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.

GLOBAL YOUTH RISING: Empowering passionate activists and peace workers from around the world– JULY 2016

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

A press release from Ilona Traista, Global Youth Rising

Join us for a global gathering that brings together activists, peace workers and others who are working to make the world a better place as we come together to discuss key issues such as what’s happening in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen and we work to create solid collaborative movements and plans of action for tackling these issues. PATRIR, in co-ordination with several partners including National Peace Academy, PAX, UNOY, the World Peace Initiative, IAHV and Building Bridges for Peace, is now accepting applications for GLOBAL YOUTH RISING – a summer camp and global gathering.

rising
Video of Global Youth Rising Peace Summer Camp 2016

This 10 day event this July will bring together passionate, motivated organizations, youth activists and peace workers from around the world to learn, share, collaborate and gain practical skills, tools and inspiration to empower them to achieve real and meaningful change in the world.

There are few forums in the world where people passionate about creating change can come together; Global Youth Rising aims to change this, bringing together extraordinary and dedicated activists, practitioners and global trainers who will facilitate trainings and workshops on a range of important topics including: tackling violent extremism and discrimination; healing from trauma (especially for those working with refugee/asylum seeking populations); building effective action in our communities; using arts and creativity for social transformation; fostering inner peace and well-being; building solidarity with citizens’ peace movements and activists in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Iraq and Ukraine; peace education; environmental justice and environmental movements; and practical peacebuilding skills (e.g. using social and digital media for activism).

As well as trainers from PATRIR, PAX, Peace Revolution, IAHV, National Peace Academy, UNOY and an alliance of other organizations, this is a horizontal forum where participants and organizations will be able to share their own experiences from their own communities and countries or work internationally, learning from each other and working to create solid international movements and projects.

The camp and global gathering will also include morning well-being sessions, including yoga, breathing techniques and meditation; the opportunity for non-formal learning such as forum theatre, strategy sessions on building movements, discussions, peace circles and film nights. Participants will also have the chance to explore the beautiful Transylvanian countryside and take part in excursions including mountain hiking and white-water rafting!

The Global Youth Rising summer camp & global gathering 2016 is the perfect opportunity to come together with dedicated activists from around the world and deepen your skills, knowledge, capacities and passion for real change — or to support youth and youth organisations in your community for the experience of a lifetime.

Dates are 10-20th July 2016 in Romania.
Deadline for Applications: May 30. (May 5th for those requiring a visa)

Question for this article
Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

New Alliance: Compassionate Cities and International Cities of Peace Join Efforts!

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

Excerpts from the websites of International Peace Cities and Charter for Compassion

    A compassionate city is an uncomfortable city! A city that is uncomfortable when anyone is homeless or hungry. Uncomfortable if every child isn’t loved and given rich opportunities to grow and thrive. Uncomfortable when as a community we don’t treat our neighbors as we would wish to be treated.”
    ~Karen Armstrong, Founder of the global movement, The Charter for Compassion

Charter for Compassion International and International Cities of Peace are now working together. In coordination, the organizations wil help you self-define and get to work in making your neighborhood, city, or state a more compassionate place for all citizens to thrive.

compassion
Video: Charter of Compassion Toolbox

The Compassionate network has an amazing Tool Box to help you get a baseline of needs, then create an action plan for progress. Every Compassionate City, due to their current work, will be added to our City of Peace network upon request. Every City of Peace can have direct access to the Charter for Compassion’s director, Marilyn Turkovich, and their Tool Box. Get in touch and start the good work of compassion. For details, send an email to info@internationalcitiesofpeace.org

The Charter TOOL BOX is a four-part model or framework for building a Compassionate Community. Every city of peace would benefit from this: How to Assess, Commit, Launch, and Sustain your compassionate action plan.

The text of the Charter for Compassion:

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

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Questions for this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

(Continued from left column)

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others—even our enemies—is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

Participating cities

Almost 70 cities [in 45 countries] globally have affirmed the Charter for Compassion through city, community councils or other govenment entities. Affirming the Charter means that a community has identified issues on which they are working, and committed to a multi-year action plan.

Click here for list of participating countries and cities

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

David v Goliath: Marshall Islands take on nuclear powers at UN court

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from RT.com

The Marshall Islands launch a legal campaign against the UK, India and Pakistan this week [March 6] in a David versus Goliath battle to achieve the goal of a “nuclear free universe”. The islands accuse the nuclear states of failing to halt the nuclear arms race, and are urging the UN’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), to pursue a lawsuit against all three.

marshall-islands
Video: Tony de Brum Explains Marshall Islands Lawsuits

The Pacific Ocean territory, used as a US nuclear testing site for 12 years, filed applications with the ICJ in April 2014 accusing the world’s nine nuclear-armed states of not respecting their nuclear disarmament obligations under the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and customary international law.

The nine nations possessing nuclear arsenals are the US, the UK, France, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel – though Israel is the only one which never acknowledged holding nuclear weapons.

The court admitted the cases brought against the UK, India and Pakistan because the three states have already recognised the ICJ’s authority.

The islands’ former Minister of Foreign Affairs Tony de Brum said they commenced “this lawsuit with the greatest respect and the greatest admiration for the big countries of the world, but we think it must be done”.

Hearings will take place in The Hague Monday to examine whether the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is competent to hear the lawsuits against India and Pakistan. Another hearing will take place on Wednesday to examine “preliminary objections” raised by London in the case against Britain, according to AFP.

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Question related to this article:

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

(Article continued from left column)

De Brum has said the people of the Marshalls suffer quietly but they take this suit in “the cause of a nuclear free universe”.

“We are fighting for what we believe is the only solution in terms of peace and prosperity in the world.”

Olivier Ribbelink, senior researcher at the TMC Asser Institute in The Hague says “the case is in a very preliminary stage at this point”, but added: “Either way the outcome, the case has certainly sharply refocused attention on the dangers of nuclear proliferation.”

De Brum and the Marshall Islands legal team have been nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize.

De Brum was nine years old when the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb was dropped by the US on Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954 during the Cold War nuclear arms race.

The 15-megatonne bomb was the largest US nuclear test on record at 1000-times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

The resulting characteristic mushroom cloud reached a diameter of 7km (4.5 miles) and a height of almost 40,000 meters (130,000ft) within six minutes of detonation.

The US carried out 67 nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands between 1946 and 1958.

Bikini Islanders lived in exile since they were moved for the first US weapons test, though some returned in the early 1970s after government scientists declared Bikini safe for resettlement.

However, residents were removed again in 1978 after ingesting high levels of radiation from eating local foods grown on the former nuclear testing site.

The Marshall Islands is appealing to the US Supreme Court after its case against the country was dismissed by a US federal court last year.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, East Asia

United Kingdom: Thousands call for Britain’s nuclear deterrent Trident to be scrapped

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Deutsche Welle

Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those marching against the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons program. Critics say there is growing opposition to the Cold War-era submarine fleet. “If a nuclear war took place there would be mass destruction on both sides of the conflict. Everyone should think about the humanitarian effects on people across this globe if they’re ever used,” Corbyn told the estimated 10,000-strong crowd gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square on Sunday.

trident
Click on image to enlarge

Corbyn, who has been a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) since he was 16, said he had been elected Labour leader on a manifesto in which standing against the renewal of Trident was a key component.

Waving placards and banners, the protesters called on the government to cancel plans to replace the current generation of submarines that carry the nuclear warheads.

Organizers described the rally as the largest anti-nuclear demonstration in a generation, claiming that up to 60,000 people attended. Previously the largest protest was held in 1983, against the deployment of Cruise missiles at Greenham Common.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, also addressed the crowd, saying that Trident, which is based at a naval base near Glasgow on the west coast of Scotland, was “immoral” and “impractical.”

A decision is expected to be taken later this year on replacing the ageing submarines which carry the Trident missiles at an estimated cost of 39 billion euros ($43 billion).

The British government wants to replace the four existing vessels with four so-called Successor submarines, the first of which would enter service in the early 2030s.

Prime Minister David Cameron says the renewal is vital to safeguard Britain’s security.
But the opposition Labour party is deeply divided on the issue between leftwingers like Corbyn, who want to scrap it, and some centrists who want to keep it.

US Defense Secretary Ash Carter waded into the debate on Saturday, saying that Britain must renew Trident if it is to maintain its “outsized” role in world affairs.

Carter said the submarine fleet helped the “special relationship” Britain enjoyed with the United States, the BBC said on its website.

“It’s important that the military power matches that standing and so we’re very supportive of it,” he added.

Question for this article:
DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

Romania: Systemic Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation & Post-War Recovery and Reconciliation

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An email received by CPNN from PATRIR

The Advanced Certificate Program in Systemic Peacebuilding, Conflict Transformation & Post-War Recovery and Reconciliation (PCTR) will be held in Cluj-Napoca, Romania 20-24 June 2016. The program is accredited by COTIPSO [Certificate of Training in United Nations Peace Support Operations].

patrir

“I will not hesitate to unreservedly recommend this programme for all actors in the peacebuilding field. I dare say that without it you stand the risk of missing the mark, with it your chance of success in your endeavours are quite significantly enhanced!”

— Paul Ebikwo, African Union/United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID), Sudan

By bringing together experienced practitioners and policymakers from governments, the United Nations, regional authorities (EU, AU, OAS, ASEAN), and national and international organisations and agencies, PCTR fosters a unique opportunity to interchange experience and practical learning with those working in conflict situations worldwide. Internationally noted as one of the best-evaluated programmes in the field, PCTR is unique in thoroughly addressing all three phases of violence and war – the before, during and after periods – grounded in rigorous professional training and practical operational experiences.

PCTR is a five-day intensive programme which provides experts, practitioners and policymakers with a forum for reflection and targeted, relevant professional development goals within a dynamic and stimulating environment. Given the issues it addresses, the programme is relevant for those working in political, gender, security, human rights, development, and humanitarian fields, as well as donors and diplomats specialising in areas affected or threatened by war, armed conflict or in post-war situations. PCTR draws upon a network of global experience, systematically weaving together key operational and policy lessons identified as good practices. The direct, needs-based skills and knowledge-intensive approach of the PCTR is suitable for senior and executive level field staff, and those in leadership roles in governments and organisations. It has also proved pertinent for those employed as staff and field practitioners within national and international aid and development organisations. The programme’s focus on practical experiences and skills that can be utilised in the field, and its emphasis on modules in systemic peacebuilding, and assurance that prevention works; also, its attention to conflict intelligence, peace consolidation and applied peacebuilding methodologies have received strong feedback from participants during the programme and for years to come.

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

(Article continued from left column)

View our full course outline for a comprehensive overview of this exciting and innovative programme.

HOW TO REGISTER: 

You may apply online or download an Application form.

After submitting an application, IPDTC will contact you within ten working days regarding an admission decision.

Course places are limited, so apply today!

Participant Contributions:

Full contribution for OECD Participants: €845

Full contribution for non-OECD Participants: €595

Discount Category I (-10%): Early Payment [by 16 May 2016] or Multiple Participants (3+ staff members from any Department, Agency or Organisation)

Discount Category II (-15%): Category I options paired together (Both Early Payment and Multiple Participants)

Deadline for Applications:

9 May 2016 for applicants who REQUIRE A ROMANIAN VISA, and
30 May 2016 for applicants who DO NOT REQUIRE a Romanian visa

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

The Senegalese winners of the “Next Einstein Forum” present the results of their scientific work

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from l’Agence de Press Sénégalaise

The three Senegalese winners of the “Next Einstein Forum”, the international three-day conference that opened Tuesday in Diamniadio (27 km east of Dakar) dedicated to science, technology and innovation, presented on Wednesday [ March 9] the “social importance” of their research.

einstein

Organized at the initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS, its acronym in English), the Senegalese Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the German Robert Bosch Foundation, the “Next Einstein Forum” is a global forum on “issues and challenges of science in Africa.”

Its organizers decided to honor “the 15 brightest young scientists” of Africa, who will have the opportunity to be in contact with the leaders of the continent and the rest of the world, as part of future meetings of the forum.

The program of this international forum includes a presentation of the work of the winners.

The three young Senegalese winners are Mouhamed Moustapha Fall, Joseph Ben Geloun and Assane Gueye.

Mr. Fall was interviewed the press on the occasion of the international conference, which aimed to make mathematics accessible to both educated and illiterate in Africa. To get there, he led a research project aimed at “showing the practical application of mathematics and the benefits of optimization of forms.” “Everyone can do math,” he says.

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

Question for this article:

How can we ensure that science contributes to peace and sustainable development?

(Article continued from the left side of the page)

Assane Gueye worked on “the search for a scientific approach to security and performance of information and large scale communication systems.” Gueye, who is Director of Research of the Professional Institute for IT security, an institution based in Dakar, develops computer models that should enable the prediction of “global behavior”. “The risks of catastrophic events can be managed and mitigated. And the effectiveness of control measures can be assessed,” he says in a document received from the organizers of the “Next Einstein Forum.”

Joseph Ben Geloun is interested in “physical mathematics, particularly the quantum properties of matter.” “Today,” he says,” we understand the structure of the atomic model, that is to say what is in the atom: the nucleus, neutrons, protons and elementary particles … ” His work presented in the “Next Einstein Forum” is dedicated to “the geometry of space-time”, a research project that leads Ben Joseph Geloun to question “the predictions of Albert Einstein’s laws, which are slightly wrong “. He received the Young Scientist Award in physics and mathematics from the 2015-2017 International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (Switzerland).

Other winners of the “Next Einstein Forum” are citizens of Uganda, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Cameroon, Nigeria and Ethiopia.

Their interests lie in theoretical physics, computer science, hypertension, urban epidemiology, semantic web technology, etc.

The “Next Einstein Forum” opened Tuesday in the presence of Senegalese President Macky Sall and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame.

The organizers of the international conference say they want to make Africa “a platform for science, mathematics and engineering.”

Kigali, the Rwandan capital, will host the next “Next Einstein Forum” in 2018.

Africa, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Les Lauréats Sénégalais du “Next Einstein Forum” exposent les résultats de leurs travaux scientifiques

. . DEVELOPPEMENT DURABLE . .

Un article de l’Agence de Press Sénégalaise

Les trois lauréats sénégalais du “Next Einstein Forum”, la conférence internationale de trois jours ouverte mardi à Diamniadio (27 km à l’est de Dakar) et dédiée à la science, à la technologie et à l’innovation, ont présenté mercredi [9 mars] les “intérêts sociaux” de leur recherche.

einstein

Organisé à l’initiative de l’Institut africain des sciences mathématiques (AIMS, sigle en anglais), du ministère sénégalais de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche, et de la fondation allemande Robert Bosch, le “Next Einstein Forum” est un forum mondial consacré aux “problématiques et enjeux de la science en Afrique”.

Ses organisateurs ont décidé d’honorer “les 15 plus brillants jeunes scientifiques” africains, qui auront l’opportunité d’être en contact avec les leaders du continent et du reste du monde, dans le cadre des futures rencontres du forum.

Le programme de ce forum international inclut une présentation des travaux des lauréats.

Des jeunes lauréats font partie les Sénégalais Mouhamed Moustapha Fall, Joseph Ben Geloun et Assane Guèye.

M. Fall a affirmé dans un entretien avec la presse, à l’occasion de la conférence internationale, qu’il avait pour ambition de rendre les mathématiques accessibles aux personnes instruites comme aux illettrés vivant en Afrique.

Pour y arriver, il conduit un projet de recherche visant à “démonter l’application pratique des mathématiques et les avantages de l’optimisation des formes”. “Tout le monde peut faire des mathématiques”, soutient-il.

Assane Guèye a travaillé sur “la recherche d’une approche scientifique de la sécurité et de la performance des systèmes d’information et de communication à grande échelle”.

(Voir suite sur colonne de droite. . . )

( Clickez ici pour la version anglaise .)

Question for this article:

How can we ensure that science contributes to sustainable development?

(. . . suite)

M. Guèye, directeur de recherche de l’Institut professionnel pour la sécurité informatique, un établissement basé à Dakar, élabore des modèles informatiques, qui doivent lui permettre de prédire “le comportement global”.

“Les risques d’événements catastrophiques peuvent être gérés et atténués. Et l’efficacité des mesures de contrôles peut être évaluée”, mentionne-t-il dans un document reçus des organisateurs du “Next Einstein Forum”.

Joseph Ben Geloun est intéressé par “les physiques mathématiques, particulièrement les propriétés quantiques de la matière”.

“Aujourd’hui, assure-t-il, nous comprenons la structure du modèle atomique, c’est-à-dire ce qu’il y a dans l’atome : le noyau, les neutrons, les protons et les particules élémentaires…” Ses travaux présentés au “Next Einstein Forum” sont consacrés à “la géométrie de l’espace-temps”, un projet de recherche qui emmène Joseph Ben Geloun à remettre en question “les prédictions des lois d’Albert Einstein, qui sont légèrement erronées”.

Il a reçu le Prix du jeune scientifique en physique et mathématiques 2015-2017 de l’Union internationale de physique pure et appliquée (Suisse).

Les autres lauréats du “Next Einstein Forum” sont des citoyens de l’Ouganda, de l’Egypte, du Kenya, de l’Afrique du Sud, du Cameroun, du Nigeria et de l’Ethiopie.

Ils se sont intéressés à la physique théorique, à l’informatique, à l’hypertension, à l’épidémiologie urbaine, à la technologie du web sémantique, etc.

Le “Next Einstein Forum” s’est ouvert mardi en présence du président sénégalais, Macky Sall, et de son homologue rwandais, Paul Kagame.

Les organisateurs de cette conférence internationale déclarent vouloir faire de l’Afrique “une plateforme des sciences, des mathématiques et de l’ingénierie”.

Kigali, la capitale rwandaise, accueillera le prochain “Next Einstein Forum”, en 2018.

Uncategorized

Senegal: 4th Global Peace Festival: “Live Peace – Meeting of World Cultures”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Excerpts from the email received at CPNN from Live Peace Festival International

From May Friday 06th to Sunday 08th, 2016, Saint-Louis (Senegal-West Africa) a secular land of peace and legendary Teranga (hospitality), ancient capital of French’ West Africa and Senegal, a tercentenary symbolic City listed World Heritage Site by UNESCO and successful example of harmonious and peaceful coexistence of cultures and religious, is welcoming the 4th Global Peace Festival : « Live Peace – Meeting of World Cultures ».

CODEVA
Click on image to enlarge

Organized by the non-profit organization for the « Co-operation, Development and Action » (CODEVA) to build a « bridge » between the world cultures and development and link Humans, this great celebration of Arts, Culture of Peace, Forum for Peace and Peace Camp will assemble all those who work for peace, peacemakers, artists, youth, women, volunteers, personality and world citizens coming together in one big celebration dedicated to peace and cultural diversity. The theme this year is : “Youth and Women in Sustainable Development Goal” and to our cultural heritage as a contribution to the local development of Senegal and Africa.

The “Live Peace Festival of World Cultures” is an original and very special sustainable event of solidarity and education in Saint-Louis of Senegal. It is full of symbolism, respectful of life from local to global, and the need for the emergence of a culture of non-violence, dialogue between cultures, responding to the aspiration of humanity for peace.

The three (3) days of festival includes concerts, shows, performing arts/music, dance, theater, campfire and narrated evening, forums, interactive workshop, projection of film, hiking, Global Village of Festival: fair-exhibitions, visual arts, convivial and solidarity space, zone of media center and public relations.

We warmly invite all the positive energies (youth, women, volunteers and artists) media, donors, sponsors and partners to support and participate in solidarity with this worthy cause and contribute to the success of the festival.

P.O.Box : 241- Saint-Louis, SENEGAL
Phone : + 221.77 553.85.63 / 70 658.81.43
Mail : livepeacefestival@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/livepeacefestivalinternational

Question for this article:
Africa, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Canada: It’s time to let Iraq War Resisters stay!

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from the War Resisters Support Campaign

Following the federal election, there is hope that there can finally be a positive and speedy resolution to the cases of U.S. Iraq War resisters. Your help is needed to make sure they are allowed to stay in Canada. Watch our new video below and then take a moment to write a letter to your MP in support of war resisters. For more information, see our backgrounder on the situation of U.S. Iraq War Resisters in Canada.

resisters

Video for campaign

Canadians voted for change and expect the new government to do the right thing and let the war resisters stay. It was the strong response of Canadians that has kept most U.S. war resisters in Canada – and out of U.S. military prison – for the past ten years.

U.S. Iraq War resisters have lived through a decade of unfair political interference in their cases by the previous Conservative government. Some were deported by the Harper government, and received harsh jail sentences in the U.S. for opposing the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq.

The new government should immediately heed the will of the majority of Canadians and stop any and all actions against U.S. war resisters, including halting the litigation against U.S. war resisters, as this litigation defends policies and decisions made by the previous Conservative government.

How you can help

1) Write a Letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau:

The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
Langevin Block
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A2

2) Call, e-mail and write to your Member of Parliament:
To send a letter: address it to your MP, and send to House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

To find out your MP’s email and phone number, you can email info@parl.gc.ca
or call toll-free (Canada): 1 (866) 599-4999.

MP contact details will be up shortly at www.parl.gc.ca, under ‘Members of Parliament’.

Key points to mention:

• Resolve this issue swiftly as part of the change promised by the new government

• It is time to fix this issue – end over 10 years of unfair and unjust legal and political actions by the Harper government

• Stop the deportations

• Stop pursuing war resister cases in court, as doing so defends decisions and policies made by the former Conservative government

• Rescind Operational Bulletin 202

• Implement a new Operational Bulletin that restores fairness for all war resister cases and reverses the harm done

3) Donate to the War Resisters Support Campaign

4) Please join and follow us – and share us on Social Media:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

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

Question for this article:
DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, North America

Nonviolent Peace Force Nominated for 2016 Nobel Peace Prize

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

A press release from the American Friends Service Committee

Nonviolent Peaceforce, an unarmed, paid civilian protection force which fosters dialogue among parties in conflict and provides a protective presence for threatened civilians, has been nominated for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

nvpf

“Unarmed civilian protection is a method for direct protection of civilians and violence reduction that has grown in practice and recognition. In the last few years, it has especially proven its effectiveness to protect women and girls,” according to a UN report of October 2015 cited in its nominating letter by AFSC, a Quaker organization working for peace and justice across the U.S. and around the world.

“Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Nonviolent Peaceforce would highlight and strengthen their work and the work of other similar organizations, at a time when worldwide tensions seem to be at a boiling point, and their work is vital and relevant,” AFSC wrote.

“We are honored to be nominated. We are especially honored to have this nomination come from the American Friends Services Committee. This is a tribute to our courageous civilian peacekeepers who are at the frontline of violent conflicts around the world,” said Mel Duncan, co-founder, and Doris Mariani, CEO of Nonviolent Peaceforce.

Founded in 2002, Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP) fielded its first intervention team one year later, in Sri Lanka. With headquarters in Brussels and an office in Minneapolis MN, NP field teams are presently deployed in the Philippines, in South Sudan, Myanmar, and the Middle East. Their field staff include veterans of conflict zones, experienced peacekeepers, and those new to the field.

Aware of the danger of neocolonial models of intervention, Nonviolent Peaceforce only serves in areas where they have been invited, and they conduct extensive and thorough interviews and research with all parties to a conflict before they decide whether or not to deploy teams to a conflict area.

NP is also clear that their goal is “to arrive to leave,” not intending to establish long-term presence, but seeking to address the conflict that caused their invitation, see it through to resolution, and then withdraw.

As part of its work, NP has reunited child soldiers with their families and helped create weapons-free zones in conflict areas. NP mitigates gender violence through their Women’s Security Teams, “which have dramatically lessened the number of rapes that South Sudanese women experience while gathering water or firewood for their families. In the past year, (NP) provided over 1,000 accompaniments for vulnerable people, primarily women and children, throughout South Sudan,” the AFSC wrote.

In 1947, AFSC and the British Friends Service Council accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of “Quakers everywhere.” Peace Prize laureates have the privilege to nominate candidates for this honor. The AFSC Nobel Nominating Committee includes a representative of Quaker Peace and Social Witness, the AFSC’s counterpart in Great Britain. For more on the nomination criteria, visit http://quakernobel.org/

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

Question for this article:
EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global