Category Archives: DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

France: FSU course on building peace, fighting without violence: a revolutionary idea!

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An announcement from Syndicat National Unitaire des Instituteurs – 35

Every year the trade union federation, FSU Bretagne, organizes a large federal training course at regional level. This year we are returning to the two-day colloquium formula as for the 2019 internship on Food in Guitté.

Our course will be held at the youth hostel in St Malo (35) on Wednesday 18 and Thursday 19 October. The theme of these two days will focus on peace and the need to develop a culture of peace and non-violence, in conjunction with the activists of the Mouvement de la Paix Bretagne.

In addition to the theme of educating young people for peace, which is dear to us, we will give a large place to the issue of multilateralism and social and climate justice in international relations. Our work will also focus on the issue of violence in social and political relations in our societies. This second part of the internship is of particular urgency in our current situation marked by the government’s repression of social movements in the name of “republican order”, their fight against “ecoterrorism”, and their plans to force youth to be obedient.

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(click here for the original French version)

Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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The program for these two days is not yet completely fixed and the FSU is currently continuing contacts with the prospective speakers. The following have already given, among others, their agreement to participate in these two days:

– David Adams of the Seville Statement on Violence and Unesco Culture of Peace,

– Bertrand Badie, specialists in international relations, professor emeritus at Sciences -Po Paris and CERI,

– Alain Bergerat, historian, author of the History of France through songs, Jacques Fath, author of Putin, NATO and war,

– Amélie Hart-Hutasse, teacher, head of the history-geography group at SNES which follows the ‘Universal National Service’ file,

– Venance Journé, physicist, representative of the Climate Action Network at the ESEC, author of Weapons of Terror Ridding the world of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons,

– Frédéric Mathieu, parliamentarian, member of the commission of Defense at the National Assembly,

– Sebastian Roché, director of research at the CNRS, specialist in relations between the police and the population, author of De la police en democratie,

– Laura Lema Silva, specialist in social movements in Colombia, head of studies at the Institute for Peace and associate member of the LCE laboratory of Lyon-2,

– Nathalie Tehio lawyer, member of the national office of the LDH and of the Paris Observatory of public freedoms, author of a report on the BRAV-M units.. .

You can register now online by following this link: https://framaforms.org/construire-la-paix-lutter-sans-violence-une-idee-revolutionnaire-1681734847 or by means of the registration form below. Registration confirmations with the precise program and organizational arrangements for these two days will be sent to registrants at the end of September.

Don’t wait to register and to submit your request for leave of absence to your school (strict deadline of 1 month, i.e. a deadline for submission on Friday 09/15/2023).

Register early and spread the word – the course is open to FSU union members and non-union members alike.

The registration form can be sent by post to the address indicated or sent by email to aetj.le-bourg@wanadoo.fr Online registration can also be done via the website https://bretagne.fsu.fr

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Argentina: Conference on culture of peace and coexistence in diversity for the community of the City of Rio Primero

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Universidad Provincial de Córdoba (translation by CPNN)

Last Wednesday, June 14, the Open Chair for the Right to Peace and Coexistence in Diversity, of the Provincial University of Córdoba, held a conference on culture of peace and coexistence in diversity for the community of the City of Rio Primero.

Questions for this article:

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

This initiative was proposed by the mayor of the city, Cristina Cravero, and planned by the Coordinator of the University Chair, Maria Alba Navarro.

Members of the Río Primero community participated in the event: primary and secondary level teachers; firefighters, health professionals, justices of the peace, members of the municipal management team, among others.

The meeting and training space was proposed to address concepts related to the culture of peace and peaceful coexistence, ending with the creation of proposals aimed at improving coexistence in the community.

In addition, this initiative allowed the Municipality of Rio Primero to join REDIPAZ (Inter-institutional Network and People for Peace), to begin working in a coordinated manner with the various institutions and actors that make up the Network.

These activities allow the Provincial University of Córdoba to continue contributing to the construction of a Culture of Peace and more just, peaceful and inclusive societies.

(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Spain: The Forum for a Culture of National Security approves the proposal to create a Culture of Peace Group led by Crue

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An article from Crue Universidades Españolas  (translation by CPNN)

The Forum for a Culture of National Security approved on May 30 the five proposals of the working groups of the entities, institutions and organizations that are part of this body. Among the projects submitted to consensus was the creation of the “Culture of Peace” working group, which will be led by Crue Universidades Españolas, co-led by the Ministry of Social Rights and which will have the collaboration of the Coexistence Pact, an entity which is part of Crue.

(Editor’s Note: Crue Universidades Españolas, established in 1994, is a non-profit association of 76 Spanish universities: 50 public and 26 private.)

The Crue delegate for European Affairs, José María Sanz, was in charge of presenting the general lines of a working group that seeks to promote compliance with SDG 16 (promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies) and target 7 of SDG 4 (promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and the contribution of culture to sustainable development).

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

Question related to this article:

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

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Crue’s proposal contemplates two main activities: carrying out a diagnosis in universities on social sustainability and prevention and response to violence –for which a panel of social sustainability indicators will be defined that will help to carry out a diagnostic report– and the promotion among universities of the International Day of Coexistence in Peace (May 16).

The other working groups approved were:

* Human Security through non-formal education, led by the Youth Council in Spain and co-led by the Youth Institute;

* The culture of local security: Self-protection, led by the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) and co-led by the Association of Professional Specialists in Civil Protection and Emergencies (ANEPPE);

* Culture of belonging within a more egalitarian society, led by the Spanish Confederation of Student Parents’ Associations (CEAPA) and co-led by the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia;

* The incidence of transversal professional criteria in the field of preventive action and as a means for resolving action, led by the Professional Union and co-led by the Ministry of Labor and Social Economy.

The Forum was established on 26 November and is made up of an equal number of people representing the General State Administration and the public sector, and designated people representing civil society organizations, academia, associations and non-profit entities. The main lines of action of the Forum are, first, to promote in the educational system and in training courses the values of education and a culture for peace, democratic values, non-violence, tolerance, solidarity, equality and justice. ; and second, to articulate and transfer a message of equal treatment and opportunities, of non-discrimination, of development of a democratic, participatory culture and of rejection of any type of violent radicalism.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Caravan of peace in Senegal: The kings of Oussouye and Sine spread the good word

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An article by Alioune Badara in Le Quotidien

The Diola and Serer communities want to put culture and joking cousinhood at the service of peace. To implement this vision, Maa Sinig Niokhobaye Diouf Fatou Diène, the King of Sine, visited Maan Sibiloumbaye Diédhiou, the King of Oussouye. As part of the strengthening of ties of brotherhood and cohabitation, the kings of Oussouye and Sine initiated a caravan for peace. Diolas and Sérères took advantage of this visit to deepen the bonds of cousinhood, which constitute a social cement.


This is a trip for a good cause. The Serer and Diola communities want to support the State in promoting the culture of peace in Senegal. Following the establishment of a joint committee in November 2022 in Fimela, located in the Fatick region, to prepare for the visit of the King of Sine to the King of Oussouye, in order to strengthen the ties between the two, a cultural caravan for peace was organized. At the head of the caravan is Maa Sinig Niokhobaye Diouf Fatou Diène, the king of Sine, accompanied by Jaraaf and other members of the royal institution of Sine. They left Diakhao to visit Maan Sibiloumbaye Diedhiou, the King of Oussouye.

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(Click here for the French original of this article)

Question related to this article:

 

Can traditional leaders serve a culture of peace?

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The caravan was officially started in Fatick before the Governance by the authorities of the region. The royal institution of Sine specifieD that, “The Maa Sinig-Bu Badjum Ayi Cultural Peace Caravan provides an opportunity to harness the vast potential of Senegambia’s cultural and natural heritage, to strengthen social cohesion and the fight against poverty, and to promote sustainable development. at the base. This cultural caravan for peace, designed to benefit the entire Nation, aims to facilitate the synergy between state decisions, local initiatives and community actions, for the achievement of development objectives on a democratic and consensual basis.”

After a warm welcome in Oussouye, the kings of Sine and Oussouye invited the two communities to perpetuate these meetings, but also to look into the future of their communities, the role they can play in the development of the country. . Moreover, in his speech during the official ceremony held at the royal court of Oussouye, Maa Sinig Niokhobaye Diouf Fatou Diène, the king of Sine, returned to the very strong moments with their Diola cousins. “We communed together. It is an old tradition that we have perpetuated between the members of the two communities who are cousins. We found this relationship well maintained by our grandfathers, we have continued to maintain these links today.”

Echoing these words, the King of Oussouye confirmed the words of his peer. He also praised the centuries-old relationship that exists between the two communities. This caravan was also an opportunity for the two communities to show their multiple cultural facets. Through a cultural evening in the public square of Oussouye, Sérères and Diolas unveiled an artistic program that was also a traditional show.

In Diola and Serer mythology, Aguène and Diambogne were two sisters who once took a canoe to cross the Gambia River. But, their boat split in two, causing their separation. According to some historians, this legend begins in Ndakhonga, where the boat left for the high seas before it broke in two. One took the direction of the South, Aguène, the mother of the Diolas. And the other, that of the North, Diambogne, the mother of the Serers. This legend is today the foundation of the pleasant cousinage between Diolas and Sérères, cement of a peaceful cohabitation between the two communities.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION,

United States: Workers Rising in the South

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A blog from the United Steel Workers

Workers at Blue Bird Corp. in Fort Valley, Ga., launched a union drive to secure better wages, work-life balance and a voice on the job.

The company resisted them. History defied them. Geography worked against them.

But they stood together, believed in themselves and achieved an historic victory that’s reverberating throughout the South.

About 1,400 workers at the electric bus manufacturer voted overwhelmingly this month to join the United Steelworkers (USW), reflecting the rise of collective power in a part of the country where bosses and right-wing politicians long contrived to foil it.


“It’s just time for a change,” explained Rinardo Cooper, a member of USW Local 572 and a paper machine operator at Graphic Packaging in Macon, Ga.

Cooper, who assisted the workers at Blue Bird with their union drive, expects more Southerners to follow suit even if they face their own uphill battles.

Given the South’s pro-corporate environment, it’s no surprise that Georgia has one of the nation’s lowest union membership rates, 4.4 percent. North Carolina’s rate is even lower, 2.8 percent. And South Carolina’s is 1.7 percent.
Many corporations actually choose to locate in the South because the low union density enables them to pay poor wages, skimp on safety and perpetuate the system of oppression.

In a 2019 study, “The Double Standard at Work,” the AFL-CIO found that even European-based companies with good records in their home countries take advantage of workers they employ in America’s South.

They’ve “interfered with freedom of association, launched aggressive campaigns against employees’ organizing attempts and failed to bargain in good faith when workers choose union representation,” noted the report, citing, among other abuses, Volkswagen’s union-busting efforts at a Tennessee plant.

“They keep stuffing their pockets and paying pennies on the dollar,” Cooper said of companies cashing in at workers’ expense.

The consequences are dire.

States with low union membership have significantly higher poverty, according to a 2021 study by researchers at the University of Minnesota and the University of California, Riverside. Georgia’s 14 percent poverty rate, for example, is among the worst in the country.

However, the tide is turning as workers increasingly see union membership as a clear path forward, observed Cooper, who left his own job at Blue Bird several months ago because the grueling schedule left him little time to spend with family.

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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

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Now, as a union paper worker, he not only makes higher wages than he did at Blue Bird but also benefits from safer working conditions and a voice on the job. And with the USW holding the company accountable, he’s free to take the vacation and other time off he earns.  

Cooper’s story helped to inspire the bus company workers’ quest for better lives. But they also resolved to fight for their fair share as Blue Bird increasingly leans on their knowledge, skills and dedication in coming years.

The company stands to land tens of millions in subsidies from President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and other federal programs aimed at putting more electric vehicles on the roads, supercharging the manufacturing economy and supporting good jobs.

These goals are inextricably linked, as Biden made clear in a statement congratulating the bus company workers on their USW vote. “The fact is: The middle class built America,” he said. “And unions built the middle class.”

Worker power is spreading not only in manufacturing but across numerous industries in the South.

About 500 ramp agents, truck drivers and other workers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina just voted to form a union. Workers in Knoxville, Tenn., last year unionized the first Starbucks in the South.

And first responders in Virginia and utility workers in Georgia and Kentucky also formed unions in recent months, while workers at Lowe’s in Louisiana launched groundbreaking efforts to unionize the home-improvement giant.

“I wouldn’t hesitate to tell any worker at any manufacturing place here that the route you need to take is the union. That’s the only fairness you’re going to get,” declared Anthony Ploof, who helped to lead dozens of co-workers at Carfair into the USW earlier this year.

Workers at the Anniston, Ala., company make fiberglass-reinforced polymer components for vehicles, including hybrid and electric buses. Like all workers, they decided to unionize to gain a seat at the table and a means of holding their employer accountable.

Instead of fighting the union effort, as many companies do, Carfair remained neutral so the workers could exercise their will. In the end, 98 percent voted to join the USW, showing that workers overwhelmingly want unions when they’re free to choose without bullying, threats or retaliation.

“It didn’t take much here,” said Ploof, noting workers had little experience with unions but educated themselves about the benefits and quickly came to a consensus on joining the USW.

“It’s reaching out from Carfair,” he added, noting workers at other companies in the area have approached him to ask, “How is that working out? How do we organize?”

As his new union brothers and sisters at Blue Bird prepare to negotiate their first contract, Cooper hopes to get involved in other organizing drives, lift up more workers and continue changing the trajectory of the South.

“We just really need to keep putting the message out there, letting people know that there is a better way than what the employers are wanting you to believe,” he said.

(Thank you to Nation of Change for calling our attention to this article.)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, HUMAN RIGHTS, North America

United States: Labor’s Uptick Isn’t Just Hype

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An article by Eric Blanc in Labor Politics (reprinted by permission)

Is the current labor uptick just more hype than reality? Numerous articles have recently made this   case, pointing to the continued decline in union density in 2022. This skepticism also appears to be the prevailing view among most national union leaders. Though rarely stated publicly, labor’s continued routinism suggests that few people up top see our moment as particularly novel or urgent.


Fortune 500 Companies Targeted by Unionization, 2021-2022

But contrary to these skeptics, there is compelling data indicating that things really are changing — and, therefore, that unions should immediately make a major turn to new organizing.

Consider, for instance, the statewide 2018 educators’ strikes, which were largely begun over viral rank-and-file Facebook groups. These were the first US strike wave since the 1970s, impacting millions of students and involving hundreds of thousands of school workers. Strike activity in 2018 rose to its highest peak since the mid-1980s and it remained high in 2019 as the wave spread to blue cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. The qualitative shift was even more significant: unlike in the Reagan era, the red state revolt consisted of work stoppages that were mostly illegal, statewide in scope, offensive in their demands, and generally victorious in their outcomes. 

Union membership numbers present a grimmer picture.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 273,000 workers joined unions last year. Yet because total employment rose at a faster rate, union density fell from 10.3 to 10.1 percent from 2021 to 2022. Clearly, we are not currently in an upsurge analogous to the 1930s. As exciting as recent campaigns may be, we should be sober about their very real limitations. 

Dwelling only on the continued decline of union density, however, misses the forest for the trees. One of the reasons why recent worker-driven campaigns are so qualitatively important is that they have won union elections at some of the largest corporations in the world. Amazon’s 1.1 million employees, for example, constitutes the country’s second largest workforce and Starbucks’ workforce is the eighth largest. 

Winning elections at these types of firms is a major development that is not captured by membership rolls alone. National unions have for decades generally avoided pushing for union elections at such large companies, believing not unreasonably that they were simply too powerful to defeat — at least under our current, threadbare and barely-enforced, labor laws. As such, the vast majority of years since the Fortune 500 was established in 1955 have witnessed zero, or at most one, union drives at the non-union companies on the list. In contrast, 2021 saw three such drives and 2022 saw eight. 

Given labor’s overall risk-aversion, it is not surprising that a majority of those organizing efforts were instances of what I call DIY Unionism — strikes and union drives that are initiated by self-organized workers and/or in which workers take on key responsibilities traditionally reserved for union staff.

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Question related to this article:
 

What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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

(article continued from left column)

Labor’s opponents are well aware of this increase in worker-to-worker organizing. In a 2022 report, the notorious union-busting firm Littler Mendelson sounded the alarm:
“There has been a shift in how people are organizing together to petition for representation. What was once a top-down approach, whereby the union would seek out a group of individuals, has flipped entirely. Now, individuals are banding together to form grassroots organizing movements where individual employees are the ones to invite the labor organization to assist them in their pursuit to be represented.”

To be sure, workers at Amazon, Starbucks, Apple, Google, and other mega-corporations are still a long way away from winning a first contract. That will likely take many years, more intervention from state actors, and greater resources from established unions towards boosting, and defending, new organizing. But it is a major historical development that unionizing the US private sector’s biggest players no longer seems like a distant fantasy. 

The fact that these recent drives have won elections against such economic heavyweights helps explain why news coverage of unions shot up in 2022 — as does the fact that media outlets have become one of labor’s most dynamic growth areas.

Increased publicity about David versus Goliath workplace organizing, and negative publicity about union busting, is bad news for corporate America. Stories of ordinary workers taking on billionaire CEOs tend to spur copycat attempts. And coverage of illegal (or morally reprehensible) union busting tarnishes company brands, while increasing pressure on elected officials to defend and enforce labor law. 

When it comes to fomenting today’s pro-union zeitgeist, the growth of pro-union sentiment over social media is no less significant. To cite just a few examples: Antiwork — a misleadingly named Reddit group focused on exposing bad working conditions and promoting unionization — shot up from 80,000 members in early 2020 to 2.3 million members by late 2022. The labor-focused media outlet More Perfect Union has received 150 million views on its YouTube and TikTok videos. And videos of Starbucks workers walking out in response to illegal firings now regularly go viral, racking up millions of views and exposing the hypocrisy of a nominally progressive corporation. Starbucks’ Vice President of Partner Resources thus recently admitted that she had to turn off social media because it “has been very disheartening. And yet perception is reality in some way shape or form.”

Media attention on its own will not turn things around for unions, but it is nevertheless critical for keeping up momentum and bringing “the labor question” back to the center of US politics. Millions of workers are finally beginning to see that non-union jobs can become union jobs — and that they personally could play a role in making that happen.

No less important, coverage of recent union drives among white-collar and (largely female) pink-collar care workers has undercut the still-common myth that unions are just for white men in hard industry. Multiple worker organizer interviewees explained to me that the first thing they had to do was disabuse themselves and their colleagues of the assumption, to quote a New York Times tech worker named Vicki, that “unions are just for coal miners or something — not for us.”

Google analytics allows us to measure the increase in search queries last year asking the question: “How do I form a union?” The following graph captures a surge in bottom-up unionization interest, particularly in the wake of the highly publicized union win at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse on Staten Island. Today’s active interest in unionization constitutes a major contextual difference from the 1990s and 2000s when labor’s halting turn to new organizing stumbled over the high staff resources required to spark workers to unionize.

Qualitative data also indicates that there has been an increase in individual workers directly reaching out to unions asking them to organize them — what unions usually call “hot shops.” To quote a cannabis industry worker turned Teamsters organizer in Illinois, “these workers are reaching out to us for help, so that’s unusual. It used to be we were seeking them out and now they’re coming to us. Our phones are ringing constantly with workers who want protection, higher wages, better benefits and accountability from these companies.” 

Put simply: despite the immense power of the forces arrayed against them, rank-and-file organizers today are continuing to take big risks to win power and democracy at work. Unions should follow their lead.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

United States: Six years as a ‘City of Peace’: Happy anniversary, Ashland!

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An article by David Wick in Ashland News

Tuesday, May 16, is the sixth anniversary of Ashland officially becoming a City of Peace and joining the International Cities of Peace Association. On May 16, 2017, Mayor John Stromberg, with a unanimous vote of the Ashland City Council , proclaimed that “…the City of Ashland, Oregon is a City of Peace in perpetuity and encourage city and community leaders to develop policies and procedures that promote a culture of peace in our region.”


City officials and Ashland Culture of Peace Commission Executive Director David Wick, center, tie the ribbon at the International City of Peace Ribbon Tying Ceremony in 2017, as a symbol of joining together. Graham Lewis photo

The focus and engagement on this accomplishment has lessened over the last three years due to the impact of COVID, but the legacy of Ashland, the 163rd International City of Peace, has never lessened internationally nor in the hearts of many community members.

Among the current 380 International Cities of Peace in Peace in 70 countries on all six inhabited continents, Ashland has always been held in high regard as an example to learn from. With the guidance of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission (ACPC), working closely with the City of Ashland, many segments of our community, and other peacebuilding organizations, we are seen as an ideal way of co-creating an infrastructure of peace.

International Cities of Peace (ICP) is an association of citizens, governments and organizations who have by proclamation, resolution, or by citizen advocacy established their communities as official Cities of Peace. The fundamental focus of a City of Peace is on safety, prosperity and quality of life.

There is no 100% peaceful city — rather, all are on the path to “becoming” a more peaceful city. Various forms of violence or hostility affect every community, yet as Mahatma Gandhi reminded, “…acts of love and service are much more common in this world than conflicts and quarrels.” Hundreds of cities around the world are building on their legacy of peacebuilding in a forward commitment to work toward a community-wide culture of peace. Establishing a community as a peace city recognizes past achievements, encourages current initiatives, and inspires future generations for practical peace building.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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The Ashland community and city have taken many steps to manifest a City of Peace, many more than can be listed here. This list includes: Options for Helping Residents of Ashland (OHRA) and others assisting people in need, establishment of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission, Chamber of Commerce action to support businesses, wildfire protection action by Rep. Pam Marsh, Travel Ashland (VCB) Advisory Committee initiatives, installation of the World Peace Flame with middle school Flame Keepers, initiation of the Police2Peace program, Ashland Food Bank, Peace House initiatives and Uncle Foods Diner, Peace Village Festival, the Peace Wall and climate action by The Geos Institute, among many others.

Being a City of Peace is a continual state of making daily choices individually, organizationally, systemically, every one of us. On May 16, 2023, what does this look like in Ashland now and moving forward? How do we want to increase the safety, prosperity and quality of life for all in Ashland, in our region? This can begin with a smile for the next person each of us sees.

Ashland.News Editor Bert Etling and Ashland Police Department Chief Tighe O’Meara both served as Ashland Culture of Peace Commission (ACPC) Commissioners and were recently asked what they value about taking steps to co-create Ashland as a City of Peace.

Bert Etling responded: “I value ACPC’s raising awareness of values that too-often go unspoken and unrecognized, which makes them more likely to fall into disuse. The very existence of ACPC prompts people to think about qualities worth affirming and practicing. On a more concrete level, organization of and participation in events offering the opportunity for people of diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives and harmonious space builds peace in the community. And, of course, the Peace Flame as an ongoing reminder of that energy (in the wonderful Thalden Pavilion space), and sustaining learning about, sharing and passing along those values through the students tending to the site.”

Chief O’Meara’s reply is: “One of the things I value most about the ACPC is that through it we promote conversations, connections, and better mutual understanding. We may not always be able to agree, but unless we come together, we certainly won’t. In those connections and conversations, we have our best chance at understanding, and through that peace.”

As a city and community, we have gone through some rough patches and there are more to come in the challenging times we live in. And the choices and directions are in our hands both individually and collectively. Let’s co-create the very best ongoing City of Peace that we can, together.

An International City of Peace information center is being created at Catalyst Ashland, 357 E Main St., Ashland, 541-625-6565 by owners Precious Yamaguchi and Andres Rivero, and myself, David Wick of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission.

David Wick is executive director of the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission (Ashlandcpc.org) and president of the Rotary EClub of World Peace. Email him at info@ashlandcpc.org.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

Mayors for Culture of Peace

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Excerpts from April Newsletter of Mayors for Peace

Join us in promoting the culture of peace

Mayors for Peace outlines three objectives in the Vision for Peaceful Transformation to a Sustainable World (PX Vision): Peacebuilding by Cities for Disarmament and Common Security. One of them is to promote the culture of peace, which the PX Vision explains as follows:

We will cultivate peace consciousness and cause the culture of peace—the culture in which the everyday actions of each member of the public are grounded in thinking about peace—to take root in civil society as the foundation of lasting world peace.

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(Click here for the French version of this article)

Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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This April Issue of the Mayors for Peace News Flash features some of Mayors for Peace initiatives promoting the culture of peace. We hope these examples will inspire your city to implement initiatives promoting the culture of peace.

Celebrate the Month for the Culture of Peace

We encourage your cities to celebrate one particular month of the year as the “Month for the Culture of Peace” holding a variety of cultural events to raise peace awareness among citizens. The aim is to have them think about the importance of peace through music, fine art, and other forms of art expressing desire for peace, as well as through sports and other activities that emotionally connect people across language barriers.

The City of Hiroshima, since 2021, has designated November as the “Month for the Culture of Peace.” This Month sees a variety of events under the theme of the culture of peace held intensively in cooperation with private sector companies and groups of citizens. These events include, for example, lectures on the culture of peace and stage performances and art exhibitions by youths.

See “Month for the Culture of Peace 2022” by the City of Hiroshima (in Japanese).

Organize Events to Commemorate the International Day of Peace

We recommend your cities organize outreach activities and commemorative events on the UN’s International Day of Peace, which is observed on September 21st every year, to have as many citizens as possible share in the wish for the abolition of nuclear weapons.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

May Day around the world

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Information compiled by CPNN from various sources as indicated

May Day was celebrated by workers around the world, as shown in these photos. Click on text to go to the source for more information or click on photo to enlarge or to go to video.


Video of rally in Athens with bilingual banners in Greek and French reading “The peoples will win”


Percussionists in traditional Lebanese clothing lead the chants in the annual Labor Day parade in Beirut (AP Photo/Hussein Malia)


In Buenos Aires, activists held banners and chanted slogans at a rally in front of the Presidential Palace to demand an increase in the minimum wage and protested the International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal. (Reuters)


Government supporters rally marking May Day in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)


Scene from Colombia Foto: AFP


Members of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation hold a May Day rally at Muktangan in Dhaka, Bangladesh


Map of May Day rallies in France with total estimated by the trade unions as 2.3 million participants, including over half a million in Paris alone.


In Germany, demonstrations took place in Berlin and Hamburg (Reuters)


On the occasion of International Labor Day, daily wage workers of Birbhanpur village (India) took out a rally, demanding employment and increase in wages from the government.


Scene from video of May Day rally in Istanbul under the motto “Labour is our future”.


May Day demonstration in the Horse Statue area of Jakarta (KONTAN:Francis Simbolon)


Bolivian President Luis Arce participates in the International Workers’ Day march organized by the Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB) in La Paz. 


Members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers raise their hats as they march to celebrate International Labour Day in Lagos, Nigeria. [Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]


In London, the march comes down Clerkenwell Road, past Farringdon. (Photo by André Langlois)


Hundreds of Filipino activists took to the streets in Manila calling on the government for better wages and treatment of labourers. (Reuters)


Mexico City: Thousands of workers demonstrate on May 1 in the Zócalo. Foto María Luisa Severiano


Communist party supporters with red flags march near Red Square in Moscow, Russia. [Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Photo]


Multan, Pakistan – Workers of different organizations are participating in a rally on the eve of World Labour Day. APP/SFD/TZD/MOS

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Question related to this article:
 
What is the contribution of trade unions to the culture of peace?

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Scene from video of rally in New York City including New York City Coalition for Domestic Workers


Women walk close to a banner reading “Domestic workers we do not agree with the Government,” during a May Day rally in Pamplona, northern Spain, May 1, 2023 (AP).


May Day demonstration celebrating Labour Day in Porto, Portugal (Reuters)


May Day in Potenza, Italy, the procession of CGIL, CISL and UIL


Scene from rally in Prague (AA)


Scores of workers gather at the Saulsville arena (Pretoria) to observe Workers Day. Picture: Timothy Bernard African News Agency (ANA)


In Quito, people take part in a march on International Workers’ Day to demand that Ecuador’s President Guillermo Lasso, who is facing an impeachment process, leaves office amid rising crime and insecurity, (Reuters)


Rally in the heart of the Mission District of San Francisco with many immigrants from Latin America


A protester holds a sign that reads in Spanish “El Salvador, the biggest jail in Latin America” during an anti-government march on International Labor Day in San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)


People attend a May Day, or Labor Day, rally in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Monday, May 1, 2023.(AP)


The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions march toward the presidential office in Yongsan following a Labor Day rally in downtown Seoul. (Yonhap)


The crowd at the May Day rally of the Marxist–Leninist communist party JVP, in Sril Lanka


Workers from various confederations and labor unions pass the South Sumatra DPRD office

Labour day parade march in front of the town hall in Vienna, Austria. [Lisa Leutner/AP Photo]

Medics hold slogans reading “I want benefits” during a May Day rally in Taipei, Taiwan (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)


Members of left-wing parties and trade unions march in traditional May Day parade, one of the smallest ever, to mark Labour Day, in Warsaw, Poland, Monday, May 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)


People take part in a ‘Feminist Revolution’ May Day protest rally and some clash with the police in Zurich, Switzerland, Monday, May 1, 2023. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

International Cities of Peace: May Newsletter

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Excerpts from the May Newsletter of International Cities of Peace

GLOBAL NEWSCAST – UPDATE, May, 2023

380 Cities of Peace; 71 Countries; 6 Continents — the global network of International Cities of Peace (ICP) continues to grow. Practical work is being done. Below the headlines of violence and war is a profound story of peacemaking in communities. Safety, prosperity, and quality of life are the Consensus Values of Peace and hundreds of International Cities of Peace, thousands on peace teams around the world, are at the forefront of a grassroots organizing principle: localizing a culture of peace.

THREE NEW ICP HAPPENINGS

1. SEND A VIDEO FOR THE ICP YOUTUBE CHANNEL!

An extraordinary benefit exclusively for ICP Liaisons

A LETTER FROM ICP ONLINE FACILITATOR MIROMIR RAJCEVIC, International City of Peace, Serbia
My team at the Media Education Centre and I would like to support our movement and promote as much as possible the Global Network of OUR Cities of Peace because supporting PEACE is more important than ever. . . . . And I believe that political solutions must guide all our peace operations. We must show that it is a Global Movement ready to INCLUDE, ready to PROMOTE and interested to SUPPORT the peace around the Planet. . . . The best way I can propose to all the International Cities of Peace is to help me to show how many cities in how many countries respect and promote peace. To invite many other cities to join us. If you like to support our idea, please be so kind as to express your goodwill to contribute to our promotion with a short video about your city. To be easier to communicate and exchange video and basic information please fill out the form and I (or somebody from my team) will back to you with instructions.

2. SUMMIT FOR PEACE IN SOUTH AMERICA

From Buenos Aires: International City of Peace in South America
May 31, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Av. Maipú 2502, Province of Buenos Aires, Argentine Republic.
There will be face-to-face meeting at the Conference with participation by the Ambassador of Peace, Nicolás Incolla Garay of U.N. ECOSOC, as well as Carlos Palma, Coordinator of the Living Peace Project, among other speakers.
Call to Action: Participate from your country by following the instructions in this simple form, you will be part of our summit on May 31, 2023.


3. FOCUS ON CHILDREN

Mesa, Arizona, U.S.A. has been an International City of Peace since 2022. Liaisons Paula Osterday and Dr. Ruth Lim, the focus of the peace initiative in Mesa is on the next generation. “We focus on three things in Mesa,” Dr. Lim notes.

We empower children and families to be advocates for peace and non-violence. Our Annual Week Without Violence showcases the community’s advocacy with posters and poetry in different school districts

We have community and business champions that support with Proclamations and Letters of support, including the Governor, the Mayor’s office, Rotary Club, community colleges, and nonprofits like Chicano Por La Causa working on community development.

We placed peace poles in community schools, churches, and colleges.

The Mesa Team was instrumental in Arizona’s observance of “A Week Without Violence”, which created awareness, educates, and strengthens the advocacy for non-violence which in return will help make their community a safer place to live. The Proclamation by Governor of the State of Arizona, Douglas A. Ducey, proclaimed peace as the “deepest hope” and “guiding inspiration” for all of humanity. There are several Cities of Peace in Arizona and many of the leaders are working toward Arizona becoming a State of Peace, the criteria of which is detailed below.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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NEW CITIES OF PEACE

376th City of Peace! Kashojwa, Nakivale, Uganda

There are 74 villages in the Nakivale, Uganda Refugee Camp. Desperate, they come from D.R Congo, Burundi, Somalia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and other countries. A peace leader in the Nakivale settlement of Kashojwa, Nakivale, Uganda has established his village as an International City of Peace. Iragi Bakenga is a Congolese national, a courageous young man, that is taking the leadership. “I have decided with my team to start volunteering for orphans and vulnerable teenagers and youths to fight illiteracy among them. What courage and resolve! (cities listing)

377th City of Peace! The Central District of Lima, Peru

Established as an International City of Peace by Ms. Rosi Castellaneos who leads an extensive peacebuilding network, Lima is a MegaCity with over 40 districts in a country that has recently had many political setbacks. Yet Rosi and her colleagues have many positive activities, including promoting the Roerch Flag of Peace, inspired by the work of Inés Palomeque and the Argentine-based Mil Milenios de Paz. Thank you, Rosi! (cities listing)

378th City of Peace: New Kigali, Nakivale, Uganda

“To see a developed community where women are fully employed, and children access education.” — this seems a universal vision, yet for January Mutimanw it is very personal. Congolese by nationality, he reached the Nakivale Refugee camp in Uganda in 2015 and envisioned himself as a young man destined to change the New Kigali community for the better. We are with you, January. Take advantage of the tools, resources and network of ICP — that is why we are here. (cities listing)

NYAWARA DISTRICT OF BUKAVU, DRC — the 379th CITY OF PEACE!

I like, as a woman, that we can do great work so that we women will fight to build peace in our country, the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The words of a current and future peacemaker go to the core of why International Cities of Peace is an extraordinary platform for youngers and elders. Ms. Bahozi Chance is 25 years old and is dedicated to fight for peace in her city of Bukavu and for parity between men and women. “We planted fruit trees and utilize Agro forestry,” Chance said, “to overcome the problem of natural disasters, erosion and floods in the city of Bukavu and live with nature.” Onward toward local/global peace! (cities listing)

FROM THE CHAIR

Have you planned for Peace Day, 2023?

September 21st is less than four months away. Designated by the United Nations, International Day/Week/Month of Peace is a wonderful opportunity. WE celebrate peace, educate on peacebuilding, and YES! contemplate the work to be done. Many Liaisons use the time to gather their teams to plan for the next year of projects — how has safety, prosperity, and quality of life in your community made progress… or degenerated? Either way, peacemakers are necessary to keep the momentum or to create momentum for community peace.

The ICP sponsored Global Feast for Peace is in its 11th year. How you gather is entirely up to you. Yet through the Feast for Peace, we make a unified and profound statement to the world that peace is an active engagement. Plan an event, or many events, during September. Remember, peace is not something we keep inside, or among our friends and family. Peace must be shouted from the rooftops and mountains! We must rise together to overcome the silence. Invite the community. International Day of Peace is humanity’s gift from the United Nations.

Celebrate. Plan. Listen. Enjoy. Feast for Peace with hundreds of International Cities of Peace around the globe! (Peace Day)

J. Fred Arment
Chair, Lead Facilitator
International Cities of Peace

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global