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.

‘Women’s Boat to Gaza’ set to arrive in Gaza within hours amid fears of Israeli hijacking

.DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article from Ahram Online

The Women’s Boat to Gaza (WBG) mission is set to arrive in Gaza in a couple of hours and aims to challenge the 10-year blockade of the strip and highlight the critical role of Palestinian women in the resistance movement amid fears of Israeli forces intercepting the mission, according to WBG’s website.

flotilla
Sandra Barralilo, MP Jeannette Escarilla, Ann Wright, Ambassador , Dr. Fauziah, Mairead Maguire, MP Samira Douliafia. Above MP Marama Davidson. Olympic Athlete Leigh-Ann Naidoo. (Photo Courtesy of Women’s Boat to Gaza website)
Click on photo to enlarge

The Israeli naval and land blockade has severely restricted the movement of 1.8 million Palestinians and goods to and from Gaza since the Islamist Hamas movement became its de-facto ruler in 2006, inflicting increasing suffering on the impoverished population.

“At home we are all asking our governments to ensure the safe passage of Zaytouna [the Women’s Boat to Gaza]. We are calling on government leaders to stand with us in this challenge and to support our efforts to end this blockade, which is a collective punishment and is illegal under international law,” Wendy Goldsmith, an organiser of the Canadian Boat to Gaza campaign, told Ahram Online.

The women’s boat to Gaza, which includes only women from all over the world, is the fourth mission that has been organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition after the last attempt in 2015 ended with the seizure of the boat by Israeli forces in international waters.

“If Israel chooses to intercept this peaceful mission, they will be greeted by 13 incredibly strong and resilient women who are on a course to break the illegal blockade of Gaza. They will be met with love and determination to reach the conscience of humanity,” she said.

The two boats that make up the women’s boat mission — the Amal-Hope and Zaytouna-Oliva — have docked at a number of Mediterranean ports since 12 September, but the Amal-Hope broke off at Barcelona due to unexpected engine problems with only Zatouna-Olivia continuing the journey.

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Question related to this article:

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

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“The women on the boat send us daily updates and they report that they are in fine spirits and are looking forward to reaching the shores of Gaza,” Goldsmith said, adding that “we are also in regular contact with the women in Gaza and West Bank who have been organising many solidarity events. We are deeply touched and encouraged by the spirit of sisterhood around the world.”

The first attempt to break the siege with a flotilla, which was organised in 2010, ended in the killing by Israel of nine activists in international waters on the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara.

A second attempt was organised out of Greece in 2011, but the vessels were turned back by the Greek coastguard.

Among the diverse group of women on board are Swedish Member of European Parliament Malin Björk; a retired American army colonel and former diplomat who resigned in 2003 in opposition to the invasion of Iraq, Ann Wright; Irish Nobel Laureate and peace activist Mairead Maguire; and Turkish athlete and coach Cigdem Topçuoglu, whose husband was killed in the Israeli attack on the first freedom flotilla in 2010.

“Within this struggle, men and women play equal roles. In this particular project, it has been decided that women will take on the major role of confronting the Israeli Occupation Force (IOF). This does not minimise in any way the role that men take in both the organising and planning stages,” according to the launching statement of WBG sent to Ahram Online in March.

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is an international coalition composed of civil society organisations and initiatives from all over the world challenging “the illegal and inhumane” Israeli blockade of Gaza.

“When we arrive in Gaza we expect to be greeted by our many supporters, perhaps with coffee and falafel, music and dance. We hope to join hands with our sisters and claim an end to the blockade that has created the world’s largest open air prison, where innocent children and their families suffer every day,” Goldsmith said.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast

Reunion: Statement from the 2016 Symposium of the Interfaith Network of the Indian Ocean

, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Temoignages (translated by CPNN)

Idriss Issop-Banian, president of GDir (Interreligious Dialogue Group of Reunion), just sent us the Final Declaration of the 3rd Symposium of the interfaith Network of the Indian Ocean, which took place from 22 to 24 September in Saint-Denis . Here is the full text of the statement that contains a slogan defended for over 40 years by the Reunion Communist Party: “Indian Ocean zone of peace”.

Reunion
The closing ceremony of the 2016 Symposium of the Interfaith Network of the Indian Ocean

Preamble: We reaffirm our common spiritual conviction that we are one family. All human beings are inhabited by the same light of God and have the same dignity. Life is sacred and the same Golden Rule governs our fundamental relationships: “Do unto others the good that you wish for yourself.”

We, the delegates of interreligious dialogue groups from Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and Reunion, all the members of the Interfaith Network Indianocéanie,

– strengthened by the Port-Louis Declaration following the first symposium held in Mauritius in 2009,

– consolidated by Victoria Declaration following the second symposium held in the Seychelles in 2012,

– reaffirming our conviction that dialogue between religions is an essential vector for coexistence of people and nations, and in doing so eager to engage other actors in human societies for the arrival of peace,

– having at heart to develop peace and cohesion in solidarity and sharing an ethical humanist,

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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?

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– meeting from 22 to 24 September 2016 in Saint-Denis de La Reunion have reflected on Peace in the Indian Ocean and have covered the following topics:

Indian Ocean zone of peace;

Peace in our societies;

The challenges of climate change – ecology and spirituality;

Indianocéanité.

Following deliberation, the Symposium of of the Interreligious Network of the Indian Ocean, adopts the following resolutions:

Resolution No. 1, We call upon politicians and governments to put into practice resolution 70/22 adopted by the UN General Assembly on 7 December 2015, making the Indian Ocean a Zone of Peace.

Resolution No. 2: We call upon all actors of society to be aware of the implications of climate change in the region of the Indian Ocean.

Resolution No. 3: We call for reflection on spirituality in the activities of daily living, concerning respect for the environment and populations.

Resolution No. 4: We reaffirm our commitment to fight against the scourges of poverty, corruption, racism and xenophobia and in favor of a fair and supportive co-development in the Indian Ocean region.

Resolution No. 5: We upport the desire of the observer from Mayotte to create a group of interfaith dialogue in Mayotte.

Resolution No. 6: We support the desire of the observer from the Comoros to create a group of interfaith dialogue in the Comoros.

Resolution 7: We reeaffirm the right of the Chagossians to return and live on their land.

“Lord God, make us peacemakers and keep us in the light.”

Done at Saint-Denis, Reunion, September 24, 2016.

Follow the signatures of delegations PLeROC (Madagascar) – CoR (Mauritius) – SIFCO (Seychelles) – GDir (Reunion)

South Asia, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

UK: Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group sign Pledge to Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Rochdale online

Representatives of Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group joined other groups from throughout Greater Manchester at the Civic Centre in Oldham on Monday (26 September) to sign the ‘Pledge to Peace’ (also known as the ‘Bruxelles Declaration’), a European project to promote the development of a culture of peace.

Rochdale
Rae Street from Rochdale and Littleborough Peace Group (standing), Elaine Dutton Mayoress of Rochdale (sitting), Councillor Derek Heffernan Mayor of Oldham (sitting), Di Heffernan Mayoress of Oldham (sitting), Councillor Ray Dutton Mayor of Rochdale (sitting), Philip Gilligan Chair of Greater Manchester and District Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (standing), Steve Roman from Manchester Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (sitting) and Linda Walker from Glossop Peace Group

Rae Street and Philip Gilligan were guests of the Mayor of Oldham, Councillor Derek Heffernan who became the first mayor in Greater Manchester to sign the Pledge on behalf of his council. He, like Rochdale’s mayor, Ray Dutton, who also attended the event, is a member of Mayors for Peace which campaigns for the total abolition of nuclear weapons.

On behalf of the Peace Group, Philip Gilligan said: “We are delighted that both Rochdale and Oldham now have a Mayor for Peace.

“Mayors for Peace is a crucial organisation with more than 7000 city leaders worldwide. Their programme launched by the Mayor of Hiroshima in 1982 promotes much needed solidarity among cities to campaign for a world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation.”

For more information about Pledge to Peace, please see http://www.pledgetopeace.eu

For more information about Mayors for Peace, please see http://www.mayorsforpeace.org

Questions for this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Philippines: Fostering a culture of peace through art

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Manila Bulletin (slightly abbreviated)

Mindanao has . . . been through decades of armed conflict, which has claimed countless lives and displaced some 30,000 to 50,000 persons annually. Children and adolescents are among those who have suffered the most, caught in the midst of violence, displacement, poverty, and the loss of loved ones. It is for this reason that civil society groups have taken initiatives in introducing the culture of peace among the children in Mindanao’s conflict-affected communities through the promotion of their own traditional, cultural, and artistic abilities.

Philippines
(Click on image to enlarge)

One of these groups is the 13-year-old Kalimudan Culture and Arts Center, a non-profit organization based in Gen. Santos City. It is currently undertaking the Fostering Culture of Peace and Child Protection program, in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

Coined from the Maguindanaon term for gathering, Kalimudan is composed of artists and advocates for social reforms, backed by their experiences as cultural and community workers, trainers, researchers, and teachers.

In recent months, Kalimudan has been conducting the Adolescent Development and Participation-Peace building program in the provinces of Maguindanao, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Lanao del Sur.

According to Al Nezzar Ali, the project uses culture and arts as tools to assist communities in creating a violence-free home environment, and helps children promote a culture of peace.

Among the strategies used in the workshops are play production dance drama and choral narration, peace tiles and peace totems, interactive storytelling, dance, music, and visual workshops, which enhance participants’ coping mechanisms.

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Question for this article:

Do the arts create a basis for a culture of peace?

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“The program also helps develop children’s creativity, appreciation of tradition, and culture to foster peace, which get them more engaged in sports and recreational activities, instead of getting involved in armed activities,” Ali enthuses.

He said that the project hopes to contribute to the attainment of strengthened mechanisms for promoting the rights of children in peace process and situations of armed conflict and supporting children’s participation.

During the International Day of Peace held last Sept. 21 at the Mindanao State University Gymnasium in Maguindanao, children and adolescents representing the different Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) areas in Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao, Zamboanga Sibugay, and Lanao del Sur will be the highlight of the celebration. These children and adolescents took part in the ADAP workshops and #ChildrenNotSoldiers campaign traditional cultural performance showcase, which were exhibited on the same day.

Ali said that peace building measures should address the root causes of the conflict, enhance social cohesion, build trust in governments, and build capacity of individuals, communities, and institutions to manage conflict and deliver appropriate services.

He noted that under the UNICEF framework, programs create space for young people and enhance their capacity to participate in the decision-making on the peace process, especially between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the MILF, while promoting pro-peace knowledge, attitudes, and lifestyle.

He pointed out that the quest for peace is integral to the fulfillment of the rights of children to safety and wellbeing, since young people have distinct capacities in contributing to peace-building due to their diverse experiences in armed conflict.

Founded in 2003, Kalimudan Culture and Arts Center seeks to raise awareness, advocate basic social issues through culture and arts as its tool, as it links with local and national movements for social and cultural development

It specializes in Mindanao cultural dances and music, contemporary arts (music, film, and video), and collaborates with national agencies like the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, as well as NGOs such as the SOCSARGEN Peace Network, and Mindulani, a Mindanao-wide network of theater workers.

East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Chandigarh, India: 11th Global Youth Peace Fest

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from the Tribune of India

The 11th Global Youth Peace Fest (GYPF)-2016 concluded at the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management here today with the delegates making a fervent plea for global peace and harmony in the spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, the whole world is one family, which they displayed over the week by embracing each other.

gypf
Delegates from Pakistan in a jubilant mood during the valedictory function of the 11th Global Youth Peace Festival in Chandigarh on Sunday. Tribune Photo: S Chandan
Click on image to enlarge

The collective aspiration for peace and harmony took the form of a resolution that called for establishing peace in every corner of the globe.

On the concluding day of the event, organised by Yuvsatta, an NGO, the high-octane aspiration for peace and harmony was evident as countries cheered the delegates from across the globe, forgetting regional tensions and lack of harmony. “As we met and embraced each other over the past week, we connected to the aspiration of the world as one family in the hearts and minds of every participant,” the final GYPF resolution passed by them read.

What was striking in today’s event was the rapport that the young people built over the week which translated into a standing ovation for every country as they walked up to the stage to get their mementos and certificates. The Pakistani delegation waving the Indian Flag was a touching sight in stark contrast to the tension that has been experienced across the border between the two countries.

The delegates also called upon the governments and international bodies to support youth programmes and projects and involve them in the decision-making process.“We all agree that there is an urgent need for exploring meaningful participation of young people in establishing a culture of peace by actively pursuing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and connecting to the universal yearning for peace,” they said, adding that the GYPF had shown the way to building a global culture of voluntarism and service.

The delegates presented action plans on what they would be doing back home in areas of women empowerment, sustainability, global citizenship and promoting youth leadership in SAARC countries with the learning of the GYPF fresh in their minds. The young people decided that they would remain in touch with each other and report the progress in achieving the goals in the next GYPF.

Earlier in the day, a “Wildlife Conservation Walk” was organised with all delegates assembling at Sukhna Lake carrying the message of “live and let live”.

A felicitation ceremony for all delegates from 33 countries was organised in which they were honoured with a canvas depicting a sketch of Mahatma Gandhi by Shammi Malik, state retail sales manager of Indian Oil Company Limited, Rani Sharma, chairperson, Sidharth Vashisht Charitable Trust, American Gandhi Bernie Meyer, Principal of the Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management TK Razdan and Dr Markandey Rai, Adviser, UN Habitat.

Question(s) related to this article:
FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, South Asia

First Meeting for Violence Prevention in Uruapan. Mexico

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from Agenia Quadratin (translated by CPNN)

The Municipal Government through the Ministry of Municipal Public Security and the Social Prevention of Violence and Crime, invited all social, educational, cultural, business and private sectors to the First Meeting for Violence Prevention held on Monday October 3 at the premises of the Casa del Niño.

uruapan
Click on image to enlarge

According to a press release, the event took place from nine o’clock in the morning, in the framework of the commemoration of the “International Day of Non-Violence” in the auditorium “Father Ochoa” of this institution. Also, the mayor, Victor Manuel Gonzalez Manriquez, has underlined the importance of creating social participation forums for involvement with the government for decision-making on public safety.

For his part, the representative for Municipal Public Security, Juan Martin Vega Villalobos, gave details of the activities held during this day, including a lecture entitled “Antidote Against Violence”, by Gerardo Herrera Perez, lawyer from Michoacan and a doctoral candidate in public policy, currently coordinator of research, dissemination and training of the ECHR in Michoacan and member of the Conapred.

Finally, the director of the section on Social Prevention of Violence and Crime, Manuel Escobedo Navarrete, said that the conference was to discuss enactment of a law for a culture of peace and prevention of violence and crime in Michoacan.

Escobedo Navarrete said two main axes are established: Culture of Peace, as a mechanism for human development through dialogue, tolerance and respect; and preventing violence as a vaccine against crime. He said they have worked for several months on this project with a multidisciplinary team to conduct workshops with issues of child violence, addiction prevention, violence, violent crime, new masculinities and neighborhood mediation.

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article

Question(s) related to this article:
FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Colombia: Follow live the 12th World Congress of Mediation and Culture of Peace

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota (translated by CPNN)

Follow live the most important conferences on issues of mediation and reconciliation at the XII World Congress of Mediation and Culture of Peace. The event, organized by the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota, through its Center for Arbitration and Conciliation, in partnership with the University of Sonora in Mexico, the Mediation Institute of Mexico and the International Centre for the Study of Democracy and Social Peace, will bring together more than 1,000 people in five cities, to discuss dialogue as the best tool to resolve conflicts in society.

Congreso
Video of the Congress

While Bogota will be the epicenter of Congress, cities such as Medellin, Cali, Barranquilla and Buenaventura will also host different events witrh the presence of renowned personalities such as John Paul Lederach, an expert on peace building, and Christopher Moore, an expert in collaborative conflict resolution who will give their views on how to achieve reconciliation.

During the six days of the Congress, dialogue, deliberation and consensus will become the common denominator of an academic agenda with the active participation of entrepreneurs, NGOs, the Government and citizens, in addition to the academic community. This event is the ideal place to raise awareness of the importance of solving everyday conflicts through peaceful alternatives and mediation.

The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota, Monica de Greiff said that “although the country is going through a very important moment of reconciliation, conflicts are part of daily life in the family, at work, in the community, at school and in business; therefore, this will be a space for national and international experts to deliver tools for healthy living and the peacefu solution of conflicts at any stage. ”

Mauricio Gonzalez, director of the Center for Arbitration and Conciliation said “at the Center, we have contributed to building peace for more than 30 years. We promote a culture of dialogue in all our services. Both employers and communities benefit from the school and community programs that we make available. ”

The Congress will also address the advantages of associative dialogue in the sectors of mining and energy in projects in vulnerable areas of the country, and will analyze the relevance of mediation and conciliation to public, private and social institutions.

For mor information, see: www.congresodemediacion.com.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish)

Question for this article:
EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Guatemala: 28 years of struggle for the life, dignity and rights of women survivors of genocide

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article from CLOC – the Latin American Coordination of Peasant Organizations (translated by CPNN)

We express our deep appreciation for another year of life to our Creator and Maker, to our grandmothers and grandfathers who taught us the ways of resistance, defense and the practice of our languages, our arts, customs, ancestral knowledge. They support and encourage us, and work for the fullness of life, gratitude, reciprocity and harmony with Mother Earth and her natural resources.

conavigua
(Click on photo to enlarge)

From our emergence as the National Coordination of Widows of Guatemala -CONAVIGUA-, beginning September 12, 1988, we have achieved the organization of widows and orphans, starting our way to defend the dignity of women victims of violence and to defend our children from discriminatory forced military recruitment. We have searched tirelessly for those missing from our families and for detainees, knocking on the doors of justice in the courts and searching in clandestine cemeteries, hoping to find the truth and whereabouts of our loved ones.

As women we have told our stories in the RHEMI report, the Historical Clarification Commission, the Public Ministry, the National Compensation Program and many more with the aim that our truth is recognized. We bring content to the Peace Accords, and we have actively participated in promoting compliance with the Accords. In addition, we have promoted, together with other women’s organizations, the institutionalization of DEMI, SEPREM and others.

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

Questions related to this article:
Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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It’s been 20 years since the signing of the Peace Accords and 28 years since the beginning of our organization. We continue to demand respect for life, human rights, an end to the persecution, violence and rape against women survivors of genocide. We fight to defend our land, territory, water, holy sites and the individual and collective property of our peoples. We demand compliance with international conventions and treaties on the rights of women, indigenous peoples, youth , justice, environment, peace and security

As women who possess experience in community and social work, we have submitted proposals for legislative initiatives and organized campaigns for women’s access to education, health, housing, agroecology and civic and political participation. We have supported the struggles against impunity, demanded justice against genocide and made claims for the defense of Mother Earth.

In CONAVIGUA have accompanied participation and community organization, strengthening of ancestral authorities and empowerment of women. This has led to trials to bring charges against the perpetrators and masterminds of violence and rape against women, as in the cases of the women from Tululché, and Sepur Zarco Ixil. We also demand an end to the criminal prosecution of the leaders of our struggles and our social organizations.

Our vision is to promote changes and transformations and to continue the work with the excluded sectors for a multiethnic, multicultural and multilingual country that includes women and indigenous peoples. We are committed to further deepening and strengthening networks and local, national and international alliances in different spaces and levels.

For compliance with the rights of women and the eradication of violence against women .

For the culture of peace.

For the Unity and Dignity of Women

HUMAN RIGHTS, Latin America

Greece: Union pushes for access to education for all refugee children

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Education International (reprinted according to provisions of Creative Commons)

Confronted with a dramatic increase of refugees from neighbouring countries in conflict, the Greek Federation of Secondary State School Teachers is calling for solidarity to see that all children receive an education.

The Greek Federation of Secondary State School Teachers (OLME) President and General Secretary are urging the Greek Government to seek special funding to cover the costs of creating proper reception and accommodation centres for refugees. These centres are to provide food, health care, translation and legal services in decent living conditions. The OLME also asked the Government to ensure access to education for all children who will remain in Greece, adding that the necessary infrastructure and proper conditions should be provided for their smooth transition.

Greece
Photo © UN

A lost generation

The union’s call comes as a recent UNICEF report, ‘Education Under Fire,’ exposed the harsh reality facing refugees, in particular children. It stated that, due to the wars in the Middle East and North Africa, 13 million children have been left without access to education. In addition, 9,000 schools in the Middle East are not operating and about 700,000 refugee children do not attend school because the existing school facilities cannot accommodate the increased number of additional schoolchildren.

Since the Balkan states closed their borders in March, thousands of refugee children in Greece have had little or no access to education. Rights organisations have warned of a “lost generation” of refugee children missing out on education.

OLME: Call for solidarity and dialogue

“We invite the local teacher unions and the teachers to lead the way once again,” said the OLME leadership in its 18 September statement. “We invite them to show their solidarity to refugees and immigrants in a concrete manner by organising or joining actions that aim to provide all kinds of material and moral support to refugees. At the same time, we invite them to lead discussions within the school community aiming to make young people aware of the issues pertaining to refugees and immigrants. Racist perceptions and discrimination against refugees and immigrants have no place within the education system nor within the Greek society.”

In response, local teacher unions, schools, and students have undertaken various initiatives showing their solidarity towards refugees.

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

Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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Financial assistance

The OLME Executive Board has allocated funding to local teacher unions directly experiencing a higher influx of refugees; this funding is to be used to secure humanitarian aid. OLME intends to support mobilisations along with the people’s movement, to support every effort stemming either from schools or the wider social context to consolidate a society of freedom, equality and respect for human rights.

“Funding is key to the implementation of the above-mentioned educational plan,” said the OLME leadership. To date, €7 million has been used for the construction of host centres, training of teachers and teacher trainers, and the production of school textbooks. Moreover, €2.8 million is to be provided by the International Organisation for Migration to pay for children’s transportation to and from reception classes and school cleaning until December 2016.

Long-term plans

In addition, the Greek Ministry of Education hasdeveloped an induction programme for refugee children within the Greek formal educational system, addressing educational and pedagogical considerations. Of the 27,000 refugee children stranded in Greece, at least 18,000 are thought to be of school age. For the past seven months, children in camps have only had access to casual volunteer-run classes. The Ministry estimates that, towards end-September, the first reception classes will begin and other ‘regular’ classes will gradually follow, with thousands of refugee and migrant children being enrolled in Greek schools.

Meanwhile, teachers appointed to refugee reception classes and host centres for the education of refugees are receiving special training. Since the number of Greek teachers qualified to teach the children’s native languages is not sufficient, the Ministry has invited NGOs to contribute human resources.

The OLME is adamant, however, that this initial stage of reception classes should be followed by the integration of all refugee children within the mainstream school community.

EI refugee conference

Education International will be holding a conference, on the theme “Education of refugee children – Fast track to equal opportunities and integration” from 21-22 November in Stockholm, Sweden. This event will be a unique opportunity to showcase education unions’ work worldwide to ensure that refugee and migrant children get a proper education. It will also highlight unions’ efforts to ensure that refugee and migrant teachers receive good training and work and living conditions. And it will reaffirm that education is a human right of which nobody should be deprived, regardless of their circumstances.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Catholic institutions around the world announce they are divesting from fossil fuel extraction, marking the largest faith-based divestment announcement

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ..

An article from 350.org (reprinted in accordance with the “mission of building a global movement to solve the climate crisis”)

Today (October 3), on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Catholic institutions and communities from all over the world celebrated the culmination of the month-long Season of Creation with the largest joint announcement of their decision to divest from fossil fuels.

catholic

The Catholic communities committing to switch the management of their finances away from fossil fuel extraction include: The Jesuits in English Canada; the Federation of Christian Organisations for the International Voluntary Service (FOCSIV) in Italy; the Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea; SSM Health in the United States; the Diocese of the Holy Spirit of Umuarama in the Brazilian state of Paraná; the Missionary Society of St. Columban, based in Hong Kong and with a global presence in 14 countries; and the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco – Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Milan and Naples (Italy).

Commitments range from divesting from coal, as is the case of the US healthcare institution SSM, to redirecting the divested funds into clean, renewable energy investments, as FOCSIV has announced. As for the Brazilian Diocese of Umuarama, it is both the first diocese and the first Latin American institution to commit to divest from fossil fuels; the Diocese is taking steps to become low-carbon and is part of COESUS, a coalition fighting fracking in Latin America.

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Question for this article:

Divestment: is it an effective tool to promote sustainable development?

(Article continued from left side of page)

The fossil fuel divestment movement was acknowledged during the presentation of Pope Francis’s message on the World Day of Prayer for Creation by Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, when he pointed out that Pope Francis suggests that “social pressure—including from boycotting certain products—can force businesses to consider their environmental footprint and patterns of production. The same logic animates the fossil fuel divestment movement.”

Major Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican organizations came together between September 1st (World Day of Prayer for Creation) and October 4th to observe the Season of Creation, calling on the 2.2 billion Christians worldwide to pray and take action to care for the Earth.

The urgent need to stop all new fossil fuel infrastructure was highlighted by a recent report which found that the potential carbon emissions from the oil, gas and coal in the world’s currently operating fields and mines would increase our planet’s temperature beyond 2°C by the end of this century, and even with no coal, the reserves in oil and gas fields alone would cause warming beyond 1.5ºC.

The campaign to divest from fossil fuels is the fastest growing divestment campaign in history, according to  a report by the University of Oxford. Up to date, nearly 600 institutions worth over $3.4 trillion globally have announced divestment commitments.

This is the latest in a row of recent announcements involving faith communities and climate change. Earlier this month, it was announced that over 3,000 UK churches had switched or planned to move to green energy in 2016; Morocco, where COP22 will gather this December, will give 600 mosques a green makeover by March 2019:  in September, the Indian government asked ashrams to invest in solar power; and just last week the Anglican Church of Southern Africa passed a motion during its provincial Synod to divest from fossil fuels.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT