & Justice, and Trident Ploughshares.
— Register here

March 23, 2021, 6:30-8:30 pm Eastern Standard Time (USA)
Women as Catalysts for Peace

Hosted by Affinity Intercultural Foundation & the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP)
— The integrated nature of the SDGs shows the strong link of peaceful and inclusive societies with strong institutions to the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Investing in women’s leadership, economic empowerment and breaking down the barriers to enable women to thrive contributes to a peaceful and inclusive society. Better gender data matters for if we are not measuring progress, it can be very hard to call attention to the problem and find solutions. IEP is dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, tangible and achievable measure of human well-being and progress. IEP women peace practitioners will be featured.
— Click here for a youtube recording of the event.

Tuesday, March 23: Noon. Eastern Standard Time
Walk with Me: A Biography of Fannie Lou Hamer

Sponsored by the Center for Nonviolent Solutions
Author Kate Clifford Larson speaks on her upcoming biography of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. Fannie Lou Hamer was an extraordinary American activist whose fight for basic human and political rights changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s
— Click here for youtube recording.

March 24, Wednesday, 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Demilitarize the Budget! Budget Advocacy Training

Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee
In this webinar, you’ll learn why the United States’ militarized budget is such a problem, how the budget and appropriations process works, and how you can get involved in the call to move money out of militarism and into our communities!
— Speakers Include:
Ashik Siddique, National Priorities Project
Savannah Wooten, Public Citizen
Moderator: Tori Bateman, AFSC
— Click here for a recording of the webinar
— It is also available on youtube.

Thursday March 25, 1:00-2:45 Eastern Standard Time
CSW65 Dialogue: “Women Leaders Impact Change”

An event supported and promoted by the Global NGO Executive Committee
For our contribution during the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women we have a dialogue with Women Leaders from various sectors and regions who will share their initiatives that support women’s rights and gender equality.
Register here

Thursday March 25th 2021 • 6:00 pm Eastern Standard Time
Common Ground: A Defining Moment

An anniversary program of Search for Common Ground
— Since 1982, we have worked on the frontlines of violent conflict, learning hard but powerful lessons. We know how to bring people together to identify their common interests, and how to heal communities to prevent violent conflict.
— On Thursday, March 25th, we will take stock of this defining moment and share lessons about how to find common ground and use it to strengthen your country, community, and own life. We hope that you can join us virtually for a special anniversary celebration as we rise to meet this moment.
— Click here for a youtube recording of the program.

Friday, March 26, 2021 • 6:00 PM • Greenwich Mean Time
Online Rally: #YemenCantWait – Stop British Support for the War

The Saudi-led war on Yemen is about to enter its sixth destructive year. According to a recent UN report, the war has already claimed 233,000 lives. It is estimated that 24 million Yemenis need humanitarian assistance – some 80% of the population – which is being thwarted by the Saudi-led coalition’s air and naval blockade of the country.
— And who is the main Western backer of the war? Boris Johnson and his Tory government. Even after Joe Biden announced an end to US support for the war the British government shamefully continues to sell bombs and aircraft to the Saudi regime who have created the worst humanitarian crisis on earth.
— We call on the British government to stop prolonging the carnage in Yemen by ending all arms sales and military support for the Saudi-led coalition immediately.
— Host Contact Info: office@stopwar.org.uk
— Click here for a youtube recording of the event.

Sunday, 28 March 2021 at 2:00 to 4:00 PM EDT (Toronto Time)
Project Save the World Invites You to our Next Monthly Global Town Hall

On the last Sunday of every month, we hold an open meeting on Zoom for activists worldwide who are addressing issues of militarism (especially nuclear weapons), global warming, famine, pandemics, radioactive contamination, and/or cyber risks.
— We talk for two hours with our video cameras on (not just audio, please), edit the recording, and put it on YouTube, Facebook, and our website: https://tosavetheworld.ca and then we publicize it widely.
— Facebook Event Page
— Visit Our Website at https://tosavetheworld.ca
— Join us here by zoom

Tuesday, March 30th, 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Annual Meeting of the Center for Nonviolent Studies

The evening includes a brief review of our 2020 programs and a presentation by Paula Green and Beth Johnson on Hands Across the Hills: US Dialogues in an Era of Polarization, a highly recognized residential program of dialogue and cultural exchange engaging progressives from Western Massachusetts with conservatives from Eastern Kentucky coal country.
— Youtube recording of the meeting.

Mar 30, 2021 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time (US and Canada)
A Seat at the Table: In Conversation with Ambassador Swanee Hunt focused on women in roles of leadership

Join the World Trade Center Washington, DC and the World Trade Center Dublin for a webinar series focused on women in roles of leadership in diplomacy, international business, philanthropy, culture and the arts. Hosted by Susan Sloan, author of “A Seat at the Table: Women, Diplomacy and Lessons for the World” our first conversation will feature Ambassador Swanee Hunt, activist, philanthropist, scholar, artist, internationalist, former U.S. Ambassador to Austria and founder of the DC-based Institute for Inclusive Security.
— Click here for a youtube recording of the conversation.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021: 8:00 – 9:30 pm Eastern Standard Time
Webinar for nuclear abolition

This webinar, featuring three internationally recognized advocates for nuclear abolition, will provide an update on nuclear weapons policies and programs and an overview of relevant developments in international law. It will also expand thinking on the need to rethink familiar approaches to disarmament and to shift the focus of disarmament advocacy from recognizing the effects of nuclear weapons to analyzing the causes of nuclear arms racing and the risks of war among nuclear-armed countries. How do the same root causes drive many of our most pressing crises? Speakers include Jackie Cabasso, co-convener of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ).
— Click here to register.

Tuesday, March 30th at 12 pm Eastern Standard Time
The Hard Choices that Women Peacebuilders Face

Women all over the world are dedicating their lives to building peace and ending violence. But while their impact gets the spotlight, their challenges, sacrifices, and personal hardships often do not. What hard choices do they face? What do they choose? On occasion of Women’s History Month, Search for Common Ground is tackling these questions at an interactive discussion.
— Our speakers:
Adrienne Lemon, Director, Institutional Learning Team at Search for Common Ground
Aude Darnal, Associate Director of the New American Engagement Initiative at the Atlantic Council
Mena Ayazi (moderator), Program Officer, Children & Youth at Search for Common Ground
— Click here for a recording of the event.

global

English bulletin March 1, 2021

AFRICAN UNION AND CULTURE OF PEACE

The African Union (AU) increasingly promotes a culture of peace on the continent.

As described in a new book by Kathryn Nash, the African Union has developed, since its beginning at the turn of the century, a conflict management policy that was not available to its predecessor, the Organization of African Unity. Currently, the AU deploys monitors, authorizes peace support operations, and actively engages to resolve internal conflicts.

The 34th Session of the African Union Summit ended on 7 February 2021 with the new Chair, President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), outlining an ambitious agenda, including combating climate change, expediting regional integration, investing in human capital, promoting Africa’s culture, empowering women and youth, and accelerating the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

One of the priorites mentioned by President Tshisekedi is the “Silencing the Guns” campaign, which has been extended to 2030, and now consists of a roadmap and practical steps to achieve its objectives. There will be a two-year periodic review of implementation.

As part of Youth Silencing the Guns Campaign, the Office of the Youth Envoy (OYE) in collaboration with partners has recently provided grants to four youth projects:
– Silencing the Climate Crisis Award to project Ibn El Bitar (Algeria)
– Silencing Gender-Based Violence Award to #ShutItAllDown movement (Namibia)
– Silencing Corruption Award
to Citizens Gavel Foundation for Social Justice (Nigeria)
– Silencing Youth Unemployment Award
to Garden of Hope Foundation (Kenya)

Another recent initiative of the AU Office of the Youth Envoy has been the virtual meetings of women activists in the five regions of Africa, which resulted in a Africa Young Women’s Manifesto. The Manifesto is a comprehensive document addressing all aspects of the culture of peace.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), mentioned as a priority for the AU, began operation on January 1, 2021. This may become an important contribution to the culture of peace on the continent as it may transform conflicts across the continent by reducing the incentives for participating in conflicts, via the creation of jobs. AfCFTA has the potential to promote women’s equality in Africa as stated in remarks to the AU Summit by outgoing President Cyril Ramaphosa. He stated that state parties would report annually on progress made in strengthening women’s participation in continental trade matters. “This includes tailor made financial products for women with reliable means to save, access, transfer and borrow money.” He called for a “women-led Peace Forum to be attended by Heads of State and Government and to implement decisions of the Peace and Security Council to institutionalise the office of the special envoy on women, peace and security.”

In his remarks to the AU summit, incoming President Felix Tshisekedi also confirmed the AU participation in the 2nd Biennale of Luanda on the Culture of Peace to be held in Angola in September, 2021 (see the many articles on this in CPNN). The strategic objective of the Biennale is to promote a peaceful and prosperous Africa through the defense and encouragement of actions that prevent conflicts in the management of national and cross-border natural resources on the African continent, as well as to educate a generation of young Africans as agents of peace, stability and development. The theme of the event this year will be: “Art, Culture and Heritage: Levers to build the Africa we want”.

In her analysis of the African Union, Kathryn Nash Nash argues that the devlopment of its conflict management policy largely happened within the African context, and international pressure was not a determinant factor in its evolution. If the AU continues its independent development, it has a chance to escape from the culture of war that was imposed by the old colonial powers and that is maintained by the economic exploitation of Africa by the empires of Europe, United States and China. The development of the new continental free trade zone can help protect this independence and enable an Africa in peace.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Book review: African peace: Regional norms from the Organization of African Unity to the African Union

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Central Africa: Ambassador Sita José Analyzes Luanda Biennial With ECCAS Commissioner

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



New UNEP synthesis provides blueprint to urgently solve planetary emergencies and secure humanity’s future

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Colombia: Cultural spaces for the construction of peace
In addition to articles, we list virtual events for the culture of peace: Click here for upcoming events. Last month we registered 23 virtual events.

  

HUMAN RIGHTS




New ICC ruling ‘opens the door’ for justice in occupied Palestine – Independent UN expert

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



‘Women and girls belong in science’ declares UN chief  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY


G5 Sahel: Heads of State announce Prize for the promotion of the culture of peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Brazil: Culture of Peace in schools will be the subject of a webinar on February 18th
d-democratic, d-disarmament

Colombia: Impulse Travel – Sustainable tourism committed to Peace

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Caracol Radio (translation by CPNN)

Impulse Travel, a sustainable tourism company that has been working in the industry for 10 years, was a winner in the category of “Peace, Social Justice and Solid Institutions” in the SDGs Global Startup Competition, a competition of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Since the signing of the Peace Agreement, this company has focused on peace-building.  They have worked with different post-conflict populations for peace, productivity and sustainability processes, adding them to their value chain and giving them a share of the tourism market.

(article continued in right column)

(Click here for the Spanish version)

Questions related to this article:
 
How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

(article continued from left column)

“We see these communities as partners, as a social enterprise that are part of the Value chain.  We work with social leaders who are leaders for changes in a community that are productive, cultural, gastronomic (…) we seek these social transformation projects and adapt them to our business ”, says Rodrigo Atuesta, CEO of Impulse Travel.

In addition, Lizeth Riaño, leader of strategy and impact product, sees in sustainable tourism “an opportunity to convince travelers that their tourism contributes to these communities by generating income for the territories. We see it as an opportunity and a challenge, to convince Colombians to get to know these regions and invest in them ”

The company recognizes that these are not experiences for everyone, since most visitors from abroad come for the first time and may be very clear about the type of experiences they want to live. ” The most important thing is to find the audience that vibrates with the same frequency as us, ” continues Atuesta.

This year, after a 2020 pandemic, Impulse Travel is working in a branch dedicated to finding these initiatives in communities in the process of social transformation, and giving them comprehensive support in addition to the tourism dimension.  It’s a great challenge to understand how initiatives work and to link them directly to the market. 

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

United States: Who Is Clare Grady and Why Should We Care that She is in Federal Prison?

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by Jeremy Kuzmarov from CovertAction Magazine

On April 4, 2018—a date symbolically chosen because it is the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination—Clare Grady and six other activists broke into the Kings Bay Submarine base in St. Mary’s, Georgia, the largest nuclear submarine base in the world. 

They carried hammers and baby bottles filled with their own blood. Their purpose? To symbolically “beat swords into plowshares,” as prophesied in Isaiah 2:4, by disarming one of the world’s deadliest swords—the Trident nuclear submarine. 


Plowshares 7 congregate outside courthouse during their trial for breaking into the Kings Bay Submarine Base in Georgia. Martha Hennessy, Kathleen Rumpf (co-defendent in another Plowshares case), Mark Colville, Clare Grady, Carmen Trotta, Patrick O’Neill, Liz McAlister. (July 12th, 2019)  [Source: beyondnuclearinternational.org]

It was no walk in the park

First, using a bolt cutter, this unlikely commando team of 60-, 70- and 80-year-old priests, grandmothers and grandfathers squeezed themselves through a remote gate on the base. Then they trekked, slopped, and splashed through two miles of notoriously inhospitable Southern Georgia swampland, swarming with ticks, fire ants, earwigs and mosquitoes—not to mention poisonous rattlesnakes—as well as venomous scorpions only an inch in length but whose sting can be fatal, and alligators, of which Georgia boasts a population of more than 200,000.

Finally, as reported by World Socialist Website, they reached a location “where they prayed, read from Scripture, splashed bottles of their own blood onto a wall, spray-painted messages against nuclear weapons onto a sidewalk, hammered on parts of a shrine to nuclear missiles and hung protest banners.”

As agreed in advance, all seven participants—Clare Grady, Father Stephen Kelly, Mark Colville, Martha Hennessy, Elizabeth McAlister, Patrick O’Neill, and Carmen Trotta—remained at the site, peacefully awaiting the police, so they could explain the reason for their actions. They were arrested, tried, and then convicted on October 24, 2019, in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Georgia for the crime of conspiracy, destruction of property on a naval installation, depredation of government property, and trespass.

Clare Grady was sentenced to a one-year prison term in Alderson Federal Prison in West Virginia, which began on February 10th, 2021. 

As for the other six activists: Carmen Trotta was sentenced to 14 months; Patrick O’Neill to 14 months followed by two years of supervised probation. (He has appealed the sentence.); Steve Kelly to 33-months less time served and three years of supervised probation; Martha Hennessy to 10 months; and Elizabeth McAlister to time served, which was the 17 months she had spent in prison awaiting trial. (She was also sentenced to three years of probation.). Mark Colville will be sentenced in April.

“Festival of Hope” in Celebration of Clare Grady and the Plowshares 7

Going to prison has not discouraged Clare Grady, nor will it deter her from continued opposition to the makers of war and mass death who control our national government. To celebrate Clare Grady’s resilience and determination, and that of her six companions, the antiwar group Code Pink  hosted a “Festival of Hope” webinar in honor of Clare and the Kings Bay Plowshares 7  on February 7, 2021, three days before the start of Clare’s prison term.

Try watching this video on www.youtube.com

Many who spoke at this virtual convocation are long-time activists who have spent their lives in the service of world peace and universal community. They include: 
* Agnes Williams, a Seneca leader working in western New York;
* Leona Morgan, a Diné leader from the Navajo Nation, working in New Mexico and Arizona to stop uranium production and dumping on their lands;
* Clare Daly, Irish Parliamentarian and a co-defendant in an Irish trial of civil resistance to U.S. warplanes refueling at Shannon Airport;
* Setsuko Thurlow, a Hiroshima survivor who has worked tirelessly to end nuclear weapons and has been instrumental in the enactment of the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons that went into force last week;
* Professor Russell Rickford, Cornell University historian of the Black Freedom Struggle and the Black Radical Tradition and an organizer with the Democratic Socialists of America;
* Emma O’Grady, writer, and actor from County Galway, Ireland;
* Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann, Detroit theologian, author, nonviolent community activist and civil resister to water shut-offs, who offered a closing prayer.

Setsuko Thurlow, a Hiroshima bomb survivor voiced her support for Grady and the Plowshares 7 in a pre-recorded statement that was played at the “Festival of Hope.”

In the statement, Setsuko described in vivid detail her experience in Hiroshima on the fateful day of August 6, 1945, when the atomic bomb was dropped.

At the time, Setsuko was on an excursion away from her school. Suddenly, she said, she was “blown into the air” and felt herself “floating” before she woke up to find herself in darkness under a collapsed building.

After hearing a male voice telling her “not to give up,” a soldier helped free Setsuko from the building, which was now on fire.

Outside, the air was filled with particles, and people moved on the streets as if they were ghosts, with their hair standing up to the sky, and their skin and flesh burned.

Some of the people had their intestines bulging out while others had their own eyeballs in their hands.

Setsuko escaped to a hill which was packed with dead bodies and people were begging for water.

Among the thousands of innocent people killed on that day were nine members of Setsuko’s family, including her aunt, uncle, sister and four-year-old nephew, whose small body became unrecognizable.

Setsuko stated that “this is what nuclear war does; it results in indescribable mass killing and suffering. Today, the weapons are even more destructive than in 1945, and could kill a million people in a quick moment.”

Standing up for Humanity

Setsuko’s warning was heeded by other speakers at the webinar who further emphasized the health hazards of nuclear energy and its contamination of the environment.

Clare Daly, a member of the European parliament who was jailed for protesting against U.S. military planes flying out of Shannon Airport in Ireland, stated that the “stance taken by Clare [Grady] was absolutely moral and courageous, she is a beacon to activists around the world. Clare joins people like Julian Assange in going to jail for standing up for humanity.”

Grady’s daughter, Leah, read a letter from Plowshares 7 activist Martha Hennessy, currently serving out her ten-month sentence at the Danbury Correctional Institution in Connecticut, who recalled how she and Clare had been imprisoned together for protest acts in the early 1980s and that Clare had taught her how to be a role model to other incarcerated women.

Patrick O’Neill, who is serving a 14-month sentence, sent a message from the Elkton Correctional Institution in Ohio that Clare will be a “light in the darkness” for women in her next stop, “a den of oppression and despair.”

At the trial, Plowshares 7 attorneys had tried to argue that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 protected the protest because the seven were motivated by their faith  and that nuclear weapons are illegal, as an indictment Hennessy taped to the door of the base alleged.

When Hennessy attempted to show the jury photos of bodies at Hiroshima, the judge objected.

At their sentencing, Plowshares activists invoked the Nuremberg principle, stating that it was their duty to try to stop another nuclear holocaust, and that those who “say nothing in the face of evil, are contributing to evil by their collective silence.”

Steve Kelley, who is a Jesuit priest said that he considered himself a “prisoner of conscience for Christ,” preaching against  “the sin that flourishes in weapons of mass destruction.”

Grady stated at her sentencing that the weapons she had tried to sabotage were “not private property, they belong to the people of the United States, they belong to me, to you, to us.”

(continued in right column)

Question for this article:

How can we be sure to get news about peace demonstrations?

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

(continued from left column)

These weapons kill and cause harm in our name, and with our money. This omnicidal weapon doesn’t just kill IF it is launched, it kills every day. Indigenous people are, and continue to be, some of the first victims of nuclear weapons—the mining, refining, testing, and dumping of radioactive material for nuclear weapons all happens on Native Land. The trillions of dollars spent on nuclear weapons are resources STOLEN from the planet and her people.”[1]

History

Most members of the Plowshares 7 are affiliated with the Catholic Worker movement which is committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken.

Art Laffin, co-editor of Swords into Plowshares—Nonviolent Direct Action for Disarmament explained  that “the main symbols used in plowshares actions are hammers and blood. Hammers are used to literally begin the process of disarmament that thousands of talks and numerous treaties have failed to accomplish. The hammer is used to take apart as well as create, and to point to the urgency for conversion of war and weapons production to products that enhance life.”

Liz McAlister has been an anti-war activist since she and her late husband, Philip Berrigan, destroyed draft cards during the Vietnam War, and Martha Hennessy is the granddaughter of Dorothy Day, the Catholic Worker Movement founder  who is on her way to being canonized as a saint by the Vatican.

The Plowshares group has carried out more than 100 civil disobedience acts to protest the U.S. warfare state since September 1980 when eight peace activists—including Daniel and Philip Berrigan, who had been known for their antiwar activism in the Vietnam era—entered the General Electric plant in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, where the nose cones for the Mark 12-A nuclear warheads were manufactured.

With hammers and blood, the eight enacted the biblical prophecies of Isaiah (2:4) and Micah (4:3) to “beat swords into plowshares” by hammering on two of the nose cones and pouring blood on documents. 

The Plowshares 8’s subsequent legal battle was recreated in Emile de Antonio’s 1982 film In the King of Prussia, which starred Martin Sheen  and featured appearances by the Plowshares 8 as themselves.



Since the Plowshares 8 action, others have entered military bases and weapons facilities and symbolically and actually disarmed components of U.S. first-strike nuclear weapons systems: the MX, Pershing II, Cruise, Minuteman ICBMs, Trident II missiles, Trident submarines, B-52 bombers, P-3 Orion anti-submarine aircraft, the Navstar system, the ELF communication system, the Milstar satellite system, a nuclear capable battleship and the Aegis destroyer.

Combat aircraft used for military intervention, such as the F-111 fighter bomber, the F-15A fighter, the F-18 bomber, the A-10 Warthog, the Hawk aircraft, as well as combat helicopters and other conventional weapons, including aircraft missile launchers, bazookas, grenade throwers, and AK-5 automatic rifles, have also been targeted.

One of the most successful actions took place at the Oak Ridge Y-12 nuclear facility in July 2012  when Mike Walli, Sr., Megan Rice, and Greg Boertje-Obed hammered on the cornerstone of the newly built Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility, poured blood and spray-painted antiwar messages on it. Because of so-called security issues, this action prompted authorities to close what has been called the “Ft. Knox of Uranium,” for an unprecedented three weeks.

According to William Hartung, the director of the Arms and Security Project at the Center for International Policy, the limited mainstream media coverage of the Oak Ridge protest and Congressional reaction—as with the Kings Bay Plowshares 7 action—“were more about how to protect the weapons from protesters than to protect us from the weapons. This rhetoric about safety and security of the weapons complex, and protecting ‘special materials’—a euphemism for ingredients for bombs that can end life as we know it—distracts from the real issue: These are weapons of mass slaughter that must be eliminated before they eliminate us.”

Kings Bay Base

When the Plowshares 7 cut through a padlock and entered the 17,000 acre Kings Bay Base on April 4, 2018, they were equipped with crime-scene tape, banners reading “The Ultimate Logic of Trident is Omnicide” and “Nuclear Weapons: Illegal—Immoral,” and an indictment charging the U.S. government with crimes against peace, along with the hammers and blood.

One of their main challenges was to avoid detection from the guard towers as a loudspeaker overhead blared: “Deadly force is authorized!”

After splitting up, the activists went to three sites on the base: the SWFLANT administration building, the D5 Missile monument installation, and the nuclear weapons storage bunkers.

Patrick O’Neill attached a poster of Martin Luther King, Jr., to a mock-up of a Trident II D5 ballistic missile at the welcome area, commenting afterwards: “I mean, my God, you’re gonna build a statue for something that if it’s used would blow up a whole city full of people. This is your idea of welcoming people? I mean, it’s sick.”

Home to more than 1,000 enlisted and civilian government workers and their families, Kings Bay houses at least six nuclear submarines, each armed with 20 Trident submarine-launched ballistic missiles of the multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) variety. Each missile contains numerous nuclear warheads, providing a thermonuclear force multiplier and overwhelming first-strike capability as part of the U.S. nuclear triad.

According to the Navy, the ballistic missile submarines serve as a launch platform for intercontinental missiles that are designed specifically for stealth and the precise delivery of nuclear warheads.

If the Trident were ever launched, it would cause 100 times more damage than the atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima.

Patrick O’Neill called it “the most insidious and evil weapon of mass destruction ever constructed.”

The Kings Bay site was opened in 1979 during the presidency of Jimmy Carter, the former Governor of Georgia and a Navy veteran and submarine officer who promoted a naval buildup.

The decision to base the Trident submarines at Kings Bay started the largest peacetime construction program ever undertaken by the U.S. Navy. It took nine years to build at a cost of $1.3 billion.

In preparation for the arrival of new submarines mandated under a trillion dollar nuclear weapon modernization program, a major renovation is coming to the Kings Bay waterfront.

The project, estimated to cost more than $840 million, will include $500 million in upgrades to the dry dock and other infrastructure, as well as a $138.6 million nuclear regional maintenance facility, which makes the Plowshares work ever the more urgent.  

In the Shadow of the Berrigan Brothers and Oscar Romero

Reverend Bill Wylie-Kellerman situated Clare Grady and the Plowshares 7 at the “Festival of Hope” in the tradition of Daniel and Philip Berrigan, and Oscar Romero, El Salvador’s archbishop who was murdered by death squads in 1980 after he spoke out against the ruling oligarchy and for the poor and oppressed.

Cornell University historian Russell Rickford compared Grady to Mae Mallory, an antiwar and Black Power militant who was close with Malcolm X.

Flattered by such comparisons, Grady reiterated at the “Festival of Hope” that she had been motivated by “religious principle and the desire to oppose violence and the normalization of killing; the unrepentant killing that hardly raises eyebrows anymore.”

Grady noted that “the U.S. government plans to spend $100,000 per minute for the next ten years on nuclear weapons and has 800 military bases.

The cost to keep one soldier in Afghanistan for one year is one million dollars, and the cost to keep a prisoner in prison for one year is up to $70,000 while the cost to keep a student in college for a year is far less.”

While dreading going back to prison—or what she calls the belly of the beast—Grady said she has encountered some of her best teachers of resistance in prison, and was inspired by inmates in St. Louis who broke out of their cells and broke windows and threw furniture but did not engage in violence in pressing for more humane conditions.

Grady’s sister Mary Ann, as the last speaker at the webinar, compared the present moment to 1979 when the anti-nuclear movement was just getting off the ground. By the end of the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev had worked together to reduce the nuclear stockpiles of the U.S. and Russia, which is urgently needed today.

With the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock sitting at 100 seconds to midnight, Grady said that the peace movement should continue pushing for divestment from nuclear-weapons’ producing companies—which New York’s City Council has recently proposed—while supporting acts of civil disobedience along the model of the Plowshares 7 who will have left their mark on history.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North America

The African Continental Free Trade Area as a contribution to the culture of peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A synthesis by CPNN based on recent articles in The Africa Report (based in Paris), This Day Live (Nigeria), The Herald (Zimbabwe), The Independent Online (South Africa), Euractiv (Belgium), Southern Times (Namibia), and the United Nations News Service quoted here in CPNN

In March 2018, African countries signed a landmark trade agreement, the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AfCFTA), committing the countries to remove tariffs on 90 per cent of goods, progressively liberalise trade in services, and address a host of other non-tariff barrier.” Following a summit of AfCFTA in December 2020, the agreement began operation on January 1, 2021.


Forty-four African countries signed an agreement establishing the AfCFTA in Kigali. (Xinhua/Gabriel Dusabe) Credit:CHINE NOUVELLE/SIPA/1803221658

This may become an important contribution to the culture of peace. According to The Africa Report , “The AfCFTA, if well implemented, would no doubt transform conflicts across the continent by reducing the incentives for participating in conflicts, via the creation of jobs.”

Addressing the recent AU Summit of Heads of State and Government, incoming President Tshisekedi said his priorities would be tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, accelerating the operationalization of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and fostering peace and security on the continent.

The agreement has the potential to promote women’s equality in Africa. In remarks to the AU Summit, outgoing President Cyril Ramaphosa stated that AfCFTA should ensure financial inclusion of women for the trade pact to deliver sustainable and meaningful development. As cited by the Southern Times, President Ramaphosa said state parties would report annually on progress made in strengthening women’s participation in continental trade matters. “This includes tailor made financial products for women with reliable means to save, access, transfer and borrow money,” he expounded. “As the AU, we should also develop a decade action plan to help member states develop key flagship activities towards women’s economic empowerment.” He called for a “women-led Peace Forum to be attended by Heads of State and Government and to implement decisions of the Peace and Security Council to institutionalise the office of the special envoy on women, peace and security.”

According to the World Bank, as quoted in This Day Live, the . . . agreement will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. “The pact connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3.4 trillion. It has the potential to lift 30 million people out of extreme poverty, but achieving its full potential will depend on putting in place significant policy reforms and trade facilitation measures.

(article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Can the African Union help bring a culture of peace to Africa?

(article continued from left column)

“The scope of AfCFTA is large. The agreement will reduce tariffs among member countries and cover policy areas such as trade facilitation and services, as well as regu­latory measures such as sanitary standards and technical barriers to trade. Full implementation of AfCFTA would reshape markets and economies across the region and boost output in the services, manufacturing and natural resources sectors.

This will be a major change because at the present time as indicated by According to The Africa Report, intra-African trade accounts for only 18% of overall trade across the continent.

In a related development, the newly-elected head of the World Trade Organization is an African woman, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. As indicated by The Herald (Zimbabwe), “For strategic reasons, the appointment could not have come at a better time for Africa . . . With an anticipated economic boon following the operationalisation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the continent stands in a better position to lobby for an increase in its world trade share because it can now do so as one single unit and get a sizeable share.”

According to This Day Live, “The rubrics, goals and objectives of the AfCTA aren’t incompatible in anyway with those of the WTO, and Dr. Okonjo-Iweala could help pilot it towards more support for the continent. That could be in offering technical help, trade analysis and policy expertise, turning the dream of free trade across Africa into reality. In addition, she will possess the moral capacity to pressure African political leaders to design and implement sensible trade policies that support growth.”

AfCTA is a major component of Agenda 2063, the 50-year master plan established by the African Union. As described in the Southern Times, the Agenda also includes “the construction of an integrated high speed rail network connecting African capitals; the formulation of an African commodities strategy that unlocks the value of our resources, and creates value chains based on local value addition; and the realisation of an African passport for promotion of free movement of people across our continent. Other flagship programmes are development of 43,200MW Grand Inga Dam; a single African air transport market; and establishment of African financial institutions such as the African Investment Bank, Pan-African Stock Exchange, the African Monetary Fund and the African Central Bank.”

China and the European Union, major trading partners with Africa, have welcomed the AfCTA. The new Ambassador-designate of the People’s Republic of China to South Africa, Chen Xiaodong, as quoted by Independent Online, stated, among other things, that the AfCTA can contribute to peace and to sustainable development. “China and Africa fought side by side against imperialism, colonialism and apartheid, and the yearning for peace has long been in the blood of the Chinese and African people. The AU Agenda 2063 emphasises that Africa shall realise peace and security, and Africa’s road to modernization is bound to be one of peaceful development.” “The AU Agenda 2063 advocates building a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development, which speaks volumes about Africa’s pursuit of harmony between man and nature in its modernization process.”

In a new report adopted on 28 January, as quoted by Euractiv, the European Union called for “long-term EU financial and technical support for African countries to boost climate adaptation; EU support for African regional integration to help reduce dependence on foreign imports; and for the EU to support the new African continental free trade area which was launched in January.”

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

G5 Sahel: Heads of State announce Prize for the promotion of the culture of peace

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Al Wihda Info (translation by CPNN)

The heads of state of the G5 Sahel [Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger] decided on Tuesday to establish a prize called “Sahel Prize for the promotion of the culture of peace”.

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(Click here for the original article in French.)

Question related to this article:

Solidarity across national borders, What are some good examples?

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The prize will be awarded to individuals, institutions or public, private or civil society organizations that have done the best work for the prevention and resolution of conflicts, for the culture of peace and tolerance between communities in the Sahel region.

This is an initiative of the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. The Council of Ministers and the executive secretariat of the G5 Sahel will work on setting up the mechanisms for this award.

The 7th ordinary session of the Conference of Heads of State of the G5 Sahel was held on February 15, 2021 in N’Djamena.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY