All posts by CPNN Coordinator

About CPNN Coordinator

Dr David Adams is the coordinator of the Culture of Peace News Network. He retired in 2001 from UNESCO where he was the Director of the Unit for the International Year for the Culture of Peace, proclaimed for the Year 2000 by the United Nations General Assembly.

United Nations Alliance of Civilizations : Applications now open for the Youth Solidarity Fund

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An announcement from the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations

The Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF) supports youth-led organizations that foster peaceful and inclusive societies. Seed funding is given to projects, for and by young people, that demonstrate innovative and effective approaches to intercultural or interfaith dialogue. UNAOC additionally offers capacity-building support to help youth-led organizations strengthen the implementation of their projects.

Established in 2008, YSF responded to calls for action made by young civil society leaders worldwide on the importance of establishing funding mechanisms for youth-led organizations. Today, YSF is more relevant than ever. As the global agenda increasingly speaks of youth’s participation and contribution to peace, development and security, it is critical to listen and respond with funding and partnership opportunities. Click here to start application process


Photo from video about previous YSF winners

The funded projects are youth-led and youth-focused. The age definition used by UNAOC to characterize youth is an individual between the ages of 18 and 35. While the projects target mainly young people, they have an impact on entire communities, often involving religious or political leaders, policy-makers, educational institutions and media organizations.

Youth Solidarity Fund – 9th Edition

The world today is home to the largest youth generation in history, a population that suffers disproportionately from the effects of violence, conflict, poverty, and now COVID-19. The repercussions of COVID-19 extend way beyond health and are exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and inequalities. The UN Comprehensive Response to COVID-19 states that the world is experiencing a “surge of stigma, a tsunami of hate, and ramped-up efforts to exploit young people.” To counter this alarming trend, it calls for more action to address the root causes of intolerance and discrimination by promoting inclusion and respect for diversity.

Despite COVID-19 and many other obstacles and challenges, young people continue to find ways to engage, support one another, as well as demand, and drive change. Young people implement innovative solutions to peace and security challenges and are the most able to mobilize their peers. They have the power to transform entire regions to make them more secure, peaceful, and socially inclusive. This has been recognized by the United Nations’ Youth, Peace and Security agenda, which has increasingly focused on youth as agents of change and key actors in powerful social movements. The latest Security Council Resolution on YPS 2535 (July 2020) reiterates youth-led organizations’ critical role in planning and stabilization efforts in peacebuilding and sustaining peace. Indeed, these organizations have a deep understanding of local conditions and meaningful community relationships, allowing them to work with populations that may be difficult for others to access.

Our world has recently witnessed a tragic surge in religious hatred, with increased attacks and violence targeting members of faiths and traditions. In the face of these unspeakable tragedies, the world has also witnessed extraordinary displays of support, love, and solidarity from religious communities across the globe for the victims of such attacks. That led to the creation of the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites, developed by UNAOC and launched in September 2019, highlighting the need to create counter-narratives to hatred and violent extremism and promote sustained collaboration among different religions through interreligious dialogue, education, and media. Youth empowerment, including their meaningful participation in decision-making, can play an essential role in whole-of-society preventative approaches.

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

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YSF continues to support youth-led civil society organizations, with a particular focus on the role of young people in promoting peace and preventing violent extremism. YSF does so by providing the partnership, mentorship, and financial means to help young people implement activities that prevent violent conflict, promote peace and social inclusion. YSF functions as a small grant-making mechanism for youth to develop their own ideas on strengthening community resilience against violent extremism conducive to terrorism. UNAOC believes that young people are uniquely placed to counter and prevent violent extremism within their communities based on their valuable insights, influence, and credibility.

Additionally, YSF contributes to the implementation of the UN Secretary-General’s Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism and the call to support young people as they take up the causes of cultural and religious pluralism, peace, and mutual respect. The 9th edition of YSF encourages proposals addressing the increased stigma and discrimination of young people and their communities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Proposals focusing on promoting tolerance and respect for other religions and cultures, the right of human beings to practice their faith in safety and peace, and dialogue and respect to combat extremist ideologies and narratives, are also welcome. By addressing the issue of hate speech and its impact on young people, the new edition of YSF will also follow recommendations of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

A critical part of YSF is a comprehensive capacity building and mentorship support provided to the grant recipients. Organizations that will be awarded with the seed funding for their projects will also take part in structured capacity development program, consisting of workshops and regular mentoring sessions. Through tailor-made mentorship, the workshops will offer know-how on diverse topics, including organizational development, sustainability and personal safety in the field. Additionally, the program also provides grant recipients an opportunity to network with their peers and build connections with the international community. This capacity development program is based on the Youth 360 approach developed by Search for Common Ground with UNAOC and other partners.

Impact

Since 2008, UNAOC has launched eight YSF editions and provided funding to youth-led organizations based in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. To date, a total of 68 projects have been funded, reaching around 95,000 direct beneficiaries in 40 countries. In total, more than 1.7 million direct and indirect beneficiaries have been impacted over the past twelve years.

The projects funded by YSF target young people from various backgrounds: students, marginalized youth, minorities, youth in rural or urban areas, youth in conflict or post-conflict situations, artists and activists. The youth-led organizations employ creative methodologies to break stereotypes, improve intercultural relations and promote a culture of peace, including:

– Educational activities, ranging from one-day awareness raising sessions to week-long trainings, peer-education activities, summer camps, as well as development of educational materials and tools and creation of networks of student leaders and youth clubs;

– Arts and sports as tools to address conflict in a non-violent way, to promote inter-community understanding and to raise-awareness about the dangers of sectarianism, extremism and radicalization;

– Media and social-media campaigns, video production for advocacy purposes and radio series to promote messages of tolerance and peace;

– Creative settings that facilitate intercultural dialogue, interfaith understanding, sharing of experiences and learning from each other in order to bring meaningful change to their society.

Click here to start application process

(Editor’s note : The February 2021 newsletter of the UNAOC announces that “The call for applications for the ninth edition of UNAOC’s Youth Solidarity Fund recorded its highest submission rate with 1,508 applications from youth-led organizations representing 76 countries! UNAOC is now in the process of selecting a group of organizations that will have a chance to participate in capacity-building workshops provided by its project partner, Search for Common Ground. This new interactive component is introduced to strengthen the project proposals and widen the support provided to the youth organizations that invested their time and efforts in the application process.”)

global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY, United Nations,

Broken societies put people and planet on collision course, says UNDP

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from the United Nations Development Program

The COVID-19 pandemic is the latest crisis facing the world, but unless humans release their grip on nature, it won’t be the last, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which includes a new experimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbon dioxide emissions and material footprint.

The report lays out a stark choice for world leaders – take bold steps to reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and the natural world, or humanity’s progress will stall.


Photo: LALS STOCK/Shutterstock.com

“Humans wield more power over the planet than ever before. In the wake of COVID-19, record- breaking temperatures and spiraling inequality, it is time to use that power to redefine what we mean by progress, where our carbon and consumption footprints are no longer hidden,” said Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator.

“As this report shows, no country in the world has yet achieved very high human development without putting immense strain on the planet. But we could be the first generation to right this wrong. That is the next frontier for human development,” he said.

The report argues that as people and planet enter an entirely new geological epoch, the Anthropocene or the Age of Humans, it is time to for all countries to redesign their paths to progress by fully accounting for the dangerous pressures humans put on the planet, and dismantle the gross imbalances of power and opportunity that prevent change.

To illustrate the point, the 30th anniversary edition of the Human Development Report, The Next Frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene, introduces an experimental new lens to its annual Human Development Index (HDI).

By adjusting the HDI, which measures a nation’s health, education, and standards of living, to include two more elements: a country’s carbon dioxide emissions and its material footprint, the index shows how the global development landscape would change if both the wellbeing of people and also the planet were central to defining humanity’s progress.

With the resulting Planetary-Pressures Adjusted HDI – or PHDI – a new global picture emerges, painting a less rosy but clearer assessment of human progress. For example, more than 50 countries drop out of the very high human development group, reflecting their dependence on fossil fuels and material footprint.

Despite these adjustments, countries like Costa Rica, Moldova, and Panama move upwards by at least 30 places, recognizing that lighter pressure on the planet is possible.

“The Human Development Report is an important product by the United Nations. In a time where action is needed, the new generation of Human Development Reports, with greater emphasis on the defining issues of our time such as climate change and inequalities, helps us to steer our efforts towards the future we want,” said Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden, host country of the launch of the report.

(article continued in right column)

(Click here for the article in French or here for the article in Spanish

Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

(Article continued from the left column)

The next frontier for human development will require working with and not against nature, while transforming social norms, values, and government and financial incentives, the report argues.

For example, new estimates project that by 2100 the poorest countries in the world could experience up to 100 more days of extreme weather due to climate change each year- a number that could be cut in half if the Paris Agreement on climate change is fully implemented.

And yet fossil fuels are still being subsidized: the full cost to societies of publicly financed subsidies for fossil fuels – including indirect costs – is estimated at over US$5 trillion a year, or 6.5 percent of global GDP, according to International Monetary Fund figures cited in the report.

Reforestation and taking better care of forests could alone account for roughly a quarter of the pre-2030 actions we must take to stop global warming from reaching two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

“While humanity has achieved incredible things, it is clear that we have taken our planet for granted,” said Jayathma Wickramanayake, the UN Secretary-General’s Envoy Youth. “Across the world young people have spoken up, recognizing that these actions put our collective future at risk. As the 2020 Human Development Report makes clear, we need to transform our relationship with the planet — to make energy and material consumption sustainable, and to ensure every young person is educated and empowered to appreciate the wonders that a healthy world can provide.”

How people experience planetary pressures is tied to how societies work, says Pedro Conceição, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office and lead author of the report, and today, broken societies are putting people and planet on a collision course.

Inequalities within and between countries, with deep roots in colonialism and racism, mean that people who have more capture the benefits of nature and export the costs, the report shows. This chokes opportunities for people who have less and minimizes their ability to do anything about it.

For example, land stewarded by indigenous peoples in the Amazon absorbs, on a per person basis, the equivalent carbon dioxide of that emitted by the richest 1 percent of people in the world. However, indigenous peoples continue to face hardship, persecution and discrimination, and have little voice in decision-making, according to the report.

And discrimination based on ethnicity frequently leaves communities severely affected and exposed to high environmental risks such as toxic waste or excessive pollution, a trend that is reproduced in urban areas across continents, argue the authors.

According to the report, easing planetary pressures in a way that enables all people to flourish in this new age requires dismantling the gross imbalances of power and opportunity that stand in the way of transformation.

Public action, the report argues, can address these inequalities, with examples ranging from increasingly progressive taxation, to protecting coastal communities through preventive investment and insurance, a move that could safeguard the lives of 840 million people who live along the world’s low elevation coastlines. But there must be a concerted effort to ensure that actions do not further pit people against planet.

“The next frontier for human development is not about choosing between people or trees; it’s about recognizing, today, that human progress driven by unequal, carbon-intensive growth has run its course,” said Pedro Conceição.

“By tackling inequality, capitalizing on innovation and working with nature, human development could take a transformational step forward to support societies and the planet together,” he said.

To learn more about the 2020 Human Development report and UNDP’s analysis on the experimental Planetary Pressures-Adjusted HDI, visit http://hdr.undp.org/en/2020-report.

(Thank you to Phyllis Kotite, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, United Nations,

BREAKING: TFF Statement – “Convert Military Expenditures To Global Problem-Solving”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A statement from The Transnational

On top of all the global problems we must solve as soon as possible comes the Corona. This statement argues that the priorities of the world are – well, perverse; everything the UN does amounts to 3% of the global military expenditures.


TFF’s Board suggests that all countries reduce their military by 50% immediately. That would save about US$ 1000 billion. And that that huge sum should be re-allocated to solve the problems we had and the socio-economic consequences of the Corona pandemic.


That would also – finally – be a step to prove that governments are willing to implement a policy for true disarmament and move towards human and common security for the common good.


In a civilised world, this should be common sense.
If you do not want to read the whole argument, just scroll down and sign this statement.


“We’ve likely only seen the beginnings of the worldwide economic consequences of the Coronavirus. For those who want to see, there are forecasts of a deep economic crisis written on all the walls.

Before the Corona, the world faced huge problems that – among other resources – require funds to solve: huge sums. Think the 17 UN Development Goals, think technological innovation; think the global climate/warming crisis; think the rebuilding of war-torn countries and think the reduction towards zero and repatriation of the world’s 80 million displaced people.

And think funds to convert the present military systems towards another, less costly way of creating security. We have just experienced how the outdated non-human security has deprived us of the needed resources when the Corona hit. Recklessly, virtually all governments had ignored a predictable civilian challenge but wasted billions of taxpayer money on weapons and war.

The Corona should be a wake-up call.

So we ask: Where are the funds going to come from to solve humanity’s most urgent problems before they become too big to solve? 

It seems that most governments believe that the annual world military expenditures – ranging around US$ 2000 billion, the highest ever – can be maintained. Some even believe their national expenditures must increase substantially.

The same governments believe that the world’s most important organisation of which they are all members – the United Nations and its organisations – can do what it must on a regular budget of US$ 3 billion and total annual expenditures of US$ 50-60 billion. That is 3 per cent of the costs of global militarism.

Those are the priorities of our world. It’s not sustainable in Corona times – if it ever were. It is ethically indefensible too. And it produces neither security nor peace.

Perhaps the incomprehensible sum of US$ 2000 billion would be justified if the world experienced solid defence and security as well as trust, cooperation and peace.
But the fact is that there are more tension, hatred, dominance attempts, new kinds of wars added to old ones and much more terrorism than before the US-led Global War on Terror.

Furthermore, one country after the other has been destroyed since the end of the First Cold War in 1989-90. It has been possible thanks to a systematic violation of international law, including in particular the UN Charter.

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Question for this article:

Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

(Statement continued from the left column)

Imagine that every country in the world would reduce its military expenditures by at least 50%. Then we would have US$ 1000 billion.

Is it a large or small sum?

It’s equivalent to what China in 2013 put behind the Belt and Road Initiative, BRI – a cooperative effort around infrastructure, fast physical and digital communication, sea and land transport, education and cultural exchange, and much more. Today it involves around 80 countries, some on all continents and it is open to everyone.

The philosophy behind it is, at least theoretically, one of peace. It dates back to the Panchsheel Treaty of 1954, the five principles of peaceful coexistence.

Beyond doubt, this is the largest and most positive cooperation project in today’s world. It is the project that will give birth to – if it has not already? – a new multi-polar world order based more on cooperation than confrontation.

There is, therefore, no doubt that a substantial conversion of, say, US$ 1000 billion from the military to the solution of humanity’s common problems would provide a desperately needed boost for the common good.
(This argument does not rest on any assumption that money is the primary tool to solve problems; that takes lots of non-material qualities. But with economies falling apart at a moment when all economies need funds for” rebooting humanity,” this is a straightforward thing to do with a rather large bang for the buck).

Additionally, lots of human and other resources, knowledge, experience and equipment today operated by the military could be converted and put to civilian tasks.
Such a conversion would boost employment – as there exists no documentation for the often-stated assertion that military investments boost employment more than civilian investments. It is, rather, comparatively wasteful.

It’s time for more global cooperation and less confrontation

Ours is not the time for more militarism, warfare and antagonism. The net effect of military investments is suffering, destruction (of lives, capital and property) and unavoidable environmental destruction.
 
Furthermore, every military dollar stands in the way of precisely  that global cooperation without which we are doomed. And it is not matched by a security or peace effect.

Time is up for those who strut about and try to master others by violence or the threat of it. Militarism and warfare are now as outdated and indefensible as is slavery, absolute monarchy, dictatorship, child labour, rape and discrimination. These are phenomena we have decided, in the name of civilisation, to abolish or condemn.

If you feel we cannot, very quickly, reduce or abolish militarism, nuclearism and warfare but should uphold at least some self-defensive military capacity, that should be discussed. It’s in line with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

That would mean much more dis-armament than the suggested 50% and it would mean trans-armament toward a new way of handling our unavoidable conflicts, create security in diversity and with defensive military and civilian means, and – thereby – realise the peaceful future which 99% of citizens around the world strongly desire.
 
There are, indeed, alternatives. But minds, as well as other resources, need to be liberated before it’s too late.

So, to begin with: Reduce everybody’s military expenditures equally much, say 50%. And see the marvellous positive results – politically, economically and in terms of peace. Then move on.

A better world is possible. And the Corona is a benign wake-up call compared with World War III.

We need to use the Corona crisis constructively.

In this 11th hour, humanity’s situation makes it abundantly clear to us that it is either cooperation and coexistence or destruction and no existence.”

TFF’s Board
Annette Schiffmann
Thore Vestby
Jan Oberg
Christina Spännar, co-founder

Almost 400 TFF Associates and friends of the foundation have already endorsed this statement – see them all further down. They are some of the most peace competent and concerned citizens in the world. 

You can trust their judgement, and now it is your turn!

Click here and scroll to bottom to sign.

Thanks a lot!

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global

Global arms industry: Sales by the top 25 companies up 8.5 per cent; Big players active in Global South

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

Sales of arms and military services by the sector’s largest 25 companies totalled US$361 billion in 2019, 8.5 per cent more than in 2018. The largest companies have a geographically diverse international presence. This is according to new data released today [December 7] by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).


Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. Photo: Flickr/Robert Sullivan

New data from SIPRI’s Arms Industry Database shows that arms sales by the world’s 25 largest arms-producing and military services companies (arms companies) totalled US$361 billion in 2019. This represents an 8.5 per cent increase in real terms over the arms sales of the top 25 arms companies in 2018.

US companies still dominate, Middle East represented in top 25 for the first time

In 2019 the top five arms companies were all based in the United States: Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and General Dynamics. These five together registered $166 billion in annual arms sales. In total, 12 US companies appear in the top 25 for 2019, accounting for 61 per cent of the combined arms sales of the top 25.

For the first time, a Middle Eastern firm appears in the top 25 ranking. EDGE, based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was created in 2019 from the merger of more than 25 smaller companies. It ranks at number 22 and accounted for 1.3 per cent of total arms sales of the top 25.

‘EDGE is a good illustration of how the combination of high national demand for military products and services with a desire to become less dependent on foreign suppliers is driving the growth of arms companies in the Middle East,’ said Pieter Wezeman, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

Another newcomer in the top 25 in 2019 was L3Harris Technologies (ranked 10th). It was created through the merger of two US companies that were both in the top 25 in 2018: Harris Corporation and L3 Technologies.

Chinese arms companies’ sales increase, Russian companies’ sales fall

The top 25 also includes four Chinese companies. Three are in the top 10: Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC; ranked 6th), China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC; ranked 8th) and China North Industries Group Corporation (NORINCO; ranked 9th). The combined revenue of the four Chinese companies in the top 25—which also include China South Industries Group Corporation (CSGC; ranked 24th)—grew by 4.8 per cent between 2018 and 2019.

Reflecting on the rise in the arms sales of Chinese companies, SIPRI Senior Researcher Nan Tian said: ‘Chinese arms companies are benefiting from military modernization programmes for the People’s Liberation Army.’

(Article continued on the right column)

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

Question for this article:

Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

(Article continued from the left column)

The revenues of the two Russian companies in the top 25—Almaz-Antey and United Shipbuilding—both decreased between 2018 and 2019, by a combined total of $634 million. A third Russian company, United Aircraft, lost $1.3 billion in sales and dropped out of the top 25 in 2019.

Alexandra Kuimova, Researcher at SIPRI, said: ‘Domestic competition and reduced government spending on fleet modernization were two of the main challenges for United Shipbuilding in 2019.’

Other notable developments and trends in the top 25

After the USA, China accounted for the second largest share of 2019 arms sales by the top 25 arms companies, at 16 per cent. The six West European companies together accounted for 18 per cent. The two Russian companies in the ranking accounted for 3.9 per cent.

Nineteen of the top 25 arms companies increased their arms sales in 2019 compared with 2018. The largest absolute increase in arms revenue was registered by Lockheed Martin: $5.1 billion, equivalent to 11 per cent in real terms.

The largest percentage increase in annual arms sales—105 per cent—was reported by French producer Dassault Aviation Group. ‘A sharp rise in export deliveries of Rafale combat aircraft pushed Dassault Aviation into the top 25 arms companies for the first time,’ says Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, Director of the SIPRI Arms and Military Expenditure Programme.

Mapping shows Global South becoming integrated into global arms industry

The report also looks at the international presence of the 15 largest arms companies in 2019. These companies are present in a total of 49 countries, through majority-owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and research facilities.

With a global presence spanning 24 countries each, Thales and Airbus are the two most internationalized companies—followed closely by Boeing (21 countries), Leonardo (21 countries) and Lockheed Martin (19 countries).

The United Kingdom, Australia, the USA, Canada and Germany host the largest numbers of these foreign entities. Outside the arms industry hubs of North America and Western Europe, the largest numbers of entities of foreign companies are hosted by Australia (38), Saudi Arabia (24), India (13), Singapore (11), the UAE (11) and Brazil (10).

Alexandra Marksteiner of the SIPRI Arms and  Military  Expenditure Programme said: ‘There are many reasons why arms companies might want to establish themselves overseas,  including better access to growing markets, collaborative weapon programmes, or policies in the host countries tying arms purchases to technology transfers.’

Of the 49 countries hosting foreign entities of the top 15 arms companies, 17 are in low- and middle-income countries. ‘Countries in the Global South seeking to jump-start their arms production programmes have welcomed foreign arms companies as a means to benefit from technology transfers,’ said Diego Lopes da Silva, Researcher at SIPRI.

Siemon Wezeman, Senior Researcher at SIPRI, said: ‘The Chinese and Russian arms companies in the top 15 have only a limited international presence. Sanctions against Russian firms and government-mandated limits on acquisitions by Chinese firms seem to have played a role in constraining their global presence.’

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global

Spain: Sierra Blanca achieves second place in the Annual Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace and School Coexistence

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from Marbella Directo

The Ministry of Education and Sports has distinguished the Sierra Blanca de Marbella Secondary Education Institute with second place in the Annual Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace and School Coexistence for the 2020/21 academic year, which have recognized a total of eight centers throughout the autonomous community.


Children from La Escuela Infantil Sol de Portocarrero

(Click here for the original Spanish version).

Question for this article:

Where is peace education taking place?

The center has shared this second prize with the Carlos V school in La Línea de la Concepción. The first prize has also been shared and has gone to the Sol de Portocarrero Infant School in Las Norias de Daza (Almería) and the Malala de Mairena del Aljarafe school (Seville). The two third prizes have been awarded to the Andrés de Cervantes de Cabra school (Córdoba) and the Francisco de los Cobos Institute in Úbeda (Jaén).

In addition, the Purísima Concepción de Granada Private Teaching Center for Special Education and the Adersa I Rural Public Center in Fuenteheridos (Huelva) have been recognized with honorable mentions.



The objective of these awards is to publicly recognize and disseminate the best practices that are being carried out in the school environment to promote a culture of peace and the comprehensive training of students to achieve a more just and tolerant society, as well as peaceful conflict resolution and dialogue.



The Awards for the Promotion of the Culture of Peace constitute one of the initiatives of the Ministry aimed at improving coexistence in educational centers, among which is also the network “School: Space for Peace” made up of more than 2,400 schools and institutes. This means that around 650,000 students and 61,200 teachers participate in this initiative that involves all sectors of the educational community.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Abolition 2000 Youth Network : Youth Fusion

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

Information and photo from Youth Fusion

Youth Fusion is a world-wide networking platform for young individuals, youth organizations & youth initiatives in the field of nuclear disarmament, risk-reduction and non-proliferation. Our focus spans the globe, engaging youth at national, regional and international levels through our programs, events and actions.

Youth Fusion highlights the links between disarmament, peace, climate action, public health and sustainable development, and builds connections and cooperation amongst people and organisations working on these inter-related issues.

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

(continued from left column)

Youth Fusion organises forums and events for inter-generational dialogue, so that youth and those more experienced can listen and learn from each other and build cooperation for more effective policy action.

Our goals are clear: to inform, educate, connect  and  engage  our fellow students, young professionals, activists and enthusiasts. Through these activities, and as part of Abolition 2000 Network, we are contributing to the total abolition of nuclear weapons. 

Are you 35 or younger? Join the Youth Fusion network to receive our email newsletter plus aditional information on how to participate in youth events, projects and actions. Membership is free and there are no commitments! Join our network

Are you older than 35? Sign up for our email newsletter, support youth actions and engage in inter-generational dialogue. Subscribe to news

Are you an organisation? We’re looking to partner up with schools, universities, youth groups and NGOs, to collaborate on projects and help us reach more young people worldwide. Join as organisation

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Mexico: 100 Actions for Peace; Wilfrido Lázaro

.FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from La Voz de Michoacán

The National Council of Civil Organizations for the Culture of Peace CPAZ A.C. in coordination with the International Committee of the Banner of Peace and the Center for Studies for Peace, Security and Development CECAPAZ A.C. has started a challenge across the country.


“The construction of Peace is everyone’s task, therefore, through this campaign we invite society, civil organizations, as well as anyone who wants to join, to carry out 100 actions for Peace, one every day.” expressed Wilfrido Lázaro, CPAZ National Coordinator.

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

Wilfrido Lázaro, member of the Michoacan Council for the Construction of Peace and Reconciliation, explained that this campaign aims for individuals to promise to carry out for each of 100 days, a conscious action that promotes the construction of Peace, with your partner, your family, or in favor of your community and country.

“An action leads to a habit, a habit to a custom and a custom to a culture, and that is what we seek through these hundred actions, to generate a Culture of Peace, in favor of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico and the world,” according to Lázaro Medina, who is also Coordinator in Michoacán of the International Committee for the Banner of Peace, chaired by the famous television actress Dr. Alicia Rodriguez.

This campaign will take place throughout the country, disseminated through the member organizations of the National Council of Civil Organizations for the Culture of Peace. They have already received a good response from civil associations in the country such as CECAPAZ AC, Mesa de Paz Jalisco, COEMPAZ AC, Youth for Peace Michoacán, Youth for Peace, Positive Peace, Kites that speak for Peace, Vallarta Azteca, Fundación en Movimiento, among others.

Finally, Wilfrido Lázaro invited citizens to spread their actions with the hashtag # 100AXPaz and through this, to motivate and invite more people to join the construction of Peace. “In this way, building Peace is very simple; it is the details with ourselves and with others that truly makes the difference.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Mexico: Celebration of the IMA 5th Festival Culture of Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article by Emanuel Landeros, El Sol de San Luis

The Civil Association, IMA Transformando Vidas, has announced the fifth edition of its Culture of Peace festival, in support of neighborhood youth during this season.

The president of the organization, Hugo Carballo Hernández, reported that the event will take place this Sunday [December 20] in Valle Dorado, “as it is one of the neighborhoods with a high rate of violence in the capital, where home robberies, transients and drug sales have grown. ”

The activist said that the struggle today is in the neighborhoods, “where the pandemic has left many people without jobs and without bread to put in their mouth.”

(Click here for the Spanish original. . )

Questions for this article:

Can festivals help create peace at the community level?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

He maintained that the solution lies, as it has always been, in actions, in street work, “not in promoting theories or conspiracies; Let’s stop texting, just publish on the networks, let’s make a change in your family, on your street and neighborhood, in your actions in life”.

Likewise, he added that a Culture of Peace workshop will be held, focused on children, and that the researcher Julio Ceballos will give a self-defense workshop for women.

He invited members of other collectives and groups to join the activities of the organization he presides.

The festival will conclude, he said, with the concert of the Imperio de la Cumbia musical group, which will take place with all preventive measures in accordance with the health protocol for Covid-19.

Finally, Carballo Hernández said: “Let’s learn to be citizens in times of pandemic, let’s reflect on how we can start to change our world, and let’s remember that good actions produce good returns.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Past Virtual Events December 13 -18

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Here are events and application deadlines after December 12 that were previously listed on the CPNN page for upcoming virtual events. Unless otherwise noted the events are in English.

Thursday – Dec 10, 2020
Sunday, December 13 @1 pm ET (Canada)

Canadian Friends of Peace Now
How Israel Became Its Own Worst Enemy and Its Hope for the Future: A Personal Perspective
with Ami Ayalon and guest host Jim Torczyner
— Admiral (res.) Ami Ayalon is a former director of the Shin Bet (Israel’s security service), commander of the Israeli Navy, government minister and member of Knesset (Labour). He recently co-authored Friendly Fire: How Israel Became its Own Worst Enemy and the Hope for its Future. This is a memoir of Ayalon’s journey towards becoming a strong voice for peace between Israelis and Palestinians and his analysis of the barriers impeding peace. He critiques self-defeating policies that have undermined Israel’s civil society while heaping humiliation upon its Palestinian neighbours. The book discusses what Israel must do to achieve relative peace and security and to sustain itself as a Jewish homeland and liberal democracy.
— Audience questions welcome. You may send advance questions to info@peacenowcanada.org
— Register for this event here.

Monday, December 14-15
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (New York), Monday 14 December
9:00 am to 10:30 am (Japan), Tuesday 15 December

Please join PeaceBoat for a very special online discussion with Ms Michiko Hattori, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima
— Organised by Peace Boat and #Youth4Disarmament, a project of the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA).h
— Seventy five years after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the world still faces the grave threat of the nuclear weapons. As the hibakusha survivors age, there are fewer opportunities to listen to their first-hand stories. We can continue to honour them by celebrating their lives and work and by discussing possible actions we can take together and individually.
— A discussion wil be followed by a youth-led question and answer session.
— RSVP here: https://bit.ly/3qKpm6v

Dec 14-15
Dec. 14 at 8:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Dec. 15 at 10:00 AM KST

Militarization, Killer Robots, and the Korean Peninsula: The Case for Peace
— Join the transnational feminist campaign Korea Peace Now! for this discussion on on Dec. 14 at 8:00pm EST about killer robots in South Korea: what they are, why you should care, and how ending the Korean War can help stop them.
— Featuring:
Ray Acheson, Campaign to Stop Killer Robots
YouKyoung Ko, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom
Youngmi Cho, Korean Women’s Movement for Peace
Moderated by Catherine Killough, Women Cross DMZ
— Simultaneous interpretation in Korean and English will be provided***
— Register here

Tuesday, Dec 15, 5:00 PM Pacific Time USA

“How to Avoid a War in Asia”
Join Code Pink, Beyond the Bomb, Women Cross the DMZ and World Beyond War for an amazing panel.
Panelists:
Hyun Lee: National Organizer, Women Cross the DMZ
Jodie Evans: Co-Founder, Code Pink
Molly Hurley: Organizer, Beyond the Bomb
David Swanson: Exec. Director, World Beyond War
Leah Bolger: Board President, World Beyond War
— Register here in advance for this meeting
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Wednesday 16 December 2020 from 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM CET

Live Webinar: Accelerating Youth Inclusion in Building Peace
— To honour the 5th anniversary of the Youth, Peace and Security Resolution, the Kingdom of Denmark and the Kofi Annan Foundation are hosting an online panel discussion on how to accelerate change towards the meaningful inclusion of young women and men in shaping peace.
— Our panel of experts will share concrete examples and good practices of how member states, the EU and civil society organisations are contributing to the Youth, Peace and Security agenda and discuss what remains to be done to make youth inclusion a reality.
— Register here

Wednesday, December 16th 11:00 am EST. (1600 GMT)

“Jonathan Kuttab’s Booklet Launch” Webinar Registration – We Are All Part of One Another
— “I am launching a book which I hope, with your help can address the current impasse, and perhaps change the conversation around Israel / Palestine. Many activists are frustrated, despondent, and floundering with no clear vision or direction. We need some fresh out-of-the-box thinking. This is true for Palestinians, Israelis, and our friends in the international community. I’ve asked Nonviolence International, a group I co-founded and value deeply, to lead the effort to get this book into the hands of people across the political spectrum and across the world.
— To learn more about the text and see what people are saying, please visit: Beyond The Two-State Solution.
— Please RSVP here to join the launch event.

December 16-18

Workshop on contributions of smart city projects to climate resilience
— Co-organizers: Hiroshima University (Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability), Global Carbon Project-Tsukuba International Office, Future Earth, Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change
Research (APN)
— This 3-day workshop is consisted of sessions related to three main activities:
1. The first day is allocated to presentations by authors who have submitted their works to be considered for publication in a special issue of Environment and Planning B. Details about the special issue are available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/epb/collections/special-issues 2.
On days 2 and 3 the participants will take part in interactive sessions focused on investigating the actual and potential contributions of smart cities to climate resilience.. . .
3. On day 3 a parallel session will be organized to discuss contributions of smart cities to urban climate change mitigation. . .
— Registration: Please register here to receive zoom link prior to the event. https://bit.ly/2HsrTQz

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

Mexico: SSPC meets with 217 Networks of Women Peacebuilders

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from La Jornada (translation by CPNN)

The Secretariat for Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC) held a meeting with 217 members of the Networks of Women Peace Builders (MUCPAZ), in order to inform them about the progress in the commitment acquired with the United Nations (UN), in the fight against discrimination and gender violence.


Members of the MUCPAZ Peacebuilding Women Network during a meeting in Tuxtla Gutiérrez. Photo taken from the Twitter account @nadgasman

(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Questions related to this article:

Do women have a special role to play in the peace movement?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

The meeting was led by the head of the National Center for Crime Prevention and Citizen Participation (CNPDyPC), Luis García López Guerrero, who explained to the attendees the strategy to combat family violence and promote a culture of peace.

“The comprehensive strategy to prevent and address family and gender violence consists of five components: Networks of Peacebuilders Women (MUCPAZ Networks); sensitization; care, support and channeling; training and job placement; and improvement and appropriation of areas and / or community spaces with a gender perspective, ”the official explained.

Currently, a total of 6,510 women are members of the MUCPAZ, forming collaborative work groups with public and citizen institutions to multiply peace processes at the municipal and local level.

The representative of UN Women in Mexico, Belén Sanz Luque, who participated in this virtual meeting, also recognized the importance of the Women Peacebuilders Program.

Latin America, United Nations, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,