Category Archives: Europe

USA: United National AntiWar Coalition : US and NATO aggression towards Russia – danger at the Ukrainian Border

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A statement from the United National AntiWar Coalition

The US government and its corporate media have been trying to build a case that Russia is getting ready to invade Ukraine.  Their main argument is that they have observed around 90,000 Russian troops near the border with Ukraine.  Near the border means that they are on Russian territory, this is what the US calls aggression.  Although US and NATO forces have surrounded Russia and have conducted military maneuvers right at the Russian border, that is deemed to be not provocative, but Russia massing troops in its own territory is.  What is never said in any of these reports is that there are 125,000 Ukrainian troops in the Donbass region right near the Russian border.  These troops have been freshly equipped by the US with advanced weaponry and US military “advisors” have been aiding them in their aggressive military posture.  The massing of Russian troops near its border is a defensive move on their part to counter the threat of the US and NATO and their ally Ukraine that wants NATO membership.

In 1990, as the Soviet Union was collapsing, James Baker the US secretary of state told the Soviet leaders that NATO would not expand east of Germany.  Since then, it has expanded into 14 countries in violation of that agreement, right up to the Russian border.  History has since shown the world that it is the US and its NATO allies that are the aggressors everywhere in the world.  It is the US with its military in more than 170 countries, with 20 times the number of foreign bases as all other countries in the world combined that has invaded and occupied one country after the next.  It is the US that spends almost as much on the military as all other countries combined. This is what the Russians fear and with good reason.
 
The Russians have only to look at the coup that the US orchestrated in Ukraine in 2014.  They can recall Senator John McCain speaking to the protesters in Maidan Square, Kiev, urging them forward to topple their government, and US diplomat Victoria Nuland as she brought treats for the Maidan protesters and was recorded on the phone saying “fuck the EU” because they wanted to replace the Ukrainian president with someone other than the US hand-picked person.  The US pick, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, of course, was installed as the new prime minister after the coup, and ever since the US has had important influence in Ukraine.  The new finance minister in the coup government was Natalie Jeresko, from the US and Joe Biden’s son took a role on the board of the largest Natural gas company in the country.   The new government contained far right and Nazi parties such as the Svoboda Party and others associated with a coalition of right-wing groups called the Right Sector.  In Ukraine today there are openly fascist militias, swastikas chalked on walls or displayed on jackets and torchlight marches through the streets with people chanting anti-Semitic and anti-Russian slogans.   This is what the US put in place and what Russia – who lost 20 million people to the Nazi terror in World War II – fears. 

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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The key demand of Russia is that Ukraine, which has the largest border with Russia of any European country, not become a NATO member.  They also demand that the U.S. and NATO back off on their approach to the Russian border and stop placing armed nuclear installations on their border.   The US/NATO/Ukraine aggression is happening at a time when the Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelenskiy has been making promises to “win back” Crimea and has started an offensive against the Eastern break-away regions of Luhansk and Donetsk.  All three areas are Russian speaking regions that rejected the 2014 coup as far-right and Nazi forces took hold of the government.  The people of Crimea voted by over 90% to break from Ukraine and re-integrate into Russia since they had been part of Russia untill 1956 anyway.  In the Donbass, which is the area of Luhansk and Donetsk, the people organized into the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, created their own flags and built people’s militias to defend their territory against the right-wing and anti-Russian government of Kiev.  Although a cease fire agreement was reached, it has been consistently violated by Kiev and recently the Zelenskiy government has stepped-up attacks in the regions.  More than 14,000 people have been killed in this war in the Eastern Ukraine.
 
Another reason for the recent US/Ukraine aggression may be because just recently, Russia completed its Nordstream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and is ready to turn it on.  This can provide gas to Germany and Europe at a much better price than the US can offer with its fracked gas.  This will also replace the Russian gas pipeline that runs through Ukraine.  Natural gas was a key factor in the 2014 Ukrainian coup.  Like many of the other recent US initiated wars, energy may be a big issue in this situation too.
 
We demand:

– No US weapons or military advisors for the Ukrainian military
– Stop the US saber rattling, No war with Russia
– Keep Ukraine out of NATO

(Editor’s note: UNAC brings together most of the leading antiwar organizations of the United States. A recent video conference of UNAC against war in the Ukraine included representatives of the ANSWER coalition, Black Alliance for Peace, CodePink, International Action Center, Popular Resistance, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, US Peace Council, Black Agenda Report, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Veterans for Peace and World Beyond War.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, North America,

UK: Stop the War statement on the crisis over Ukraine

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A press release from Stop the War Coalition

Stop the War opposes any war over Ukraine, and believes the crisis should be settled on a basis which recognises the right of the Ukrainian people to self-determination and addresses Russia’s security concerns.

Our focus is on the policies of the British government which have poured oil on the fire throughout this episode. In taking this position we do not endorse the nature or conduct of either the Russian or Ukrainian regimes.

The British government has talked up the threat of war continually, to the point where the Ukraine government has asked it to stop.

Unlike the French and German governments, it has advanced no proposals for a diplomatic solution to the crisis, and has contributed only sabre-rattling.

Indeed, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has even accused those seeking a peaceful settlement of preparing “another Munich.”

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Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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Instead, the British government has sent arms to Ukraine and deployed further troops to Eastern Europe, moves which serve no purpose other than inflaming tensions and indicating disdain for Russian concerns.

It has also declared that Ukraine has a “sovereign right” to join NATO, when no such right exists to join it or any other military alliance.
Britain needs to change its policy, and start working for peace, not confrontation.

Stop the War believes that Russia and Ukraine should reach a diplomatic settlement of the tensions between them, on the basis of the Minsk-2 agreement already signed by both states.

It believes NATO should call a halt to its eastward expansion and commit to a new security deal for Europe which meets the needs of all states and peoples.

We refute the idea that NATO is a defensive alliance, and believe its record in Afghanistan, Yugoslavia and Libya over the last generation, not to mention the US-British attack on Iraq, clearly proves otherwise.

We support all efforts to reach new arms control agreements in Europe and to move towards nuclear disarmament across the continent.

We urge the entire anti-war movement to unite on the basis of challenging the British government’s aggressive posturing and direct its campaigning to that end above all.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

France : War is never the solution. Yes to a negotiated political solution.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An appeal signed by the organizations mentioned below and available on the website of FSU (translation by CPNN)

Tensions between the United States and Russia – two nuclear powers – are reaching alarming proportions with massive Russian troop movements on the borders of Ukraine on the one hand and arms deliveries and sending of troops by NATO in neighboring countries on the other hand. This policy of confrontation can only produce losers.

We are not immune to provocations that would lead to a major war.

Ukraine is paying a heavy economic and human price due to nationalist hostilities fueled internationally. These tensions can have very negative consequences for all the peoples of Europe well beyond the conflict zone, for example the rise in gas prices…

We must choose the path of dialogue and peace. There are diplomatic solutions to the crisis.

We denounce the geopolitical games at work both on the part of the Russian Federation, the European Union, NATO and others…

We call on all political leaders to stop following military logic and to respect the peoples’ aspiration for peace.

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

Questions related to this article:
 
Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

(Continued from left column)

All peoples without exception – who are faced with a global crisis (climate, social health, etc.) affecting the poorest, the most fragile – have nothing to gain from a new war!

The priorities for the peoples and the future of humanity are called: Peace, climate, social justice, realization of human rights, disarmament!

We demand:

Immediate negotiations for de-escalation;

Stopping threats, NATO and Russian troop concentrations and arms deliveries to all parties;

A ceasefire in Ukraine and the implementation of existing agreements;

That the United Nations be the privileged framework for developing political and diplomatic solutions to settle the Ukrainian question.

On these bases, we call for the widest possible mobilizations from February 12, 2022.

Initial signatories : Le Mouvement de la Paix, FSU, CGT, Enseignants Pour la Paix (EPP), PUGWASH- France, AFCDRP (Association française des communes départements et régions pour la Paix), Appel des Cent Bagnolet, ACCA (Agir contre le colonialisme aujourd’hui), PCF, République et Socialisme, Collectif citoyen pour la paix en Ukraine, Conseil de coordination du Forum des Russes de France, APCV (Association de promotion des cultures du voyage), Parti pour la laïcité et la démocratie en Algérie (PLD), IDRP (Institut de Recherche pour la Paix), Vrede (Mouvement Belge pour la Paix), Union des fédérations de pionniers de France, Abolition des armes nucléaires – Maison de vigilance, Université Européenne de la Paix (UEP), Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples (MRAP), Alerte Otan (Belgique), Pôle de renaissance communiste en France (PRCF), Mouvement pour une Alternative Non Violente (MAN), France Amérique Latine (FAL), La Voix Lycéenne, AFPS Paris-Sud, Collectif Faty KOUMBA (Association des Libertés, Droits de l’Homme et non-violence), FNDIRP44, Mouvement National de Lutte pour l’Environnement (MNLE),ATTAC ,Fondation Copernic

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

France: Appeal by the AFCDRP on the occasion of the 1st Anniversary of the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An appeal received by email at CPNN from AFCDRP, the French Association of Communities, Departments and Regions for Peace

One year after the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the AFCDRP-Maires pour la Paix calls on its member communities to mobilize to make France participate in the first meeting of States Parties to the UN from 22 to 24 March 2022 in Vienna, Austria.

In a fragile socio-economic context aggravated by the Covid 19 pandemic and the climate emergency, new military spending only contributes to the impoverishment of society and the poverty of citizens.

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

Question related to this article:
 
Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

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Not only poverty, but also the threat of nuclear weapons, is a source of tension and insecurity in our territories and beyond our borders.

We say no to this insecurity!

We, elected representatives of cities and local authorities, have a duty to invest in favor of peace and disarmament.

We express by this appeal that cooperation and brotherhood should prevail among peoples.

About sixty countries have already ratified the TPNW, including Austria and Ireland within the European Union. In addition, five countries will attend the meeting as observers (Germany, Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden). France must open up to the debate on nuclear weapons and take full part in the movement.

We call on French communities to mobilize locally for this first anniversary of the ratification of the TPNW to ensure that France takes part and truly advances on the path of nuclear disarmament.

Two gatherings have already been announced for Saturday January 22 in Lyon, place de la Comédie 69001 (at 3 p.m.) and in Paris, place Edmond Michelet 75004 (from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.). Join the movement!

AFCDRP is available on social media at twitter and facebook

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

US Must Take Russia’s Security Concerns Seriously

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by by Natylie Baldwin in Antiwar.com

(Editor’s Note: In recent weeks, Russian President Putin has proposed new peace treaties between Russia and the US and between Russia and NATO. Google lists perhaps a hundred news articles that mention Putin’s proposals but nowhere in any of the articles could I find a reference to the actual text of the proposals or to the historical context that includes American assurances at the end of the Cold War that NATO would not be expanded towards Russia. Instead, the articles listed by google support American and NATO claims that that Putin’s proposals mask a justification for Russian invasion of the Ukraine. Finally, after a rather long and detailed search, I found the following article (not listed by google) that links to the treaty proposals and to the historical context. Here it is.)

Illustration from the blog of Natylie Baldwin

An American Russia expert recently observed that diplomacy is not a reward for good behavior. Rather diplomacy is a necessary activity required for averting war. Skilled diplomacy requires one to understand the perceived interests of the other side and what shapes those perceptions. This helps both sides to arrive at a mutually agreeable resolution that takes into account the most serious concerns of each. The Biden administration would be wise to give a fair hearing to the security concerns of the world’s other nuclear superpower at the upcoming meeting with Russia on January 10th in order to avert unnecessary escalation in Eastern Europe.

As Putin gets further into what could be his final term as president, he has decided to try to get a meaningful resolution to one of his top priorities: ensuring Russia’s national security. If he can successfully resolve this issue, he may feel freer to open up the purse strings and invest more in his other top priority: raising Russia’s living standards, which have fallen behind as a result of the austerity  that has been imposed as the Russian government has focused on macroeconomic stability to make the economy “sanction-proof. ”

He has started by offering a proposed draft agreement between  Russia and the US and one between  Russia and NATO that guarantee no further eastward expansion of NATO and no stationing of US/NATO troops in Ukraine or intermediate- and short-range missiles in Europe.

While it may seem like Russia is making extreme demands and offering no concessions of its own in return, one must keep a few points in mind. First, at the beginning of negotiations, parties will typically start with maximalist positions with the idea that they will be whittled down during talks to something they can live with. Second, Russia has genuine security concerns that many Americans are not aware of because most media has made little attempt to explain Russia’s perspective with regard to its disagreements with the US-led west.

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Question related to this article:
 
Free flow of information, How is it important for a culture of peace?

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Lacking some of the natural barriers that Americans take for granted, Russia has a history of invasions from the West, including Germany twice in the 20th century – having come through the Polish/Ukrainian corridor. Hitler’s invasion in WWII resulted in around 27 million dead Soviets and destruction of a third of the country. These perceived security interests are driven by historical experience and therefore represent a Russian view, not simply a Putin view.

With this heavy history, Mikhail Gorbachev was hesitant to allow a reunified Germany during 1990 negotiations with western leaders. Declassified government documents  reveal that in order to secure Gorbachev’s agreement, he was promised verbally more than once by US Secretary of State James Baker and other western officials that NATO would not move “one inch eastward.”

After the mutually negotiated end of the Cold War and subsequent dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, NATO had lost its reason for existence and had to resort to finding other justifications for remaining in business. This project was assisted by political ideologues , such as Zbig Brzezinski and Neoconservatives, as well as intense defense contractor lobbying  which helped spur NATO expansion rather than a re-negotiation of a European security architecture that would ensure the security of all parties. From Russia’s perspective, it made sense to ask: if the Cold War had ended, Russia had voluntarily given up its empire and was no longer an enemy, then why was NATO being expanded with Russia excluded from these new security arrangements?

Not only has the US overseen several rounds of NATO expansion since 1999, it has unilaterally withdrawn from several important treaties governing arms control. The first is the ABM Treaty, the abrogation of which Russia viewed as a threat to its nuclear retaliatory capability. There is also the INF Treaty, the dissolution of which will now allow the US to potentially station intermediate range missiles in Europe, representing another perceived danger to Russia’s security interests.

Then there was the US-supported coup that removed the corrupt but democratically elected leader of Ukraine in 2014, which sparked deeper dissension in a country that has political and cultural divisions that go back centuries. The cold hard reality is that Ukraine has more strategic and historical significance to Russia than it could ever have to the US thousands of miles away. Russia also has the advantage of proximity in the event of a military conflict. The US should seriously reconsider the wisdom of paying lip service to Ukraine’s military defense for any such scenario. Ukraine is the poorest  country in Europe and also one of the most corrupt . Ukraine would provide no benefit to NATO as a member and it’s safe to say that neither Americans  nor most Europeans  would be willing to die for it. Ukraine would be best served if it were militarily neutral and allowed to negotiate economically beneficial relations with both Russia and the West, with the most extreme political elements in the country discouraged from their most reckless inclinations.

It’s time for the US to get beyond its post-Cold War triumphalist mentality and pursue practical diplomacy with Russia. Insisting that all countries have the right to decide what military alliances they join without regard to the larger real world context is a nonstarter. Everyone knows the US would never take this attitude if Russia and China decided to lure Canada or Mexico into joining a military alliance with them.

The Russia of 2022 is not the Russia of the 1990’s. In order to get something, the US-led west will now have to give something. That means a willingness to seriously address Russia’s security concerns. It remains to be seen if the US is capable of the shift in mindset needed to rise to the occasion.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global,

Granada, Spain : The Mediation Group shows members how to put the transformative model into practice

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from the Illustre Colegio de Abogados de Granada (translation by CPNN)

In the field of Mediation there are different schools that offer diverse procedural dynamics depending on the type of conflict in question. One of them is the transformative perspective, where the focus is on the process, and not so much on the agreement. This model was discussed during the last session of the ‘Afternoons of Mediation’ cycle organized by the Specialized Mediation Group of the Granada Bar Association on December 15.

(click here for the original version in Spanish).

Question for this article:

Mediation as a tool for nonviolence and culture of peace

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The person in charge of informing the lawyers on this matter was the lawyer and international mediator Gustavo Fariña. He was introduced by the president of the group, Margarita Manzano Enríquez de Luna. The expert began by explaining that the most efficient method for conflict resolution is the one where the interest of the parties is used as a basis. This is more effective than application of the Law or the use of power, and in this way mediation can facilitate self-determination and the humanizing power of dialogue.

Next, the speaker argued that this conflict resolution system should be standardized, installed and promoted, since it favors a more democratic and peaceful culture in society in the resolution of conflicts. It returns the leading role to the parties in making decisions in conflicts, allows the parties to develop communication skills, makes it possible to decongest the Administration of Justice, provides society with greater access to Justice and makes people feel that they have regained their own voice.

Fariña also shared with the attendees of this online conference the transformative approach, where the focus is on the transformation of the interaction in the conflict, rather than its resolution. This helps to alleviate the effects of weakness and self-absorption that caused the problem and it produces a shift towards strength and empathy.

Finally, the mediator explained the transformative practices. These include : reorienting the intervener’s mission and commitment towards conflict transformation; maximizing the choice and control of the parties in terms of content and process, to increasing the intervener’s transparency: avoiding the use of pressure, manipulation and overreaction; and promoting the conversation between the parties.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Council of Europe : Ministerial Conference on restorative justice concludes with the signature of the Declaration of Venice

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article from the Council of Europe

Encouraging the use of restorative justice, especially when the offences involve minors, and considering it an essential part of training for legal professionals are two of the main recommendations made to the Council of Europe by the Ministries of Justice of the organization’s Member States who took part in the Conference of Ministers of Justice, on the theme of restorative justice, in Venice on 13th and 14th December.

Discussion question

Restorative justice, What does it look like in practice?

Organised within the scope of the Semester of the Italian Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the conference “Crime and Criminal Justice – The Role of Restorative Justice in Europe” enriches the program of initiatives supporting the construction of a people-orientated future through the promotion of a citizen-friendly juridical system, one of the three priority areas for Italy’s Presidency. As part of this wider context, restorative justice supports the function of the sentence, both as an opportunity for rehabilitation of the offender and for recovery of the victim.

The two-day Ministerial Conference concluded with the signing of the Venice Declaration, a joint document that stimulates policies aimed at a wider dissemination of restorative justice, access to which “should be an objective of the national authorities”. There were two days of reflections, analysis and testimonies on the topic, such as those offered by Albie Sachs, the former Judge of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and by Professor Pumla Gobodo Madikizela of Stellenbosh University, who participated online. Both who shared their own accounts of reconciliation experienced in South Africa under Apartheid.

At the opening and closing of the meetings there were two speeches by the Minister of Justice Marta Cartabia, who defined restorative justice as “a new form of justice for the benefit of the victims, the perpetrators of the crime and for the whole society, which can rebuild the social bonds destroyed by crime. Restorative justice – she concluded – is not a utopia but derives from concrete experiences that have already taken place in many states”.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Spain : Films for peace – ten years of MUSOC

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Pablo Batalla Cueto in Lamarea86

A meeting place between cinema, social activism and critical thinking, which seeks to deepen the knowledge of human rights and the culture of peace: this is how MUSOC, the Social Film and Human Rights Exhibition, is presented ; a cinematographic event organized by Acción en Red Asturies. The event is supported by more than 40 organizations and groups and it has become an increasingly well-known reference –in Asturias and outside it– of the cultural programming related to the art of the cinema.


A frame from the film ‘Six Days Current’.

This year marks the decade anniversary : a special edition that will once again be displayed by several Asturian municipalities and educational centers in the region with film screenings (with the thematic sections Outskirts, Another Station, Creators looking to the South, Transits and Daughters of Guy) as well as some parallel activities: his Visible Dialogues , a colloquium between filmmakers, activists and the public; the MUSOCeduca pedagogical project, consisting of the dissemination of human rights and peace culture in eighty schools; and the delivery of the Chema Castiello Award.

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

Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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The inauguration is on Friday, January 7. It will open the exhibition Six days current , directed by Neus Ballús, winner of the Chema Castiello 2022, Espiga de Plata in the last Valladolid Festival. The film features three workers from a small plumbing and electricity company on the outskirts of Barcelona. One of the workers, of Moroccan origin, has to demonstrate for a week that he is ready to be the replacement for his partner Pep after his retirement and dissolve the doubts of Valero, the other partner, who doubts that those who require the services of the small company will accept a worker from the Maghreb in their homes . 

On successive days, and until January 30, MUSOC attendees will be able to see films such as Mali Twist, by Robert Guédiguian, a film set in the revolutionary Bamako of the sixties, which will be screened at the Niemeyer Center in Avilés ; As Far As I Can Walk, by Stefan Arsenijevi ?, starring a Ghanaian migrant who meets his wife in a Serbian refugee center, which can be seen at the Philharmonic Theater in Oviedo on the 18th; or, at the Riera Theater in Villaviciosa, Nora’s Awakening, by Leonie Krippendorf, about the adolescent infatuation of two young Berlin girls, Nora and Romy.

Other films concern the trans pioneer and activist against AIDS Connie Norman, the rural exodus in Kenya, the criminalization of abortion in El Salvador, the life of the last republican mayor of Seville and the dramas about Kosovo, Mexico and India.

Oviedo, Gijón, Avilés, Cangas de Onís, Langreo, Siero, Navia, Castrillón, Villaviciosa and Llanes are the participating towns, distributed from west to east throughout the region, of this edition. They take into account the current pandemic by the observance of the COVID-19 protocols, with accesses and exits to the spaces in an orderly and staggered manner and the obligation to use a mask and hydroalcoholic gel.

Creativity, diversity, freedom, reflection and commitment: these are the values to which this festival seeks to embrace; these virtues are essential in increasingly tough times. Hence the title of another of the films in this MUSOC, which will be screened in Navia on the 13th: A Little Plan… How to Save the World.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Europe

Spain: More than 140 people participate in the first Congress ‘Aragon, culture of peace’

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article in El Periodico de Aragon (translation by CPNN)

More than 140 people are participating in the first Congress ‘Aragon, culture of peace’ to address the phenomenon of migration. The event, which began this Wednesday, is scheduled by the General Directorate for Development Cooperation and Immigration, in the Department of Citizenship and Social Rights of the Government of Aragon.

This initiative takes place on the occasion of the International Day of Migrants, which is commemorated on December 18. During two days, this Wednesday and Thursday, numerous experts will reflect on the phenomenon of migration and its enriching value for society.

In total, 144 people have enrolled from very different fields of knowledge, from nurses to social workers, doctoral students, civil servants and Administration personnel, and 85.7 percent have requested the issuance of an assistance diploma .

At the same time, this Congress will serve as a prelude to the Plenary of the Immigration Forum, a body that brings together the different actors working on immigration in Aragon, which meets again – the last time was in June – to update its work.

In 2019, there were 75,012 men and 73,212 women of foreign origin in Aragon. The Minister of Citizenship and Social Rights, María Victoria Broto, in charge of opening the congress, has pointed out that “Aragon is a host country, it is a territory of solidarity and it is necessary to address, at this time and in the current circumstances, what is the situation in the world, what needs are there and how they can be addressed from the point of view of the Administrations, institutions and entities “.

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

Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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“We are very happy to host this Congress in which we will listen to voices that will analyze the reality of migration also from the point of view of those who arrive and need to be understood and helped. After what they have experienced this year in which the covid has paralyzed everything, it is mandatory to stop and think and not forget that the needs are still out there and that, far from disappearing, they have increased, “he said.

For her part, the Director General for Development Cooperation and Immigration, Natalia Salvo, highlighted that, through this Congress, the intention is to continue with the commitment to research “as a source of rigor and seriousness” in order to implement public policies on migration.

“We have created a space for dialogue about migration, the management of cultural diversity and other phenomena such as international protection, all of this framed on an especially important date for us, the International Day of Migrants.”

The first presentation of the day this Thursday, which begins at 10:00 am, is led by Alberto Sabio, Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Zaragoza and will address ‘Ideas about peace in contemporary times: a reflection from History’ .

Afterwards, there will be the presentation ‘Democracy and polarization: on how democratic systems can promote the culture of understanding and stop polarization’, by Luis Miller, the sociologist and head scientist of the Institute of Policies and Public Goods of the CSIC. At 12.30 pm, after the break, the president of the Spanish Association for Peace Research (AIPAZ), Ana Barreiro, takes up again with ‘Informative and discursive approach to migration’.

EDUCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

In the afternoon, it will be the turn for the presentation ‘Educating for social justice: social representations and construction of shared responsibilities’, by the coordinator of the research area of ​​the UNESCO Chair in Education for Social Justice, Liliana Jacott. Afterwards, the political scientist and member of ECODES, Cristina Monge, will speak about ‘Globalization and eco-social challenges for development and peace’.

On Thursday 17, the executive director of UNRWA Spain, Raquel Martí, will start with ‘A peaceful solution for Palestine’, which will be followed by the director of Migration Policies and Diversity in Instrategies and associate researcher at GRITIM-UPF, Gemma Pinyol-Jiménez , with ‘Migration, coexistence and culture of peace’.

The last presentation will be given by Carmen Magallón, the director of the Peace Research Seminary Foundation (SIP) and Honorary President of WILPF Spain, who will address the topic ‘Women, peace and security. 20th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1325, a milestone that defends the incorporation of women in peace processes’.

Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

European Union launches new programme to support peace, stability and conflict prevention

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY .

An article from the European Union

The EU is stepping up its capacity to advance peace and security in conflict-affected areas.

With a budget of almost €900 million, the Global Europe thematic programme on Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention will support actions with a global or trans-regional impact during the period of 2021-2027, by providing assistance to build capacities for conflict prevention, peacebuilding and crisis preparedness and addressing global, trans-regional and emerging threats. Through this programme, the EU will contribute to the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “The EU needs to be able to address instability and conflict globally. With this programme, we step up our capacity to act and support our partners in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and crisis preparedness globally, and to address emerging threats. It will ensure that we match our ambitions with tangible support.”

Building on the work done under the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace, it will be complemented by other tools, such as the European Peace Facility and Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations.

The support under this programme will focus on two main priorities:

Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention

As main innovations, the programme will advance the EU’s assistance for promoting a culture of peace and non-violence, better integrate the environmental degradation/climate impact on conflicts and enhance the focus on children, youth and women as actors for peace. It pays particular attention to contributing to the resolution of ongoing conflicts, and to conflict prevention, and will continue the support to mediation processes. In this context, through the early warning approach the EU will be able to respond to the risks of conflict before they materialise and take early action.

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Question for this article:

Can peace be guaranteed through nonviolent means?

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Global, trans-regional and emerging threats

At the same time, the programme will address global threats and challenges. Terrorism continues to pose one of the most serious threats to global peace and security. There is an increasing need to address the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism as well as terrorism financing. This programme will strengthen the EU’s role as a global leader and standard setter, reinforcing actions on counter-terrorism and preventing violent extremism, in full respect of human rights.

Annual Action Programme for 2021

In 2021, the actions funded under this programme will focus on innovative approaches to address disinformation on peace building processes and conflict sensitive, community-based technological solutions to climate change, as well as to addressing the root causes of terrorism, violent extremism and terrorism financing. In parallel, it will continue to ensure crucial support civil society organisations and multilateralism as well as to enhance early warning and conflict analysis tools.

For more information

MEMO: Global Europe Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention – thematic programme 2021-2027

Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument-Global Europe

Global Europe – thematic programme on Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention

Service for Foreign Policy Instruments – Conflict prevention, peace and stability

EEAS Security, Defence & Crisis Response

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe