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.

Search for Common Ground: Engagement — Not Isolation — Offers Best Hope for Afghanistan

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Search for Common Ground

August 18, 2021 — Search for Common Ground expresses profound concern for the safety and well-being of the people of Afghanistan and urges the international community to engage with all parties, including the Taliban leadership, who can affect the well-being of the Afghan people. We also urge the Taliban to engage with the full diversity of Afghan society, as well as international actors, to support intra-Aghan reconciliation and the protection of the rights of all Afghan citizens.

“International isolation will hurt all Afghans by exacerbating an already-dire humanitarian crisis and raising the specter of renewed civil war” said Shamil Idriss, CEO of Search for Common Ground. “Engagement offers the best promise of securing progress toward internationally recognized standards to which Afghans – and all people – aspire, which are articulated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the rights of women and ethnic minorities. While international actors work to assure the safety of their colleagues and partners in Afghanistan, we ask that all who are able redouble their commitment to engaging and supporting the Afghan people and society.”

(article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

Is peace possible in Afghanistan?

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In Afghanistan, Search for Common Ground will continue its work as guided by the Common Ground Approach. This is a process that: humanizes people using diverse methods devised by local teams who, themselves, embody the dividing lines that they seek to bridge; mobilizes people to advance common interests, understanding that shared success is the best way to build trust and make allies out of adversaries; and systematizes cooperation through changes in institutions and the culture of conflict resolution. This approach does more than resolve disputes; it changes systems.

Search for Common Ground recognizes that the Taliban, Afghan public, and international community share substantial common ground. All parties want Afghanistan to have standing and participate in the community of nations. All parties want a functioning nation-state that protects rights and dispenses services through functioning institutions. And all parties want basic security and dignity for Afghans in their daily lives. From this foundation of shared wants, peace can take shape.

“Afghanistan is facing a new and uncertain phase. Search for Common Ground encourages all parties to work towards a healthy, safe and just society. Isolation would likely lead to renewed violent conflict, and violent conflict is not a solution,” Idriss said.

(Editor’s note: At CPNN we have received an email from the Director of Search for Common Ground, Shamil Idriss, saying “We want you to know that we are not giving up. Our country director, Zuhra Bahman, and her staff are committed to continuing to work in Afghanistan. We are staying the course because we know that intensive and consistent dialogue between all parties is the key to building a safe, healthy, and just society.  . . Please send a gift today to help ensure Zuhra and her staff have the support they need — because they are needed now more than ever. All donations will be matched by a board member and worth 2X as much.”)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast, South Asia,

Afghanistan and Julian Assange

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article by Roy Drew, Mullumbimby in The Echo (Australia)

Given the unfolding events in Afghanistan it seems more appropriate than ever to consider the plight of Australian citizen Julian Assange.

A defeat/retreat of US power such as this on the military front does not mean that there will be a corresponding defeat for them in the court room in London.

At the recent preliminary appeal hearing on 11 August, US prosecutors managed to successfully challenge the testimony of expert witness psychiatrist Professor Michael Kopelman and add weight to their application to appeal against the British courts’ decision not to extradite Julian to the US.

The prosecution won the right to appeal, on the petty grounds that Professor Kopelman did not reveal that Julian had started a family with his partner and had become the father of two children while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy.

(Article continued in the column on the right)

Question related to this article:
 
Julian Assange, Is he a hero for the culture of peace?

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

(Article continued from the column on the left)

Presumably they are suggesting that this diminishes the possibility of Julian committing suicide if he is sentenced to more than three lifetimes in a maximum security prison in the US – as the judge in the first hearing gave as her reason not to grant his extradition.

Judge Baraitser has also revealed that she was aware of these details and that she considered it appropriate that the names of Julian’s partner and children should remain confidential in the interest of their security and safety.

The decision to allow the appeal to be heard in late October has left Julian still cruelly incarcerated for a further agonising two months in the UK high security prison, Belmarsh.

The true nature of the war in Afghanistan has long ago been revealed by Assange, Wikileaks and others, counter to the propaganda justifying and promoting the war.

As Julian said in 2011 when speaking of vested interests ‘…the goal is an endless war, not a successful war’.

Although the next two months leading up to the appeal will be excruciating for Julian, it is only a short time for us to increase the pressure on the Australian government and our local representatives to demand his release and bring an end to the decade-long cruel and barbaric persecution of a journalist, publisher, Australian citizen, political prisoner and voice for ending imperialist war.

As events in Afghanistan demonstrate, never has the call for peace and justice for all peoples been more urgent.

And given Julian Assange’s situation, never has the call for his release been more urgent.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

United Nations: Strengthening women’s meaningful participation in peace processes

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from UN Women

Worldwide, complex conflicts and humanitarian crises continue to ravage communities and hinder the overall well-being and prosperity of societies. Women are often the most impacted by these crises, bearing the brunt of conflict and paying a higher price of the devastation – from increased gender discrimination and violence, to the waning of gender-sensitive structures and programming. Still, they remain largely excluded from participating in peace processes, despite overwhelming evidence showing that women’s involvement in peacebuilding and mediation leads to lasting, positive peace that goes well beyond just the silencing of guns.


Left: Kawkab Al-Thaibani. Right: Odi Lagi. Photos courtesy of each.

Although important strides have been made since the adoption of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 in 2000, women’s direct participation and representation in formal peace processes continues to be the one area that lags behind in the implementation of the  empowering women leaders to participate in peacebuilding becomes increasingly crucial. Women who participate in peace processes tend to represent broader and more diverse constituencies, ensuring a range of views and interests are represented and peace processes are fully democratized.

Using digital and online tools to foster women’s participation in peacebuilding

Amera Malek is a Syrian activist in the field of Women, Peace and Security and, as the director of MAUJ for Development (previously Radio Souriat), she is familiar with digital technologies and the use of tools to enhance women’s voices and gather support. “We launched our online radio in 2014 as a media initiative and platform that provides a voice for Syrian women, tackling issues affecting them – from honor killings to sexual harassment, and more – and addressing wider societal problems from a gender perspective,” says Malek. “We started out by broadcasting programmes and live talks, bringing together women from all walks of life and taking into account their specific needs and situations.”

As the Syrian conflict went on and power cuts and other disruptions became more frequent, Radio Souriat turned to social media as a new outlet for their activism. “In complex, conflict-afflicted contexts such as the Syrian one, new tools must be deployed to foster participation and mobilize a country-wide support base. On top of our radio work, we’ve taken on producing visual and audio assets for dissemination on social media, which has enabled us to continue to reach out to and engage with communities.”

In June 2020, Radio Souriat changed its name to MAUJ for Development, a community-based, not-for-profit foundation guided by feminist principles. MAUJ works on four strategic programmes: supporting pluralism and community cohesion, promoting women participation in public life, producing gender-sensitive media content, and ensuring sustainable resources. From its headquarters in al-Nabk, MAUJ reaches women across the country and beyond, supporting them to voice their opinions and be informed on issues that directly affect their lives.

While digital tools have created an unprecedented opportunity to democratize peace efforts, making them more transparent and inclusive, some issues remain to be addressed. “We see that women are more likely to participate in online discussions because they can do so anonymously and flexibly, balancing their care burdens,” says Malek. “Yet, we must ensure these methods are underpinned by robust gender analysis. We must continue to leverage the huge potential of digital tools for constituency-building while ensuring that existing discrepancies in accessing digital tools do not further inequalities.”

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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)

Bringing together women civil society actors and political representatives

Kawkab Al-Thaibani is the co-founder of Women4Yemen, a network of women working in media, human rights and civil society, which mobilizes and empowers women to foster peace and achieve stability for Yemen. As part of her work, she has been seeking to close the gap between women’s grassroots initiatives for peace and decision-making spaces.

“Yemeni women are facing huge challenges to access negotiating space and get a seat at the peace table,” says Al-Thaibani. “As the conflict in Yemen continues, women’s representation has decreased quite considerably: for the first time in 20 years, women are absent from the newly formed Cabinet. In this context, it is vital that political leaders expand their constituencies and engage closely with civil society to make sure women’s voices are heard.”

“Yemeni women are the carriers of peace and have been instrumental in leading the country to a more stable and peaceful transition,” she adds. “Yet, we don’t have full legitimacy to support peacemaking initiatives and be involved in the peace process in a meaningful way. More work needs to be done at the government and institutional levels to connect women’s grassroots movements with formal representatives who sit at the decision-making table.”

“While it’s important that representatives build strong civil society constituencies, this per se is not enough. To be credible and for constituencies to be strengthened, politicians must ensure that they represent the interests and views of their communities in peace talks, and that they make themselves accountable for shaping the negotiating agenda, ensuring the requests of women are being dealt with.”

Introducing special temporary measures to increase women’s representation in peacebuilding

Odi Lagi, Program Director of the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI), Nigeria, highlights the importance and challenges of gender quotas and other temporary special measures in fostering more gender-inclusive peace processes. “I believe the introduction of quotas as a temporary measure to achieve gender equality in political participation is very much necessary,” says Lagi. “We underestimate the importance for women and girls of seeing women in leadership positions and the power of role-modelling: seeing women in power is the first step toward becoming one. However, quotas also have limitations – their introduction by governments has increasingly become a box-ticking exercise rather than a tool to foster positive change. We need to set a 50/50 benchmark if we truly want to see structural transformation in decision-making spaces.”

In Nigeria, a 30 per cent quota for representation in political processes was introduced in the early 2000s. Since then, women’s participation has been declining and, as conflict escalated, women’s voices have been increasingly ignored. “While instruments like quotas have strong transformative potential, there is also a clear danger that they might restrict greater women’s participation and be used by conflict parties as bargaining chips to appeal to minority and women’s groups, while in fact making little progress in advancing meaningful political inclusion,” adds Lagi.

About the Global Convening

From 7-27 July 2021, UN Women, in partnership with CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation, hosted the global convening on “Gender-Inclusive Peace Processes: Strengthening Women’s Meaningful Participation through Constituency Building.” The conference explored good practices and strategies for gender-inclusive constituency building and the links between constituency building and women’s meaningful participation in formal peace processes, with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It was made possible through a long-term collaboration with, and financial support from, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Visit the conference public dashboard on SparkBlue for more information 

Africa, Mideast, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY, ,

United Nations from the field: Desert artisans in Mali foster dialogue and tolerance

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

Two articles from the United Nations

Traditional arts and crafts are being used to build peace and dialogue in Mali thanks to the work of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSMA.


MINUSMA/Gema Cortes. Tuareg women artisans produce leather goods as part of a project supported by the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA.

Some 360 artisans based around Menaka, in the far northeast of the West African nation, some of whom fled as refugees to neighbouring Niger, have been encouraged to return to the town’s newly restored House of Artisans to practice a range of traditional crafts, including leatherwork, silver-smithing, sewing and carpentry.

MINUSMA, which supported the restoration, is hoping bringing artisans together from a range of ethnic groups will help to reinforce social cohesion, tolerance and improve security as well as providing much-needed employment.

The Menaka region is experiencing increasing insecurity as a result of attacks by terrorist groups and armed bandits.

* * * *

Using art to promote social cohesion in Mali

A related article from the United Nations

Taking a piece of leather in her hand, Bachira, a Tuareg artisan, starts weaving an ornament that will be sewed onto a new colourful tribal saddle cushion that may end up decorating a home somewhere.

Bachira is an accomplished leather worker. She is among 360 artisans in Mali sponsored by the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) to promote social cohesion and dialogue through traditional art.

“When I returned home from exile, the only personal belongings I brought were my knowledge and my hands. This project is helping me to make the most of what I have. It ensures I can cover my family essential needs. I want them to have a better life than mine,” she said.

Bachira Walet Mohamed, a 50-year-old mother-of-eight is from a village close to Menaka, in the far north-east of Mali. She fled her home with her family during the humanitarian crisis following the 2012 conflict. The whole family lived one year in exile in Niger, before returning in 2014.

Only last year did Bachira fully retake her tribal leather work. Thanks to “The House of Artisans’, a regional crafters association, rebuilt and equipped using MINUSMA support. “During those difficult years of violence shaking our town, the workshop was vandalized and as a result it closed down. I didn’t have anything, not even to buy food,” she recalled.

Art to foster dialogue and tolerance

MINUSMA saw the potential to promote peace and dialogue through traditional arts and crafts, thus the idea to restore “The House of Artisans” to its glory, through a Quick Impact Project (QIP). The Menaka ‘House of Artisans” was completely rebuilt and equipped with furniture, machines and tools for artisans working in jewelry, welding, leatherwork, forging metal, carpentry, sewing and wood carving.

(continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?, What is, or should be, their role in our movement?

(continued from left column)

The project, under USD$45,000, gave back an economic activity to up to 360 artisans from different ethnics’ groups It even improved the operating environment and enhanced their production and distribution capacities through training.

MINUSMA’s QIP objective is to contribute to the socioeconomic development by improving the income of artisans across the Menaka region, which is experiencing increasing insecurity as a result of attacks by terrorist groups and armed bandits.

According to Adass Ag Abdoul Karim, President of the Union of Artisans and coordinator of the project, art can break barriers and promote tolerance because “the objective to create a space for dialogue, tolerance and peace through art,” he said. “Thereby, reducing unemployment and improving family income of the artisans.”

Metalsmith (left) pictured with Adas Ag Abdoul Karim (right), President of Union of Artisans in Menaka, Mali. Photo: MINUSMA/Gema Cortes

Adass is grateful for MINUSMA’s continuous support to his community and for helping rebuild the confidence in Mali’s well-known craftsmanship. Nevertheless, he underlines the need for young people to be trained, in order to safeguard the ancient traditions of Malian artistry. By doing so, one is both promoting the quality and marketing skills of artisans, particularly those of women and the creation of employment. All leading to peace and stability.

Since 2013, MINUSMA sponsored more than 740 QIPs projects in Mali totalling USD$24 million benefitting over 10 million people. These projects contributed to strengthening social cohesion and security, improving access to basic health care and water, fostering training and education, promoting the use of agro-pastoral resources, creating temporary and long-term employment and supporting cultural heritage.

Providing a crucial lifeline for struggling artisans

While the temperature is reaching its peak in the sandy streets of Menaka, under e blazing sun, several Tuareg jewelers toil away inside the House of Artisans. Most of them are hand-engraving silver pieces homemade tools. This shows how little has changed in the traditional Tuareg jewelry making process.

Alhader Ag Tital is fifty-one-year-old. He is Tuareg, very quiet and a silversmith. He learnt the trade from his grand-parents and parents, becoming a master himself. His quietness ends up when he talks about his participation in this project. “I am very, very, very happy. It’s the first time we have a proper space for working. We now have a safe and operational place, and we are so grateful.”

Despite being the most dangerous active peacekeeping deployment in the world, with so far 158 blue helmets killed by hostiles forces, and dozens more killed by accidents and illness since its creation in 2013, MINUSMA remains committed to help rebuild sustainable peace in this landlocked north-west African nation. This project proves peace and dialogue can be achieve through numerous actions, involving all groups and different communities, and, at the same time promoting livelihoods and empowerment.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Congo and UNESCO to Cultivate Peace in Youth

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Don Verdon Bayeni in Vox

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Civic Education, Employment and Qualifying Training, Hugues Ngouélondélé indicated on August 12 in Brazzaville a capacity building workshop for leaders of juvenile associations will be held to cultivate the culture of peace and non-violence among young people.


(Click on image to enlarge)

“Those who choose to be beneficiaries of this training as agents of awareness of the culture of peace and social cohesion, thus realize their responsibility as citizens to help young people to turn away from negative values, violence and identity withdrawal, ”explained Hugues Ngouélondélé.

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

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(continued from left column)

The capacity building workshop on the culture of peace organized by UNESCO and the Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace, in collaboration with the ministry in charge of youth, intends to equip and empower the leaders of youth associations.

“This training should be a moment of strengthening the patriotic spirit at all levels of Congolese society. For the trainees, it will be a question of ensuring the transmission of the lessons received to propote the culture of peace, social cohesion and living together as the theme of all young people”, said Fatoumata Barry Marega, the UNESCO representative in Congo.

After this workshop, the beneficiaries are called upon to pass on the information received to their respective associations as well as to other youth circles and through outreach and media campaigns.

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

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Benin: Traditional kings and religious leaders pray for peace in Parakou

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from l’Agence Benin Presse

The Ecumenical Foundation for Peace in Africa (EFPA), initiated this Saturday in Parakou, a session, during which the traditional kings and religious leaders of several countries of Benin, prayed for peace in Benin and Africa, in the presence political and administrative authorities.

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

Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(continued from left column)

“What can we do if we don’t make peace?” Asked Gildas Aïzannon, president of the organizing committee, before inviting everyone to cultivate peace. “Our responsibility is immense in maintaining peace in Benin,” he said.

Inoussa Chabi Zimé and Gilbert Dakè Djokess, respectively mayor of Parakou and president of EFPA, reminded everyone that peace is not an empty word but rather behavior.

“The unfortunate events that occurred during the last presidential election challenge us all,” recalled the mayor of Parakou, before inviting all social groups to promote a culture of lasting peace.

The traditional kings and religious leaders or their representatives have said prayers for the safeguard of peace in Africa in general and in Benin in particular. In their different invocations, they exhorted each other to the sense of forgiveness, of love for one’s neighbor. To do this, they especially invited everyone to have the fear of God.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Cameroon : From a life of violence to a culture of peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from the United Nations

A young peace campaigner from Cameroon who turned his back on the violence prevalent in his hometown and became a youth civil society activist, has been telling the United Nations about how he is helping other young people to reject conflict, and take a greater role in building peace in the country.


© UNICEF/Salomon Marie Joseph Beguel
Young people in Cameroon are key to promoting a peaceful culture in the West African country.

Christian Achaleke spoke to the UN ahead of International Youth Day, which is marked annually on August 12th.

“My decision to become a peace activist was influenced by my personal experience. I grew up in a community plagued by violence: it was a way of life. At some point, I came to realize that violence leads us nowhere. I lost some friends and acquaintances, and others were thrown into jail.

I began volunteering in 2007, and this gave me a new perspective built around peace and helping to improve communities. It has been an inspiring, life-changing experience.

As a young person involved in peacebuilding and countering violent extremism, I find myself speaking to my peers. When I go to prisons to speak to other young people, I can show them that there are better ways to respond to the challenges they face than violence and develop solutions to the drivers of conflicts.

(Continued in right column)

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

Question related to this article:
 
“Put down the gun and take up the pen”, What are some other examples?

Can a culture of peace be achieved in Africa through local indigenous training and participation?

(Continued from left column)

Underestimated youth

However, I would say that our role has been underestimated. Sometimes I feel that communities, leaders and institutions turn a blind eye to what we are doing, even though we are the ones who suffer the most in times of conflict. 

In Cameroon, we have tried to provide young people with the opportunity to engage in local community peacebuilding and peace process initiatives, giving them guidance, mentorship and support. 

We are telling the government, the UN and other organizations that it is a good strategy to involve youth, to give them the skills to take part in mediation and provide a safe space in which they can be a part of the process.

Culture, diversity and heritage are very important to me as a Cameroonian. They should serve as a unifying factor but, because we did not properly harness them, we are facing a violent conflict. 

That is why managing culture, heritage, diversity and our diaspora community is very important for peace, and it is something that we have been trying to practice for a long time.

Values to prevent conflict

To me, a culture of peace is a set of values, lifestyle, morals, and ethics which are developed as a way to prevent conflict or violence and also to engage people towards peaceful and ethical living. 

To create a culture of peace in Africa, young people and women need to be engaged, and at the forefront of the process. It is also important to provide opportunities for people and communities to be able to share experiences and ideas.

Little is being spoken about young people changing the face of the African continent but that does not mean that we are not doing good work. I am calling on heads of States, policy makers, communities and every person of good will, to stand and support young boys and girls, and ensure that they can lead the transformations of their countries, and build the African continent”.

Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, United Nations,

Childrens Message for Peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

A message from the Japan Art Mile Foundation, received by email from Joanne Tawfilis

This mural was created by the 66 members of the Yuge Elementary School graduating classes of 2004.


(Click on image to enlarge)

This mural was born in the process of a Peace Study.

Their town is located near City Nagasaki, where the second Atomic Bomb was dropped in 1945.

The image of the painting was developed from “The Statue of Peace”; the symbol of Nagasaki Peace Park.

His right hand stretching up means “the threat of the Atomic Bomb” and his left hand stretching horizontally shows “Peace”.

(continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?, What is, or should be, their role in our movement?

(continued from left column)

The children tried to express their wishes for peace in the beautiful rainbow derived from the tip of the statue.

The rainbow is a bridge for peace, extending to the bright future.

The children poured their love into this mural, not only toward their home area but also toward our planet.

They enclosed their wishes, hopes and dreams within this painting.

(Thank you to Joanne Tawfilis for sending this to CPNN.)

See the following CPNN articles about or by Joanne Tawfilis:

US: The First Mural Museum in the World is a Culture of Peace Museum

Oceanside woman promotes peace through murals (US)

UNA-USA San Diego 2006 Eleonor Roosevelt Human Rights Award

BAM in a Box

Peace through Art

The Art Miles Mural Project

East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Declaration for the Transition to a Culture of Peace in the XXI Century

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Roberto Emmanuele Mercadillo Caballero from the Global Campaign for Peace Education

It is time for a new step forward in the transition from the culture of war to the culture of peace.

The first step was taken in 1986 with the Seville Statement on Violence which showed that war is a cultural invention, not a biological process, and therefore a culture of peace can also be invented.

The second step forward was taken in 1999 with the Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace, developed at UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, which provided a precise definition of the culture of peace.

In 2011, the 25th anniversary of the Statement was celebrated at the XXXIII International Colloquia on Brain and Aggression held in Rome, Italy. Participants included Roberto Mercadillo as a researcher from the National Council of Science and Technology, Mexico, and David Adams, as the director of the Culture of Peace News Network. Adams had been a signatory of the Seville Statement along with Federico Mayor Zaragoza. Mayor later became the Director-General of UNESCO, where he was responsible for the UN Declaration, along with Adams who was working with him at that time.

At the meeting in 2011, Adams and Mercadillo concluded it was time to take the next step to propose a specific program for the transition from the culture of war to the culture of peace through educational innovation and the participation of local governments.

The program includes proposals for radical reforms of the United Nations, that were developed in 2016 by Federico Mayor Zaragoza and David Adams including the formation of an alternative to the UN Security Council involving mayors of major cities, directed by a small volunteer secretariat.

(Article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

It was thus that, in 2019, Mayor-Zaragoza, Adams, and Mercadillo undertook the task of elaborating a new Declaration following a cognitive approach of consciousness in four steps:

First, to recognize the current status;

Second, to remember what we have done so far;

Third, to understand what we have done and must do based on our present situation;

Fourth, to propose and define actions to move towards a Culture of Peace in the 21st century.

For the first step, called “we recognize”, the Declaration displays actions on the culture of peace carried out around the world during the last 20 years, as well as the violent actions and war that continue to prevail.

For the second step, called “we remember”, the Declaration reviews previous declarations and manifestos such as the Seville Statement and the Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace, along with other declarations that emerged from the United Nations, with emphasis on those promoted by UNESCO referring to the Culture of Peace and science that can be linked to educational initiatives.

For the third step, called “we understand”, the Declaration analyses the revised previous declarations and manifestos in light of the problems, needs, and possibilities of the 21st and recovered the mention “we the peoples” that opens the Charter of the United Nations signed in 1945 to initiate future actions and consciences.

For the fourth step, called “we propose”, the Declaration describes strategies in two simultaneous routes: local and global. The local route is fundamentally pedagogical and is carried out mainly by organized civil society supported by local governments. The global route involves the expansion of the UN General Assembly and creation of councils for economic, environmental, and social affairs, along with the formation of an international security council of mayors, mentioned above, that would issue regular press releases demonstrating that the culture of peace could be achieved if the United Nations were governed by “we the peoples.”

The Declaration is available in two versions, the full version as described here, and a brief version consisting of the fourth step, “we propose.”

Download the full version of the Declaration

Download the summary version of the Declaration

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Past virtual events in August

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Here are events and application deadlines in August 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.

August 4, 2:00PM – 3:30PM EDT USA
MMIGRATION NATION – UNDERSTANDING AND ADDRESSING THE WEAPONIZATION OF IMMIGRATION TO CREATE FEAR AND DIVISION IN THE UNITED STATES

U.S. officials are struggling to respond to the arrival of displaced people at the southern U.S. border. The challenges at the border are exacerbating perceptions inside the United States of immigrants and immigration as being a threat, which is fueling xenophobia, racism, animosity, and polarization. This perception has galvanized the anti-immigrant movement and made life substantially more difficult for all immigrants and the communities that welcome them.
— This session will explore the complex issue of immigration, starting with what is the state of our immigration system, what is happening at the border, why and how the issue is being weaponized and turned into a wedge issue that is fueling divisions in the country, and what immigrant rights groups are doing to change the narrative and address these divisions, while ensuring that immigrant communities in the United States can live in safety and peace.
— Zoom Registration

Thu 5th Aug 2021, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm AEST (Australia)
Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki Webinar – Brisbane 2021

Brisbane antinuclear groups invite you to commemorate the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 with a webinar celebrating the work that the community has done over time in opposition to nuclear weapons, in Brisbane, nationally and internationally, leading to the recent UN Total Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty.
— The speakers, who will reflect on their personal histories as anti-nuclear activists, include:
Ross Gwyther, a founder of People for Nuclear Disarmament in Brisbane
Dr Helen Caldicott, international anti-nuclear activist
Bob Henricks, former secretary of Electrical Trades Union and driver of union support for the anti-nuclear movement
Chris Henderson, from the Cities and Towns Appeal for Australia to sign the Ban Treaty
— Get tickets here – free

Friday, August 6 at 2:00 – 3:15 pm EDT
Hiroshima Day: Have we done enough?

Sponsors:
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, Charter for Compassion
Speakers:
Audrey Kitagawa
Jonathan Granoff
Marilyn Turkovich
Monica Willard
Pragna Vasupal
Kehkashan Basu
— zoom registration

Friday, 6 August 2021
NUCLEAR WEAPON ABOLISHMENT AND A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE — A CALL FROM HIROSHIMA

UNITAR, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), Hiroshima Prefecture, and the Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace (HOPe), will host a free, public seminar on promoting the abolition of nuclear weapons. The public is invited to join. Please
— The seminar will comprise of:
2:00 – 3:30 pm JST: Plenary Session
4:00 – 5:00 pm JST: Session on Partnership with the Private Sector
5:00 – 5:30 pm JST: Dialogue Session between UNITAR Director of Division for Prosperity and UNITAR Goodwill Ambassador
6:00 – 8:00 pm JST: Session on the Youth Initiative
— Register here

Aug 12, 2021 02:00 PM in Nairobi
Post-GEF Youth Forum International Youth Day

Nala Feminist Collective will be hosting a “Post-GEF Youth Forum” around the question: “What are the challenges and solutions for Generation Equality commitments, accountability?”
— As we move from the Generation Equality Forum towards action and implementation of Africa Young Women Beijing+25 demands, we are in constant reflection of how we will collaborate to ensure there is accountability to the commitments made.
— Join us to explore together, share stories and experience about how to establish youth-led accountability on Generation Equality commitments
— Who is invited? African youth and stakeholders
— When? 12th, 13th and 14th August 2021 – 2:00PM – 4:00PM EAT
— Please note that the following registration is uniquely for the 12th of August.
— Zoom registration

13 de Agosto, 18:30 Time in Brazil
Cultura de Paz: Um horizonte em permanente construção

Palas Athena – Celebração do 15Oth Fórum de Cultura de Paze Não Violéncia
Participação especial de:
Marlova Jovchelovitch Noleto
Leoberto Brancher
Lia Diskin
— youtube recording

August 13 16:15 India time
Ahimsa Conversations: The Seville Statement on Violence

The Seville Statement on Violence was drafted in 1986, by a group of natural and social scientists from several countries. Later adopted by UNESCO, the Seville Statement marshalled scientific evidence to show that violent behaviour is not generally programmed into human nature.
— Prof. Ashis Nandy from India and Prof. David Adams from USA, were two of the leading academics who drafted the Seville Statement. In this episode of Ahimsa Conversations, both scholars look back on the significance of the Seville Statement and reflect on possibilities of nonviolence in our times
— Moderator: Rajni Bakshi, freelance journalist and author
— youtube recording, short version
— youtube recording, long version

Wednesday, 18 August; 8 pm Europe, 9 pm Palestine
Palestinian Grassroots Organising against Colonial Incarceration

Palestinians are self-organising and pushing forward their liberation goals of freedom and justice, building upon the unity built through the past few months. In this conversation we will hear about these efforts, including the Dignity and Hope Detainees Fund Project to provide legal support and solidarity to the families and communities most impacted.
— This event is hosted by Baladna: Association for Arab Youth and Palestine Solidarity Campaign, and will feature a panel of activists and lawyers.
— Register here

Wednesday, August 18, 2021 • 7:00 PM • Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
End the Selective Service for ALL!

Registration with the Selective Service System, intended to collect information about draft-eligible U.S. residents, is a burden that has been unjustly placed on men for too long. Now members of Congress are attempting to expand the unnecessary, burdensome, and punitive system to women. Forcing Americans into warfighting doesn’t represent equality for women. It represents a step back toward militarism that hurts us all and should be ended once and for all.
— Join the American Friends Service Committee, Center on Conscience and War, and Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) for a discussion about the Selective Service System, its individual and societal impacts, and how you can help end, rather than expand, the registration system.
— Register here

Tuesday August 24. 11am-1pm Eastern Time USA, 5pm-7pm Central European Time
Taking Climate Change to the World Court

Governments are not doing enough to prevent a catastrophic collapse of the climate. And so youth are taking action. One of the most exciting of the youth-led actions is the World’s Youth for Climate Justice campaign to take the issue of climate change to the International Court of Justice. Such a case could affirm, strengthen and ensure implementation of the legal obligation to stabilise the climate in order to protect current and future generations.
— To help you learn more about the campaign and how you can help, World’s Youth for Climate Justice and Normandy Chair for Peace are running a series of webinars on the importance of such a case, what to ask the court, how to win the case and how the outcome could be implemented.
— The first webinar held in June focused on the importance of climate litigation and assessed lessons from other Advisory Opinions, in particular the historical 1996 ICJ opinion on nuclear weapons. You can watch the recorded sessions on facebook. Session 1. Session 2.
— You are cordially invited to the 2nd webinar in this 4-part series:
Topic: What legal question to ask the Court?
What sources of law can be used?
— Register here

Tuesday, August 24, 2021 • 1:00 AM Central European Time
COP 26 Webinar: Countdown to Glasgow

CODEPINK and World Beyond War are hosting a webinar highlighting the intersection between militarism and climate change leading up to the COP26 talks in Glasgow, Scotland.
— For zoom registration, contact Nancy Mancias at nancymacias@codepink.org

Tuesday, August 24, 2021 • 7:00 PM • Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
Time to draft Women Too? A Call to End the Selective Service System for Everyone

Sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action. With Edward Hasbrouck. His Web site, Resisters.info, is the most comprehensive resource about the draft, draft registration, and draft resistance in the U.S. since 1980.
— Edward will discuss:
* The largely-unknown history of Selective Service since the end of the
U.S. war in Indochina, including how resistance to draft registration has
prevented activation of a draft.
* Why Congress is now considering proposals either to end draft registration (as endorsed by Peace Action) or to expand Selective Service registration to women, and the fallacy of trying to expand draft registration to women as a path to gender justice.
* How draft registration and contingency planning for a draft enable planning for longer, larger, and less popular wars, and how ending draft registration could constrain war planning and empower young people and older allies to greater resistance to war and war preparations.
— Register here

Aug 26, 2021 07:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
The U.S. and China – Past, Present and Future: Conflict and Cooperation in U.S.-China Relations

Organized by CPDCS, with Mass. Peace Action and the Committee for a Sane U.S.-China Policy
— featuring the scholars Mark Selden and Zhiqun Zhu.
— Register here

August 26 (Thurs.), from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm Japan time
Mayors for Peace Youth Webinar for Peace Action

Mayors for Peace will hold a peace education webinar titled Mayors for Peace Youth Webinar for Peace Action, aiming to further stimulate youth-led peace activities in member cities. This webinar will be streamed live on YouTube. Registration for online viewers is now open until Sunday, August 22 Japan time.
— Young people from around the world, who will create our future, will give presentations on their peace activities and have a discussion.
— Register here

Thursday, August 26, 2021 • 11:45 AM • Eastern Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-04:00)
Celebration to Honor David Hartsough, Recipient of the 2021 Clarence B. Jones Award for Kingian Nonviolence

Please join the USF Institute for Nonviolence and Social Justice as we recognize David Hartsough with the Clarence B. Jones Award for Kingian Nonviolence, and celebrate his life of moral achievement as an unparalleled nonviolent activist for peace, justice, and human rights.
— Our extraordinary group of speakers gathering in honor of David Hartsough includes some of the most prominent and impactful nonviolence activists and scholars in the United States:
Dr. Ken Butigan, Dr. Clayborne Carson, Professor Erica Chenoweth, Mel Duncan, Daniel Ellsberg, Father Paul J. Fitzgerald, Dr. Clarence B. Jones, KathyKelly, George Lakey, Rev. James L. Lawson, Jr., Joanna Macy, Starhawk, Rivera Sun, David Swanson, Ann Wright, Professor Stephen Zunes,
— Register here

Sunday, August 29, 2:00-4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (Toronto)
Global Town Hall

On the last Sunday of every month (except for major holidays) Project Save the World holds an open Zoom meeting for activists everywhere in the world to discuss our concerns. There is no pre-determined agenda. After the show, the recording will be edited and uploaded to our Youtube channel Youtube.com/c/tosavetheworld within a week or so.
— Zoom link The host will admit you without a password, but please keep your microphone muted except when called upon to speak. Please do keep your camera on, however, for it is pointless to have a zoom conversation where the participants are invisible.

Tuesday, August 31, 2021 • 5:00-6:30 PM • Pacific Daylight Time (US & Canada) (GMT-07:00)
Campaign Nonviolence Skillbuilding Webinar: Preparing for Protests

When we get ready for protests or street actions, we need to be prepared for a range of potential situations. In this skillbuilding webinar, we’ll look at everything from sensible shoes to great (waterproof!) signs to whether or not you should bring your phone with you. This is an excellent skillbuilding webinar to invite your organizing team to attend together.
— Please note that this webinar is free if you sign up to do some action for peace during the Campaign Action Nonviolence week
— Sign up with an action and receive webinar registration here

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