Peace Pals International Art Exhibition and Awards

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

Excerpts from the website of Peace Pals International

This year, Peace Pals International celebrated our 25th anniversary with artwork coming from 77 countries and 4,540 young people creating beautiful artwork filled with love and hope for a peaceful world.  We would like to thank our International Judges for 2022  for taking the time and voting for our winners and finalists.


Video of exhibition and awards

To view the Winners and Finalists Artwork, Please CELEBRATE our 25th Anniversary with us and watch the video above or click on an image below. .


First prize and second prize for ages 5-7.

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Question for this article:
EDUCATION FOR PEACE, global

Marching for peace in Ukraine: thousands in Rome ask for the peaceful resolution of the war

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Agenzia Nova

A long colorful procession marched today in Roma to protest the conflict in Ukraine. The snake of people gathered in the late morning in a square of the Republic full of rainbow flags, banners, symbols of peace and the 600 associations that participated in the march. At the head of the procession, which paraded up to piazza San Giovanni – passing through via Cavour, piazza dell’Esquilino, piazza di Santa Maria Maggiore and via Merulana -, the mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri and the general secretary of the CGIL, Maurizio Landini, who accompanied the march holding the banner of the Italian Peace and Disarmament Network. The demonstration, organized to ask for a negotiation for peace, was organized by the trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL, ARCI, ACLI, ANP, together with the community of Sant’Egidio, the association Libera, Emergency, Sbilanciamoci and the Aoi.

A large stage set up with white and red balloons welcomed the demonstrators as the march arrived. And from here the interventions of the institutions and representatives of various organizations alternated. Reduce military spending in favor of investments for poverty, ecological transition and decent work, guarantee shared security, which “does not come from weapons that only cause suffering to the populations”: these were some of the demands raised by the stage.

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Questions related to this article:

Can the peace movement help stop the war in the Ukraine?

(Continued from left column)

“My compatriots feel the consequences of this war personally. We believe that every conflict must be resolved in a peaceful way because human life is the greatest value, the life of every Ukrainian is the greatest value like the life of every Russian “, said in a video message an activity of the pacifist movement. Ukrainian, to the cheers of the crowd. According to the organizers, 100 people participated in the parade, 45 for the Police Headquarters.

(Editor’s note: According to Agence France Presse the police reported that the peace rally was attended by some 30,000 people.)

Among those present at the event also the secretary of the Democratic Party, Enrico Letta and the president of the 5-star Movement, Giuseppe Conte who explained: “Today there are no political flags but citizens who parade, who tell the Italian government and not only that we are tired of this strategy that only provides for military escalation, we want a peace negotiation, difficult to build but we must succeed and this cry rises loudly from the silent majority of the country ”. For Rome it is “very important to be here for peace against this terrible war unleashed by Putin,” said Gualtieri. “We stand by the Ukrainian people because they work to make peace and law prevail,” he added.

Today’s goal “is to overcome war as an instrument for regulating relations between states”, he continued Landini. “We must not only stop this run-up but prevent nuclear weapons from continuing to be built and it is time to shift spending on health, knowledge, training and work to allow people to live in peace but with dignity. China and the United States play a decisive role in this phase – he stressed – and I believe that Europe must also play a role in the relationship between Ukrainians and Russians that is able to ensure that a ceasefire prevails, that can start the negotiations and – he concluded -, as proposed by the President of the Republic, I believe it is time to work to build an international peace conference since behind this war there is a re-definition of the political equilibrium of the world ”.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

The Western Sanctions That Are ‘Choking’ Syria May Be Crimes Against Humanity

. . HUMAN RIGHTS . .

An article by Benjamin Norton in Agencia Uruguaya de Noticias

The United Nations special rapporteur said the “outrageous” sanctions the West has imposed on Syria are “suffocating” millions of civilians and “may constitute crimes against humanity.” The country’s economy contracted 90%. Nine out of 10 Syrians live in poverty.

“The entire [Syrian] population is in life-threatening conditions with severe shortages of drinking water,” electricity, fuel and food, the UN special rapporteur reported on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan.


Foto: Syrian children walk past ruins on their way home from school / UNOCHA / Ali Haj Suleiman 

The United Nations special rapporteur said the “outrageous” sanctions the West has imposed on Syria are “suffocating” millions of civilians and “may constitute crimes against humanity.” The country’s economy contracted 90%. Nine out of 10 Syrians live in poverty.

