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.

United Nations: Guterres urges countries to recommit to achieving SDGs by 2030 deadline

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from the United Nations News Service

More than half the world is being left behind at the midpoint for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told ambassadors in New York on Tuesday (April 25). 


UN News Students in Tanzania hold Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) cards.

Launching a special edition of the Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs) progress report, he warned that their collective promise made in 2015 of a more green, just and equitable global future, is in peril. 

“Unless we act now, the 2030 Agenda  will become an epitaph for a world that might have been,” he said.
 
Rising poverty and hunger 

The report reveals that just 12 per cent of the 169 SDG targets are on track, while progress on 50 per cent is weak and insufficient. Worst of all, he said is the fact that progress has either stalled or even reversed on more than 30 per cent of the goals. 

The 17 SDGs are in a sorry state due to the impacts of the COVID-19  pandemic and the devastating “triple crisis” of climate, biodiversity and pollution, amplified by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
 
As a result, the number of people living in extreme poverty is higher than it was four years ago.  Hunger has also increased and is now back at 2005 levels, and gender equality is some 300 years away.   Other fallouts include record-high inequality and rising greenhouse gas emissions. 

Fundamental changes needed 

The UN chief noted that many developing countries cannot invest in the SDGs because of burdensome debt, while climate finance is far below commitments. Richer nations have not yet delivered on the $100 billion promised annually in support, he recalled, among other climate pledges. 

“The 2030 Agenda is an agenda of justice and equality, of inclusive, sustainable development, and human rights and dignity for all.  It requires fundamental changes to the way the global economy is organized,” he said. 

“The SDGs are the path to bridge both economic and geopolitical divides; to restore trust and rebuild solidarity,” he added.  “Let’s be clear: no country can afford to see them fail.” 

SDG Stimulus 

Mr. Guterres has appealed or an SDG Stimulus  plan of at least $500 billion a year, and for deep reforms to the international financial architecture, both key recommendations in the report.

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Question for this article:

Can UN agencies help eradicate poverty in the world?

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The SDG Stimulus aims to scale up affordable long-term financing for all countries in need, tackle debt and expand contingency financing – all areas that require action.
 
Although these measures can help to turn the situation around, he stressed that they will not solve the fundamental issue of the current unjust and dysfunctional global financial system, which will require deep reforms.  

Globalization that benefits all 

Repeating his call for “a new Bretton Woods moment” – when the first negotiated international monetary rules were established in 1944, including the International Monetary Fund – Mr. Guterres said developing countries must have greater representation in global financial institutions.
 
“We need a financial system that ensures the benefits of globalization flow to all, by putting the needs of developing countries at the centre of all its decisions,” he said.  

The SDG progress report also contains five other important recommendations.   
Commit and deliver 

The first calls for all UN Member States to recommit to achieve the goals, at the national and international levels, by strengthening the social contract and steering their economies to the green transition. 

The second point urges governments to set and deliver on national benchmarks to reduce poverty and inequality by 2027 and 2030, which requires focus on areas such as expanding social protection and jobs, but also education, gender equality, and “digital inclusion”. 

The report calls for all countries to commit “to end the war on nature”. Governments are urged to support the Acceleration Agenda for climate action, under which leaders of developed countries commit to reaching net zero emissions, and to deliver on the new Global Biodiversity Framework, signed in December. 

Support for development 

The fourth point focused on the need for governments to strengthen national institutions and accountability. “This will require new regulatory frameworks and stronger public digital infrastructure and data capacity,” said Mr. Guterres. 

His final point underscored the need for greater multilateral support for the UN development system and decisive action at the Summit of the Future  to be held next year. 

Hopes for SDG Summit 

In the interim, world leaders will gather at the UN in September for the SDG Summit. This will be a moment of truth and reckoning, Mr. Guterres said, though adding that it must also be a moment of hope towards kickstarting a new drive to achieve the goals. 

The Secretary-General insisted that “SDG progress is not about lines on a graph”, but rather about healthy mothers and babies, children learning the skills to fulfil their potential, renewable energy and clean air, and other such development accomplishments. 

“The road ahead is steep. Today’s report shows us just how steep,” he said.  “But it is one we can and must travel – together – for the people we serve.” 

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, United Nations,

A song for peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

A request received by email at CPNN

Dear CPNN,

I am humbly reaching out to you and your esteemed partners for a collaboration with your organisation to campaign for peace and for women empowerment and children safety using my song titled Peace World Need, music released early this year.


Frame from video of the song

It’s been a desire to reach out far calling on your organisation with proposal.

In this, I am humbly looking at song put on the airwaves to have message out to the people. It is often the case that the more a message is communicated to people, it impacts on their thinking to influence subsequent decisions and to a larger extent subsequent actions of the people.

TITLE OF MUSIC : PEACE WORLD NEED

We are all one people
One nation
Let us unite

Many language
Varying beliefs
But we are all one

Hurt no woman
Helping children

We need one another
For a better world

Save a life, save a life
Loving one another
As much as we can
Save a life, save a life
No other way to our peace.

Question for this article:

What place does music have in the peace movement?

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

ABOUT ARTIST

Daniel AYISI is a Ghanaian in Ghana coming from the Eastern region for the father side and from the Ashanti region the mother side currently living in Kumasi, the city in Ashanti Region.

Music has been a dual occupation alongside his accountancy profession being a graduate in Business Administration 
Born on the 1st of December, he recalls some instance tracing when and how he came up with music. At the primary school in the boarding house he recalls he was made the entertainment prefect. He recalls he was playing the konka drum for songs performed by colleagues during entertainment but do not know when he learnt playing this local drum. At the youthful age, he recalls he wrote and composed a song for the youth church choir, a song the choir leader commented was interesting though unused.

Music composition has been carried out through out his life partially realizing most of his songs in different genres at amazon music years ago. It was from 2018 he took up music occupation for a career fully releasing some singles and an EP and also having a video on the you tube EP titled, Thanksgiving, same title for music video.

OTHER INFORMATION SUMMARY

Name of Artist : Daniel AYISI
Artist Name: Daniel AYISI
Country of Origin: Ghana
Music Status: Independent Music Artist- Composer, Songwriter, Singer, Producer.
Copyright Affiliation: CMMRA
Other Contacts: WhatsApp Mobile Phone: +233 543 050 667.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Review of Against War: Building a Culture of Peace – a book by Pope Francis

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

Excerpts from an article by William J. Collinge in The Journal of Social Encounters

Against War: Building a Culture of Peace. Pope Francis. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2022, paper, viii + 132 pp., ISBN 978-1-62698-499-8.

Against War is a collection of excerpts from the writings of Pope Francis on war and peace. The occasion for the book is the war begun by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The book begins with an introduction by Pope Francis, dated March 29, 2022. Eight sections of selections follow. The first section, “With War, No One Wins,” consists almost entirely of texts after the outbreak of the Ukraine War. The second section, “A Culture of Death,” gathers texts on the harmfulness of war and the foundations of peace. The third section is titled “The Criminal Folly of Nuclear Weapons,” and it is followed by a section comprising excerpts from Francis’s trip to Japan in 2019, chiefly the speeches he made at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The next section, “Peace and Fraternity,” contains texts from the Pope’s journey to Iraq in 2021. A major theme is collaboration across religious lines to rebuild Iraq’s war-torn society. The next two sections, “A Better World,” and “An Artisanal Path,” discuss peace and the way to build it. The last section consists of prayers. The book concludes with “Afterword: A Century-Long Magisterium of Peace,” by Andrea Tornielli, the Editorial Director of Vatican News, setting Francis’s teaching in the context of that of his predecessors.

I will summarize what the book says about war and peace in general before turning specifically to what Francis says about the Ukraine War in this book and in subsequent statements.

It is clear that for Francis the enemy is not Russia or any other combatant. It is war. Francis’s emphasis is always on the effects of war, not the state of mind or character of those who declare wars or fight in them. The second line of text speaks of “the disaster caused by war” (p. 1). Francis goes on to speak of the death and wounding of innocent people, especially children, the destruction of homes and displacement of people, the state of fear in which people live, and the transfer of resources from human needs to weaponry. All of this is consistent with recent popes’ increased opposition to modern warfare due to its destructive capacity.

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Question for this article:

What are the most important books about the culture of peace?

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Two themes that are characteristically, though not uniquely, Francis’s are his consistent “option for the poor” and his attention to the environmental costs of war. He urges us to “give first place to those who suffer” (p. 83), to look through the eyes of victims “and listen with an open heart to the stories they tell” (p. 31). He reminds us, “War always does grave harm to the environment” (p. 28), and he calls on us to develop a peaceful relationship to our common home and all who dwell in it (pp. 106–107).

Nuclear weapons, if used, greatly amplify the death and destruction caused by war. The sheer building and possession of them is a huge waste of resources and increases the danger of their deliberate or accidental detonation. “The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral” (p. 51). Nuclear weapons should be made illegal as well (p. 43). Nuclear deterrence generates a climate of fear and a false sense of security. “Peace and international stability are incompatible with attempts to build upon the fear of mutual destruction or the threat of total annihilation” (pp. 45–46).

What is the alternative to war? Francis would reject that way of formulating the question. For him, there is today “no real alternative to peacemaking” (p. 85). Peacemaking calls for dialogue and encounter, two words that recur frequently in these texts. It calls for “immersing ourselves in situations” (p. 83). In the “culture of fraternal encounter” we must set aside fear and allow ourselves to be vulnerable (p. 98). “Fraternity” is another word that appears very often in this book. It is an awkward term in English, with its etymological gender-exclusiveness (though in American English “fraternity and sorority” would be worse). The Pope’s intention in speaking of fraternity, however, is inclusive, to emphasize that we are all brothers and sisters “as children of the one heavenly Father” (p. 98). He links fraternity to Jesus’s call to love one another, which includes those we might otherwise regard as enemies (pp. 113, 90). Love of enemies implies the rejection of violence in resolving differences: “To be true followers of Jesus today also includes embracing his teaching about nonviolence” (p. 91).

Peace is not a “possession” one can hold on to; rather, it “puts you in motion” (pp. 86–87). It is an “artisanal path” (p. 95), one which everyone can “build … day by day through small gestures and acts” (p. 93). It requires “craftmanship” to build “processes of encounter” (pp. 99–100). Francis concludes, “May the Lord help us to journey together on the path of fraternity and thus to become credible witnesses of the living God” (p. 115).

On the second page of the book, Francis turns to the Ukraine War. He deplores the death and destruction the war has caused (pp. 2, 7) and also the increased arms race it has sparked (p. 9). He worries that it might escalate to nuclear war (p. 4). He calls for “the good sense to negotiate” (p. 17).

Click here to continue reading remarks on the Ukraine War and to read the list of references.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

Cuba urges to make culture a Development Goal

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article by Alina Ramos Martin from Prensa Latina

Unesco’s proposal to turn culture into an objective of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was one of the most heard demands at the Havana Convention Palace.

Culture ministers and high-ranking officials from the member countries of the Group of 77 plus Cuba, who attended the meeting, reiterated the initiative launched last year at the World Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, held last September in Mexico.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

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(Click here for a Spanish version of the article)

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

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The Havana event coincided in the transcendental value demonstrated by culture in the face of the challenges of Covid-19 and how it helped as a source of resilience and solidarity to face the isolation during the pandemic.

In this regard, the Venezuelan Minister of Culture, Ernesto Villegas, endorsed the statements made at the meeting and called for the promotion of respect for diversity and national cultures.

On the need to promote culture as an essential global public good, China’s Vice Minister of Culture Li Qun highlighted his government’s global civilization initiative in defense of the traditions, heritage and history of all peoples.

Colombia’s Vice Minister of Development and Heritage, Adriana Molano, urged the promotion of more inclusive alliances based on culture, through diverse solutions that make it possible to face current challenges.

She highlighted her country’s experience in resolving the armed conflict through a culture of peace, which is making it possible to transform imaginaries and society and fight against all forms of inequity.

Hilmar Farid, Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia, said that the excessive commercialization of culture has had serious negative consequences on respect for the various artistic expressions, their creators and national traditions.

Meanwhile, Anarella Vélez of Honduras explained what her government is doing to confront the hegemonic attempts of big capital and the right wing and to develop culture so that it can be consolidated as a cornerstone of its policy of good living.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?


A recent blog (May, 2023) suggests that trade unions may be able to increase democratic participation in governance and avoid the political crisis caused by rising economic inequality. Here are excerpts:

“At the end of the February blog on this subject, it was stated that ‘Without profound and universal taxation of the rich, we are headed for what Stiglitz calls “a chaos far greater than what we saw in Washington, D.C. and Brasilia’.

“Recent events reveal another important side to the dynamics, the renaissance of trade unions as a political force that works to reduce economic inequality,. This was not considered in the February blog, as this renaissance has gathered force only recently.

“Elections such as those of Trump and Bolsonaro, and the rise of right-wing, even fascist political forces elsewhere in the world, have expressed the anger of voters against rising inequality and capitalist exploitation. That is why the blog stated that the correct political analysis is economic.

“However, when trade unions become a political force, they provide a very different political alternative.

“A recent example is the election of Lula as President of Brazil. Lula has always been associated with the trade union movement of Brazil and his new government reflects that association.

“In the United States, a important recent election saw the voters of Chicago choose a trade unionist as mayor rather than his right-wing opponent. The mayor, a teacher, had the backing of the teachers union. Although the traditional American labor movement was decimated by the loss of manufacturing industry, it is beginning to regain force in service industries such as teachers, workers at Starbucks and Amazon, etc.

“Elsewhere (in France, in Germany, and in South Africa), trade union movements have organized important mobilizations to oppose government policies that favour capitalist exploitation and growing inequality. . . . . So far, Brazil is the exceptional case, but if trade union movements elsewhere in the world are able to provide progressive electoral alternatives to capitalist-dominated governments, perhaps we can avoid the chaos foreseen by Stiglitz and achieve progress in democracy and economic equality.”

– – – –

The following are CPNN articles on this subject:

US Labor Unions Call on Biden Administration to Immediately Halt All Military Aid to Israel

May 1, workers’ day, around the world

United States: the Path to Victory for Southern Autoworkers

USA: Union Leaders Join Progressive Lawmakers in Demanding Gaza Cease-Fire Now

France: FSU course on building peace, fighting without violence: a revolutionary idea!

United States: Workers Rising in the South

United States: Labor’s Uptick Isn’t Just Hype

May Day around the world

Iran: Key Labor Sectors Launch Major Strikes Amid Anti-State Protests

USA” BAmazon Union Vote: The Opening Salvo in a Long Struggle!

Education unions join in the global call to end school-related gender-based violence

USA: Labor Unions Are Stepping Up To Fight Deportations

Uncategorized

May Day around the world

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Information compiled by CPNN from various sources as indicated

May Day was celebrated by workers around the world, as shown in these photos. Click on text to go to the source for more information or click on photo to enlarge or to go to video.


Video of rally in Athens with bilingual banners in Greek and French reading “The peoples will win”


Percussionists in traditional Lebanese clothing lead the chants in the annual Labor Day parade in Beirut (AP Photo/Hussein Malia)


In Buenos Aires, activists held banners and chanted slogans at a rally in front of the Presidential Palace to demand an increase in the minimum wage and protested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal. (Reuters)


Government supporters rally marking May Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)


Scene from Colombia Foto: AFP


Members of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation hold a May Day rally at Muktangan in Dhaka, Bangladesh


Map of May Day rallies in France with total estimated by the trade unions as 2.3 million participants, including over half a million in Paris alone.


In Germany, demonstrations took place in Berlin and Hamburg (Reuters)


On the occasion of International Labor Day, daily wage workers of Birbhanpur village (India) took out a rally, demanding employment and increase in wages from the government.


Scene from video of May Day rally in Istanbul under the motto “Labour is our future”.


May Day demonstration in the Horse Statue area of Jakarta (KONTAN:Francis Simbolon)


Bolivian President Luis Arce participates in the International Workers’ Day march organized by the Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB) in La Paz. 


Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers raise their hats as they march to celebrate International Labour Day in Lagos, Nigeria. [Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]


In London, the march comes down Clerkenwell Road, past Farringdon. (Photo by André Langlois)


Hundreds of Filipino activists took to the streets in Manila calling on the government for better wages and treatment of labourers. (Reuters)


Mexico City: Thousands of workers demonstrate on May 1 in the Zócalo. Foto María Luisa Severiano


Communist party supporters with red flags march near Red Square in Moscow, Russia. [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]


Multan, Pakistan – Workers of different organizations are participating in a rally on the eve of World Labour Day. APP/SFD/TZD/MOS

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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Scene from video of rally in New York City including New York City Coalition for Domestic Workers


Women walk close to a banner reading “Domestic workers we do not agree with the Government,” during a May Day rally in Pamplona, northern Spain, May 1, 2023 (AP).


May Day demonstration celebrating Labour Day in Porto, Portugal (Reuters)


May Day in Potenza, Italy, the procession of CGIL, CISL and UIL


Scene from rally in Prague (AA)


Scores of workers gather at the Saulsville arena (Pretoria) to observe Workers Day. Picture: Timothy Bernard African News Agency (ANA)


In Quito, people take part in a march on International Workers’ Day to demand that Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leaves office amid rising crime and insecurity, (Reuters)


Rally in the heart of the Mission District of San Francisco with many immigrants from Latin America


A protester holds a sign that reads in Spanish “El Salvador, the biggest jail in Latin America” during an anti-government march on International Labor Day in San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)


People attend a May Day, or Labor Day, rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, May 1, 2023.(AP)


The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions march toward the presidential office in Yongsan following a Labor Day rally in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)


The crowd at the May Day rally of the Marxist–Leninist communist party JVP, in Sril Lanka


Workers from various confederations and labor unions pass the South Sumatra DPRD office

Labour day parade march in front of the town hall in Vienna, Austria. [Lisa Leutner/AP Photo]

Medics hold slogans reading “I want benefits” during a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)


Members of left-wing parties and trade unions march in traditional May Day parade, one of the smallest ever, to mark Labour Day, in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)


People take part in a ‘Feminist Revolution’ May Day protest rally and some clash with the police in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, May 1, 2023. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

International Cities of Peace: May Newsletter

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Excerpts from the May Newsletter of International Cities of Peace

GLOBAL NEWSCAST – UPDATE, May, 2023

380 Cities of Peace; 71 Countries; 6 Continents — the global network of International Cities of Peace (ICP) continues to grow. Practical work is being done. Below the headlines of violence and war is a profound story of peacemaking in communities. Safety, prosperity, and quality of life are the Consensus Values of Peace and hundreds of International Cities of Peace, thousands on peace teams around the world, are at the forefront of a grassroots organizing principle: localizing a culture of peace.

THREE NEW ICP HAPPENINGS

1. SEND A VIDEO FOR THE ICP YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

An extraordinary benefit exclusively for ICP Liaisons

A LETTER FROM ICP ONLINE FACILITATOR MIROMIR RAJCEVIC, International City of Peace, Serbia
My team at the Media Education Centre and I would like to support our movement and promote as much as possible the Global Network of OUR Cities of Peace because supporting PEACE is more important than ever. . . . . And I believe that political solutions must guide all our peace operations. We must show that it is a Global Movement ready to INCLUDE, ready to PROMOTE and interested to SUPPORT the peace around the Planet. . . . The best way I can propose to all the International Cities of Peace is to help me to show how many cities in how many countries respect and promote peace. To invite many other cities to join us. If you like to support our idea, please be so kind as to express your goodwill to contribute to our promotion with a short video about your city. To be easier to communicate and exchange video and basic information please fill out the form and I (or somebody from my team) will back to you with instructions.

2. SUMMIT FOR PEACE IN SOUTH AMERICA

From Buenos Aires: International City of Peace in South America
May 31, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Av. Maipú 2502, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic.
There will be face-to-face meeting at the Conference with participation by the Ambassador of Peace, Nicolás Incolla Garay of U.N. ECOSOC, as well as Carlos Palma, Coordinator of the Living Peace Project, among other speakers.
Call to Action: Participate from your country by following the instructions in this simple form, you will be part of our summit on May 31, 2023.


3. FOCUS ON CHILDREN

Mesa, Arizona, U.S.A. has been an International City of Peace since 2022. Liaisons Paula Osterday and Dr. Ruth Lim, the focus of the peace initiative in Mesa is on the next generation. “We focus on three things in Mesa,” Dr. Lim notes.

We empower children and families to be advocates for peace and non-violence. Our Annual Week Without Violence showcases the community’s advocacy with posters and poetry in different school districts

We have community and business champions that support with Proclamations and Letters of support, including the Governor, the Mayor’s office, Rotary Club, community colleges, and nonprofits like Chicano Por La Causa working on community development.

We placed peace poles in community schools, churches, and colleges.

The Mesa Team was instrumental in Arizona’s observance of “A Week Without Violence”, which created awareness, educates, and strengthens the advocacy for non-violence which in return will help make their community a safer place to live. The Proclamation by Governor of the State of Arizona, Douglas A. Ducey, proclaimed peace as the “deepest hope” and “guiding inspiration” for all of humanity. There are several Cities of Peace in Arizona and many of the leaders are working toward Arizona becoming a State of Peace, the criteria of which is detailed below.

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

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NEW CITIES OF PEACE

376th City of Peace! Kashojwa, Nakivale, Uganda

There are 74 villages in the Nakivale, Uganda Refugee Camp. Desperate, they come from D.R Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and other countries. A peace leader in the Nakivale settlement of Kashojwa, Nakivale, Uganda has established his village as an International City of Peace. Iragi Bakenga is a Congolese national, a courageous young man, that is taking the leadership. “I have decided with my team to start volunteering for orphans and vulnerable teenagers and youths to fight illiteracy among them. What courage and resolve! (cities listing)

377th City of Peace! The Central District of Lima, Peru

Established as an International City of Peace by Ms. Rosi Castellaneos who leads an extensive peacebuilding network, Lima is a MegaCity with over 40 districts in a country that has recently had many political setbacks. Yet Rosi and her colleagues have many positive activities, including promoting the Roerch Flag of Peace, inspired by the work of Inés Palomeque and the Argentine-based Mil Milenios de Paz. Thank you, Rosi! (cities listing)

378th City of Peace: New Kigali, Nakivale, Uganda

“To see a developed community where women are fully employed, and children access education.” — this seems a universal vision, yet for January Mutimanw it is very personal. Congolese by nationality, he reached the Nakivale Refugee camp in Uganda in 2015 and envisioned himself as a young man destined to change the New Kigali community for the better. We are with you, January. Take advantage of the tools, resources and network of ICP — that is why we are here. (cities listing)

NYAWARA DISTRICT OF BUKAVU, DRC — the 379th CITY OF PEACE!

I like, as a woman, that we can do great work so that we women will fight to build peace in our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The words of a current and future peacemaker go to the core of why International Cities of Peace is an extraordinary platform for youngers and elders. Ms. Bahozi Chance is 25 years old and is dedicated to fight for peace in her city of Bukavu and for parity between men and women. “We planted fruit trees and utilize Agro forestry,” Chance said, “to overcome the problem of natural disasters, erosion and floods in the city of Bukavu and live with nature.” Onward toward local/global peace! (cities listing)

FROM THE CHAIR

Have you planned for Peace Day, 2023?

September 21st is less than four months away. Designated by the United Nations, International Day/Week/Month of Peace is a wonderful opportunity. WE celebrate peace, educate on peacebuilding, and YES! contemplate the work to be done. Many Liaisons use the time to gather their teams to plan for the next year of projects — how has safety, prosperity, and quality of life in your community made progress… or degenerated? Either way, peacemakers are necessary to keep the momentum or to create momentum for community peace.

The ICP sponsored Global Feast for Peace is in its 11th year. How you gather is entirely up to you. Yet through the Feast for Peace, we make a unified and profound statement to the world that peace is an active engagement. Plan an event, or many events, during September. Remember, peace is not something we keep inside, or among our friends and family. Peace must be shouted from the rooftops and mountains! We must rise together to overcome the silence. Invite the community. International Day of Peace is humanity’s gift from the United Nations.

Celebrate. Plan. Listen. Enjoy. Feast for Peace with hundreds of International Cities of Peace around the globe! (Peace Day)

J. Fred Arment
Chair, Lead Facilitator
International Cities of Peace

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

Lula demarcates six indigenous territories in Brazil, the first in five years

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article fromIstoé (translation by CPNN)

President Lula signed, this Friday (April 28), decrees demarcating six new territories for indigenous peoples, the first since 2018 and one of them in a vast territory in the Amazon, during a meeting with representatives of indigenous peoples in Brasília.

These new reserves, which guarantee indigenous people the exclusive use of natural resources while preserving their traditional way of life, are considered by scientists as one of the main barriers against deforestation in the Amazon, whose control is one of the government’s priority objectives.



Video from Terra Livre Camp

“It is a somewhat lengthy process, it has to go through many hands, but we are going to work hard so that it can demarcate the largest possible number of Indigenous Lands”, said the president.

Lula made the announcement on the occasion of the closing of the 19th edition of the “Terra Livre” camp, an annual meeting that brought together thousands of indigenous people from all over the country in Brasília this week.

“It was like lifting a weight off our shoulders, like music to our ears,” Claudia Tomás, 44, from the Baré ethnic group, whose lands were included in the demarcations, told AFP.

No new indigenous lands were demarcated during the mandate of Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), who had promised, before coming to power, “not to give any centimeter” to the original peoples.

Tehe Pataxó, a 29-year-old girl with her face painted in red and black lines, said she was relieved by the conquest for the native peoples: “It was four years suffering with militiamen in our Pataxó territory in the south of Bahia, where indigenous people were murdered”.

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

Question for this article

Indigenous peoples, Are they the true guardians of nature?

(Article continued from left column)

During Bolsonaro’s tenure, average annual deforestation increased by 75% compared to the previous decade.

The last approval had been on April 26, 2018, under the presidency of Michel Temer (2016-2018), referring to the Baía do Guató indigenous land, an area of 20,000 hectares in Mato Grosso.

Two of the six new approved reserves are located in the Amazon, including the largest, called Unieuxi, intended for 249 indigenous Maku and Tukano peoples, on more than 550,000 hectares in the Amazon.

Two other reserves are located in the northeast of the country, one in the south and the other in the center-west.

Lula signed the decrees alongside prominent indigenous leaders, such as the iconic chief Raoni Metuktire, who thanked him and placed a traditional headdress of blue and red feathers on the president’s head.

“In four years we will do more (for the indigenous peoples) than in the eight years we have already governed the country (2003-2010)”, promised the president.

– New territories –

According to the last census, in 2010, approximately 800,000 indigenous people live in Brazil, the majority in reserves, which occupy 13.75% of the territory.

“When they say that you occupy 14% of the territory, and you think that’s a lot, you need to know that, before the Portuguese, you occupied 100% of that territory”, completed Lula.

It is anticipated that new demarcations will be approved soon.

Last month, the Minister of Indigenous Peoples, Sonia Guajajara, announced that 14 territories (including the six approved this Friday) were ready to be legalized, totaling around 900,000 hectares.

“We are going to write a new history, for the good of all humanity, of our planet”, said the minister this Friday, shortly before the signing of the decrees.

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Youth Statement from the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons 

On 27 April 2023, the delegates of the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit have presented their joint statement and requests of the G7 leaders for the upcoming Summit. Read the statement in full below. 


Video of event

Esteemed members of the press, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens, warm global greetings from the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit.

On behalf of all the youth delegates and leaders from all over the world, we are honored to welcome you to the Presentation and Adoption of the Outcome Statement from this Summit. We have gathered in the historically significant city of Hiroshima, a poignant reminder of the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons and the urgent need for disarmament. Over the past week, we have had the unique opportunity to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and meet the hibakusha, the courageous survivors of nuclear weapons. Their stories have moved us deeply, further strengthening our resolve to create a world free from the horrors of nuclear warfare.

We would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the country of Japan and particularly the city of Hiroshima on which we have gathered for this Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit. We would like to pay our respects to the Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all the community from Hiroshima and also to all the souls who died from the atomic bomb. 



We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who have made this event and summit possible, including The Center for Peace at Hiroshima University, ICAN: the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear, Peace Boat, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, the Hiroshima Peace Culture Foundation, ANT-Hiroshima, Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the City of Hiroshima, Religions for Peace Japan, and Heinrich Boell Stiftung Hong Kong. This summit is held as part of the Hiroshima University 75+75th Anniversary Project and we are grateful for their support and contributions.

Not only this summit is a way to gather the youth in participation in authentic encounters, together with openness for diversity and acceptance of differences but also a way to use youth voices to call out injustices like the use of nuclear weapons and its consequences.

So please, let me invite you now to listen carefully to the Outcome statement from the Hiroshima G7 Youth Summit.

Introduction

Esteemed Leaders and Representatives to the G7 Hiroshima Summit,



We, as youth delegates and changemakers from around the world, are honored to be here in Hiroshima, the city that symbolizes the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons. We gather here with experts and advocates for peace from every corner of the globe to address the existential threats the world faces, including climate change and nuclear weapons. We applaud the G7 countries and civil society for convening this crucial summit and acknowledge the need for immediate action towards the abolition of nuclear weapons.



As emerging leaders of the world, we have a responsibility to ensure that the danger posed and inflicted by nuclear weapons to humanity and the environment is eradicated and remediated. We come together, united in our resolve to achieve a safer world free from nuclear weapons and their devastating consequences.



In Hiroshima, we call on the world to listen to the hibakusha — the survivors of nuclear weapons — and recognize the moral imperative of nuclear disarmament. We urgently demand action on nuclear weapons to honor the lived experiences of the hibakusha and other communities affected by nuclear weapons, and to secure a safer world free from weapons of mass destruction for generations to come.



The possession or use of nuclear weapons is illegitimate as recognized by the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) and our future security cannot be dependent on distrust among countries or the threat of devastating humanitarian and environmental consequences.



Given the conflicts and crises we face today, we believe that the time for action against nuclear weapons is now. As young people, we champion the TPNW as the most effective path to eliminating nuclear weapons.

Youth Voices and Concerns

As the last generation with the opportunity to directly hear the testimonies from global hibakusha, it is our mission and responsibility to embed their stories in our work and share them with younger generations.



Survivors, their families, and Indigenous communities disproportionately affected by nuclear weapons use, testing, production, and waste continue to suffer from traumatic experiences, devastating land loss, and critical health issues. We have a duty to these communities and ourselves to pursue the complete disarmament and the abolition of nuclear weapons.



We are aware of the concerns about dumping 1.3 million tonnes of radioactive waste water this year, and support in solidarity with the states who sit on the frontlines of this crisis and see this as an act of trans-boundary harm upon the Pacific.

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Question for this article:

Are we seeing the dawn of a global youth movement?

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Requests to the G7 Countries

As young people working for a world without nuclear weapons, we request that the G7 countries take the following actions:

1. Support and listen to global hibakusha by welcoming their testimonials, attending the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, and sincerely committing to steps towards nuclear disarmament;

2. Take concrete steps towards the pursuit of the TPNW including but not limited to the promotion of the TPNW within regional and international organizations, observation of the Second Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, and cooperation with TPNW states parties to support treaty implementation;

3. Promote the immediate assessment and research in regions and communities affected by nuclear weapons, so that states, organizations, and individuals may engage in processes of victim assistance and environmental remediation in cooperation with international institutes, civil society and affected communities;

4. Fulfill the legal obligation of nuclear disarmament bound by Article 6 of the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), by initiating the discussion in national governments regarding the complementarity between the NPT and the TPNW. 

5. Recognize the legitimacy of and opportunities for processes of irreversibility and verification provided by the TPNW;

6. Uphold the principles of Articles 6 and 7 of the TPNW to promote cooperation for the implementation of the Treaty, and to provide victim assistance and environmental remediation efforts to address the past and ongoing harms of nuclear weapons;

7. Ensure the involvement and genuine representation of marginalized communities based upon race, gender, economic status, and geographical borders, and to include and empower individuals especially from Indigenous or nuclear-affected backgrounds in the decision-making processes of nuclear policies as well as initiatives for peace and disarmament at national and local levels;

8. Restrict spending on weapons of mass destruction, in particular nuclear weapons, and instead shift funding towards sustainable investments in mitigating the effects of climate change, programs for education, and peacebuilding efforts;

9. Call on countries to take responsibility for past and present nuclear waste disposal and ensure that disposal does not harm surrounding communities and countries;

10. Recognize the value of peace and disarmament education, and ensure funding for the education and empowerment of youth, women, and affected communities to engage in processes of nuclear disarmament;

11. Engage in constructive dialogues to shift the security paradigm away from the immoral possession and valuing of nuclear weapons, commit to a sustainable future by condemning the threat or use of nuclear weapons, and develop new policies which are based on the principles of nuclear disarmament and norms of non-use rather than false deterrence.

Conclusion

Esteemed G7 leaders and delegates, as the torchbearers of tomorrow, we stand resolute in our commitment to the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. We acknowledge the past efforts made by G7 states to pursue shared goals of security and humanity. However, we urge you to take bolder and more decisive actions by honoring our recommendations.



Our generation has the right to choose the future we inherit, and we possess the unwavering determination to build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world — one that is free from the shadow of nuclear weapons. Now, more than ever, we call upon you to join our mission, to heed our voices, and to work together to safeguard our collective humanity and the future of our planet.
 
Closing Remarks:

As we conclude this important event, we urge the G7 leaders to not consider it the end but rather a new beginning in our collective efforts for a world free from nuclear weapons. The experiences we have shared throughout the G7 Youth Summit including our first-hand visit to
the Hiroshima Peace Memorial and our engagements with the hibakusha, Ms. Keiko Ogura,  er life and memories of WWII Hiroshima will forever be etched in our hearts and minds, reminding us of the tremendous responsibility we have to advocate for sustainable peace and
harmonious coexistence.

We, the youth delegates, are determined to commit to the task of carrying the lessons we have learned here in Hiroshima back to our respective countries and throughout the world, and to continue working tirelessly for nuclear disarmament. We call for a renewed focus on empowering victim assistance and protection, for the  increase in nuclear disarmament education and peace education in schools, and to continue expanding opportunities for global citizens to engage with the hibakusha and their invaluable stories, for the sake of sustainable international peace-building.


From the 21st Century and beyond, we are resolved to unite across borders, languages, and local cultures to create a global culture of peace and total nuclear abolition. We believe that we must forge a world not just free from the devastating consequences of nuclear weapons, but one that is constructive and intentional for lasting peace. We are determined to ensure that the sacrifices and stories of the hibakusha willnever be forgotten. We urge the G7 leaders to heed our words and take concrete action for a sustainable and mutually prosperous world. 


Thank you very much

East Asia, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

World Movement of Poetry: for the Culture of Peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Ici Beyrouth (translation by CPNN)

The World Poetry Movement (WPM), an international organization that brings together poets and poetry promoters from five continents, expresses its concern and opposition to the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, whose two sovereign nations are protagonists, and pleads for a peaceful solution. History teaches us that war is not a solution to conflicts, but a scourge that affects humanity as a whole and it is our duty to warn of the real danger of a nuclear escalation, the possibility of which constitutes a imminent threat to life on the planet. As poets, we embrace the word as a means of sensitive creation, but also as a political and social tool for building a fairer, more equitable and more humane world.

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(click here for the French original of this article)

Question for this article:

How can poetry promote a culture of peace?

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Therefore, the WPM welcomes the initiatives of China, Brazil and other countries that have come out in favor of a negotiated solution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. We join the call of the social movements in dialogue as the only method of resolving this conflict and all other international conflicts. It should be noted that, from the ideological point of view, the World Poetry Movement (WPM) is a plural space that unites poets of all different persuasions and positions.

This plurality has not been an obstacle to uniting to defend the cultural and political diversity to which the peoples of the world are entitled. We know from experience that what we have in common can prevail over small differences: the love of life. To paraphrase Saint Augustine, in the face of war, we ask no one how he thinks, but how he loves.

That is why we cannot and do not want to be indifferent to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine or forget that there are currently many other wars in the world that are ignored by international public opinion. The war in Yemen, the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the crisis in Myanmar, the situation in Syria, Colombia, among others, are painful events that require equal attention and actions from humanity as a whole to reach solutions. fair and peaceful. It is our duty, as poets, to be witnesses and champions of human values, but also to mobilize poetry and citizens for the construction of real solutions.

Combining words with action is the only way we know to achieve the utopia of a world for peace, for justice and for life, everywhere and for everyone.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global