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.

Michoacán, Mexico: Law Approved for Culture of Peace and Prevention of Violence

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from Quadratin, Michoacán (translated by CPNN)

Morelia, Michoacan, July 15, 2016.- The Regular Session of the Congress of Michoacán has approved the recommendation of the committees of Justice and Public Security and Civil Protection, and approved the Act for a Culture of Peace and Prevention of Violence and Crime for the State. The purpose of the law is to provide additional institutional support to restore the social fabric and social inclusion, foster a culture of peace and a harmonious society and ensure public participation to protect the peace of our families and communities. Where appropriate, it aims to provide strong denunciation of crimes and serve the collective interest. This was announced by Deputy Wilfrido Lazaro Medina who presented the initiative which is now an approved Act of the Legislature.

Michoacan
Click on photo to enlarge

According to a statement, the President of the Commission of Public Safety and Civil Protection, said that this initiative was also strengthened in its technical aspects by an analysis and updating of legislation on public safety that was carried out in conjunction with the Ministry of State Security. Other contributions came from participants in the Diploma in Public Safety and Culture of Prevention of the Latin University of America, as well as observations by the State Center for Violence and Delinquency Prevention and inputs from civil society organizations and associations, citizens and experts on the subject.

Lazaro Medina said that peace is the social value that motivated him to present the proposed Law for the Culture of Peace and Prevention of Violence and Crime. He said “this represents a progressive reform of the law. It is not utopian but rational and possible to achieve a culture of peace through the observance of the rule of law. Our people need security and stability as a condition of being able to have a full life and exercise the rights and freedoms that our Constitution gives us.”

“There is no way to peace, peace is the way,” said Mahatma Gandhi. But we must also say that the path only exists if you build it through respect, tolerance, humility, generosity, dialogue, understanding, agreements and reconciliation. Only then can we construct a positive peace in the state, by doing our part in Michoacan, “he concluded.

(Click here for the article in Spanish)

Questions for this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

The Elders welcome new moves in Africa to end child marriage

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

Press release from The Elders

The Elders today welcomed recent moves by leaders in The Gambia, Tanzania and Uganda to end or curb child marriage, as part of the African Union’s continent-wide campaign to eradicate the harmful practice.

elders

In The Gambia, where almost a third of underage girls are married, President Yayha Jammeh has announced that anyone marrying a girl below 18 would be jailed for up to 20 years, with legislation due to by drawn up in the coming months. In Tanzania, meanwhile, parliament has declared that current child marriage laws are unconstitutional.

The Ugandan health ministry has also recently announced that it will provide more advice to girls and adolescents, and educate them on their sexual and reproductive health and rights, joining 10 other countries which have already adopted national strategies and action plans to end child marriage.

Kofi Annan, Chair of The Elders, said:

“It is encouraging to see more African leaders and legislators taking action to end the damaging and abusive practice of child marriage. This is an issue of rights, health, justice and protection that affects individual girls and women, their families and their wider community. Governments across the continent must now work hard to educate the wider population and eradicate this practice once and for all.”

The Elders have campaigned against child marriage since 2011, when they formed the global civil society alliance Girls Not Brides, now an independent organisation in its own right.

Mary Robinson added:

“As Elders, we are committed to promoting equality for women and girls and ending all forms of discrimination. Child marriage is cruel and harmful. It denies girls the chance of an education and economic independence. Their talents cannot then be tapped by communities which could benefit from their knowledge and resilience. These latest steps are welcome but much more still needs to be done to protect girls’ rights.”

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

Question related to this article:
Africa, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Malaysia: Tenaganita Still Fighting for Women Workers’ Rights, 25 Years On

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article by Mickey Spiegel for Human Rights Watch

It’s now a quarter of a century since Tenaganita, a civil society pioneer in the fight for women workers’ rights in Malaysia, was founded. It has thrived despite persistent government harassment and roadblocks to its work. But one look at its determined and principled leadership explains a lot.

malaysia
Irene Fernandez speaks at the presentation of the winners of the Right Livelihood Awards in Stockholm, Sweden on December 7, 2005. © 2005 Reuters
Click on photo to enlarge

Since Tenaganita has never blown its own horn, too few people know of the group’s ground-breaking struggles for decent working conditions for both Malaysian and migrant women – be they on remote palm oil plantations, crowded factory assembly lines, or isolated in private homes as abused migrant domestic workers. Since 1991, Tenaganita has been instrumental in fighting for justice for women and men trafficked into forced labor and sexual exploitation in Malaysia; for urban refugees seeking the right to work and for their children’s right to schooling; and fighting for a bigger vision – that all ASEAN countries make their laws and practices conform with international rights standards.

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Question(s) related to this article:

The right to form and join trade unions, Is it being respected?

(Article continued from the left column)

I and other Human Right Watch staff members learned much from Tenaganita about finding possible solutions for women workers’ struggles. The first lesson came from visiting its modest offices, jammed each day with clients patiently waiting their turn for help, and watching the staff never hurry a person in distress, no matter how late the hour or how difficult their case. The combination of modesty and principled persistence won through.

A second lesson came from the exceptional women who formed and led Tenaganita. The inimitable founder, Irene Fernandez, faced down repeated government threats to her work and her freedom in a trial and appeal that lasted 13 years. The authorities charged her for “maliciously publishing false news” after Tenaganita issued a report about the abysmal conditions in Malaysia’s immigration detention centers. After a seven-year-long trial, she was found guilty in 2003 – a conviction that hung over her head until the High Court overturned the verdict in 2008.

I’m forever grateful to Irene, who passed away in 2014, for the advice she gave me on migrant issues; to her sister Aegile Fernandez, part of the leadership team since the beginning; and to Glorene Das, now executive director. Glorene, dynamic yet modest, is never too busy to explain a new convoluted government program, or to rally activists when it is apparent that workers are in peril.

The hope, of course, is that someday workers will no longer need groups like Tenaganita. But it is a life saver for those in need. I am confident it will tackle challenges with the expertise, modesty, and tenaciousness that has been its trademark for 25 years.

East Asia, HUMAN RIGHTS

Tunisia moves closer to achieving gender equality in politics

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from UN Women

Tunisia’s Parliament has approved an amendment ensuring that women have greater representation in local politics. This amendment, which applies to both municipal and regional elections, includes a proposal for “horizontal and vertical” gender parity in Article 49 of the electoral law.

Tunisia
Plenary session in the Assembly of Representatives of the People (ARP), with UN Women. Photo: ARP
(click on photo to enlarge)

Horizontal parity requires that municipal election lists across Tunisia have equal number of both men and women, while vertical parity requires that men and women alternate within each list. Both were adopted by the Assembly of Representatives of the People (ARP), the Tunisian parliament, on 15 June 2016. Out of 134 representatives, 127 agreed to the new measure.

“The adoption of the new electoral law on parity aligns with the democratic path that the country has chosen to take,” said Bochra Belhaj Hamida, a parliamentarian and member of the Commission of Women, Family, Children, Youth and Seniors. “For the first time, 73 women parliamentarians, from different parties, backgrounds and political ideologies, voted unanimously and conducted their own lobbying in favour of the horizontal and vertical parity.”

UN Women joined forces with the advocacy efforts led by civil society for horizontal parity in local elections. On the eve of the plenary session in Parliament for this draft law, a specific session was held in partnership with the International Development Centre for Local Innovative Governance. Women parliamentarians presented arguments and evidence in favour of the adoption of horizontal and vertical parity.

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Question for this article

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

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According to the Gender Gap Report 2015, Tunisia is ranked 69th in terms of political empowerment out of 145 countries. Enshrining horizontal and vertical parity in the electoral law increases women’s chances of being elected in the upcoming local elections planned in March 2017, and will allow for better representation in municipal and regional councils. It constitutes significant progress towards inclusive government, equal opportunities and gender equality.

“Besides being a first in our region, the adoption of horizontal and vertical parity in electoral law is a timely achievement because it will guarantee effective participation of women in the upcoming decentralization process in Tunisia,” said Leila Rhiwi, UN Women Maghreb Representative.

In line with its efforts to support women’s leadership and political participation, in March 2016 UN Women initiated a project with parliamentarians in Tunisia that involved advocacy sessions around the legislative agenda, capacity building, networking and support for the implementation of the women’s caucus. This initiative, conducted with Members of Parliament, aims to improve the representation of women in both local and national politics. To date, four sessions have been held.

These efforts are in line with UN Women’s “Step It Up” initiative. At the Global Leaders’ Meeting on 27 September 2015, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid pledged to expand women’s ability to participate in politics and public affairs, saying: “Our experience in democratic transition recently is witness to the fact that women should be represented in all legislative bodies. Hence, we enhance women’s ability to participate in politics and in public affairs. This is a commitment.”

Mideast, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx acknowledge shooting victims with t-shirts

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Brad Weiss at Fansided

The United States has been ravaged with shooting deaths over the past few weeks, and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx showed their support for the victims on Saturday. [July 9].

[Editor’s note. In the United States, the Minnesota Lynx basketball team has won the championship of the Women’s National Basketball Assocation in 2011, 2013 and 2015]

lynx
Photos from Minnesota Lynx @minnesotalynx
(Click on photo to enlarge)

The Minnesota Lynx are showing their support for change, as the team wore black warm-up shirts before their game against the Dallas Wings on Saturday night. On the front of the shirt, it read “Change starts with us — Justice & Accountability.” On the back of the shirt are the names Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, who were both shot and killed by police this past week.

Castile was killed by a suburban St. Paul police officer during a traffic stop, while his girlfriend uploaded the video to Facebook. The team is also showing support for the Dallas Police Department, as the shirt has their shield above the phrase “Black Lives Matter” on the back of the shirt.

Five Dallas police officers were shot and killed by a sniper on Thursday night, as they helped keep the peace during a protest over the killings of Sterling and Castle.

“If we take this time to see that this is a human issue and speak out together, we can greatly decrease fear and create change,” Lynx star Maya Moore said. “Tonight we will be wearing shirts to honor and mourn the losses of precious American citizens and to plead for change in all of us.”

Question for this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

U.N. passes landmark resolution condemning internet shutdowns

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Press release from Access Now

Today [July 1] the United Nations Human Rights Council agreed by consensus to a resolution supporting human rights online, despite efforts by hostile states to eliminate key provisions in the text. The landmark document specifically condemns internet shutdowns and renews 2012 and 2014 resolutions that declared, unequivocally, that human rights apply online just as they do offline.

internet
(click on photo to enlarge)

“The U.N. has boldly spoken against the pressing problem of internet shutdowns. This unanimous statement by the world’s highest human rights body should give governments pause before they order blocking, throttling, and other barriers to information,” said Peter Micek, Global Policy and Legal Counsel at Access Now. “Development and human rights protections are strengthened in tandem when networks remain open, secure, and stable. All stakeholders, from telcos to activists to judges, must band together to demand an end to shutdowns.”

The resolution faced opposition by a small number of influential member states who attempted to water down the text. Access Now joined a group of civil society organizations to urge Human Rights Council member states in a letter to pass the resolution by consensus, citing its importance for bridging the gender digital divide; advancing the Sustainable Development Goals; and incorporating a human rights-based approach into expanding internet connectivity. As the letter notes, the Human Rights Council had twice previously affirmed by consensus that “the same rights that people have offline must also be protected online.”

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Latest Discussion

Is Internet freedom a basic human right?

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“This resolution marks a major milestone in the fight against internet shutdowns. The international community has listened to the voices of civil society — many of whom have suffered under shutdowns themselves — and laudably pushed back on this pernicious practice,” said Deji Olukotun, Senior Global Advocacy Manager at Access Now. “Shutdowns harm everyone and allow human rights crackdowns to happen in the dark, with impunity. Citizens can’t participate fully in democratic discourse during elections. The Human Rights Council’s principled stance is a crucial step in telling the world that shutdowns need to stop.”

The #KeepitOn campaign is supported by nearly 90 organizations from 41 countries around the globe who are pushing back on internet shutdowns at every level, from governments to telcos to tech companies to everyday internet users. The full list of organizations is available on the campaign website:https://www.accessnow.org/keepiton/

The U.N. resolution follows a recent shutdown in Turkey surrounding bombing attacks, one in Bahrain around protests, and another in Algeria to prevent cheating on school exams. Notably, police in Ghana have backtracked from claims that they intend to block social media during upcoming elections in November 2016, after an uproar from civil society groups, politicians, and the U.N.

Last year, Access Now recorded at least 15 internet shutdowns around the world, and has already recorded 20 shutdowns in the first half of 2016.

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

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nations,

Promoting peace in Central Africa: Batchiellilys and youth evoke peace in its linguistic diversity

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from L’Union, daily newspaper of Gabon (translated by CPNN)

The Pan African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace (Payncop), the Network of organizations of African youth leaders of the nations of Gabon (Rojalnu-Gabon) and the National Youth Council of Gabon (Cnjg), on Saturday [9 July] launched the youth campaign for promoting the culture of peace in Central Africa.

gabon

The event was held in the premises of the UN Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), partner in the project, as well as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations system in Gabon.

This was an opportunity for senior executives of the UN system, Vincenzo Fazzino, Marie-Evelyne Petrus Barrys, and the media, in particular, to appreciate the song “Let us Give the Peace”, composed by the artist Annie-Flore Batchiellilys and presented in collaboration with African youth, as well as other materials used in the context of this campaign.

For the initiators of the project, the campaign aims to get media attention on the concept of culture of peace. The goal is to raise awareness of the public in general and youth in particular, about the role that each can play in building and consolidating peace and non-violence in daily life.

( Click here for the French version.)

 

Question related to this article.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Petition: Another Route to Peace

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

A message received by CPNN concerning the Petition for Peace

Dear Members of the Network of the Felix Houphouet-Boigny Foundation for Peace Research,

We announce the call to sign the petition for the creation of an appropriate structure of the UN in charge of interreligious and intercultural dialogue for peace. This international initiative, called “another route to peace” was initiated July 3, 2016 by the Pan-African Centre for Social Prospects (CPPS) headed by Professor Albert Tevoedjre.

petition
Click on the photo to enlarge

For more information on this petition, we urge you to go to the link below: http://www.petitionpourlapaix.com/index.php/the-petition

To sign the petition, click on the following link: http://www.petitionpourlapaix.com/#gkMainbodyTop

* * * * * * * * * * *
Petition: Another Route to Peace

It has now been a little more than one year since the initiative was taken by Professor Albert Tévoédjrè – an African scholar, a Beninois political figure, President and founder of the Pan-African Social Prospects Centre (CPPS), former special representative of the UN Secretary General in Côte d’Ivoire – and other prominent experts from diverse fields (including culture and social engagement) and with varied professional experiences agreed to foster international support for the African Education Initiative for Peace and Development through Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue.

In light of the tragic impasse of military response to the terrorist threat that plunges our planet into mourning every day, these figures have agreed to offer their experience, their reputation and their lucid generosity with the aim of sharing intelligence and knowledge in the interest of public safety. In each country, they want a unifying focal point of creative energies to stand out and to shine, thus helping the African Initiative become a new chain of human security that goes beyond short-lived survival and defence operations. Other figures in the fight for human life will be welcome to help build the resolute and powerful network of engineers expected to come forth from this credible peace-bringing mechanism that will operate through collective and communal action, responding to the immediate needs of populations.

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

Question for this article

Islamic extremism, how should it be opposed?

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Through this movement, we wish to connect this initiative to citizens of the world who are fuelled by the same desire for peace and living together despite our differences.

The objective is to collect as many signatures as possible in Africa and across the globe to get the UN Secretary General to act by creating an appropriate federative structure for interreligious and intercultural dialogue for peace to:

– Create a framework for interreligious and intercultural dialogue within the Member countries;

– Promote meetings between young people from diverse socio-cultural and religious backgrounds to facilitate and strengthen the mechanisms of “living together”;

– Create a network of focal points in each country and give priority to joint actions for development with have been established and administered by inter-religious and intercultural groups;

– Develop joint social innovation projects, based on interreligious and intercultural dialogue which, within each country of African and the world, will culminate in a common minimum level of social development for all citizens;

– Increase the number of training centres and university institutions specifically focused on interreligious and intercultural dialogue specifically dedicated to joint actions of inclusive development;

– Contribute to the shaping of the proposal for an international day for interreligious and intercultural dialogue to foster development.

Appeal made in Cotonou, Benin, on Sunday, 3 July 2016

global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

9th International Conference of Museums for Peace, Belfast, Northern Ireland

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Peter van den Dungen (Hon.), General Coordinator, International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP)

The 9th international conference of the International Network of Museums for Peace (INMP) will be held in Belfast, 10th – 13th April 2017. The conference is hosted by Ulster University, with the support of Visit Belfast.

museums

The conference theme, ‘Cities as Living Museums for Peace’, will highlight (among other subjects), Belfast’s social and political transformation from a divided, troubled city to one which models peace consciousness through post-conflict healing and reconciliation.

The conference invites participation from peace educators, including directors and curators of human rights and peace museums, artists, architects, journalists, policy-makers, as well as researchers, scholars, and students of such fields as education, history, museum studies, cultural memory studies, conflict resolution.

The opening day of the conference marks the 19th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, perhaps the most important and far-reaching agreement in the Northern Ireland peace process of the 1990s. The opening reception will be held at Stormont (Parliament Building), on the same estate where the historic agreement was signed.

The conference also marks the 25th anniversary of INMP – a global network of peace museums, memorials, gardens and other peace related sites that share the aim to cultivate a global culture of peace.

The call for paper, panel and poster presentations is now open, until 1st November. For more information and an application form, go to www.museumsforpeace.org or contact conference@museumsforpeace.org

Question for this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

International Peace Bureau World Congress 2016: “Disarm! For a Climate of Peace – Creating an Action Agenda”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Press release of The International Peace Bureau

Given the omnipresent atmosphere of political confrontation and the worldwide armament, the International Peace Bureau (IPB) organizes the World Congress on global disarmament and military spending. The event takes place from September 30th until October 2nd 2016 at the Technical University of Berlin. About 1000 guests from all over the world are expected to participate at the Congress.

IPB

The IPB World Congress is supported by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), UNI Global Union, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), by international religious organisations (of different persuasions), organisations from the environmental and development policy sector as well as by the three big political foundations in Germany: Heinrich Böll, Friedrich Ebert and Rosa Luxemburg.

You will find an overview of our supporters at: https://www.ipb2016.berlin/partners/.

What is the International Peace Bureau?

Founded in 1891/92, the International Peace Bureau (IPB, www.ipb.org) is the oldest existing international peace network. It counts more than 300 member organizations in over 70 countries and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910. Over the course of time, 13 prominent IPB leaders were also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

The IPB devotes itself to the vision of a world without war. The main focus of its work is “Disarmament for Sustainable Development”. Within this programme, it mainly strives for the re-allocation of governments’ military spending. For 6 years, the IPB has been the coordinator of the Global Campaign on Military Spending (including the Global Days of Action on Military Spending, GDAMS. Since the 1980s, the IPB has promoted the worldwide campaign for nuclear disarmament, aiming at the abolition of all nuclear weapons.

What is the aim of the Congress?

According to official SIPRI records, the combined military budgets of the world’s governments totalled $1,7 billion in 2015. In the same year, 900 million people suffered from hunger. Every day, 10.000 children die of curable diseases. Social inequalities are increasing.

In the face of these growing social challenges and the desperately needed financial resources to mitigate and adapt to climate change, money must under no circumstances be wasted by investing in the military sector.

Global disarmament must be put on the international agenda. Therefore, the Congress wants to help build support for a peace agenda, bringing about a peaceful and fair distribution of the world’s resources.

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Question related to this article:

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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The Congress will centre on questions of global transformation. How can we encourage fundamental and desperately needed changes? How can we foster cooperation and dialogue in order to reach common security goals?

Transformation to peace is among the biggest challenges of the 21st century. Thus, the Congress is set up as international peace gathering with a clear message: “no to war and confrontation”. The people’s active participation, promoting a new international democracy, is inseparably linked with the successful development of the worldwide peace process.

Humans are led to support wars, often seduced by lies and false concepts of ‘the enemy’. Nevertheless, people all over the world stand up for freedom and peace, often by organising great public events.

One big aim of the Congress is to make a major contribution to the international peace movement. A range of ideas will be discussed and a “Plan of Action for Peace” will be presented. Attempts will be made to bring together theoretical considerations and real transformation strategies. Moreover, the Congress shall be an impulse for the initiation of more peace actions all around the world.

The organisers confront the world of war with a clear vision of a world of peace.
Several prominent guests joined the Congress. Among the speakers in the plenaries, in panel discussions and working groups will be, among others, the Nobel Peace Prize laureates Tawakkol Karman from Yemen and Mikhail Gorbachev (via video), the founder of the “Right Livelihood Award” Jakob von Uexküll, the laureates of the “Right Livelihood Award” Vandana Shiva and Alyn Ware, prominent economists like James Galbraith, Noam Chomsky (via video) and Samir Amin, the Co-President of the Club of Rome Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, the secretary generals of ITUC and UNI Global Union Sharan Burrow and Philip Jennings, the former Director General of UNESCO Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the former Defence Minister of Ecuador and current Permanent Representative of her country to the United Nations in Geneva María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the director general of the United Nations office in Geneva Michael Møller, and the chairman of ver.di Frank Bsirske.

The Congress will be opened by the President of the Technical University of Berlin, Christian Thomsen, and by the Senator of finance in Berlin, Matthias Kollatz.

Preparatory Events: Already 6 preparatory seminars have taken place in various parts of the world: https://www.ipb2016.berlin/congress/preparatory-events/

You will find the provisional, already quite extensive, program at http://www.ipb2016.berlin/program/program-structure/.

The latest news will also be published on Facebook: www.facebook.com/IPBcongress2016.

A diverse program of cultural, informational and other side-events will accompany the Congress. Moreover, there will be an independent “Youth Gathering”.

More information will be published at www.ipb2016.berlin.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global