“The entire [Syrian] population is in life-threatening conditions with severe shortages of drinking water,” electricity, fuel and food, the UN special rapporteur reported on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan.

She wrote about the “enormous negative effect of unilateral sanctions”, which have “a devastating effect on the entire population” and “a devastating effect on almost all categories of human rights”.

“Maintaining unilateral sanctions amid the current catastrophic and still deteriorating situation in Syria may amount to crimes against humanity against the entire Syrian people,” the UN expert said.

Douhan, a respected international law professor, visited Syria for 12 days in October and November to investigate the impact of sanctions on the country. On November 10, she released a preliminary report that “calls for the lifting of long-standing unilateral sanctions that ‘suffocate’ the Syrian people.”

The UN special rapporteur described a medieval-style blockade, in which sanctions have “eroded to the level of complete extinction the purchasing power of households, which are in a prolonged state of survival.”

“The sanctions imposed have shattered the state’s ability to respond to the needs of the population, particularly the most vulnerable, with 90% of people now living below the poverty line,” she wrote.

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(click here for the article in Spanish.).)

Question related to this article:

Are economic sanctions a violation of human rights?

How can war crimes be documented, stopped, punished and prevented?

(continued from left column)

Prices have risen more than 800% since 2019, hundreds of thousands of jobs have been lost, and sanctions block the importation of “food, medicine, spare parts, raw materials, and items necessary for the country’s needs and economic recovery,” she said.

While Western governments claim to have humanitarian exceptions to their sanctions regimes, the UN expert stressed that “secondary sanctions and over-compliance” by international financial institutions prevent Syria from importing necessary goods, and have even made it very difficult for UN institutions and international humanitarian aid organizations to operate in the country.

Today, more than half of Syrians suffer from food insecurity. Furthermore, 24% of Syrians are disabled and 14.6% suffer from diseases.

The sanctions have also prevented the government from rebuilding damaged infrastructure, and have caused a “shortage of electricity and drinking water”, leading to daily blackouts, including in hospitals, contaminated water and even a cholera outbreak.

Due to the occupation of Syria’s oil-rich regions by the US military and its Kurdish allies, government oil production is only 10% of its pre-2010 levels, and with Western sanctions making the oil importation nearly impossible, the Syrian people face a chronic shortage of gasoline and fuel.

Douhan called for the unilateral sanctions that the United States and Europe have imposed on Syria to be lifted immediately, stressing that they are illegal under international law.

The UN expert has also previously traveled to Venezuela and reported that illegal Western sanctions had similar devastating effects on the civilian population there, while depriving the government of 99% of its revenue.

Most of the sanctions imposed on Syria came after the West launched a proxy war against the country in 2011. But the UN expert noted that Washington has imposed sanctions on Damascus since 2004.

Aggressive US sanctions imposed against Syria in 2011 and 2012 expanded to a de facto blockade in 2019, with the passage of the Caesar Act, which Douhan noted “authorized secondary sanctions against non-US persons anywhere in the world who provide financial resources.” , materials or technological support to the Syrian government or that carry out transactions with it”.

The European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Canada and Australia have imposed similar sanctions, along with the Arab League, which is dominated by the Persian Gulf monarchies.

As part of her trip, Douhan met with representatives not only of the Syrian government but also civil society organizations, health clinics, financial institutions, humanitarian groups, businesses, universities and religious bodies, as well as other UN entities. that operate in the country.

Douhan will present the final version of her report to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2023.

…………………..

*Benjamín Norton is a journalist, writer and filmmaker. He is the founder and editor of Multipolarista, and lives in Latin America.

HUMAN RIGHTS, Mideast

The Elders welcome historic breakthrough on loss and damage at COP27, but call on G20 leaders to phase out fossil fuels faster

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A press release from The Elders

The agreement reached at COP27 in Egypt shows that solidarity and co-operation between nations on the world’s most pressing issues is possible through negotiation and compromise, even in testing times. But the world needs urgent actions, not just carefully crafted words, to avoid climate catastrophe.


Photo: Rafapress/Shutterstock

We welcome governments’ reaffirmation of the need to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5℃,  the historic breakthrough on financial help for countries experiencing loss and damage caused by climate change, and the pressure COP27 has added for bold reform of the international financial system to generate more climate finance.

We now call on G20 leaders in particular to build on this restored foundation of cooperation to implement the changes needed, before it is too late. It is time for governments to turn their commitments into real change, not more promises that are broken. 

With the 1.5℃ limit reinforced in the final COP27 agreement, following similar commitments at the G20 summit last week, world leaders now have a clear mandate to redouble efforts to reduce global emissions by 43% by 2030. This will require bold leadership at home to convince citizens and businesses that the costs of inaction outweigh the costs of action, and reform of the multilateral development banks to generate more money to support countries most in need of help.

We welcome the recognition that renewables are the answer to the energy crisis, but regret that not all governments could agree the necessity of phasing down fossil fuels to keep 1.5℃ alive, notably Saudi Arabia and Russia. Disappointingly, developed countries failed to follow up on their COP26 pledge to double adaptation finance by agreeing a roadmap for delivery. At future COPs, climate science must drive decisions, and commitments must be kept.

We welcome the USA and China’s renewed dialogue at the G20 and COP27. We call for sustained leadership from the world’s two largest economies and emitters, and for all G20 countries to reduce emissions more rapidly and accelerate their phase out of fossil fuels by transitioning faster from coal, oil and gas to renewable energy. We urge accelerated financing of just transition partnerships in South Africa, Indonesia and elsewhere to ensure this change happens across all major emitters.

(article continued in right column)

Question for this article:

Sustainable Development Summits of States, What are the results?

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

(Article continued from the left column)

We commend youth activists, indigenous communities, other civil society organisations and businesses who refused to allow governments to backtrack on the Paris Agreement and COP26 commitments to 1.5℃. Their persistence, in spite of unacceptable state restrictions on civic space in Egypt, reminds us why COPs should be open and inclusive, with hosts abiding by their human rights commitments. The climate crisis affects us all, and everyone’s voice should be heard in finding solutions to it.

The outcome of COP27 demonstrates the potential for multilateral negotiations to deliver tangible results, sometimes against predictions. But this was only a partial success. There is no room for complacency, given the continuing increases in global emissions and extreme weather events around the world.

Mary Robinson, Chair of The Elders and former President of Ireland, said:

“In a year of multiple crises and climate shocks, the historic outcome on loss and damage at COP27 shows international cooperation is possible, even in these testing times. Equally, the renewed commitment on the 1.5℃ global warming limit was a source of relief. However, none of this changes the fact that the world remains on the brink of climate catastrophe.

“Progress made on mitigation since COP26 in Glasgow has been too slow. Climate action at COP27 shows we are on the cusp of a clean energy world, but only if G20 leaders live up to their responsibilities, keep their word, and strengthen their will. The onus is on them.

“All climate commitments must be transformed into real-world action, including the rapid phase out of fossil fuels, a much faster transition towards green energy, and tangible plans for delivering both adaptation and loss and damage finance. We avoided backsliding and made progress in Sharm El-Sheikh. Now leaders must stop sidestepping and fulfil their promises to safeguard a liveable future.”

Graça Machel, Deputy Chair of The Elders and first Education Minister of Mozambique, said:

“This was the ‘African COP’, and at COP27 in Sharm-el-Sheikh the multiple crises of food, energy and the impacts of climate change on vulnerable nations were at the forefront of discussions. Though there were restrictions on civil society in Egypt, people living on the frontlines of the climate crisis still made their voices heard: their cries for a loss and damage fund for nations devastated by climate impacts were heeded. Now rich countries must deliver on their promises and ensure the funding starts to flow as quickly as possible.”

Ban Ki-moon, Deputy Chair of The Elders and former UN Secretary-General, said:

“Richer countries – particularly those in the G20 – must continue to come together to address the threat posed by the climate crisis, and to seek solutions inside and outside the UNFCCC system. We have seen signals of solidarity on tackling climate change at COP27, but these signals must evolve into meaningful actions that benefit the most vulnerable. COP27 is part of a process, not an endpoint.”

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, United Nations,

In COP27 Speech, Lula Vows to Make Amazon Destruction ‘A Thing of the Past’

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Kenny Stancil from Common Dreams

Leftist Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vowed Wednesday to halt deforestation of the Amazon and to establish a special ministry to protect Indigenous forest dwellers from human rights abuses.


Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president-elect of Brazil, speaks at the COP27 summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on November 16, 2022. (Photo: Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images)

During a  speech  at the United Nations COP27 climate conference in Egypt—his first on the international stage since he  defeated  Brazil’s outgoing far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, just over two weeks ago—Lula  said  that “there’s no climate security for the world without a protected Amazon,” roughly 60% of which is located in Brazil.

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Question for this article:

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

Latin America, has it taken the lead in the struggle for a culture of peace?

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Parts of the Amazon, often referred to as the “lungs of the Earth” due to its unparalleled capacity to provide oxygen and absorb planet-heating carbon dioxide, recently  passed  a key tipping point after Bolsonaro  intensified  the destruction of the tropical rainforest during his four-year reign. According to one  estimate , Bolsonaro’s regressive policy changes are responsible for the eradication of as many as two billion trees in South America’s largest nation.

“This devastation [of the Amazon] will be a thing of the past,”  said  Lula, who previously served as Brazil’s president from 2003 to 2010 and takes office again on January 1. “The crimes that happened during the current government will now be combated. We will rebuild our enforcement capabilities and monitoring systems that were dismantled during the past four years.”

Most of the deforestation that occurred under Bolsonaro was illegal, propelled by logging, mining, and agribusiness companies that often used violence to run roughshod over Indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon.

“We will fight hard against illegal deforestation,” the 77-year-old Lula, a member of the Workers’ Party, continued. “We will take care of Indigenous people.”

“I’m here to tell you that Brazil is back in the world. Brazil is emerging from the cocoon to which it has been subjected for the last four years,” added Lula, who drastically reduced deforestation and channeled an economic boom into downwardly redistributive programs that  curbed inequality  when he governed Brazil earlier this century.

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The World at War: A Trade Union Issue – Stop the War TU Conference

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

Received by email from Stop the War

We are urging all trade unionists who support Stop the War to register for our first ever trade union conference on 21 January and join the discussions on shaping a more peaceful and prosperous world for us all.


It’s vital that we connect the struggles of the anti-war and labour movements and make the call to ‘cut warfare not welfare’ at this crucial time. We stand alongside our teachers, nurses, firefighters, lecturers and all those who refuse to see their living standards eroded to pay for the misery of war.

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Question related to this article:

How can the peace movement become stronger and more effective?

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On the day we’re going to be joined by a brilliant range of speakers including ASLEF Gen Sec Mick Whelan, Jeremy Corbyn MP, workers from the docks in Genoa who refused to load munitions onto ships earlier this year and a speaker from the Australian Maritime Union to talk about the AUKUS pact.

We will also be hearing from Kevin Courtney (PC), Alex Gordon (RMT President), Fran Heathcoate (PCS President), Salma Yaqoob, Andrew Murray and many more.

The conference is open to all trade unionists. We urge you to register and circulate the resolution in your branches and trades councils. If you want leaflets for the conference or any other information don’t hesitate to get in touch at: office@stopwar.org.uk

Register for the Conference

Download the Resolution

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

Abu Dhabi opens the ninth edition of the Peace Forum

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Atalayar

The United Arab Emirates is once again hosting the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, formerly known as the Forum for the Promotion of Peace in Muslim Societies. This ninth edition of the meeting will begin on Tuesday 8 November and will run for three days under the title “Global Conflict and Universal Peace: Urgent Needs and Opportunities for Partnership”, bringing together more than 30 pioneering international organisations in the promotion of peace and nearly 500 participants from 60 different countries, representing every continent. 


President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo shakes hands with Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace (ADFP) secretary-general Al Mahfoudh Bin Bayyah, who presented the President with a peace award at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Nov. 7.(Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr.)

“The role of the Peace Forum, […] which is usually hosted by Abu Dhabi and is one of the most important forums in the Islamic world, is to serve as a space for the discussion of humanitarian problems and intellectual and religious conflicts in Muslim societies,” the forum’s official website states. “Hundreds of Islamic scholars and thinkers participate in the forum in order to establish a unified position to address unrest and acts of violence in the Islamic world”. 

Religious leaders, politicians, officials, representatives of national and international organisations, and peace activists from around the world will travel to the United Arab Emirates to address the promotion of peace at one of the most critical times for the international community in recent decades. With several armed conflicts raging, more than 100 million refugees – according to UNHCR – and growing food and energy insecurity threatening the world’s poorest regions in particular, the forum’s attendees face one of the most complex meetings since the forum opened its doors in 2014. 

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(Click here for a French version of this article, or click here for a spanish version.)

Question for this article

Islamic extremism, how should it be opposed?

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Strengthening coexistence between Muslim societies, reviving interfaith values, creating a space for spreading the message of peace and strengthening the role of the UAE in all these areas are the main objectives of the Peace Forum. This year, they are expected to be worked on the basis of four central themes: the challenges of global peace in the face of an international order in crisis, the role of youth and women in the promotion of peace, the universality of peace in the face of the globalisation of war, and the role of religious leaders in the peace process. 

The forum was born in 2014, under the chairmanship of H.E. Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah, and the patronage of the then Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed, under the name ‘Forum for the Promotion of Peace in Muslim Societies’. Since then, the meeting has become a space of reference in the Islamic world, where scholars strive to promote peace, tolerance and the correction of certain concepts.

Last year 2021, when the meeting formally changed its name to become the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, the forum kicked off in Al Wasl Square at Expo 2020 Dubai.

The Imam Hassan bin Ali International Peace Award

In addition, the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum is – since 2015, just one year after its birth – a platform that works to empower creativity in peace advocacy through the ‘Peacemakers Hackathon’ initiative, as well as a space to recognise and “honour the creators and precursors of scientific works and initiatives for the promotion of a culture of peace and the consolidation of its value in Muslim societies” with the Imam Hassan bin Ali International Peace Prize, as explained on the official website. 

This year’s recipient of the Imam Hassan bin Ali Prize is the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Joko Widodo (Jokowi), for his work as a promoter of peace during his presidency of the G20. A particularly complicated year for the group due to Russia’s membership, which put at risk – on more than one occasion – that the group’s ministerial summits held to date would conclude more or less normally. 

“For President Jokowi, as well as for all the Indonesian people, this is an extraordinary award that symbolises confidence in the president as a leader who spreads the message and culture of peace in the world,” Indonesian State Minister Pratikno said after Abu Dhabi Peace Forum Secretary-General H.E. Shaykh Abdullah bin Bayyah travelled to Jakarta to ratify the presentation of the award to Jokowi at the Merdeka Palace. 

“The world is currently facing many kinds of crises: a war, a food crisis, an energy crisis. Not only can people not afford to buy, but the supplies themselves have changed. […]. So if we can do this, it means we can contribute to this world,” Pratikno added.

Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Martha Ines Romero appointed new Secretary General of Pax Christi

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Independent Catholic ndews

Pax Christi International, the global Catholic movement for peace and nonviolence, has announced that Martha Inés Romero has been appointed secretary general as of 1 January 2023.

Based in Colombia, Martha Inés has served Pax Christi International for over 15 years, including a term in the international board. She is currently the regional coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean. She will continue in this role as she also takes up her duties as Secretary General.

Martha Inés describes herself as a “humble life-long learner,” and brings a rich depth of experience working throughout the Americas and with global partners. She studied conflict transformation at the Kroc Institute for Peace (USA) and was a member of the Catholic Peacebuilding Network. She has contributed to the transformation of Catholic teaching through promoting a culture of peace, nonviolence, and reconciliation, first with Catholic Relief Services, contributing to the Caritas Internationalis network, and then with Pax Christi International, through participation in synodal processes and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.

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Question for this article

Religion: a barrier or a way to peace?, What makes it one or the other?

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

(Article continued from left column.)

She is both ecumenically and interfaith minded and works with partners across the civil society for dialogue and cooperation within communities across Latin America and the Caribbean. Her previous experience is in the aid sector, where she held international roles at OXFAM Great Britain and CRS.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead Pax Christi International in this challenging time,” said Romero. “I look forward to listening and learning from our dedicated members and partners worldwide. The diversity in our movement is our main strength, one that we can draw on as we transform communities through justice, peace, and nonviolence.”

Pax Christi International co-presidents Bishop (Em) Marc Stenger and Sr Wamuyu Wachira also expressed their appreciation for Martha Inés as she takes up her new role within our movement.

“I admire the great ability of Martha Inés to mobilize and unite for the sake of human rights, justice, peace, and the preservation of Creation. She’s a tireless worker, seizing every opportunity for dialogue and connection throughout Latin America and now around the world,” said Stenger.

“We thank Martha Inés for generously accepting this call to serve, and the willingness to be open to the will of God in this new role and respond to the needs of this movement at this time of our history and beyond,” remarked Wachira. She continued, recalling the words of Psalm 18, “May the Lord continue to be your rock, your fortress, in whom you will continue to find joy and hope, take refuge in situations of challenges, the Lord who will always be your shield and stronghold.”

Martha Inés Romero will replace outgoing Secretary General Greet Vanaerschot, who retires after 40 years of service to Pax Christi International in a variety of roles. There will be opportunities for the movement to welcome Martha Inés and express gratitude to Greet in the new year.

global, Latin America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

International Peace Bureau: 2022 MacBride Peace Prize recipients

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION .

An article from the International Peace Bureau

Every year the International Peace Bureau (IPB) awards a special prize to a person or organization that has done outstanding work for peace, disarmament and/or human rights. These were the principal concerns of Séan MacBride, the distinguished Irish statesman who was Chairman of IPB from 1968-74 and President from 1974-1985. MacBride began his career as a fighter against British colonial rule, studied law and rose to high office in the independent Irish Republic. He was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 1974.

The Prize is a non-monetary one.

This year the IPB Board has chosen the following three winners of the prize:

Alfredo ‘Fred’ Lubang – as part of Non-Violence International Southeast Asia (NISEA), a Philippines based non-governmental organization working towards peacebuilding, disarmament and non-violence as well as regional peace processes. He holds a Master degree in Applied Conflict Transformation Studies and served on various boards of global disarmament campaigns. As the Regional Representative of NISEA and National Coordinator of the Philippine Campaign to Ban Landmines (PCBL), Fred Lubang is a recognized expert on humanitarian disarmament, peace education and decolonialization of humanitarian engagement for almost three decades. His organization NISEA served on the board of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Control Arms Campaign, a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience, a member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons and Stop Killer Robots Campaign as well as a co-convener of the Stop Bombing campaign. Without Fred Lubang’s unflagging work and commitment – especially in the face of ongoing wars – the Philippines would not be the only country that has ratified nearly all humanitarian disarmament treaties today.

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Question related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

How can just one or a few persons contribute to peace and justice?

(Continued from left column)

Eset Maruket Gagieva & Yurii Sheliazhenko – two activists from Russia and Ukraine, whose common goal of a peaceful world seems more important today than ever before. Eset Maruket is an experienced psychologist and activist from Russia, who since 2011 has been active in the fields of human rights, democratic values, peace and non-violence communication aiming at a more peaceful country through cooperation and cultural exchange. She holds a Bachelor degree in Psychology and Philology and is presently working as Coordinator/Project Manager in several women’s empowerment projects. In line with her voluntary positions, Eset has been constantly working towards a safer country for women and other vulnerable society groups. Yurii Sheliazhenko is a male activist from Ukraine, who has worked towards peace, disarmament and human rights for many years and is currently serving as the Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement. He is a member of the Board of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection as well as World BEYOND War and a lecturer and research associate at the Faculty of Law and KROK University in Kyiv. Beyond that, Yurii Sheliazhenko is a journalist and blogger persistently defending human rights. Both Asya Gagieva and Yurii Sheliazhenko have raised their voices against the ongoing war in Ukraine – including in the IPB Webinar series “Peace Voices for Ukraine and Russia” – showing us what commitment and bravery looks like in the face of unjust war. 

Hiroshi Takakusaki – for his lifelong dedication to a just peace, the abolition of nuclear weapons and social justice. Hiroshi Takakusaki started his career by serving as a student and international youth movement leader and soon became involved in the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs (Gensuikyo). Working in several positions for Gensuikyo, he provided the vision, strategic thinking and dedication that fuelled Japan’s nationwide nuclear abolition movement, the international campaign for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and Gensuikyo’s yearly World Conference. Regarding the latter, he played a leading role in bringing high-ranking United Nations officials, ambassadors and leading figures from the field of disarmament to participate in the conference. Apart from this, Hiroshi Takakusaki’s care and unstinting support for the Hibakusha as well as his ability to build unity within the social movement demonstrate his subtlety and leadership qualities. After four decades in service to the disarmament and social movements, he is presently the Representative Director of the Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global

3rd ECOWAS Forum on Education for the Culture of Peace ends in Lomé, Togo

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from News Ghana

The 3rd edition of the ECOWAS Forum on Education for a Culture of Peace through Intra and Inter-Religious Dialogue was held in Lomé, Togo, from 27 to 29 October 2022, under the theme: “Communities, violent extremism and social cohesion in West Africa”.



Participants at the closure of the forum

Co-organized by the ECOWAS Commission and the Togolese Republic, the Forum was held under the chairmanship of HE Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE , President of the Togolese Republic , represented by Mr. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional integration and Togolese Abroad, and under the triple sponsorship of Cheikh Serigne Babacar Sy Mansour, Caliph General of the Tidhianes of Senegal, His Excellency Monsignor Edward Tamba Charles, Archbishop of Freetown, and His Highness Nana Kobina Nketsia V, Paramount Chief of the Essikado Traditional Zone of Ghana.

The meeting was attended by Professor Fatou SOW SARR, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs of ECOWAS, HE Mr. Barros Bacar BANJAI, Resident Representative of ECOWAS in Togo and HE Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, former President of the ECOWAS Commission, as Presenter of the Inaugural Conference.

Also taking part were religious and community leaders, peace and conflict resolution experts, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), technical and financial partners, young people, women’s groups and media professionals.

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(Click here for a French article on this subject.)

Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

(continued from left column)

The main objective of the Forum was to strengthen the mechanisms of dialogue within the communities in order to cultivate mutual understanding, the spirit of tolerance and peaceful coexistence between religions, through education in the culture of peace, while highlighting the role of communities in countering violent extremism, as well as their contribution to peace and social cohesion.

The Forum took place in 4 essential phases: (1) The opening ceremony punctuated by speeches and the inaugural conference; (2) The ministerial session which made it possible to present the situation of inter-ministerial dialogue in the Member States, highlighting the role of communities and religious and customary leaders in the fight against violent extremism and their contribution to peace and social cohesion. (3) The discussion panels which were articulated around the following 3 axes: Axis 1: Communities and Resilience with the target of religious, customary, ethnic, socio-professional communities; Axis 2: Education and Prevention targeting young people, women, media; Axis 3: Communities, territories and vulnerabilities; (4) The plenaries which allowed the restitution of the work of the panels.

In her speech at the forum’s closing ceremony, Commissioner Fatou SOW/SARR “reiterated the clear will of the political authorities of the Region to emphasize crisis prevention, raising awareness among young people, that of actors in the civil society and of course political decision-makers and religious leaders”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad, both in his opening and closing speeches, expressed his thanks to the ECOWAS Commission for having chosen his country to host such a meeting. He also reiterated “the commitment and determination of HE Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE , President of the Togolese Republic, in favor of the values of peace, harmony and mutual respect. It is through his benevolence and the interest given to the issue of social cohesion that he accepted that Togo host this important forum”.

At the end of the work, a so-called Lomé Declaration and recommendations were adopted. Among other recommendations to ECOWAS: i) Support Member States in developing National Policies for the Development of Border Areas to build the resilience of communities in the face of violent extremism; ii) Put in place a multi-stakeholder strategy (religious, women, youth) in the fight against violent extremism; iii) Strengthen the ECOWAS early warning and conflict resolution system, highlighting the contribution of communities to peace and social cohesion; etc

For the ECOWAS Commission, also taking part in the Forum under the Department of Human Development and Social Affairs (DHDSA), Prof. Abdoulaye Maga, Director of Education, Science and Culture, Dr. Raguidissida Emile, Head of Culture Division and Mrs. Aïsha USMAN, Head of Education Division, and under the Department of Political Affairs (PAPS), Peace and Security, Colonel Abdourahmane DIENG, Head of Regional Security Division and Mr. Constant Cocou GNACADA in charge of the conflict prevention program.

Africa, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY