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English bulletin March 1, 2023

WORLD DIVIDES OVER THE UKRAINE WAR

In our special bulletin of February 17, we published some of the important voices from North America and Europe who oppose the American/NATO escalation of the war in the Ukraine. Unlike most of the major media in those countries, these voices are not “obedient” to their governments’ policies.

At the end of the special bulletin, we quote Lula, the new President of Brazil, who said his country is willing to contribute, together with countries such as China, India and Indonesia, to create a “club of countries that want to build peace on the planet.” And we asked if the rest of the world stop the US, Europe and Russia from sleepwalking all of us to Armageddon?

In order to answer this question, we translated the phrase “Ukraine War opinion” into Arab, Spanish, Bangla, Hindi, Korean, Indonesian and Turkish, and searched via Google for articles published locally during the past month in those languages (but not the international services of BBC, VOA, etc.) For Africa, we searched in French and English. The quotations below have been translated into English from the various languages as you can see by using the translation service of a Chrome browser.

Beginning with Brazil and the other countries listed by Lula, what is the opinion of the major media outside of the NATO countries and their allies? Do they support or oppose the escalation of the war?

As for Brazil, the meeting of Lula with US President Biden is described as follows by Emir Sader in the Argentinian media Pagina12: “Lula reiterated that he does not want to send weapons to the war in Ukraine, because he is for peace, he wants to find a way to end the war and not prolong it. But Biden ignored Lula’s words. . . . (Lula’s) . . . words in the US still sound like those of a true statesman, next to the small size of the head of the world’s greatest war power.”

As for China, the Indian expert Antara Ghosal Singh from the Observer Research Foundation, writes that China’s strategy regarding the current crisis in Europe is to sit away and watch the war of two forces. . . . Chinese experts who talk about peace and agreement often say that they are waiting for the monkey to get an advantage in the fight of two cats. China will be the only big power to escape from this war without any damage.

As for India, an opinion piece by a professor at Mahindra University published by the Navbharat Times, the largest Hindi daily in terms of circulation, concludes that America and Europe are “caught in the web of war.” The sanctions imposed by West because of the Russia-Ukraine war are only benefiting India and China. The writer cites the following estimates by the International Monetary Fund for economic growth : the Russian economy could grow at 2.1% in 2024, compared to 1% for the US, 1.6% for the 27 countries in Europe, and 0.9% for Japan. The countries that do not ban oil imports from Russia, India and China are going to achieve a growth rate of 6.8% and 4.5% respectively.

In Indonesia, El Shinta news quotes the suggestion that neutral countries such as Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and South Africa could act as intermediaries for a peace accord in the Ukraine because their attitudes are not anti-Russia, but also not anti-Ukrainian. But the article complains that it has become more and more difficult to mediate an end to the war, largely because of the neoconservative group in the United States who want a complete defeat of Russia and who, therefore, often intercept and kill peace initiatives, including those initiated by Israel and Turkey.

Elsewhere in Asia, in Bangladesh, Monayem Sarkar, Director General, Bangladesh Foundation for Development Research, writes in abnews24: “Ukraine has truly become a battleground for the US-led NATO alliance versus Russia. The Ukrainian army led by Vladimir Zelensky is actually waging a ‘proxy war’ on behalf of the NATO alliance. . . . This totalitarian war needs to be stopped as soon as possible. Whether it is to strengthen America’s hegemony or to boost its armaments industry, peacemakers around the world must come forward to end this war. If the Ukraine war is prolonged without immediate resolution, the possibility of a nuclear attack cannot be ruled out. At one point, many are expressing fear that the West will be directly involved in this battlefield, which will practically lead to the Third World War.”

And in Korea, the new book by Professor Lee Hae-young of Hanshin University, entitled “Ukrainian War and New World Order” is reviewed in Hani.com. The book claims that what is leading this war is the ‘neocon’ seeking ‘expansion of liberal hegemony’. Rather than a war between Ukraine and Russia, it is a ‘proxy war’ between the United States and the West, with Ukraine at the forefront, against Russia. The eastward march of NATO, which began in earnest in the 2000s and even reached Ukraine, is one of the proximate causes of the war. Another review of the book, published in pression.com, concludes “After the Russo-USA War, the world order will be shaken. These changes will further destabilize the Korean Peninsula. The present Ukraine may be the Korea of the near future. I sincerely recommend reading this book to many people who are concerned about the future of the Korean Peninsula.”

Although the Arab countries have long been allied with the United States, their attitudes towards escalation of the Ukraine War are not favorable. Here is a list:

Pan-arabist satellite news television channel Al Mayadeen, based in Beirut: “the reconstruction of Ukraine needs at least 20 years, meaning that the defeat of Ukraine has become a fait accompli that cannot be changed. As for the Western camp, especially the United States of America, its goal may be to weaken Russia as much as possible by engaging it in the war in Ukraine to deplete its strength, without this reaching the point of cornering it, because that would make Moscow resort without thinking to using its nuclear weapons, which is what the Russian leaders recently threatened. But the problem lies in whether the West did not take these threats seriously, then the whole world would have slipped into what is unimaginable.”

Lebanon: an article in the Beirut daily newspaper Al Akhbar. “Ukraine War: Subjugation of Europe and then Russia.” The Ukraine War is “an American war against Russia, with Ukrainian hands and European tools, while Europe itself is the implicit target for its subjugation.” “This war, its repercussions, and the rejection of this policy of American hegemony that we are witnessing, as if the world has had enough of imposing will at all levels, indicate that the world is heading towards a new multipolar system, and the decline of American hegemony in its unilateralism.”

Kuwait: an article in Alrai Media. “European countries cannot maintain their support for the war for a long time, and therefore the currency will lose its purchasing value and inflation will push to record levels, causing economic disasters and recession. Despite the economic damage to partners in Western Europe, President Joe Biden’s administration cannot stop the war at its peak because losing would be a disaster. If the war ends anytime soon without weakening Russia, Washington will lose control of Europe. In this case, Western European doubts regarding the continuity and viability of NATO will return. Therefore, it is expected that the ferocity of the battle – and with it the rise in commodity prices – will rise in the coming months to break or weaken Russia before the end of the US president’s term, if possible.”

Saudi Arabia: an article by Major General Samir Farag published by the MBC Media Group. “It is now required to quickly reach peace talks between the conflicting parties, otherwise, with the onset of spring, Russia will launch comprehensive offensive operations to seize more Ukrainian lands. It is expected that Russia’s first goal in the upcoming spring offensive will be to seize the port of Odessa on the Black Sea to prevent Ukraine from having ports on the seas, especially the Black Sea, after it lost control of the Sea of Azov. In these battles, Russia will use the scorched-earth method, using the new Russian types of missiles, King, Alexander, and Doomsday. Russia may also consider seizing Kiev, the capital, to overthrow the Ukrainian regime. All these assessments will lead the world to the necessity of resorting to peace, because peace is needed not only to Russia and Ukraine, but also to all countries of the world.”

Egypt: An opinion piece by Hicham Mourad of Cairo University published by the weekly Ahram. “Egypt’s position is similar to that of the majority of the Gulf monarchies and it has remained largely neutral since the start of the war. It has been quiet in its criticism of Russia and unwilling to join in the imposition of Western sanctions. Cairo’s burgeoning political, economic and military ties with Moscow explain its position. They include in particular a $25 billion contract for the construction of the Al-Dabaa nuclear power plant on the North Coast, the construction of a Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal economic region, major reports trade and tourism, as well as arms contracts.”

United Arab Emirates: An editorial in Al Khaleej, the leading newspaper published in the country. “The declaration of the Atlantic countries to send weapons and ammunition of an offensive nature does not mean that the battle will be resolved easily. Rather, the opposite is true, because Kiev’s confessions confirm that its situation is critical. . . the fear remains because the defeat of any party will be a major problem and a horrific collapse of the European security system and the entire world, and there will be no room for remedy unless all parties are convinced of deliberation and avoid confronting that moment.

Jordan: An article published in Al Ghad, Jordan’s first independent Arabic daily national newspaper. “A recent op-ed in The Washington Post offers an insight into the mindset of US foreign policy makers. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. . . . call for “dramatically” more arms shipments to Ukraine. . . . Their solution is clearly unreasonable: let the people of Ukraine suffer more so that the country can defeat Russia and regain all Ukrainian lands. This is not, neither moral nor logical, a solution at all.”

In Sub-Saharan Africa, we found articles from Mali, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and the African Union published in French or English.

Mali: a long opinion piece by Rene Naba published in Maliactu. “The tragic truth is that if the West had not sought to expand NATO into Ukraine, it is unlikely that a war would have raged in Ukraine today. . . History will severely condemn the United States and its allies for their astonishingly stupid policy towards Ukraine”, argues John Mearsheimer, professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago. . . . Ukraine would be expendable for the United States. But Mearsheimer fails to see that the war is existential for the United States too: if Russia holds out, their imperial system crumbles.”

Kenya: a weekly column by Gitau Warigi for the Sunday Nation. “Something, whatever, should be done to end the ruinous Russia-Ukraine war. . . . The high fuel and food prices and general disorganisation across the world that it has brought has made everybody suffer. Ukraine President Volodomyr Zelenksy needs to take the lead in this initiative. He should open negotiations with Russia. His country’s cities are being destroyed by fusillades of missiles and drones fired from Russia. Infrastructure is being systematically destroyed.

Nigeria: an article by Tarkaa David in the online journal “leadership.” “Africa, Victim Of Ukraine-Russia Crisis”. “The huge financial assistance to Ukraine, primarily for the supply of weapons and military equipment by Western countries has significantly reduced the volume of aid to African countries. . . . NATO weapons will again arrive in Ukraine, most of which will flood the “black markets” and get to the countries of the African continent, where they are highly likely to be used in the commission of terrorist act.s . . . According to the report, apart from providing huge assistance to Kiev, Washington is deliberately provoking a food crisis in African countries by disrupting the supply of agricultural products from Ukraine.”

South Africa; an opinion piece in The Mail and Guardian. Most South Africans get their information about the war in Ukraine from Western media, and our own media, a good deal of which reports the Western line verbatim and uncritically. While the media often presents itself as impartial, this is never the case. . . . All powerful states deploy considerable resources and expertise towards shaping media narratives in their own interests. And during times of war, the media, including social media, is explicitly considered to be part of the battlespace. This is not a new development. As the old saying goes, “the first casualty when war comes is truth”.

African Union: The African News Agency reports that the Executive Secretary Ambassador, Zainab Ali Kotoko, of the Committee of Intelligence and Security Services in Africa (CISSA) has lambasted warring parties in Ukraine saying those who started the war are now trying to manipulate Africans to take their side. She refused to criticize the fact that South Africa is engaged in military training activities with Russia, saying that it must not be viewed as something wrong as long as it related to their bilateral relations and did not by any chance fuel the ongoing conflict.

In Latin America, in addition to the assessment of Lula’s encounter with Biden as described above, we found articles from Costa Rica and Argentina.

Costa Rica: opinion piece in El Mundo. “Ukraine: the war of the end of the world.” “Not to be apocalyptic, but the cards are on the table for a devastating global conflict.. . . Barack Obama decided to support a coup in kyiv (the Maidan), he created an absolutely unnecessary and unacceptably dangerous situation.  . . . And finally, his vice president (Biden) had the Russian invasion of Ukraine explode in his face. He hasn’t done a better job than his predecessor. Instead of forcing an immediate peace, he has pushed Ukraine into a war that is sustained solely by the barrage of weapons provided by the West. . . . Everything indicates that Russia, which began its invasion as a “special military operation”, is going to stop using rhetorical titles and launch its conventional power over poor Ukraine. . . . But the bigger problem is that if things don’t work out for Russia, it always has its nuclear arsenal. And there, we are going to be affected all over the planet. These political leaders are playing a game that can put the existence of humanity at risk.

Argentina: An editorial by Hernando Kleimans in Telam, the website of the official news agency of the Argentine Republic. “The absurd theory of Washington’s exclusivity over the rest of the countries, about its privilege in establishing a “rules-based order” that only it knows about, comes face to face with the absolute majority of humanity. Heart-breaking testimonies of hunger, misery, climatic disasters, plagues or infant mortality are worthless. The imposition of the great military-industrial complexes and the monopolistic centers of financial speculation, such as the new “merchants of the temple”, over the pusillanimous vassal governments, prioritizes their particular interests and is indifferent to the catastrophe, towards which it marches happily and without scruples.

Finally, we turn to Turkey, caught between Europe and the rest of the world. Selahaddin E. Çakirgil, columnist for the Star, a high-circulation Turkish newspaper. “Is the ‘Russia-Ukraine War’ heading towards a ‘nuclear catastrophe’?” The Chairman of the Russian Duma has written “If Washington and NATO countries provide Ukraine with weapons that it can use to attack Russian cities and try to seize our lands, we will retaliate with more powerful weapons.” “Given the technological superiority of Russian weapons, foreign politicians making such decisions need to understand that their aid could result in a global tragedy that will destroy their country. It is untenable for them to argue that “nuclear forces have not used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts before. . . It is also obvious that the Western Front is actually dragging Ukraine into a ‘Proxy War’ in order to secure its own future against Russia. . . . In short, the Ukrainian War is increasingly heading towards a more complicated situation.”

Most of the countries named above (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and United Arab Emirates) were among the 101 countries that did not vote with the US, Europe and Ukraine on one or more of the UN General Assembly resolutions last week that condemned Russia and refused to criticise arm shipments to the Ukraine.

Opinion polls conducted recently in China, India and Turkey by the European Council on Foreign Relations confirm that ordinary citizens share the perspectives described above.

Finally, here is a curious fact that exposes the failure of Western media. The most recent opinion polls in the United States show that a majority of Americans no longer support the American arms shipments to Ukraine. But this information is not reported in the European or North American media. Instead, we learn this from Navbharat Times of India, Kabar24 of Indonesia and Elaosboa  of Egypt.

It is very dangerous that the “obedient” mass media of Europe and the United States continue to support the escalation of the war. Are they leading us sleepwalking into Armageddon? We return to the article by Hernando Kleimans in Argentina. He entitles his article, “Son malditos porque viendo no quieren ver…” – ” “They are cursed by seeing what they do not want to see…”, a phrase that comes from Jesus, according to the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Kleimans argues that “more than two thousand years later, that phrase echoes with more force than ever in the great corridors of international politics. It is that the blindness of those who continue to ignite the demons of war that can lead our green planet to its total destruction, a deserted wasteland that will continue to rotate in infinite space as proof of our inconsistency as a species.”

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English bulletin February 17, 2023

. SLEEPWALKING TO ARMAGEDDON . .

While the governments and obedient media in North America and Europe applaud their escalation of the war in Ukraine, we choose this month to listen to the important voices that are opposed, including those who warn that it runs the risk of launching World War III, and even the end of human civilization.

Considering the urgency of these voices, we publish the bulletin earlier than usual.

Begin with Helen Caldicott. She was nominated for the Nobel Prize by physicist Linus Pauling and named by the Smithsonian Institution as one of the most influential women of the 20th century. Her public talks describing the horrors of nuclear war from a medical perspective raised the consciousness of a generation.

Caldicott believes that the reality of destroying all of life on the planet has receded from public consciousness, making doomsday more likely. As the title of her recent book  states, we are “sleepwalking to Armageddon,” which refers to the mythical battle mentioned in the Bible as marking the end of the world.

The interview with Caldicott took place on January 25, 2023, one day after the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists  advanced  the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 90 seconds before midnight – in large part because of developments in Ukraine. The term “doomsday” is the modern equivalent of Armageddon.

The Elders, founded by Nelson Mandela and now including many former heads of state, joined with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists in the ceremony of the Doomsday Clock. While blaming Russia for the war in the Ukraine, they said that “all states bear responsibility for the broader failures of governance and leadership that have undermined the multilateral system.”

Most of the peace movement organizations in the United States, and many from abroad, have signed a letter to President Biden demanding that he sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. Citing the movement of the Doomsday Clock, they remark that “the increased tension that now exists between the US and Russia makes an unintended launch of nuclear weapons so much more likely, and the risks are simply too great to be ignored or downplayed.”

In the United Kingdom, a national demonstration was prepared for February 25 under the banner, “Peace Talks Now – Stop the War in Ukraine.” Condemning the West’s decision to send battle tanks and to consider sending fighter planes to the Ukraine, the call for the demonstration says, “If NATO planes confront Russian fighters over Ukraine we would be on the brink of a great power confrontation. If the demand for jets is agreed, we can be sure it will be followed by calls for ground troops.”

Referring to the Doomsday Clock, Code Pink founder Medea Benjamin and Nicholas Davies say it should wake up the world’s leaders to need for peace in the Ukraine. Recalling the many aggressive actions of the US that provoked the war, they present a clear and detailed series of steps needed for the US to foster peace talks.

In Europe as well, distinguished authorities analyze the origins and consequences of the Ukraine War.

Spanish authority Vincenç Fisas calls the war “a year of mistakes and horrors.” “We have returned to the mentality of the cold war, of friend-foe and good and bad, increasing the warmongering and arms culture,” with “increasing military spending, ending the status of neutral countries and expanding NATO. . . . This war in the Ukraine cannot be won by anyone, however it ends, because the harm that has been done transcends any possibility of resolution. The accumulated hatred is of such magnitude, proportional to the level of destruction and loss of human lives, that any reconciliation project will not be possible in the medium term.. . . it is delusional to think that destruction will one day lead us to glory, when it only leads us to misery.”

Portuguese authority Boaventura de Sousa Santos also uses the word “sleepwalking”: “One hundred years after World War I, Europe’s leaders are sleepwalking toward a new, all-out war. . . that “has all the characteristics of a proxy war, one in which the two sides use a third country – ‘the country of sacrifice.’” He considers it to be “the beginning of the end of eurocentrism,” as Europe repeats the scenario that led to the First and Second World Wars. “The war in Ukraine – especially if it goes on for too long – runs the risk not only of amputating one of Europe’s historic powers (Russia), but also of isolating it from the rest of the world, notably from China. . . . Europe and the US stand haughtily all but alone, probably capable of winning one battle, but on their way to certain defeat in the war of history. More than half of the world’s population lives in countries that have decided not to join the sanctions against Russia.”

As if to illustrate the isolation of Europe and the US, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said that the South American country will not send ammunition that could be used in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He joins the Presidents of Argentina and Colombia who have said the same. And he says that Brazil is willing to contribute, together with countries such as China, India and Indonesia, to create a “club of countries that want to build peace on the planet.”

But how can the rest of the world stop the US, Europe and Russia from sleepwalking all of us to Armageddon?


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English bulletin February 1, 2023

SUPPORT YOUTH FOR CULTURE OF PEACE

While it is clear that today’s older generation is mired in the culture of war, there is still the hope that the new generation, today’s youth, can start the needed change.

For that reason, it is a sign of hope that this month’s bulletin finds initiatives around the world that support the work of youth for a culture of peace.

The oldest program is that of the of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). They have announced this year’s Young Peacebuilders Program for Latin America and the Caribbean that will support 20 youth “to build more inclusive and peaceful societies.”

The youth programs of the UNAOC have been carried out regularly since 2006 when they were launched on the basis of a study and proposal that was researched and written by members of the Culture of Peace Corporation which manages CPNN.

The largest program is being launched in Colombia where President Gustavo Petro has announced a program to support 100,000 young “peace managers” as part of his plans for ” total peace” in the country. The proposal is based on a program of 10,000 “peace managers” that was implemented by Petro when he was the mayor of the capital city of Bogota.

In Gabon, the Pan-African Youth Network for the Culture of Peace continues its work that has been followed for several years now by CPNN, involving youth in the political process.

In Sri Lanka, iDove Hybrid International Youth Conference involved 300 youth from Sri Lanka, Uganda, Philippines and Kenya to foster youth based interventions for inter-religious coexistence and harmony.

In Jamaica, Youth Inspiring Positive Change (YIPC) works to train, support youth as agents of change to break the ongoing cycle of violence in that country.

This year’s International Children’s Peace Prize has been awarded to Kawasaki Rena, a 17-year old from Japan in recognition of her work to involve youth in political change. In previous years, the prize has been attributed to Malala Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, among others.

And finally, the Basel Peace Office has announced the nine finalists of the 2023 PACEY youth award which include:

* Global Perspectives on Corporate Climate Legal Tactics (United Kingdom)
* Peace in our Schools with young Ukrainian refugees and Russian immigrants (Georgia)
* SAFNA Youth Forum database on nuclear disarmament and arms control (Switzerland)
* Adopt a tree, not a weapon (Democratic Republic of Congo)
* Ertis Mektebi school for children with special needs (Kazakhstan)
* Testimonies of victims of uranium mining in Meghalaya (India)
* Silence the Guns project of Children for Peace (Cameroon)
* Storytelling for Peace, Love, and Climate Justice by MENA Youth Network (Middle East and North Africa)
* Youth Peace Caravans in refugee settlements (Sudan/Uganda)

What we wrote in the 2006 report is still pertinent: “there is a remarkable consistency among youth in all parts of the world in their dreams and hopes for a better world. From a village in Bangladesh to an island in the Caribbean or Pacific, youth yearn for the same opportunities to become educated and to educate others to achieve a culture of peace and solidarity”, and as one youth group demanded, “Please no more declarations and statements! Young people in the Pacific want real projects that have real outcomes!”

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English bulletin January 1, 2023

. LATIN AMERICA AND AFRICA .

Looking back at 2023, one bright spot has been the continued advance of the culture of peace in Latin America and Africa.

In Latin America, this has been particularly dramatic in the case of Colombia, which is emerging from decades of civil war. Last month we featured articles from the cities of Armenia, Cúcuta and Florencia. Earlier in 2022, we published articles from Cartagena, Viotá, Medellin and Tuluá, as well as numerous articles on national initiatives for the culture of peace.

In Armenia, the Observatory for the City, Peace, Coexistence and Citizen Culture has been created so that organizations, associations and foundations, public and private entities, as well as members of civil society and victims of armed conflict can contribute to the construction of the peace of the municipality. Armenia is the second city in Colombia to establish such an observatory.

In Cúcuta, during the Nights of Peace. the neighborhoods of Cúcuta and the adjacent rural area will be visited for 17 days, with different entertainments including a theatrical presentation, puppet shows, musical acts and, of course, the traditional prayer of the Novenas of Bonus. All these are framed under the message of the culture of peace and the promotion of the values of respect, forgiveness and reconciliation.

In Florencia, 45 university students, social leaders and victims of the armed conflict attended a course and received the diploma “Transitional justice: a contribution to the construction of territorial peace”. The course started last July for which ten accredited national and international organizations contributed their knowledge and experience.

Mexico, too, is heavily involved. In 2022, we published articles on the Mexican cities and states of Oaxaca, Zacatecas, Alamo and Queretero, Jalisco and Chihuahua, as well as national government initiatives for a culture of peace. Additionally, in December, we published the following:

In San Juan del Rio, various commitments have been established by Rotary International as part of the project “Building a culture of positive peace”,

In Atlixco, the First Day of Culture of Peace included a discussion with local actors “to generate a space for the exchange of knowledge, dialogue and learning for reconstruction of the social fabric and the construction of a Culture of Peace..”

In Jalisco, the “V Global Forum on the Culture of Peace” was held to analyzing the conflicts and problems that trigger violence, as well as proposing solutions to promote social reconciliation.

In Hidalgo, networks of Women Peace-Builders (MUCPAZ) were created in Apan, Tula de Allende and Pachuca, strategic municipalities for the reconstruction of the social fabric.

In Brazil, the project “Weaving Networks for a Culture of Peace and Violence Prevention” was part of the Culture of Peace Fair of Juiz de Fora, dedicated to the establishment of an effective network for preventing and coping with the various forms of violence in the city.

Also in Brazil, the XII Educational Guidance Forum in Brasilia addressed the theme “Educational Guidance for a Culture of Peace”, to prevent violence and for a culture of peace in the daily lives of schools.

In Honduras, the Festival of Inclusion of Cerro Juana Laínez was dedicated to strengthen the inclusion and participation of women, youth, indigenous peoples, Afro-descendants, people with disabilities, the LGBTIQ+ community and Honduran citizens in the processes of social oversight and participation politics, as a contribution to the culture of peace.

As for Africa, during last year we carried articles on the culture of peace from Togo, Mali, Guinea, Gabon, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Chad, Niger and Zimbabwe.

In December alone, here are additional articles from Africa.

In Chad, the provinces of Lac and Hadjer-Lamis came together for a sports cultural festival focused on the culture of peace and living together.

In Morocco, the city of Agadir hosted the the 6th Edition of the African Forum of Territorial Managers and Training Institutes targeting Local Governments. One of the themes was “Capacity building for the promotion of the Culture of Peace and the art of negotiation.”

In Burkina Faso, it was announced that the 28th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival will take place in February with the theme “African Cinemas and Culture of Peace”.

And in the Gambia, the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) convened a day’s ‘bantaba’ (group discussion) on youth participation in decision-making and peace-building to strengthen the capacity of peace building practitioners, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and to develop conflict prevention networks and mechanisms to promote the culture of peace.

Finally, the results of the World Cup of Football were celebrated in terms of the culture of peace in Latin America and Africa. From Argentina, Alicia Cabezudo considers that World Championship as an opportunity for education for cultures of peace. And from Africa, the embrace of footballers Achraf Hakimi of Morocco and Kylian Mbappe of France but African ancestry was celebrated as “the spirit of sport which is the culture of peace”.

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English bulletin December 1, 2022

THE PEACE MOVEMENT: ALIVE AND WELL

As the war in Ukraine threatens to unleash a new world war, the peace movement is rising to the occasion to provide an alternative.

In this month’s CPNN, we carry articles from the peace movements in the United States, Italy, France, England and Germany, as well as information about the remnants of peace movements in Ukraine and Russia.

In the United States and Canada antiwar actions were held in more than 70 areas at the end of October.  The actions took place in answer to a call from the United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), and were joined by a coalition of antiwar groups from Canada and also by some European countries. The actions filled a void during the pre-election campaigns in the United States because the Ukraine War was not debated by the candidates of either political party. The UNAC demands are “Stop Washington’s war moves toward Russia and China; Stop endless wars: Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Palestine, everywhere.”

In Rome, Italy, 30,000 people took part in a demonstration demanding negotiations for peace in the Ukraine. It 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. 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.

150 activists from 62 of the 101 departments in France were delegates to the congress of Mouvement de la Paix that met in November in the City Hall of Tours. The Congress was also attended by activists from 14 other countries and representatives of national organizations such as Arac, CGT, Free Thought, ACCA, Teachers for Peace, Pugwash, Initiative for Nuclear Disarmament (IDN), Afcdrp, International Feminist Initiative, Europ Ecology The Greens (EELV), Pcf, Pax Christi, Ccfd, Solidarity peoples, Acat, France Kurdistan, Christian migrants, peace educators, international handicap, family planning. An appeal from the Congress calls for national days of action on December 13-14, for a Christmas ceasefire in the Ukraine, and for a world mobilization against all wars on 24 February 2023.

In Germany, after a two-year break, the nationwide Peace Council 2022 will take place as a face-to-face event on December 10th and 11th. This meeting comes at a time when: the Ukraine war is escalating into an open proxy war between NATO and Russia; humanity is threatened by nuclear self-destruction; the EU economic war is leading to massive social protests; open debate is restricted on these topics; and there is a great need for discussion within the peace movement.

In England, the first ever trade union conference of the Stop the War movement will take place on 21 January. The call says “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.”

In the Ukraine, the small, but persistent, peace movement, from which we published an anti-war manifesto earlier this year, continues to send its message of peace to Western activists, including an eloquent letter that was read to the meeting of Mouvement de la Paix mentioned above.

As for a peace movement in Russia, the thousands, even millions, of voices that we published earlier this year in CPNN, have mostly been silenced by Russian authorities. However, some Russian anti-war activists have fled to other countries and continue to publish. A good example is Meduza which recently published an article describing the reactions of Russian mothers against the war in Ukraine. They were excluded from the meeting that Putin held with mothers of Russian soldiers.

Looking into the future, let’s support the call of Mouvement de la Paix for a Christmas ceasefire and world mobilization on February 2023. In the Ukraine, all sides of the war are suffering and need a ceasefire. And in the rest of the world where over 100 armed conflicts are continuing, the people long for peace.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

Correze

France: Echoes of the national congress
of Mouvement de la Paix

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

AbuDhabi

Abu Dhabi opens the ninth edition
of the Peace Forum

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Lula

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

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Hiroshima

Mayors for Peace: The Hiroshima Appeal

  

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Iran

How the Islamic Revolution Gave Rise
to a Massive Women’s Movement in Iran

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Peace-Pals

Peace Pals International Art Exhibition
and Awards

HUMAN RIGHTS

syria

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

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Assange

Because ‘Publishing Is Not a Crime,’
Major Newspapers Push US to Drop Assange Charges

English bulletin November 1, 2022

. EDUCATION FOR PEACE . .

A virtual conference advocating that the United Nations recognize a Global Peace Education Day featured 50 peace educators from around the world. They included Anwarul Chowdhury, Federico Mayor, Nobel Peace Laureate Ouidad Bouchamaoui, Gabriela Ramos from UNESCO, Reiner Braun of the International Peace Bureau, Francisco Rojas of the University of Peace, Tony Jenkins of the Global Campaign for Peace Education, Lisa Huber of the National Peace Academy, David Weinberg of the Global Peace Education Network, Philippe Rio of Mayors for Peace and Tezekiah Gabriel of Pathways to Peace. Videos of their presentations are available for the first five listed.

According to the conference notes, “Nuclear holocaust is closer than ever before. Armed conflicts are raging in 27 countries, with civilian populations mistreated by the military. How can peace education help end the threat of war? . . . Because peace education is central to the United Nations central mission, it certainly deserves a special day for public awareness – a day to promote practical efforts in peace education throughout the world, a day to empower educators for peace; a day to connect and celebrate with others in the peace education field.”

Latin America continues to provide leadership for the culture of peace and peace education.

In Colombia , the National Ministry of Education sponsored Education for Peace dialogues in Cartagena, Colombia. More than 150 attendees from different regions of the country included teachers, teaching directors, officials from the secretariats of education, students, representatives of higher education institutions, and social organizations from different parts of the country.

In Panama , it was the Minister of Government, Janaina Tewaney Mencomo, who started the pilot plan of the project “Cultivating Builders of Peace.” This took place at the Justo Arosemena Institute to the joy of fifth graders. The project will be developed through three thematic axes: Values ​​to build peace, Learning to live together and Techniques for the peaceful resolution of school conflicts.

In Argentina , the first edition of the iFLAC World Peace Festival, took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 21 to 25. It brought together around 30 poets, artists and cultural leaders, from countries such as Sri Lanka , Argentina, Colombia, United States of America, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico, Bolivia, Uruguay, Chile, Haiti, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, among others. Poetry, art and the different cultural manifestations of the countries of the region were present in a fraternal encounter full of hope, with the aim of creating new links and spaces of solidarity, recognition and cultural diffusion.

As CPNN has documented over the years, Africa also continues to provide leadership.

The First Lady of Nigeria , Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has advocated for the mandatory inclusion of peace education in the curriculum of basic education in African schools in order to promote a culture of peace on the continent. She made the call at an event in New York on “The Role of Young Women and Girls in Advancing Peace and Security: Promoting a Culture of Peace in Fragile Settings”. She said it was necessary to include peace education in curriculum because of the peculiarity of conflicts in Africa.

The Ministry of National Education, through the Project to improve the quality and results of education for all in Mali , has decided to implement teacher training activities in the Culture of Peace in all teaching academies. The training aims to build the capacities of teachers in education for the culture of peace; understand the key concepts of peace, culture of peace, peace education, culture of peace education; determine the causes and consequences of conflicts; identify the phases in the development of a conflict.

Elsewhere, peace education is in the news from the Philippines . At least 100 peace education champions across the country converged during the First National Peace Education Summit, to provide recommendations on how to promote peace and understanding in the basic and higher education sectors. Last year, the signing of an Executive Order put peace education at the core of the peacebuilding strategies of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity.

Conclusion from previous bulletin or blog or look for Guterres/peace education As Mahatma Gandhi wrote to Maria Montessori in their famous correspondence: “if we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children and if they will grow up in their natural innocence, we won’t have the struggle, we won’t have to pass fruitless idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which, consciously or unconsciously, the whole world is hungering.”

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

education

Global Peace Education Day: Virtual Conference

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

tolerance

Conakry: Forum on national unity and peace

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

climate

‘Big Win’ for Climate: EU Parliament Backs Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

dem

Ecuador: In Bolívar, the month of the culture of peace was commemorated with the event “justice, peace and art”

  

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

women

The Search for the Exceptional Women of Peace Award: A Reflection

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

disarm

“End War in Ukraine” Say 66 Nations at UN General Assembly

HUMAN RIGHTS


humanrights

2022: Nobel Committee Gets Peace Prize Wrong Yet Again

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

info

What happened this year (2022) for the International Day of Peace

English bulletin October 1, 2022

. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE .

According to our survey of the Internet there was a great increase in participation in the International Day of Peace this year. This was true in all regions of the world except for Ukraine and Russian Federation.

Of course, Ukraine and Russian Federation are a special case since they are at war. Despite this, there were 61 events from Ukraine and 45 from the Russian Federation, which is especially remarkable since, according to UNICEF, half of the children of Ukraine are out of school because of the war. Most of the events involved school children. On both sides of the war, they drew or cut out paper doves and wrote their wishes for peace on them. Often they sent them into the sky on balloons. Their actions were especially heart-wrenching this year. Has there ever been such a time when the children on both sides of a war could express and publish for the world to see their wishes for peace?

Elsewhere in Europe we found reference to actions in 293 communities, over 100 more than last year. As in previous years, the greatest number was recorded in Belgium where 136 towns and municipalities participated in a campaign to fly the peace flag on official buildings. The Collective for 21 September coordinated and described actions in more than half of the one hundred departments of France, including marches and demonstrations, often linked to the struggle to preserve the planet from global warming.

In Spain, several cities, including Navarra and Tolosa celebrated the day with the premiere of a work called “Zotoz” for female choirs. The choral performances were filmed in beautiful historic sites and made available on the Internet. In Italy, the national post office issued a special colorful postcard for the day which was available throughout the country. Also at a national level in Italy, the national network of schools for peace, along with many partner organizations, launched a national program of civic education for students called “For peace with care.”

In North America, Peace Day celebrations could be found on the Internet from 44 of the 50 United States and 7 of the 10 Canadian provinces. City-wide events took place in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, among others. At the United Nations in New York, more than 500 students interacted with the UN Secretary-General and high-profile artists and activists. Among the many events coordinated and reported by the Pace e Bene network, perhaps the most unique was the report from Alan Sutton, “Posters that I got from Pace e Bene are on both sides of the camper on the back of my truck. It’s a continuous action in pursuit of a culture of nonviolence.”

Reports from Asia and Pacific increased by 50% from last year to 64 this year, including 17 from India and 10 from Australia. It was new this year that we searched using the Japanese characters for the International Day of Peace and as a result we found 10 instead of one event in that country. One of these was the festival of calligraphy in Nigata City, where calligraphers and high school students put their wishes for world peace into their brushes. Calligrapher Ayasu Shimoda said, “I think that we can do it by swinging the brush instead of the sword. I wrote it with my thoughts.”

Reports from Africa more than doubled from last year to 74 this year, including 18 alone from all the regions of Nigeria. The celebrations of the International Day of Peace took place in a context of armed conflicts, not only in Nigeria, but also in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan, among others. UN Peacekeeping forces took part in a number of these celebrations. On the occasion of the international day of peace, Lucha, a non-violent and non-partisan youth civil society movement in the DRC held peaceful demonstrations in Tshilenge, Beni, Kindu, Goma, Kisangani, Kananga, Tshikapa and Kinshasa “to show its solidarity with the compatriots of Bunagana and other entities of the ‘East of our country living under occupation of the M23 and other armed groups.”

Reports from Latin America increased by 80% from last year to 52 this year, including 13 each from Brazil and from Mexico. In Colombia, the celebration was linked to the struggle for reconstruction following the peace accords that ended their decades of war. In Bogota the House of Justice was covered with woven fabrics that were hand-made by dozens of people as a tribute to the victims of the armed conflict. In addition, there were cultural exhibitions, academic talks and a fair of enterprises of victims of the armed conflict and signatories of the Agreement.

In Mexico, for the International Day of Peace, the National System for Integral Family Development carried out a Mayan ceremony on the esplanade of the Expomaya in the city of Felipe Carrillo Puerto. And in Costa Rica, the day was celebrated by a national contest for the best song for peace.

Reports from Arab States and the Middle East increased by 80% from last year to 28 this year. These included formal events to mark the day by the League of Arab States, the Muslim World League, the Assembly of the Peoples of Eurasia and ISESCO, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Events in Yemen, Darfur Sudan and Syria were carried out in the context of the armed conflicts in those countries. In Yemen, “Southern Women Group for Peace”, renewed its demands that southern women occupy their rightful place in all negotiations calling for peace, based on resolution (1325) issued by the UN Security Council.

In addition to the above, there were a number of international virtual events. Here are a few of them:
Songs for World Peace
Raising Peace Festival
Peace Day Live
Together for Peace in the World, organized by the European Parliament

GLOBAL

Global

What has happened this year: International Day of Peace

UNITED STATES AND CANADA

United-States-and-Canada

United States and Canada: International Day of Peace

EUROPE


Europe

Europe: International Day of Peace

ASIA AND PACIFIC

Asia-and-Pacific

Asia and Pacific: International Day of Peace

  

EX-SOVIET COUNTRIES

Ex-Soviet

Ex-Soviet Countries: International Day of Peace

ARAB STATES AND MIDDLE EAST

Arab-and-Middle-Eastern-States

Arab States And Middle East: International Day of Peace

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN

Latin-America-and-Caribbean

Latin America and Caribbean: International Day of Peace

AFRICA

Africa

Africa: International Day of Peace

English bulletin September 1, 2022

. THE STRUGGLE FOR NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT .

Speaking at the United Nations at the opening of the Tenth Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (10th NPT Review), Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that humanity is “just one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation.” “The risks of proliferation are growing and guardrails to prevent escalation are weakening.   And crises — with nuclear undertones — are festering, From the Middle East and the Korean Peninsula to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and to many other factors around the world.” 

A few days later Guterres went to Hiroshima where he spoke at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, marking the anniversary of the atomic bombing, the most horrendous terrorist act in human history. At his press conference, he stated that the world is in danger of forgetting the lessons forged in this city 77 years ago.  He added that it is unacceptable for states in possession of nuclear weapons to admit the possibility of nuclear war.  He stressed that we must use every avenue of dialogue, diplomacy and negotiation to ease tensions and eliminate the nuclear threat.

Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui, speaking at the ceremony, said, “I call on the leaders of the nuclear-weapon states to visit the atomic-bombed cities where they can personally encounter the consequences of using nuclear weapons and strengthen their will to take these steps. I want them to understand that the only sure way to protect the lives and property of their people is to eliminate nuclear weapons.”

Speaking 3 days later at the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Tomihisa Taue, the mayor of that city said: “In January this year, the leaders of the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and China released a joint statement affirming that ‘a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.’ However, the very next month Russia invaded Ukraine. Threats of using nuclear weapons have been made, sending shivers throughout the globe. . . . Instead of waging war, mankind should foster “a ‘culture of peace’ that spreads trust, respects others and seeks resolutions through dialogue.”

Mayor Tomihisa Taue then traveled to the United Nations where he addressed the meetings of the 10th NPT Review, recalling “the hibakusha’s long-standing call for the abolition of nuclear weapons—which has resonated throughout the world, raising awareness of their inhumanity. Nevertheless, decades of such effort can be undone if just one nuclear-weapon state decides to use all of its power to tyrannize other states.” He urged the attendees to fulfill the nuclear disarmament obligations as stipulated in Article VI of the NPT, as well as to propose concrete strategies to ensure progress in nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation measures. He also expressed the determination of Mayors for Peace, to continue striving for a world without nuclear weapons. He closed his statement by imparting a message: May Nagasaki be the last wartime atomic bombing site.

The messages from Hiroshima and Nagasaki were echoed around the world. In Winchester, United Kingdom, the mayor presided over an event to commemorate the bombings, saying, “I share the spirit of my fellow Mayor of Nagasaki, who stated, ‘I hereby declare to do the utmost to realise the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting world peace’.” And in Nagpur, India, more than 5000 people visited the event No More Hiroshima: No More Nagasaki.

The 10th NPT Review ended at the United Nations in New York without even reaching a joint statement, let alone taking any concrete steps towards nuclear disarmament. However, in reporting the results, the peace organization Unfold Zero, stated that some of the issues mentioned at the conference, such as nuclear risk reduction, non-use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict, the adoption of no-first-use policies and negative security assurances, will be raised in other forums. “We encourage you to stay tuned and engaged in this.”

More than ever, we need a global movement for nuclear disarmament!

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

disarm

Humanity’s just one misunderstanding away from ‘nuclear annihilation’ warns UN chief

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

tolerance

Solidarity with the Palestinians and the forces of peace operating in Israel

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

fem

Mexico: Curricular Strategy on Gender Equality to be implemented in public schools

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

info

United Nations Secretary-General in Japan, 5–8 August

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

dev

Nigeria: Reps Push For ‘Silence The Guns’ Implementation

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

dem

Colombia: Peacebuilding in Viotá, a model that seeks to be replicated throughout the country

HUMAN RIGHTS

hr

Honduras: A massive march cries out for peace in Olancho

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

ed

Mexico: International Diploma in Development and Culture of Peace at the UAZ

English bulletin August 1, 2022

CULTURE OF PEACE IN LATIN AMERICA

The elections of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in Mexico, Gabriel Boric in Chile, Jose Pedro Castillo in Peru, and Gustavo Petro in Colombia, as well as the potential for the election of Lula da Silva in Brazil are being considered as a “second progressive wave.

It is compared to a “first progressive wave” from 2008 to 2016 when Latin leaders included Hugo Chavez in Venezuela, Luz Ignacio Lula da Silva in Brazil, Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, Rafael Correa in Ecuador, and Evo Morales in Bolivia.

During the earlier wave, CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, issued a declaration proclaiming their region as a “zone of peace.” One of the points in their declaration was “The promotion in the region of a culture of peace based, inter alia, on the principles of the United Nations Declaration on a Culture of Peace.”

The culture of peace figues strongly in the new wave.

In Colombia, “the government has considered implementing a “Pact for Total Peace” that includes not only the implementation of the existing agreement and the creation of others with other illegal armed agents, but it goes beyond the end of the conflict in the territories.”

The victory of the left in Colombia and the potential normalization of relations between Colombia and Venezuela promises to bring renewed peace to that Latin American region.

Also in Colombia, the City of Medellin involved more than 1300 young people in the Week for Disarmament, “to consolidate a culture of peace and Non-Violence in the city of Medellín.”

In Honduras, newly-elected President Xiomara Castro is instituting “Mesas de seguridad ciudadana” within the framework of the Community Police in 298 municipalities. She explains that “I want to promote a culture of peace and citizen participation in our country with preventive actions, establishing bonds of trust and proximity between the Police and the community.”

In Mexico, “the Government of Jalisco has begun work on its first “State Culture of Peace Program”, one of the main instruments derived from the state’s Culture of Peace Law, designed to reduce the various forms of violence that occur there.

Also in Mexico, 10 cities in the Yucatan have signed agreements to “to coordinate efforts to strengthen the culture of peace “.

In Chile, the new Constitution promises to transform the country “from a ‘democratic republic’ to a ‘parity democracy’. . . (so) . . . that women occupy at least 50% of all State bodies,” and “proposes to take measures to achieve substantive equality and parity.”

In Bolivia, this year has been declared the “Year of the Cultural Revolution for De-patriarchalization , seeking to establish structural solutions to curb the persistent cases of violence against women in the country.”

In the Dominican Republic, “the Dominican College of Journalists (CDP) and the National Conflict Resolution System (Sinarec) have signed an agreement to promote a culture of peace at the national level through workshops, courses, seminars and other forms of education.”

The first progressive wave was suppressed by North American imperialism in collaboration with right-wing forces in Brazil and Bolivia and attacked by economic sanctions and in some cases military threats against Cuba, Venezuela and Nicarague.

Will the new wave be able to resist these pressures?

In Brazil, where one of its candidates was recently assassinated, the Workers Party of Lula is resisting explicitly by way of the culture of peace, offering a workship on “Culture of Peace and Militant Self-protection.”

Among his campaign promises Lula says he will “defend the integration of South America, Latin America and the Caribbean, with a view to maintaining regional security and promoting development, based on productive complementarity.” Earlier, he promised to create “a pan-Latin American currency, in order to be freed of the dollar.”

Brazil is already a member of the BRICS alignment which promises freedom from domination by the dollar, and most recently Argentina has asked to join.

In Mexico, the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador has proposed to replace the Organization of American States which is dominated by the United States with an organization that is independent like CELAC.

Referring to the two progressive waves, Evo Morales says, ““Those times are returning, We need to again consolidate these democratic revolutions for the good of humanity. I have a lot of hope. In politics we must ask ourselves: are we with the people or are we with the empire?”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

info

The Two Waves of Latin American Progressive Governments

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

tol

Regional Peace Boosted by Colombia-Venezuela Relations Reset

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

Bolivia

Bolivia Enacts Law on Femicide, Infanticide & Rape

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

disarm

United States: Statement by the National Council Of Elders

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

dev

The Era Of Northern Hegemony Over Mexico Is Coming To An End

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

dem

Honduras: “Mesas de seguridad ciudadana” to be developed in 298 municipalities

HUMAN RIGHTS

HR

Chile: the main changes in the proposal for the new Constitution

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

ed

Mexico: Invitation to register for an online diploma in the Culture of Peace through the Arts

English bulletin July 1, 2022

. COLOMBIA AND NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT .

Two sets of events this month promise progress towards a culture of peace.

In Colombia, the newly-elected President Gustavo Petro promises to re-invigorate the peace process, while at the same time the Colombian Truth Commission has published its long-awaited report.

The election of Petro is the first time in the history of Colombia that a left-wing candidate has been elected President. Petro based his candidature on the promise to complete the peace process by making peace with the ELN guerillas, and to ensure the safety of community leaders and former FARC guerillas. This will not be easy since during the administration of the outgoing President Duque 4,930 leaders were assassinated.

The Colombian Truth Commission has been working since 2018 to clarify the violations that occurred during the armed conflict and to contribute to uniting Colombian society so it can advance towards the construction of a future of peace for all. As expressed by newly-elected President Petro, “The truth cannot be a space for revenge.”

Also in June, two important international meetings took place in the struggle to abolish nuclear weapons.

On 9-10 June scholars and experts met in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, to discuss the importance, challenge and prospects for Nuclear-weapon-free zones (NWFZ). The participants congratulated Mongolia on the 30th year of its unprecedented initiative to establish a single-State NWFZ.

More than half of the world is now covered by Nuclear-weapon-free zones, as shown in the world map published with the article from Mongolia.

Then on 21-23 June, the historic first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons met in Vienna and adopted a political declaration and practical action plan that set the course for the implementation of the Treaty and progress towards its goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

CPNN readers may recall that the Treaty was was adopted by a majority of States (122) at the UN on July 7, 2017 (See CPNN bulletin for August 2017) and it entered into force on January 22, 2021 (see CPNN bulletin for February 2021).

The urgency of these initiatives was underlined in the most recent report from SIPRI, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Of the total inventory of an estimated 12 705 nuclear warheads at the start of 2022, about 9440 were in military stockpiles for potential use. Of those, an estimated 3732 warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, and around 2000—nearly all of which belonged to Russia or the USA—were kept in a state of high operational alert. SIPRI adds that nuclear arsenals are expected to grow over the coming decade.

The war in Ukraine runs the risk of escalating into a nuclear war. Speaking at the meeting in Vienna, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “The once unthinkable prospect of nuclear conflict is now back within the realm of possibility.

Cities have no use for nuclear weapons. Hence the United States Conference of Mayors has called on the U.S. and the other nuclear-armed states to commit to a process leading to the adoption no later than 2030 of a timebound plan for the global elimination of nuclear weapons by 2045. The European Chapter of Mayors for Peace expressed their solidarity with Ukrainian cities and called for a long-term vision of international security that overcomes nuclear deterrence. They attended and supported the Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapon in Vienna that is mentioned above. Activists in a number of European cities mounted actions to support that meeting.

We conclude with homage to the great peace activist Bruce Kent who passed away at the age of 93 last month in England. One of his last acts was to join a small CND delegation delivering a letter to the Russian Embassy in London, which said: “For the sake of Ukrainian children taking shelter from Russian missiles; for the sake of all those who will die if the situation escalates and for the sake of the millions of us who will perish if the heightened risk of nuclear war turns into a nuclear conflict, we urge your government to halt the attacks, withdraw the troops and withdraw the nuclear threats.”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY

disarm

Ulaanbaatar Statement on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

tol

Gabon: Training to Prepare Project of Youth as Weavers of Peace

WOMEN’S EQUALITY

women

One year driving action for gender equality. One year of Generation Equality

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

info

Colombia: What is Gustavo Petro’s campaign proposal for ‘total peace’?

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

dev

La Via Campesina calls on States to exit the WTO and to create a new framework based on food sovereignty

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

dem

Algeria: 19th edition of the Mediterranean Games

HUMAN RIGHTS

hr

Colombia: Final report of the Truth Commission: an oral and written legacy for the country

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

ed

Mexico: First issue of the electronic magazine “Culture of Peace” published by the State Human Rights Commission