United Nations High-Level Meeting on Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

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An article from the United Nations

With the catastrophic potential inherent in nuclear weapons hanging over the fate of humankind, the only way to prevent the use of such arsenals — and the Armageddon such an act would unleash — is to completely eliminate them, speakers said today during the General Assembly’s annual high-level commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.


Dennis Francis (General Assembly President) in video of the High-Level Meeting on Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres observed that “nuclear sabres are again being rattled” in a world that has “spent too long under the shadow of nuclear weapons” as he delivered opening remarks.  “Let’s make history by consigning nuclear weapons to history,” he added.

To do so, however, nuclear-weapon States must lead the way, he stressed, calling on them to meet their disarmament obligations.  Any use of nuclear weapons would unleash a humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions.  “This is the timeless message of the hibakusha — the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” he said, adding that the “New Agenda for Peace” can help usher in a nuclear-weapon-free world.

Also delivering introductory remarks was Dennis Francis (Trinidad and Tobago), President of the General Assembly, who stated:  “The risk of nuclear annihilation is not a chapter from our past; it is a haunting reality of our present.”  The more agitated people and nations become, the higher the risk of stumbling mistakenly into a nuclear nightmare.  “There is only one path to avoid nuclear Armageddon: that is the complete and absolute elimination of nuclear weapons,” he emphasized.

In the ensuing discussion, nearly 80 speakers took the floor to present various approaches towards creating a world free of such weapons.  Many delegates pushed for the advancement of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and commitment to the existing nuclear-disarmament-and-non-proliferation regime.  Some speakers, however, expressed frustration over the slow pace of disarmament and warned against ongoing nuclear modernization that is creating arsenals of improved speed, accuracy and stealth.

“The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us,” said Ali Sabry, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sri Lanka, borrowing the words of former United States President John F. Kennedy, who addressed the General Assembly in 1961.  These words of caution are directly relevant to today’s world, he said.  For its part, Sri Lanka prides itself in offering a sense of forward movement through its accession to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons just days ago.

Yashar T. Aliyev (Azerbaijan), speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement, said that nuclear-weapon States’ lack of progress towards the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals remains an issue of deep concern to the Movement, urging  concrete steps in this area.  He added that the annual observance of the International Day is an effective means with which to draw the international public’s attention to the unacceptable dangers posed by nuclear weapons.

Keith McBean (Ireland) said that today’s meeting occurs at a time of crisis, spotlighting the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine along with its accompanying nuclear threats.  Urging Moscow to refrain from such rhetoric,  he stressed:  “Any and all nuclear threats, whether explicit or implicit and irrespective of circumstance, are unacceptable.”  He also expressed regret that the Kremlin blocked agreement on a final outcome at the tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Charles Jose, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations in the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines, said that — despite reductions in the deployment of nuclear weapons since the cold war — “not a single one has been physically destroyed under any treaty”.  This, coupled with the alarming modernization and proliferation of nuclear arms, calls for urgent action, he said, joining a growing call for nuclear-weapon States to completely disarm.

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Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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In the same vein, Zaheer Laher, Chief Director of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa, warned that greater emphasis on nuclear weapons’ role in security doctrines heightens the possibility of a new nuclear arms race.  In this “hypocrisy of nuclear apartheid”, he pointed out that the security of some risks the security of all humanity.  The establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, such as the one in Africa, is an important disarmament and non-proliferation measure, and he expressed support for the establishment of new zones — especially in regions of tension such as the Middle East and Europe.

On that, Osama Mahmoud Abdelkhalek Mahmoud (Egypt), speaking for the Arab Group, stressed the importance of establishing a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.  Expressing concern over Israel’s nuclear stockpiles, he underlined the need to avoid an arms race in the region.  As such, he commended the participation of States — while spotlighting Israel’s absence — in conferences aimed at establishing a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East. 

“Latin America and the Caribbean have done their part,” said Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), who spoke for the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).  “It is well known that the countries of our region do not possess nuclear weapons,” she said, referring to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, which established a nuclear-weapons-free zone in that region.

Similarly, Tarek Ladeb (Tunisia), speaking for the African Group, underscored its commitment to the Treaty of Pelindaba, which declared Africa a nuclear-weapons-free zone.  This prohibits, among other things, the stationing or testing of nuclear explosive devices on the continent.  He urged all Member States — especially nuclear Powers and those under the so-called “nuclear umbrella” — to urgently sign and ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and pursue the goal of a world free of such weapons.

Hala Hameed, head of the Bilateral Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives, was among those who recalled the very first Assembly resolution — adopted in 1946 — which identified nuclear disarmament as a leading goal of the United Nations.  To that end, the Maldives joined the 68 States that have ratified or acceded to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, she noted, urging all Member States who have not done so to ratify the instrument.

While many speakers echoed the call to advance that accord, Ishikane Kimihiro (Japan) was among those who underlined the importance of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.  Urging nuclear-weapon States to proactively fulfil their obligations under the latter, he also pledged to cooperate with the international community to address non-proliferation issues related to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Iran.

In the absence of his counterparts from certain top nuclear-weapon States at today’s meeting, Geng Shuang (China) said that his country has consistently upheld a nuclear strategy of self-defence.  Beijing, he stated, “always keeps its capabilities at the minimum level required” to safeguard national security, never engages in arms races with other nuclear-weapon States and neither provides a nuclear umbrella nor deploys weapons abroad.

As well, Sanjay Kumar Verma, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs of India, said that his country is a responsible nuclear-weapon State and is committed to maintaining credible minimum deterrence with a posture of “no first use” and “non-use against non-nuclear-weapon States”.

Meanwhile, Zahra Ershadi (Iran) noted that allocations by the United States and the United Kingdom of $50.9 billion and £3 billion, respectively, to their nuclear-weapon programmes clearly indicate the ongoing failure of nuclear Powers to meet their disarmament obligations.

On that, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Cuba, warned that global military spending grew for the eighth consecutive year in 2022 to reach an all-time high of $2.24 trillion. Calling this “scandalous”, he said that millions of dollars spent on nuclear weapons should go to alleviate poverty and hunger.

Building on that was Michael Bootii Nauan, Minister for Tourism, Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives of Kiribati, who detailed the impacts of nuclear-weapon testing in 1958 on his country’s people.  Unaware of the dangers of such tests, many would later complain about all sorts of untreatable illnesses and die.  He therefore issued a demand to safely dissemble all nuclear weapons and re-direct their “nuclear profits” to peace and industrial development.

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Togo participation in the Luanda Biennale, or Pan-African Forum on Culture, to take place in the Angolan capital from November 22 to 24

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An article from Republic of Togo

The Luanda Biennale, or Pan-African Forum on Culture, will take place in the Angolan capital from November 22 to 24.

Three young Togolese were invited, Komlan Nestor Kotchadjo, Samson Ayi Kouevi and Lidaw-wè Fabienne Dontema.


Samson Ayi Kouevi © republicoftogo.com

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(click here for the original French version of this article.)

Question related to this article:

The Luanda Biennale: What is its contribution to a culture of peace in Africa?

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This meeting is a joint initiative of UNESCO, the African Union (AU) and the Angolan government which aims to promote the prevention of violence and the resolution of conflicts, by encouraging cultural exchanges in Africa and dialogue between generations .

As a space for reflection and dissemination of artistic works, ideas and good practices linked to the culture of peace, it brings together representatives of governments, civil society, the artistic and scientific community and International organisations.

The Forum is participating in the implementation of the “Action Plan for a Culture of Peace in Africa/Agissons pour la Paix” adopted in March 2013 in Luanda.

Samson Ayi Kouevi, the Togo national coordinator of the Pan-African youth network for the culture of peace, is pleased to be on the list of participants.

‘Peace and living together are our priorities. We believe in human dignity, social justice, international cooperation and the harmonious coexistence of peoples. These values are necessary if we want to build a better future,’ he said on Tuesday.

For the Luanda Biennale, it is a question of working towards daily and lasting individual and collective appropriation and implementation, on the continent, of the concept of culture of peace.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

How to promote the culture of peace in the DRC?

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from Radio Okapi

The Democratic Republic of Congo is still facing numerous challenges, particularly the risks of security instability and conflicts, during this electoral period. For experts, it is essential to promote the culture of peace and non-violence in the minds of men and women. It is in this context that Gospel artists decided to come together to promote peace through songs during the Festival called “100 voices for peace, Gospel Mass Choir for Peace” scheduled for next October in Goma (North-Kivu).

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(Click here for the French original of this article)

 

Question related to this article:

What place does music have in the peace movement?

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Nearly 20,000 festival-goers are expected at this great celebration of peace. How are the preparations for this event going? How to promote the culture of peace through the Gospel?

Jody Nkashama talks about it with Ludovic Kalengay, coordinator of the Multisectoral Popularization and Awareness Program (PMVS), Marlon Mateta, Deputy Manager of the Festival “100 voices for peace » and with Mrs. Annifa Vahavi, President of Divine Gracia and member of the organizing team of the 100 Voices for Peace Festival

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Towards an African renaissance through culture and history

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article from La Depeche d’Abidjan

Through oral tradition and knowledge of history, African culture can convey peace and creativity on the continent, beyond, and throughout the world.

In West African folklore, Anansi was a charming prankster with the appearance of a spider. He realized that human beings were sad, because they had no reason to hope or envisage a bright future. He then remembered that Nyame, the sky god, had magical things called stories. These stories could make humans happy, Anansi thought.

He visited Nyame and asked to buy his stories. However, the sky god told him that they were not for sale. “I won’t sell them for anything in the world, except for Onini the murderous python, Osebo the elusive leopard, Mmoatia the mischievous fairy and Mmoboro, the swarm of deadly hornets,” says Nyame. This mission was a feat, but not for Anansi, who managed to capture these four out-of-reach targets using his genius. When he delivered them to Nyame, the latter was not satisfied. However, having made a deal with Anansi, he had to honor his promise.

“Bring these stories back to earth and give them to humans,” Nyame said. They will be eternally grateful to you. Besides, they will name all the great tales “spider stories” in your honor. »

Thus, Anansi the joker became the god who knew all stories. The myth of Anansi illustrates the need for every society to create and share stories.

Netflix and UNESCO have joined forces to launch an innovative short film competition on the theme “African folk tales revisited” throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The winners of the competition will be trained and monitored by professionals in the field and will receive a production budget of $75,000 to produce short films which will be broadcast for the first time on Netflix in 2022, in the form of an Anthology of African folk tales. One of the main objectives of this competition is to discover new voices and give international visibility to young directors from sub-Saharan Africa.

From spider tales to African history

Stories such as those shared by Anansi have been at the heart of human life for thousands of years, a kind of cognitive game that stimulates the human mind, allowing us to understand natural and social phenomena, and to imagine different strategies for living in a complex world. It could be assumed that the more we collect and share these stories, the more we will be able to understand ourselves, others, the world around us, respective and common values and traditions. UNESCO’s work over the past decades to document, collect and write down these stories from around the world is not only a much-needed effort to protect and preserve precious heritage, but also an effort to develop knowledge of the world as well as our collective capacity to understand ourselves.

Spider tales are widespread in West Africa,. The Ghanaian tales of Anansi are among the best known, in the Akan language the name Anansi comes from the word “spider”.

Today, Anansi symbolizes the wisdom, creativity and complexity of the entire African continent. Oral traditions — messages, songs, fables and proverbs — are passed from one generation to the next without writing, allowing people to make sense of the world around them and teaching them essential aspects of their culture.

Like the tales of Anansi, told since the dawn of time, the history of the African continent has been passed down orally from generation to generation. Although historical writings have existed in West Africa for many centuries, the majority of people on the continent were unable to read them. Oral tradition allowed Africans to share their common history, whether they came from the north or the south of the continent, however Europeans considered that the latter had no history, because they were incapable of reading and understanding it. to understand. Thus, the history of Africa that was shared with the rest of the world began with the story of colonialism and that of Europeans in Africa.

Decolonizing African history

In the early 1960s, as Africa entered a phase of rapid decolonization, intellectuals and leaders of newly independent countries worked to liberate their history as well as that of their nation. In order to put an end to the general ignorance of African history, UNESCO launched the “General History of Africa” in 1964. The Organization invited African intellectuals to write, for the very first time, the history of their continent using sources often ignored by Western historians, such as folklore, traditions and culture, to provide an African perspective, free of the racial biases emanating from the slave trade and European intervention.

This ambitious project, intended to renew scientific approaches to the history of Africa, had immense repercussions on world history, and offered a new global perspective on the history of all continents. It placed Africa at the heart of the history of humanity. For the first time, we attempted to go beyond the borders of national stories in order to construct a true “general history”, highlighting the common points between peoples and cultures, revealing trends and exchanges over the centuries beyond borders. national, and highlighting identities like never before.

The African continent has the longest history in the world: it is the cradle of humanity. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was the first to suggest that the common ancestor of human beings was most likely African, an idea that alarmed many at the time. “The fact that we could have evolved in Africa was anathema to many, who were unable to believe that the pure white, blue-eyed, flaxen-haired northern populations could have originated on the ‘dark continent’. ”. However, all the major events linked to our history date back to Africa,” explains the Kenyan paleontologist, Richard Leakey, one of the first contributors to the General History of Africa project. “We are an African animal, an African species that has colonized and recolonized the world at different times and in different ways. Today, no human being can say that Africa is not their motherland.”

The General History of Africa

The General History of Africa (HGA) is a pioneering, unprecedented project, aiming to cover the history of the entire African continent, from the beginning of humanity to the contemporary challenges faced by Africans and their diasporas around the world. A story which brings to light the pre-colonial period and intertwines the destiny of Africa with that of humanity by highlighting its link with other continents and the contribution of African cultures to the general progress of humanity. In recent years, UNESCO has begun the preparation and editing of three new volumes of the HGA (volumes IX to XI).

Starting from the example of Africa, UNESCO has led other vast historical projects on a regional scale, such as the General History of Latin America and the Caribbean, the History of Civilizations of Central Asia, the different aspects of Islamic culture as well as the History of humanity. These volumes and their thousands of pages, written well before the birth of online platforms such as Wikipedia, represent one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors aimed at building a common understanding of the human history we share. The General History of Africa has since changed the global perspective on how history is written and constitutes a historiographical shift in scale that modern “world history” and contemporary “connected histories” continue to explore .

The General History of Africa in video

The General History of Africa (HGA) launched by UNESCO in 1964 has entered a new phase with a nine-part documentary series, produced by BBC journalist and producer Zeinab Badawi. The latter traveled to the four corners of Africa, interviewing historians, archaeologists and African citizens whose testimonies and stories paint a vivid picture of their continent’s past and its influence on their lives today.

Teaching the General History of Africa

In March 2009, UNESCO launched “Pedagogical Use of the General History of Africa” to respond to requests made by African countries concerning the adaptation of the content of the volumes of the General History of Africa. Africa to school education. To do this, UNESCO has developed educational content to teach to children in African primary and secondary schools in order to improve the knowledge of African pupils and students on the way in which African societies have evolved through time and space. and on the impact of these changes on the present and the future.

Celebrating a common culture: from north to south, from west to east

There is an expression common to many Southern African languages: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which literally means “a person is a person through other people”.

In African culture, the “self” is not separate from the world, on the contrary, it is one with the natural and social environment. Although there are different ethnicities and nationalities — each with their own language, gastronomy and artistic expressions — all Africans share a common culture. This African wisdom echoes John Donne’s famous quote “no man is an island”, which reminds us that human beings do poorly when they are isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive.

The end of colonization at the beginning of the 1960s was no guarantee of lasting peace on the continent.

On the contrary, violent political events, rooted in ethnic conflicts, have hit sub-Saharan Africa since independence, causing millions of deaths and slowing economic development.

To ensure peace on the continent, regional communities understood that they needed to strengthen their ties and interact with each other, celebrating their common culture.

Let us draw together from our values, our traditions, our culture in order to find the path to prosperity and peace. Denis Mukwege, Congolese gynecologist and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2018

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

Question related to this article:
 
Can popular art help us in the quest for truth and justice?

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Building peace in Africa

Every two years, Luanda, the Angolan capital, transforms into a global center for peace in Africa, as the city hosts the “Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace”, also known as the Luanda Biennale. More than 60 countries are represented, attracting representatives of governments, international organizations, NGOs and artists. They share ideas, enter into new partnerships and take part in cultural events, with one common goal: to strengthen the culture of peace on the continent.

The Biennale is the result of the joint efforts of the Angolan government, the African Union and UNESCO. It is organized to overcome the various obstacles to growth and prosperity in Africa.

It also constitutes a platform of choice for taking stock of and encouraging some of UNESCO’s most important initiatives in favor of education, science, press freedom and equality. genres across the continent. According to data from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), at least half of young people aged 15 to 17 in sub-Saharan Africa were out of school before the COVID-19 pandemic, and the situation is not only got worse. This is the highest proportion of any region in the world. More than half of those who should now be honing the skills they need for the job market or to access higher education are not even in school. As an example of concrete action, the UNESCO Global Education Coalition provided free internet access to Senegal and other African countries to facilitate immediate distance learning for a half-million learners, with the goal being to enroll an additional 3.5 million in the program.

The Luanda Biennale Partners Forum focuses on how to build innovative partnerships for inclusive democracy and peace across African countries. It brings together international organizations, the private financial sector, foundations and media as well as civil society, artists and cultural entrepreneurs.

This forum of ideas provides a platform for dialogue on the future of Africa, and focuses on solutions to prevent and resolve conflicts using culture, education and the free press. It addresses the protection of displaced people and migrants, the contribution of the African diaspora and the concerted management of the continent’s natural resources.

The women’s forum focuses on ways to end all forms of violence against women and the role of women’s networks in achieving peace in Africa. “I think it is important for us as a continent to come together and have a discussion about the paths we want to take and how we are going to get there,” said Xoliswa Phenya, Deputy Director of the development of crafts with the South African Department of Arts and Culture. Our leaders spoke of the African renaissance. Perhaps it is time for younger generations to step in to make this dream a reality. »

When African history helps us understand today’s societies

The Anansi spider has become the symbol of African finesse and wisdom in expression and its stories have survived through oral tradition. They have also traveled all over the world. This same oral tradition spread Anansi tales to the rest of the world, particularly to the Caribbean, through populations enslaved during the colonization of Africa.

For enslaved Africans and their descendants, Anansi became a symbol of resilience and survival. Tales recounting the spider’s ingenuity and trickery helped slaves survive the ordeal of captivity, perpetuate the link with their African past and assert their identity.

Today, nearly 200 million people across the American continent consider themselves of African origin. Several million more live in other parts of the world, outside the African continent. Understanding these historical and cultural connections is a prerequisite for meeting the contemporary challenges of social cohesion and the many forms of cultural belonging in modern multicultural societies. It is also an opportunity for all countries whose populations are made up of millions of citizens of African descent to encourage international dialogue and build links with other societies around the world. Citizens of African origin often represent some of the most disadvantaged and marginalized groups, with limited access to quality education, health services, housing and social security. Understanding the past is perhaps one of the conditions for breaking the vicious circle and the legacy of racism, discrimination and exclusion.

During the transatlantic slave trade, some four million slaves were brought to American shores in Salvador de Bahia, in what is now Brazil, to work on sugar plantations. Some slaves managed to escape and settle on free land. Among them, the ancestors of Sandra de Santos, who created the agricultural community, Quilombo do Dandá, 250 years ago. Yet Sandra had to fight to preserve the land her family had lived on for generations.

“Tractors came to destroy our crops. There were conflicts. Overnight all our plantations were destroyed,” she says. After months of legal battle, she was allowed to stay on her land.

To help descendants of African slaves and people of African descent, UNESCO supported the International Decade for People of African Descent. Launched in January 2015, it will continue until December 2024. This decade aims to celebrate the importance and contributions of populations of African origin around the world, to advance policies of inclusion and social justice , to eradicate racism and intolerance, promote human rights and create more prosperous communities in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

African culture and art around the world

Aged 19 and originally from the Dominican Republic, Eveline Murmann is one of the young Afro-descendant activists who fight every day for recognition of their roots and an end to discrimination, trivialized in daily exchanges: “straight hair is more formal” and “pale skin is prettier”. Others use artistic expressions such as songs, rap, poetry and dance to tell their stories, as their ancestors did with the tales of Anansi.

“This is the starting point for ending the structure of racism that permeates our society. Being Afro-descendant implies accepting our origins, loving our culture and taking part in our history,” she says. It means being proud of this beautiful skin and this hair so full of freedom. It is recognizing our value and highlighting our contribution to the development of societies.

See us ! Hear us ! Count us in! » [Regardez-nous ! Entendez-nous ! Incluez-nous !]:

Voices from the Decade for People of African Descent

Video celebration of the first part of the implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2014-2025): musical performances, mini-documentary produced in Latin America, conversations with experts and inspiring voices of young people of African descent African people from all over the world sharing their testimonies, their hopes and their dreams through dance, poetry, singing, rap, slam and other creative expressions.

Indeed, the voices of the African diaspora and its young representatives have become loud enough to be heard around the world. Like that of Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, a 31-year-old Senegalese author, who has won numerous literary prizes in recent years for works on contemporary themes such as racism, discrimination and Africa’s relations with Europe. Thanks to his latest novel, The Most Secret Memory of Men, he became the first author from sub-Saharan Africa to receive the most prestigious French literary prize, the Prix Goncourt, and one of the most young winners of all time.

Just like African history, African literature has never stopped living. The growing recognition of its authors is an important first step towards redefining Africa’s relationship with the world. UNESCO forms of recognition such as International Jazz Day or the inscription of the Congolese rumba as an element of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity are part of the numerous initiatives recently taken to highlight and raise awareness of the importance of artists and creators of African origin. By combining the musical tradition of their ancestors with arrangements and improvisations, artists of African descent created new musical codes, which led to the birth of blues and jazz on the banks of the Mississippi Delta in New Orleans. Congolese rumba singers and dancers have also been at the forefront of all struggles and aspirations for Congolese independence.

Focusing on Africa means improving our world. Recognizing and sharing the many ramifications of African history helps us understand today’s societies and live together. This is the driving force behind UNESCO’s commitment to Priority Africa, and the reason to believe that African culture is an accelerator of mutual understanding, creativity and innovation, allowing us to harness the field of possibilities. This is how UNESCO delivers on Anansi’s promise and writes the next chapter in the spider’s story.

UNESCO and its development partners are closely monitoring 54 African countries, using a stronger and more focused strategy. The African renaissance is underway: the adoption of Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development prepare the ground for action by the African Economic Community.

The African heritage

UNESCO firmly believes that sustainable peace and development are intrinsically linked to the capacities and skills of individuals as well as their dignity and rights. It is about taking advantage of this momentum by strengthening the assets of Africa, whose heritage represents a prodigious source of creativity. The richness of the continent’s heritage encourages us to safeguard it for future generations. Although Africa is under-represented on the World Heritage List with only 12% of the sites registered throughout the world, almost half of these sites are on the list of world heritage in danger.

Agenda 2063: the Africa we want

Agenda 2063 is the blueprint and blueprint for Africa aimed at transforming Africa into the global power of the future. It is the strategic framework of the continent which aims to achieve its objective of inclusive and sustainable development. It is a concrete manifestation of the Pan-African desire for union, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity pursued within the framework of Pan-Africanism and African renaissance.

The African Cinematic Heritage Project (AFHP)

AFHP is a long-term project carried out in partnership with the Film Foundation, chaired by Martin Scorsese, and the Pan-African Federation of Cinematographers (FEPACI) to contribute to the localization, restoration and preservation of films made on the African continent. It will identify 50 films of historical, artistic and cultural significance and will subsequently undertake the restoration process. UNESCO plans to include these films in the “Memory of the World” register.

Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

The sea rescue association SOS MEDITERRANEE wins the Right Livelihood Award 2023

. TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY . .

An article from SOS Mediterranée

As the humanitarian crisis intensifies in the Mediterranean, the humanitarian and maritime organization SOS MEDITERRANEE is the winner of the Right Livelihood Award 2023, considered the “alternative Nobel Peace Prize”.

In 2023, the Mediterranean saw the highest number of deaths since 2017. A dramatic observation for a humanitarian crisis that continues. A crisis recognized and highlighted by the presentation of the Right Livelihood Award to the SOS MEDITERRANEE association, for having provided assistance to more than 38,500 people in the central Mediterranean.


“There are already more than 2,000 deaths recorded in 2023, just in the Central Mediterranean region. » declares Caroline Abu Sa’da, General Director of SOS MEDITERRANEE Switzerland. “For us, it is therefore extremely important that the Right Livelihood Award highlights the situation of these thousands of people who are trying to cross the Mediterranean, risking their lives. »

The humanitarian and maritime organization is honored to be among the winners of the Right Livelihood Award 2023. For more than 40 years, this award has recognized and supported individuals and organizations who work tirelessly to solve the world’s greatest challenges. SOS MEDITERRANEE thus joins the prestigious list which notably includes the Ukrainian human rights defender, Oleksandra Matviichuk and the Congolese doctor Dr. Denis Mukwege.

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(Click here for the French version.)

Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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The Right Livelihood Award provides valuable visibility on the dramatic situation at sea, as well as on the new constraints weighing on the association, such as the considerable increase in the price of fuel or the allocation of very distant disembarkation ports, after the rescues.

SOS MEDITERRANEE would like to warmly thank all its volunteers, donors, partners and supporters who make its mission possible. “This award is the result of collective work and the commitment of many people dedicated to sea rescue.” concludes Caroline Abu Sa’Da.

About SOS MEDITERRANEE:

SOS MEDITERRANEE is a maritime and humanitarian organization rescuing people in distress at sea. It was founded by European citizens in 2015 and launched rescue operations in the central Mediterranean in February 2016. Since then, the organization has provided assistance to more than 38,000 people at sea. More than 9,000 people have been rescued by the Ocean Viking since it began operating in August 2019. The non-profit organization, based in Switzerland, France, Germany and in Italy, is mainly financed by donations.

About the Right Livelihood Award:

For more than 40 years, Right Livelihood has honored and supported courageous people working to solve global challenges. Each year, Right Livelihood highlights changemakers with an award. To date, 194 winners from 76 countries have received this distinction. By recognizing the actions of these visionaries and making meaningful connections around the world, Right Livelihood encourages urgent, long-term societal change.

The prize was created in 1980, after the Nobel committee rejected a proposal to create two new prizes to recognize those who work for social justice and environmental protection.

(Thank you to Kiki Adams, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Week of Global Mobilization for Peace in Ukraine

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Excerpts from the website of the International Peace Bureau

The International Peace Bureau (IPB) calls the civil society organizations in all countries to join a Week of Global Mobilization for Peace in Ukraine (WGMPU) from Saturday 30th September to Sunday –  8th October 2023. The common goal is to call an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

As a participant in the international Ukraine coalition, IPB will compile and record all the events and incidents associated with the WGMPU on this webpage.

The interested groups will carry out their own initiatives to advance peace in Ukraine. IPB’s responsibilities are to promote all the planned activities and advertise them on the website and social media pages. You can join us with your activities using this link.

Here are the actions listed as of October 3. For links to the actions, click on the respective country on the IPB page.

➤ Austria
– IFOR & ATTAC
2 & 3 Oct. 2023: “The Ukraine War: Backgrounds and Perspectives”. Lecture by Clemens Ronnefeldt with discussion. Organiser: International Fellowship of Reconciliation. 2.10.2023, 19:00 in Linz (Wissensturm Kärntnerstraße 26); 3.10.2023, 19:00 in Vienna (C3, Alois-Wagner-Saal, Sensengasse 3)

➤ Belgium
– Vrede
24 Oct. 2023 (5pm): Koningsstraat (Congreskolom tegenover nr 77, 1000 Brussel – Stop the killing! An arms truce for Ukraine! In Belgium, the peace movement is calling for people to participate in a peace vigil at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

➤ Canada
–September 30-October 30 street vigil at 10AM – handouts and discussions on alternatives to violent responses to conflict on an international scale
Location: Arnprior District Museum 35 Madawaska Street,
Arnprior, ON K7S 2N7
– Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network
The Canada-Wide Peace and Justice Network (CWPJN) urges people in Canada to join the global mobilization with actions across the country from October 1-8 demanding an end to the war in Ukraine.
– Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War:
September 20th: Webinar Cluster Bombs & Depleted Uranium Weapons in Ukraine: 2 More Reasons to end the War Now!
October 7th: Anti-war rally – Send a message to the Trudeau government! Where: Federal Building, 55 Bay Street North, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

➤ Czech Republic
Prague Spring II Network
7 October (10:30 – 17:00 CEST), Webinar: Social and Ecological Paths to Peace. Register here.

➤ Denmark
The Peacemovement of Esbjerg
Thursday, October 5 (5:30pm), Hovedbiblioteket Esbjerg, Nørregade 19, 6700 Esbjerg – Presentation and Debate “Ceasefire and Peace Negotiations in Ukraine“.

➤ France
– Le Mouvement de la Paix & Collectif 21 Septembre:
21 September, for the International Day of Peace
23 September, for rallies and demonstrations against nuclear weapons
26 September, the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
Saturday October 7, everywhere in France, gatherings and demonstrations within the framework of the “World Day of mobilizations and actions for peace.

➤ Germany
IPB:
September 30th, at 13:00 CEST: Webinar – Immediate Ceasefire and Negotiations: The Development of the War in Ukraine since the International Summit for Peace (more details here)
October 1st: Conference in Frankfurt – CREATE PEACE! At 10:00 in Saalbau Gallus.
October 3rd:
Hamburg: Frieden statt Krieg! DIE WAFFEN NIEDER! A rally is planned in front of Altona station / Mercado at 13:00 followed by a demonstration to Fischmarkt.
Munich: Frieden statt Krieg! DIE WAFFEN NIEDER! From 14.00 Odeonsplatz. Munich Peace Alliance supports the International Demand: Peace through peaceful means.
Kalkar: demonstration for peace at the Bundeswehr and NATO command centre, 11:30 a.m.
Frieden und Diplomatie website with more information (in German).

➤ Hungary
– WILPF activists for peace in Europe:
29.09., 30.09., 01.10: Conference in Budapest (conference venue)

➤ India
6th of October – Peermade: discussion organized by an IPB inidividual member

➤ Ireland
– Irish Neutrality League 
28 September: In person event – Why Neutrality Neutral Ireland can play a positive role supporting ceasefire and negotiations.

➤ Israel
– Club for Social Initiatives – OneFuture
5 October (11am), In person event, Hod HaSharon Park – “An urgent summit of countries with nuclear weapons – as a way to an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine. “PLEDGE never to use nuclear weapons first – NFU – No First Use agreement”. Street, open area talks with people and Parlament Members.

➤ Italy
– Europe for Peace and Rete Pace e Disarmo:
Saturday September 30 (3pm), Turin – Centro Studi Sereno Regis, via Garibaldi 13 – Conference “Get out of the war system and build a peace policy“;
Monday October 2 (6pm), Modena – Galleria Europa, piazza Grande n. 17 – Conference “War? I have an objection“.
Saturday October 7 – National demonstration ‘Together for the Constitution‘, in Rome;
Mobilisation in several cities. More information will be provided over the next two weeks.
“Ceasefire and negotiation to save life and build peace”
– Comitato Pace e non più Guerra
Saturday September 30 (4pm), Teatro Ghione Roma Italy. “Peace, Land and Dignity Assembly“;

(Continued in right column)

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

(Continued from left column)

➤ Mexico
– Grupo Renovador México del Foro Social Mundial/Mexico Renewal Group of the World Social Forum
October 7 16.00 Mexican Time (3am UTC) mobilisation at the Hemiciclo Juárez, Ave Juarez, Mexico City and afterwards Assembly 17:30 Mexican time (4am UTC) at the Sindicato de Electricistas Avenida Insurgentes Norte Mexico

➤ Nepal
– Youth for Human Rights Campaign Nepal
Event in office

➤ Nigeria
– Living Values Children Education Foundation/International Youth Summit On Peace and African Unity
30th September: Roundtable Dialogue: Building Capable States In The World in Lagos

➤ Norway
– Fredsinitiativet 2022 (Norwegian Peace Initiative 2022), International Women’s Leauge for Peace and Freedom – Norway (IKFF) and Stop NATO:
7th October: Demonstration in Oslo – there will be speeches in front of the Norwegian Parliament Stortinget, then a march via the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Russian Embassy. Among other speakers: Aslak Storaker, Norwegian representative of the IPB. 

➤ Philippines
– Philippine Initiative on Critical and Global Issues:
October 7 (9am), Metro Manila Zone One Tondo Organization – Community, Art for Peace Workshop.
October 7 (10am), online, Webinar on Zoom and FB Live “WEAPONS AND NUCLEAR POWER IN SPACE – Keep Space for Peace Week”.
– Peace Women Partners and ZOTO: October 8 (9am), Urban Poor Community in Metro Manila – Art workshop, teach in.

➤ Spain
– ATTAC:
5 of October, 19:00 CEST – Plaça de la Mare de Déu Valencia-España: Street action called by the Assemblea Popular Vàlencia Contra les Guerres (Vàlencia Popular Assembly Against the Wars).
– Federación Unión Africana:
30 of September, 17:00 CEST – València, Calle del Marqués de Montortal, 65 – 46019. Workshop What we talk about when we talk about peace.

➤ UK
– Lancaster Friends Meeting House:
27 September (12pm) – Meeting House Lane, Lancaster, Quaker meeting for worship followed by meal and discussion.
“Our desire for peace unites every person from Ukraine to the UK”
– Côr Gobaith:
30 September (11am) – Street choir at Owain Glyndwr Square, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Cymru
“Safwn gyda chi – We stand with you”
3 October 2023 (12pm) Peace vigil for Ukraine in Owain Glyndwr Square, Aberystwyth – A chance to do a simple action to show your support for peace in Ukraine. Bring banners and placards! “Stronger Together “
– The Peoples Assembly:
30 Sep. – 2 Oct. 2023: “National Demonstration and Festival of Resistance
1 Oct. 2023 (12 pm): “National Demonstration” at Oxford Rd.

➤ USA

– Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment
October 3, 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM First Parish on 35 Church Street in Watertown, in person event.
– Defuse Nuclear War
Sep. 17: March for Peace at the joyful 46th annual Willy Street Parade!
Bring the kids! Bring the adults! Find us easily by coming at 10:30 am to 1025 Williamson St, in the rear next to Nature’s Bakery parking lot. Or look for us and our banners at 10:45 in the crowded parade staging area at 926 Williamson St. Parade steps off at 11:00. We’ll have lots of peace banners, flags and signs, or you can bring your own. 
Sep. 21 – 5 pm – 7:45 pm International Day of Peace Movie & Letter Party to Defuse Nuclear War & for Peace in Ukraine – Hawthorne Library, 2707 E Washington Ave.
Defuse Nuclear War & for Peace in Ukraine have called for national and international weeks of action Sept 24 – Oct 8. Events will be held throughout this country and across the world. In Madison we will host four events.  In this first event, we will stream a movie or a webinar, then cooperate to craft letters to editors or commentaries related to the topics that are being highlighted nationally in the two weeks of action. Info on all the events: https://worldbeyondwar.org/madison/

Sep. 24 – 3:00 – 4:30 pm, Debate: Is War in Ukraine Justified?
Madison Watch Party for World BEYOND War’s conference — No War 2023: Nonviolent Resistance to Militarism – RSVP to warabolition@gmail.com for location.
In this 1.5 hour friendly debate, moderated by Marcy Winograd of CODEPINK, we’ll hear 3 perspectives debated: 1) Russia had no choice but to invade Ukraine, argued by former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, 2) Ukraine had no choice but to fight Russia, argued by journalist James Brooke who works as the Ukraine/Russia columnist for The New York Sun, and 3) Russia and Ukraine both had options better than war, argued by WBW Executive Director David Swanson.  In this third event, we will watch a live-streamed debate by experts on the war in Ukraine.

Sep. 30 – 9:30 am – 11:00 am Speak-out at Dane County Farmers Market
Rotary Park, N Hamilton & Pinckney, the outdoor performance space by the entrance of the Children’s Museum.  In this third event, will speak-out to Defuse Nuclear War and for Peace in Ukraine. We will broadcast our messages “a viva voce” to the market-goers!

Sep. 30 – 12 pm – RALLY – TAKE ACTION FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE! Stop the killing – Ceasefire Now! Negotiations for Peace, Not Endless War Saturday, Rally and March from Downtown Crossing to Boston Common.

Oct 1 – 7:00 – 8:00 pm Candlelight Vigil for Peace in Ukraine for People of Faith and Conscience. Capitol Square – State Street Steps. 

Oct 26, 6 pm – National Bird about illegal drone murder.
Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St, Room 302. Discussion following the film. Free popcorn. RSVP if you can to warabolition@gmail.com. In this fourth event, people of faith and conscience will vigil with candles at the Capitol. Madison Veterans for Peace, Chapter 25 and Madison for a World BEYOND War are launching a New Antiwar Film Series. 

Nov 30, 6 pm – Theaters of War: How the Pentagon and CIA took Hollywood.
Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St, Room 302. Discussion following the film. Free popcorn. RSVP if you can to warabolition@gmail.com. Madison Veterans for Peace, Chapter 25 and Madison for a World BEYOND War are launching a New Antiwar Film Series.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global

A Global Call for Peace in Ukraine Emerges at UN General Assembly

. .DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J.S. Davies in Common Dreams ( reprinted according to Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)

As it did last year, the 2023 United Nations General Assembly has been debating what role the United Nations and its members should play in the crisis in Ukraine. The United States and its allies still insist that the UN Charter  requires countries to take Ukraine’s side in the conflict, “for as long as it takes” to restore Ukraine’s pre-2014 internationally recognized borders.

They claim to be enforcing Article 2:4 of the UN Charter that states “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.”

By their reasoning, Russia violated Article 2:4 by invading Ukraine, and that makes any compromise or negotiated settlement unconscionable, regardless of the consequences of prolonging the war.

Other countries have called for a peaceful diplomatic resolution of the conflict in Ukraine, based on the preceding article of the UN Charter, Article 2:3: “All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.”

They also refer to the purposes of the UN, defined in Article 1:1, which include the “settlement of international disputes” by “peaceful means,” and they point to the dangers of escalation and nuclear war as an imperative for diplomacy to quickly end this war.

As the Amir of Qatar  told the Assembly, “A long-term truce has become the most looked-for aspiration by people in Europe and all over the world. We call on all parties to comply with the UN Charter and international law and resort to a radical peaceful solution based on these principles.”

This year, the General Assembly has also been focused on other facets of a world in crisis: the failure to tackle the climate catastrophe; the lack of progress on the Sustainable Development Goals  that countries agreed to in 2000; a neocolonial economic system that still divides the world into rich and poor; and the desperate need for structural reform of a UN Security Council that has failed in its basic responsibility to keep the peace and prevent war.

One speaker after another highlighted the persistent problems related to U.S. and Western abuses of power: the occupation of Palestine; cruel, illegal U.S. sanctions against Cuba and many other countries; Western exploitation of Africa that has evolved from slavery to debt servitude and neocolonialism; and a global financial system that exacerbates extreme inequalities of wealth and power across the world.

Brazil, by tradition, gives the first speech at the General Assembly, and President Lula da Silva  spoke eloquently about the crises facing the UN and the world. On Ukraine, he said,

The war in Ukraine exposes our collective inability to enforce the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. We do not underestimate the difficulties in achieving peace. But no solution will be lasting if it is not based on dialogue. I have reiterated that work needs to be done to create space for negotiations… The UN was born to be the home of understanding and dialogue. The international community must choose. On one hand, there is the expansion of conflicts, the furthering of inequalities and the erosion of the rule of law. On the other, the renewing of multilateral institutions dedicated to promoting peace.

After a bumbling, incoherent speech by President Biden, Latin America again took the stage in the person of  President Gustavo Petro of Colombia:

While the minutes that define life or death on our planet are ticking on, rather than halting this march of time and talking about how to defend life for the future, thanks to deepening knowledge, expand it to the universe, we decided to waste time killing each other. We are not thinking about how to expand life to the stars, but rather how to end life on our own planet. We have devoted ourselves to war. We have been called to war. Latin America has been called upon to produce war machines, men, to go to the killing fields.

(Continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

Can the culture of peace be established at the level of the state?

(Continued from left column)

They’re forgetting that our countries have been invaded several times by the very same people who are now talking about combatting invasions. They’re forgetting that they invaded Iraq, Syria and Libya for oil. They’re forgetting that the same reasons they use to defend Zelenskyy are the very reasons that should be used to defend Palestine. They forget that to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, we must end all wars.

But they’re helping to wage one war in particular, because world powers see this suiting themselves in their game of thrones, in their hunger games and they’re forgetting to bring an end to the other war because, for these powers, this did not suit them. What is the difference between Ukraine and Palestine, I ask? Is it not time to bring an end to both wars, and other wars too, and make the most of the short time we have to build paths to save life on the planet?

…I propose that the United Nations, as soon as possible, should hold two peace conferences, one on Ukraine, the other on Palestine, not because there are no other wars in the world—there are in my country—but because this would guide the way to making peace in all regions of the planet, because both of these, by themselves, could bring an end to hypocrisy as a political practice, because we could be sincere, a virtue without which we cannot be warriors for life itself.

Petro was not the only leader who upheld the value of sincerity and assailed the hypocrisy of Western diplomacy. Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves  of St. Vincent and the Grenadines cut to the chase:

Let us clear certain ideational cobwebs from our brains. It is, for example, wholly unhelpful to frame the central contradictions of our troubled times as revolving around a struggle between democracies and autocracies. St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a strong liberal democracy, rejects this wrong-headed thesis. It is evident to all right-thinking persons, devoid of self-serving hypocrisy, that the struggle today between the dominant powers is centered upon the control, ownership, and distribution of the world’s resources.

On the war in Ukraine, Gonsalves was equally blunt. “…War and conflict rage senselessly across the globe; in at least one case, Ukraine, the principal adversaries — the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Russia — may unwittingly open the gates to a nuclear Armageddon… Russia, NATO, and Ukraine should embrace peace, not war and conflict, even if peace has to rest upon a mutually agreed, settled condition of dissatisfaction.”

The Western position on Ukraine was also on full display. However, at least three NATO members (Bulgaria, Hungary and Spain) coupled their denunciations of Russian aggression with pleas for peace. Katalin Novak, the President of Hungary, said,

…We want peace, in our country, in Ukraine, in Europe, in the world. Peace and the security that comes with it. There is no alternative to peace. The killing, the terrible destruction, must stop as soon as possible. War is never the solution. We know that peace is only realistically attainable when at least one side sees the time for negotiations as having come. We cannot decide for Ukrainians about how much they are prepared to sacrifice, but we have a duty to represent our own nation’s desire for peace. And we must do all we can to avoid an escalation of the war.

Even with wars, drought, debt and poverty afflicting their own continent, at least 17 African leaders took time during their General Assembly speeches to call for peace in Ukraine. Some voiced their support for the African Peace Initiative, while others contrasted the West’s commitments and expenditures for the war in Ukraine with its endemic neglect of Africa’s problems. President Joao Lourenço  of Angola clearly explained why, as Africa rises up to reject neocolonialism and build its own future, peace in Ukraine remains a vital interest for Africa and people everywhere:

In Europe, the war between Russia and Ukraine deserves our full attention to the urgent need to put an immediate end to it, given the levels of human and material destruction there, the risk of an escalation into a major conflict on a global scale and the impact of its harmful effects on energy and food security. All the evidence tells us that it is unlikely that there will be winners and losers on the battlefield, which is why the parties involved should be encouraged to prioritize dialogue and diplomacy as soon as possible, to establish a ceasefire and to negotiate a lasting peace not only for the warring countries, but which will guarantee Europe’s security and contribute to world peace and security.

Altogether, leaders from at least 50 countries spoke up for peace in Ukraine at the 2023 UN General Assembly. In his closing statement, Dennis Francis, the Trinidadian president of this year’s UN General Assembly, noted,

Of the topics raised during the High-Level Week, few were as frequent, consistent, or as charged as that of the Ukraine War. The international community is clear that political independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity must be respected, and violence must end.

You can find all 50 statements at this link on the: CODEPINK website

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, United Nations,

In final declaration, G77 rejects “digital monopolies” and calls for “reform” of the financial system

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Gabriel Vera Lopez from the Peoples Dispatch

In the final declaration, the G77+China Summit highlighted the importance of technology for development, the impacts of climate change, and called for a reform of the international economic system. The event ended on Saturday September 16 in Havana, the capital of Cuba, and was attended by heads of state from Latin America, Africa, and Asia including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, as well as United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and diplomats and delegations from more than 100 countries.


Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, the host and president of the G77+ group, addresses the summit. Photo: Presidencia Cuba

“We stress the urgent need for a comprehensive reform of the international financial architecture and a more inclusive and coordinated approach to global financial governance, with greater emphasis on cooperation between countries, notably by increasing the representation of developing countries in global decision-making and policy-making bodies that will contribute to increasing the capacities of developing countries to access and develop science, technology and innovation,” says the Havana Declaration.

The summit’s final declaration also criticizes “digital monopolies” and “other unfair practices that hinder the technological development of developing countries”.

The text also attacks “sanctions” and “coercive economic actions” against developing countries. “We emphasize that such actions not only undermine the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and international law, but also seriously impede the advancement of science, technology and innovation and the full realization of economic and social development, particularly in developing countries.”

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel stressed at the opening of the summit on Friday September 16 that one of the aims of the event was to seek common positions so that the countries of the Global South could take their demands to other international forums. On the same day, UN Secretary-General António Guterres pointed out that “global systems and structures have failed” the countries of the Global South.

President Lula on Saturday September 16 criticized the sanctions imposed by the United States against Cuba, defended the reformulation of the global governance system and also questioned technology companies. 

“It is particularly significant that, at this time of great geopolitical transformations, this summit is being held here in Havana. Cuba has been an advocate of fairer global governance and is even the victim of an illegal economic embargo. Brazil is against any unilateral coercive measure. We reject Cuba’s inclusion on the list of states that sponsor terrorism,” said the Brazilian head of state.

“The South can no longer bear the dead weight of all the misfortunes”

The Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 (G77) and China began on Friday September 15. The opening ceremony was preceded by an excerpt from Fidel Castro’s speech at the “first Summit of the South”, held in 2000, also in Cuba. The opening speeches were then given by Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres.

At the start of his inaugural speech, the Cuban president emphasized the importance of the group, which currently has 134 members: “Today we are two-thirds of the UN’s members, home to 80% of the world’s population,” he said.

Díaz-Canel also paid tribute to former Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, recalling that he used to say that “we presidents go from summit to summit, while the peoples go from abyss to abyss.” He called for joint efforts to coordinate joint actions between the countries of the global South in order to “change the rules of the game” and achieve the “pending democratization of the system of international relations”.

“It is the peoples of the South who suffer most from poverty, hunger, misery, deaths from curable diseases, illiteracy, human displacement and other consequences of underdevelopment,” said Díaz-Canel. He described the international economic order as “unjust and ecologically unsustainable”.

(Article continued in right column)

Question related to this article:

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

(Article continued from left column)

He also said that “this will be an austere summit”, since in Cuba “we lack many things, but we have an abundance of feelings of friendship, solidarity and fraternity.” He denounced the fact that “Cuba is literally surrounded by a blockade that has lasted six decades and all the difficulties that derive from this siege, which has now been reinforced.” He stressed that Cuba “is not the only one suffering from this unjust world order.”

Describing the global situation, the Cuban president said that “We are traveling on the same ship, even if some are the passengers and others the servants. The only way for this world ship not to end up like the ‘Titanic’ is through collaboration.”

Díaz-Canel questioned the international patent system and made a special complaint about international military spending and the irrationality of the fact that these resources cannot be used to improve the living conditions of the majority.

“Estimates indicate that 9% of world military spending could finance adaptation to climate change in 10 years, and 7% would be enough to cover the cost of universal vaccination against the pandemic,” he estimated.

In the opening speech of UN Secretary General Guterres, he started by saying that the countries of the Global South are “caught in a web of global crises”.

“Poverty is increasing and hunger is growing. Prices are rising, debt is exorbitant and climate disasters are becoming more frequent,” said Guterres. “Global systems and structures have failed them,” adding that “the conclusion is clear: the world is failing developing countries.”

The UN Secretary-General noted that in recent decades, the G77 countries and China “have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and have come together in the United Nations in search of global solutions and solidarity.”

“To change this, we need action at the national level to ensure good governance, mobilize resources, and prioritize sustainable development. And we need action at the global level that respects national ownership, with the aim of building an international system that defends human rights and looks after the common interest,” he said.

In this sense, Guterres recognized that “many current global institutions reflect a bygone era.” He highlighted the need to update the UN Security Council, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

Importance of the Summit

The summit takes place a few days before the opening of the 78th UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday September 19. It is hoped that the countries meeting in Havana will be able to agree on common positions to be defended at the assembly.

Although the UN General Assembly does not have a binding character that obliges member countries to adopt its declarations, several experts emphasize the importance of the 134 countries that currently make up the G77 + China coordinating joint positions as a way of putting pressure on the most powerful countries.

Claudia Marin, from Cuba’s International Policy Research Center, noted that “many of the countries that make up the G77 + China have gained enormous international weight in the last two decades, as in the case of those that make up the BRICS, and this means that the countries of the Global South as a whole have greater weight in their demands.”

However, Marin stressed in an interview with Brasil de Fato that “it will only be possible to build a fairer international system if the weight of these emerging countries can be articulated with the number of countries from the Global South through a greater degree of South-South collaboration”.

Diplomatic victory against the blockade

The G77 Summit of Heads of State and Government is being held in Cuba just days after US President Joe Biden extended the law regulating the blockade against Cuba for another year. A ritual that both Democrats and Republicans have been repeating year after year for more than six decades. Cuba is currently the only state subject to US trade restrictions under the Trading with the Enemy Act, although it is not the only one to suffer unilateral sanctions from Washington.

Every year since 1992, Cuba has presented a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly on the need to suspend the US blockade. Since then, the majority of member states have always voted in favor of the document. This year, the vote is expected to be repeated.

According to several experts, the fact that delegations from all over the world have arrived in Havana to take part in the summit demonstrates the enormous diplomatic capacity that Cuba has managed to build.

(Editor’s note: From various Internet sources, it seems that heads of state at the Havana Conference included those of Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Comores, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and Venezuela, as well as the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia, Malaysia, Mexico, Saint Kitts and South Africa and the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping.)

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, global

English bulletin October 1, 2023

. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE .

According to our survey of the Internet there was an increase in participation in the International Day of Peace this year. This was true in all regions of the world except for Africa and the Arab and Middle Eastern States.

There were more actions in Russia and the Ukraine, especially in schools and universities, but they many were greatly complicated by the war. Most simply wished for peace, often expressed by cutting paper doves or origami and hanging them for all to view or giving them to people. But many other actions explicitly supported the soldiers on their side of the war. In the events in schools of the Ukraine, many called for victory. And some events in schools of Russia were carried out by army representatives recruiting for the war. Since criticism of their war effort is forbidden, it could not be directly expressed on Russian websites. However, in a few cases, it was indirectly expressed in the form of anti-war cartoons that we have reproduced.

As usual, the greatest number of actions took place in Europe. In France, thanks to the mobilization by Mouvement de la Paix and militant trade unions, there were actions in half of the one hundred departments of the country bearing the multi-colored flag of peace. In Belgium, most towns and cities took part in the action of raising the peace flag above the town hall. There were actions in 42 towns and cities of Italy this year. Especially touching was the Italian school that planted a cherry tree in memory of their favorite bear who recently died. The bear was named “Black Cherry” because she was especially fond of this fruit. And especially unusual was the football tournament in the Rebibbia women’s prison near Rome. The director of the prison said “We wanted to celebrate the International Day of Peace through sport, which has always been fertile ground for exalting the values of solidarity, fairness and respect for others.”

Also as usual, the next largest mobilization was in North America, involving 43 of the 50 United States and 4 Canadian provinces. Often, an entire city was mobilized, as was the case in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and Montreal. The United Nations devoted the day to a program involving youth from around the world and their contemporary culture. In his annual message, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres referred to the deadly fires, raging floods and soaring temperatures around the world and called for action to “end the war on our planet and its natural gifts.”

There was a great increase in actions this year in Asia and the Pacific. This was especially evident in Japan, where there were 28 actions, including 13 where high schools participated in a project to draw large-scale calligraphy for peace. In India and Nepal, we found 17 actions carried out by a variety of civil society organizations including Scouts and Guides, Lions Club and Rotary, as well as schools and universities.

The greatest increase in actions this year was in Latin America. This included 28 actions in Brazil, 15 in Mexico and 14 in Argentina, as well as action in 14 other countries. In 10 of these countries, actions were carried out at a government level. At the level of municipal authorities: Esquel, Mendoza and Puerto Genera San Martín in Argentina; Campo Grande, Guarulhos, Juazeiro and Ourinhos in Brazil; Medellin and Popayan in Colombia; Holguin in Cuba; Quito in Ecuador; and provincial authorities in La Altagracia, Dominican Republic and Merida and Queretero in Mexico. National government authorities were involved in Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Venezuela.

There were fewer actions in Africa, 59 this year compared to 74 last year. In the states of central Africa torn by conflict and trying to separate from European neo-colonialism, the occasion was used to call for dialogue and non-violence. Actions in this regard took place in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan and Togo. Angola took the occasion of the International Day of Peace to announce the third edition of the Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace that will take place later this year. Of special importance, given the vulnerability of Africa to the effects of global warming, was the initiative for planting of trees in Kenya.

There were fewer actions in Arab States and the Middle East this year, but the good news is the increased dominance of the voice of women. In Kuwait, The Women’s Institute for Development and Peace used the occasion of Peace Day to announce the formation of an Arab Women’s Network for Peace. And in Syria, the office of the Kurdistan Women’s Union hosted a dialogue session for the International Day of Peace calling for an end to violence and armament and for a comprehensive and just political solution that saisfies all parties in Syria.

In addition to the actions listed above, there were some virtual events on an international scale, including the following:
° Women as Powerful Agents of Transformation for Peace
° Peace One Day
° Peace Education Day
° Service Civil International: The many ways of peace and antimilitarism
° NoWar2023 Conference: Nonviolent Resistance to Militarism

Fortunately, the last two events specifically attacked the culture of war, unlike most events that took place this year for the International Day of Peace. This is important, as pointed out in our most recent blog.

GLOBAL



What has happened this year: International Day of Peace

UNITED STATES AND CANADA



United States and Canada: International Day of Peace

EUROPE



Europe: International Day of Peace

ASIA AND PACIFIC

Asia and Pacific: International Day of Peace
  

EX-SOVIET COUNTRIES

Ex-Soviet Countries: International Day of Peace

ARAB STATES AND MIDDLE EAST



Arab States And Middle East: International Day of Peace

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

Latin America and Caribbean: International Day of Peace

AFRICA

Africa: International Day of Peace
d-information, Uncategorized

What has happened this year (2023) for the International Day of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION
This year we give links to 297 actions carried out in 17 countries of Western Europe and 147 in 7 countries in Eastern Europe that were once part of the Soviet Union. We link to 257 actions in 6 Canadian provinces and 43 of the 50 states of the United States. There are 82 actions cited in 16 countries of Asia and the Pacific, 85 from 17 Latin American and Caribbean countries, 59 from 26 African countries, and 15 from 8 Arab and Middle Eastern countries. See the CPNN bulletin for October for a synopsis.

Detailed data may be found on the following CPNN articles:

Europe: International Day of Peace

Ex-Soviet Countries: International Day of Peace

United States and Canada: International Day of Peace

Asia and Pacific: International Day of Peace

Arab and Middle Eastern States: International Day of Peace

Latin America and Caribbean: International Day of Peace

Africa: International Day of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global