Tag Archives: english bulletin

English bulletin December 1, 2024

. A TALE OF TWO SUMMITS .

Two global summits were held in November, with two completely different results. One was held in a country of the global south seeking independence from northern domination. The other was hosted by a country profiting from the sales of oil and was dominated by the interest of the US and Europe.

The meeting of the G20 was held in Brazil, and its President Lula da Silva, played a major role in its conclusions.

In his speech at the closing of the summit, Lula paid tribute to the accomplishments of the developing countries as they have occupied the leadership of the G20 over the past four years and he hoped from more as he passed the leadership to South Africa.

Here are some excerpts from his speech:

“We launched a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty and began an unprecedented debate on taxing the super-rich.

“We put climate change on the agendas of Finance Ministries and central banks and approved the first multilateral document on the bioeconomy.

“We issued a Call to Action for reforms that make global governance more effective and representative. . .

“We have a responsibility to do better.

“It is with this hope that I pass the gavel of the G20 presidency to President Ramaphosa.

“This is not an ordinary handover of the presidency — it is the concrete expression of the historical, economic, social, and cultural ties that unite Latin America and Africa. . . .

“I remember the words of another great South African, Nelson Mandela, who said: it is easy to demolish and destroy; the heroes are those who build.

“Let us continue building a just world and a sustainable planet.”

The rich countries wanted the summit to condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Lula, as host of the summit, did not allow this. Instead, the summit statement simply says: “The G20 condemns the war in Ukraine and its impacts on the global economy and supply chains.” In the words of one expert, “Brazilian diplomacy always tries to build bridges.”

Lula was not the only Latin American president to show progressive leadership at the summit.

The newly-elected president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, criticized the rise in global military spending and advocated for increased investment in reforestation programs. She argued that allocating just 1% of global military spending to reforestation programs could significantly impact poverty, migration, and climate change mitigation. ““I come on behalf of a generous, supportive and wise people to call on the great nations to build and not to destroy. To forge peace, fraternity and equality. . . The proposal is to stop sowing wars and instead sow peace and sow life.” 

And the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, criticized the North for failing to address the poverty and hunger of the Global South. “The only effective policy to stop the exodus of people from the south to the north is for the south to be more prosperous, to not be hungry. . . Every blow to a migrant abroad is simply the recognition of the inability of the rich North to end hunger in humanity.”

Petro demanded the rejection of the practice of food security based on countries that export food to the rest of the world based on an intensive use of oil and coal. It fails to relieve hunger and it contributes to global warming that threatens the extinction of humanity.

Instead, he demanded a restructuring of international finances to promote food sovereignty, which consists of being able to produce enough food in countries where there is hunger. That requires a carbon-free agriculture based on the peasantry and the small farmer.

Petro, Sheinbaum and Lula met with Gabriel Boric, the president of Chile and the four presidents agreed on the importance of working together as the Latin-American progressive governments and spoke of the importance of maintaining such relationships. 

In contrast to the positive aspects of the G20 summit, the conclusions of the United Nations climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, were considered to be a complete failure according to organizations concerned with the future of our planet. The article by Common Dreams quotes the following organizations in this regard:

Center for International Environmental Law
Oil Change International
Indigenous Environmental Network
Climate Home New
Carbon Market Watch
Friends of the Earth International
Friends of the Earth Ireland
Climate Action Network Europe
Oxfam International
Union of Concerned Scientists
Center for Biological Diversity

In conclusion, while leaders from Europe and North America continue to aggravate global warming and threaten World War III, Lula, Petro and Sheinbaum give us hope and vision to help us overcome these crises, which, as Petro says, threaten the extinction of humanity. Let us listen to them and take action with them!

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Brazil: President Lula’s Speech At The Closing Session Of The G20 Summit And Handover Of The Presidency To South Africa

HUMAN RIGHTS



C­o­m­p­a­n­i­e­s P­r­o­f­i­t­i­n­g f­r­o­m t­h­e G­a­z­a G­e­n­o­c­i­d­e

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



After Ending in Overtime, COP29 Called ‘Big F U to Climate Justice’

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



Rwanda: Positive masculinity as a weapon of peace

  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Ontario youth advance a culture of peace

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Yucatán: UADY will host the first Nobel Peace Summit Center for Education

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Videoconference November 14 for a Culture of Peace Revolution

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



The Real Nobel Peace Prize: Join the World, not the U.S. Empire

English bulletin November 1, 2024

. PRIZE WINNERS CALL FOR PEACE .

We begin with this year’s Nobel Prize for Peace. As veteran peace activist Joseph Gerson observes, “the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Nihon Hidankyo is long overdue and could not come at a more important time. . . the U.S. has used its nuclear arsenal in the same way that an armed robber uses his gun when pointed at his victim’s head. Whether or not the trigger is pulled, the gun has been used. Tragically, this is playbook with which the Russian government has been working from with its Ukraine-war nuclear threats.”

The leader of Nihon Hidankyo, Mimaki, echoed these concerns: “It has been said that because of nuclear weapons, the world maintains peace. But nuclear weapons can be used by terrorists. For example, if Russia uses them against Ukraine, Israel against Gaza, it won’t end there. Politicians should know these things.” Mimaki added, “I am not sure I will be alive next year. Please abolish nuclear weapons while we are alive. That is the wish of 114,000 hibakusha.” Nihon Hidankyo represents he hibakusha who are the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Mimaki did not stop there with his remarks. He addressed the genocide of Israel against the Palestinians. ““In Gaza, bleeding children are being held [by their parents]. It’s like in Japan 80 years ago.” He said he had believed “the people working so hard in Gaza” would be awarded the Peace Prize, referring to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which was also nominated for the Nobel prize.

The winners of two other prizes this month addressed the Israeli genocide and called for peace.

Han Kang, the first Korean to win the Nobel Prize in literature, declined to hold a press conference to celebrate the prize that she was awarded last month. She cited the global tragedies of the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Palestine conflict. ‘With the war intensifying and people being carried out dead every day, how can we have a celebration or a press conference?’

And Arundhati Roy, in accepting the prestigious Pinter Prize awarded by English PEN for literature, dedicated her remarks to the“televised genocide in Gaza and now Lebanon in defence of a colonial occupation and an Apartheid state”

“Describing the fatalities of over 42000 lives including women and children, Roy stated the US and Europe have prepared the ground for another situation to assuage their collective guilt for their early years of indifference towards one genocide—the Nazi extermination of millions of European Jews.

“Hostilities could end right this minute. Israeli hostages could be freed, and Palestinian prisoners could be released. The negotiations with Hamas and the other Palestinian stakeholders that must inevitably follow the war could instead take place now and prevent the suffering of millions of people. . .

“The war that has now begun will be terrible. But it will eventually dismantle Israeli Apartheid. The whole world will be far safer for everyone – including for Jewish people – and far more just. It will be like pulling an arrow from our wounded heart,” the award winning author said, underscoring that the war could stop today if the US government withdrew its support of Israel.

The PEN Prize awardee concluded her speech expressing her conviction that From the river to the sea Palestine will be Free.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Peace Prize Win Could Not Have Come at a More Important Moment

HUMAN RIGHTS



‘Keep Your Eye On Calendar, Palestine Will Be Free’: Arundhati Roy’s PEN Pinter Prize Speech

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



16th BRICS Summit adopts Kazan Declaration

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



UN Women Leaders Network to convene a diverse group of women leaders worldwide to advance women’s rights and leadership

  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



From Paris to Caracas, thousands march in support of Gaza around the world, one year after October 7

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Mexico: Libraries, key to building a peace-building citizenship

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Colombia: The functions of the Congressional Peace Commission are strengthened

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Han Kang declines press conference, refuses to celebrate Nobel prize while people die in wars

English bulletin October 1, 2024

. INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE-2024 .

Expressed in Russian or Ukrainian, English or French, Japanese or Hindi, Arab or Spanish, Italian or Portuguese, the message is the same. The people of the world want peace! For the International day of Peace, more than 800 events in these languages may be found on the Internet, and we have published excerpts from them in the pages of CPNN last week. This year the official United Nations slogan is “Cultivating a Culture of Peace.”

The greatest number, 391 or almost half of the actions, càme from Western Europe. Expressed mostly in French and organized for the most part by the Mouvement de la Paix and militant trade unions, there were rallies bearing the rainbow flag of peace in over half of the more than 100 departments of France. Expressed mostly in Italian, there were events for the International Day of Peace in 44 cities and towns of Italy, led by the annual peace march of Assisi that drew marchers from many other cities. In Belgium, 189 cities and towns hung the rainbow banner of peace from their public buildings. In Portugal, dozens of towns and schools hung white cloth in their windows to express their desire for peace. Spain and the United Kingdom also saw many actions. “If you want peace, prepare peace” was a frequent slogan.

In North America, there were 151 actions for the day of peace in 44 of the 50 states of the United States, with the most in California and Florida. City-wide celebrations took place in cities such as San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. In San Francisco the slogan was “You are a pathway to peace. Everyone is a pathway to peace.” School, universities and churches organized a great variety of actions to celebrate the day. While in Canada, there were events in 6 of the 10 provinces as well as an official declaration by the Prime Minister: “This week, as the UN General Assembly begins in New York City, let’s recommit ourselves to working together to build a better, safer, and more peaceful world.”

Despite the devastation of the war and the fact that it is illegal to mention it in Russia, there were 32 celebrations published on the Internet from Ukraine and 30 from Russia. While calling for peace, many of the actions emphasized support for their side of the war. In Moscow, where people have been sent to prison because they called for peace, many brought flowers and paper doves to put on the sculpture named “We demand peace!”. In the Ukraine, there were celebrations calling for peace that took place in air raid shelters during bombardments. As usual where it was possible, in many libraries and schools, children made paper doves and released colored balloons to mark the day. Perhaps most ironic was the article from Moldova where a school celebration was criticized for flying the rainbow flag of peace, because the rainbow flag can also be interpreted as support for homosexual rights.

There were 23 actions in 13 Arab and Middle Eastern countries, mostly reported in Arabic. Some of them emphasized the role of women for peace. The Syrian Women’s Council in Manbij Canton organized a dialogue seminar on the International Day of Peace, stressing the necessity of resolving the Syrian crisis and establishing peace there. In Aden, Yemen, An event was held with the participation of elite female cadres and members of the Women’s Solidarity Network, with discussions about the status of women and the importance of reflecting their priorities and needs in the Beijing Report.

In Asia and Pacific, there were 64 events in 14 countries, with the most published in Japanese and Hindi. In Japan, The organization “Wa Project TAISHI,” mobilized calligraphy clubs and 27 calligraphers from 49 schools nationwide to dedicate calliography messages of peace to Gokoku shrines around the country. At a conference in Mumbai sponsored by the International Institute for Peace through Tourism, Ajay Prakash its new president, spoke eloquently on the power of Tourism to connect people across all boundaries of race, religion or nationality. In Nanjing, China, Chinese and foreign young people from 11 countries gathered to sing songs of peace and sow purple gold grass seeds which symbolize peace. One student said: “It is very meaningful to sow these seeds with my own hands. I hope that when the Purple Grass flowers bloom in March next year, people can see these flowers and remember the history behind them.”

In Latin America and the Caribbean there were 59 actions in 19 countries, led by Argentina with 17 and Mexico with 16. In Nueva Leon, Mexico, The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates World Summit was timed to coincide with the International Day of Peace. 18 Nobel Peace Prize winners participated, as well as 1,200 young people from more than 70 universities across the country. vIn Mexico, the actions were especially emotions in the face of the violence that is tearing the country apart. The demonstration in Culiacán called on people not to normalize or accept the conditions of violence and fear that persist in the city, which have left more than 60 murders and more than 70 forced disappearances. In Colombia, events were dedicated to reconciliation and consolidation of the Peace Accords.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, there were 43 actions in 26 countries for the International Day of Peace. The official remarks of the African Union recognized the important role of the Biennale of Luanda. , the Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace. This year there was considerable participation by the military in African countries. In Nigeria, it was organized by the Security and Civil Defence Corps. In Ghana, it was organized by the Ghana Armed Forces at Airforce Base Takoradi. In Niger, it was organized by the by the High Authority for the Consolidation of Peace. In Gabon, the celebration took place in the stadium of the national gendarmerie. In Burkhina Faso the Ministry of Justice called for a return to endogenous values for the construction of peace and tolerance.

Among the many virtual events for the International Day of Peace, we may mention the following:
Dancing for Peace
Medicine for the Culture of War
Conference: Resisting the USA’s Military Empire
Songs for World Peace
Unite4Peace Worldwide Broadcast

The total number of actions this year was 834. This is greater than last year’s 942 if one adds the 153 new Montessori schools counted last year but no longer available on the Internet this year.

GLOBAL



What has happened this year: International Day of Peace

UNITED STATES AND CANADA



United States and Canada: International Day of Peace

EUROPE



Europe: International Day of Peace

ASIA AND PACIFIC



Asia and Pacific: International Day of Peace

  

EX-SOVIET COUNTRIES



Ex-Soviet Countries: International Day of Peace

ARAB STATES AND MIDDLE EAST



Arab States And Middle East: International Day of Peace

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN



Latin America and Caribbean: International Day of Peace

AFRICA



Africa: International Day of Peace

English bulletin September 1, 2024

CULTURE OF PEACE IN THE NEWS

The culture of peace has been headlined in several recent news reports.

The first was in June when the United Nations announced that the theme of this year’s International Day of Peace is “cultivating a culture of peace.” The announcement began “This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.” The Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted in 1999, not only defines the culture of peace in terms of eight principal characteristics, but also provides programmatic proposals for their achievement.

The second came on August 2 when the UN General Assembly held its annual High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace. Here, too, there were many references to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, for which this is the 25th anniversary.

A high-point of the forum was the presentation by the European Union, which said that it “expresses its full support for the Culture of Peace agenda. . . The Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace with its eight pillars remains as valid today as it was in 1999. . . the European Union fully agrees that we must cultivate and nurture a Culture of Peace for present and future generations. . . . To conclude, Mr President, you can count on the EU’s full commitment to contribute to the effective implementation of the UN Culture of Peace agenda.”

The third came on August 11, when the President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said the following in his speech addressing the athletes at the Closing Ceremony:

“During all this time, you lived peacefully together under one roof in the Olympic Village. You embraced each other. You respected each other, even if your countries are divided by war and conflict. You created a culture of peace. . . . We know that the Olympic Games cannot create peace. But the Olympic Games can create a culture of peace that inspires the world. This is why I call on everyone who shares this Olympic spirit: let us live this culture of peace every single day.”

The culture of peace will continue to be in the news throughout the month of September as the International Day of Peace is celebrated around the world. An example comes from San Francisco, where a major, day-long celebration is planned by Pathways to Peace to be held in the central plaza and broadcast internationally.

The culture of peace is not mentioned specifically, but in fact the recent statements of the great expert on conflict resolution, John Paul Lederach, indicate that the only way to avoid a civil war in the United States, with its momentous consequences, is to carry out the following actions which are essential to a culture of peace:

“1. We need to reach beyond our isolated bubbles and open conversations with the perceived enemies in our communities.

2. We have to rehumanize our adversaries; We must have the courage to confront dehumanizing language and behavior, especialy when it comes from within our closest circles.

3. We need to stick with it. We can’t just pull away when difficult issues emerge.”

The explicit high-level references to the culture of peace, as well the urgency for culture of peace actions at this moment of history, make it seem more likely that the answer is positive for the question posed at the end of last month’s bulletin:

“Twenty four years ago there was a powerful pressure for peace in the 75 million people who signed the Manifesto 2000 during the International Year for the Culture of Peace. Has the time come when we need a new manifesto, like the Manifesto 2025 proposed in our most recent blog?”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



The Olympic Games and the Culture of Peace

HUMAN RIGHTS



Rev. Al Sharpton: Jesse Jackson Helped Reshape Democratic Party & Paved Way for Kamala Harris

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Major Power Milestone’: US Green Groups Cheer Wind, Solar Overtaking Coal

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



UN Women: Interview with Hawa Yokie on youth-led innovation in Sierra Leone

  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Youth Summit on Peace and Sustainable Future Wraps Up Successful Week in Montpellier, France

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Uruguay: The book Culture of Peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2024

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Statement by the European Union to the United Nations High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace

English bulletin August 1, 2024

MORE VOICES OF REASON AND HOPE

In this world that seems more troubled every day, on the battlefield, in the political arena and by global warming, we cannot have too many voices of reason and hope. The bulletin of May mentioned some of these. This month we add more voices.

Fifty winners of the Nobel Prize have issued an open letter calling for a truce during the Olympic Games in the wars being waged around the world, with mention of the Ukraine, Gaza and Yemen. “We are asking His Holiness Pope Francis, His Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV, and Muslim and Jewish leaders to use their moral authority to appeal to all citizens of the world and to their governments.”

Fifty organizations and individuals from Israel’s left and pro-peace camp sponsored a rally that drew thousands of Israelis to Tel Aviv with the message “It’s time to reach a deal. To stop the war. To make peace.” “Our mutual goal here is many different organizations and movement is to build together a peace camp in Israel,” said Alon-Lee Green, co-director of Standing Together, one of the groups that organized the conference.

The International Court of Justice has made a ruling with regard to the Israeli occupation of Palestine that is called “historic” by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Amnesty concludes that ““The international community, and in particular Israel’s allies, must now take unequivocal action to ensure Israel ends its unlawful occupation, starting with the immediate halting of the expansion of Israeli settlements and reversing the annexation of Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and dismantling its brutal system of apartheid against Palestinians.”

With regard to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the organization World Beyond War urges the United Nations General Assembly to use its Resolution 377 (Uniting For Peace) that allows them to act when the Security Council fails. “The General Assembly should NOT escalate the war or deploy armed troops. It should convene an emergency session and use “Uniting For Peace” to impose an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on the Israeli government, suspend the Israeli government from the United Nations, and send to Palestine unarmed peacekeepers   (who have repeatedly  shown their superiority to armed peacekeepers).

In fact, it is clear that the UN Security Council has failed its mission of preserving peace. In that regard, The Elders, a group founded by Nelson Mandela, has urged the UN to undertake a profound reform. “The Security Council, and in particular the veto power, must evolve if the UN system is to prove itself fit for purpose in the 21st century. We were encouraged by some of the innovative reform proposals we heard, and we hope that the Summit of the Future in September will be an opportunity to sow the seeds for lasting, positive change in the years ahead.”

The Summit of the Future is addressed in an article by Jeffrey Sachs, who heads up one of its planning networks. “The Summit of the Future is an invitation to intensive global brainstorming on how to make our deeply interconnected world fit for sustainable development in the 21st century.  It is a great challenge that should be welcomed and joined by people all over the world.  A great debate will open in September and then continue for years to come.”

With regard to sustainable development, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has addressed the urgent need to protect billions around the world exposed to crippling effects of extreme heat. The appeal comes against the backdrop of record temperatures and deadly heatwaves – from the United States to Africa’s Sahel and Europe to the Middle East – that have killed several hundred people this summer. During the Hajj, for instance, scorching heat claimed over 1,300 pilgrim lives.

While UN reform is necessary, it is also necessary to develop the consciousness and actions that build pressure for peace from below. A leading role is played by the Campaign Nonviolence that will include thousands of actions for peace to take place from Sept 21 to Oct 2, 2024, (Int’l Day of Peace to Int’l Day of Nonviolence). Last year, people held over 5,000 actions, events, and marches across the USA and in 20 countries. Over 60,000 people participated in these events. “The Campaign Nonviolence Action Days are designed to bring together the many issues, movements, and efforts working to end violence and build a world that works for all of us.” In preparation for Campaign Nonviolence Action Days, they propose hundreds of training opportunities offered by dozens of partner organizations.

Twenty four years ago there was a powerful pressure for peace in the 75 million people who signed the Manifesto 2000 during the International Year for the Culture of Peace. Has the time come when we need a new manifesto, like the Manifesto 2025 proposed in our most recent blog?

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Restore the Olympic peace: Over 50 Nobel laureates have written an open letter calling for a global ceasefire for the duration of the Paris Olympics

HUMAN RIGHTS



World Court Condemns Israeli Apartheid

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



The Summit of the Future

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



First Pan-African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education in Africa

  

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



UNAOC Hosts Capacity-Building Workshop for the 7th edition of its Young Peacebuilders programme in Cáceres, Spain

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Campaign Nonviolence Action Days 2024 – Calls-To-Action

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



US Labor Unions Call on Biden Administration to Immediately Halt All Military Aid to Israel

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



The Elders: A message from Ernesto Zedillo, Former President of Mexico

English bulletin July 1, 2024

GLOBAL OUTCRY AGAINST GAZA GENOCIDE

The global outcry against the Gaza genocide, that began last November, continues to develop around the world.

As we reported last month, the youth of the world are taking the lead at their universities. This month, we publish photos from university mobilizations in 36 countries. The motivation of the participants is expressed in a valedictorian speech given at the University of Toledo, Ohio: ““We are the generation that must address these issues at home. We must ask why we have sent around 320 billion dollars in foreign aid to a state convicted of war crimes, countless violations of international law and who are on trial for genocide while Americans are dying due to lack of access to health care” A similar statement from a young Arab-American activist was published last month by CPNN: “In their dedication to speaking out for the protection of human life, their commitment to non-violence, and their courage to act regardless of legal reprimand, thousands across the globe have found hope and regained a battle cry against the Palestinian genocide that continues to unfold. Through attending the George Washington University encampment, I have seen firsthand the nature of these spaces of protest — their spirit, their power, and their peace.”

The global scope of the mobilization is shown by the tour conducted by Palestinian Mazin Qumsiyeh and his wife Jessie to Australia and New Zealand last month. They held 212 events, including speaking at lectures, workshops, rallies, informal gatherings, radio interviews, and media appearances. They reached a total of 22,000 individuals and collected more than 3,400 emails to add to their contacts. Furthermore, they initiated over 20 potential joint projects.

Of special importance are the mobilizations for peace within Israel itself. “Standing Together brought together hundreds of people at a rally in Haifa on December 16 and another 1,000 people at a rally in Tel Aviv on December 28. In January, we held our first anti-war march, in which a coalition of more than 30 peace movements and organizations mobilized thousands of people. The latest and largest demonstrations to date occurred in early May, featuring Palestinian and Jewish speakers and thousands of people marching in Tel Aviv under the slogan “Stop the war, bring back the hostages.”

In May, in response to far-right attempts to block aid convoys heading to Gaza; “Standing Together announced the formation of the Humanitarian Guard, an initiative to bring together peace activists from across Israel to act as a physical barrier between extremist settlers and the trucks, document what was happening, and force the police to intervene. . To date, more than 900 people have signed up to volunteer for this initiative. Every day, dozens of people flock from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to the checkpoint.”

As we have reported previously, women are at the forefront of the mobilizations for peace between Israel and Palestine. And indeed, last month, Nava Hefetz, a female rabbi and activist for peace and human rights, and Ghadir Hani, a Palestinian Israeli, were both in Jerusalem to organize “humanitarian guards.” And Reem Alhajajra, co-founder of Women of the Sun, a Palestinian association campaigns alongside Women Wage Peace on the Israeli side for justice and peace.

As CPNN published in March, 31 Israeli human rights organizations issued a joint statement, including the following: “We call for the immediate release of all hostages and an end to the bombardment of civilians in Israel and in Gaza. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach civilian populations, medical facilities and places of refuge must not be harmed, and vital resources such as water and electricity must not be cut off. The killing of additional civilians will not bring back those who were lost. Indiscriminate destruction and a siege harming innocents will not bring relief, justice, or calm.”

Based in the United States, the American Friends Service Committee, has published “6 ways you can support Palestinians in Gaza.” These are:

1) Contact your member of Congress and call for an immediate cease-fire. 
2) Help bring attention to what’s happening in Gaza.  
3) Learn more about Gaza and lift up Palestinian voices. 
4) Hold corporations accountable for their role in violating the rights of Palestinians in Gaza. 
5) Join us in working to dismantle Israeli apartheid. 
6) Make a gift. 

At the same time as these developments in the global consciousness of activists continue to develop, the efforts of national and international authorities to stop the genocide also continue.

After previous attempts were blocked by the American veto, on June 10, the UN Security Council finally adopted a resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Israel rejected it, saying “Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time.”

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has recommended arrest warrants  against two top Israeli  officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three prominent Hamas leaders. Richard Falk, former UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Palestine, called it “the first truly historic move since (the court’s) establishment in 2002.”

The UN General Assembly convened on May 10 for an emergency special session on the Gaza crisis and overwhelmingly passed a resolution which upgrades Palestine’s rights at the world body as an Observer State, without offering full membership. It urged the Security Council to give “favourable consideration” to Palestine’s request.

Of special importance is the growing opposition to the genocide in the United States, because, as argued by the prestigious Center for Constitutional Rights, the Biden administration, far from a neutral spectator, is actively supporting the genocide through military, economic and diplomatic assistance. They filed suit in the US court system to stop the complicity, and although the judge rejected it on technical grounds as “outside the court’s limited jurisdiction,” in his ruling he urged Biden and his administration officials to scrutinize “the results of their unflagging support” for the Israeli government’s assault on Gaza. In his ruling he stated that testimony shows that the ongoing military siege in Gaza is intended to eradicate a whole people and therefore plausibly falls within the international prohibition against genocide.”

According to the most recent American polls, a majority of Democrats (56%) and a slight plurality of Independents (36%) say they believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. This poses a serious threat to Biden’s election campaign.

One is reminded of the movement against the war in Vietnam in the 1960’s, that initially developed on college campuses, and later was taken up by the rest of the country in the United States and around the world. Although Vietnam suffered enormously, the movement was able to force a halt in the escalation of the war, and eventually Vietnam was able to expel the invaders and to survive.

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Gaza protests at universities around the world

HUMAN RIGHTS



Bringing the Palestinian Message to Australia and New Zealand

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



News from the Culture of Peace Foundation in Nigeria

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



These Israeli and Palestinian women who do not want to decide between Israel and Palestine

  

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Advances by the anti-war left in Israel: Interview with Uri Weltmann

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Mexico: UAA inaugurates the CONEICC 2024 Meeting “Communicating for a culture of peace”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Speech by Alba Barusell i Ortuño, President of Mayors for Peace European Chapter

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



2024 Theme for the International Day of Peace: Cultivating a Culture of Peace

English bulletin June 1, 2024

. MOBILIZING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE AROUND THE WORLD

Last September we described more than 942 events to mark the International Day of Peace that took place in 93 countries. And in March we carried photos of mobilizations for International Women’s Day that took place in 68 countries in all regions of the world.

Mass mobilizations for peace and justice continued during the past two months.

Workers took to the streets around the world to celebrate May Day, and we carried photos from events in 11 countries of Europe, 10 countries of Asia/Pacific, 6 countries of Africa and the Middle East and 12 countries of the Americas. In addition to the traditional demands of wage increases and job security amid soaring food and oil prices, many of them demanded action against the Israeli genocide in Gaza, and others protested the new fascist regimes in Italy and Argentina. A transcript of the rally in New York with its demands for peace in Gaza has been published by Amy Goodman.

University students occupied their campuses to protest the Israeli genocide. The latest counts of university encampments list 17 countries including India, Mexico, Japan, as well as the UK, Australia, France and, of course, the United States where encampments are listed in at least 24 colleges and universities.

Michael Moore compares the students’ actions to those that made possible women’s suffrage, trade union rights, civil rights and protests against the American war in Vietnam. The Global Campaign for Peace Education published an eloquent description by an encampment participant explaining how they are guided by the UN definition of a culture of peace.

Youth participated in a global strike marking Earth Day to demand “climate justice now”. In Sweden, Greta Thunberg  joined hundreds of other demonstrators for a march in Stockholm; in Kenya, participants demanded that their government join the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty; and in the U.S., youth activists held more than 200 Earth Day protests directed at pressing President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency. Mobilizations took place around the world, not only in Sweden, US and Kenya, but also in Bangladesh, UK, Ireland and Spain. An interview with Earth Day founder Denis Hayes says the young climate activists carry on the spirit of his generation.

Mobilizations like this are necessary if our world is to survive the economic and political storms that are gathering on the horizon of history. But they are not enough. As described in this month’s blog, they need to be guided by a vision of a new world of peace and justice. Recent bulletins describe voices of reason and hope and culture of peace as a vision for the future. But will the activists for peace and justice be guided by them?

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



May 1, workers’ day, around the world

HUMAN RIGHTS



Michael Moore: I Now Bring You the Voices of a New Generation

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Working for water and peace in the Tessalit area of Mali

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



UN Women: Rebuilding the women’s movement in Afghanistan, one organization at a time

  

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Manifesto: European mobilization against increasing militarization and wars

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Egypt: Role of Universities in Building Bridges of Understanding and Peace between East and West” International Conference

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Recasting the narrative of pro-Palestine student encampments: a commitment to nonviolent changemaking

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



“Workers Have Power”: Thousands Rally in NYC for May Day, Call for Solidarity with Palestine

English bulletin May 1, 2024

VOICES OF REASON AND HOPE .

In a world torn by war, intolerance and xenophobia, there are still important voices of reason and hope.

Speaking to the opening of the 37th African Union Summit, Lula da Silva, the President of Brazil, reaffirmed the partnership and bond between the country and people of Brazil and their sister continent of Africa: “The African struggle has a lot in common with the challenges faced by Brazil. More than half of the 200 million Brazilian citizens recognize themselves as Afro-descendants. We, Africans and Brazilians, must chart our own paths within the emerging world order. . . . Resuming Brazil’s rapprochement with Africa means recovering historical ties and contributing to the construction of a new, more just and supportive world order.”

Also in Africa, Senegal elected a new President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is young and dynamic. In his first Presidential address to the nation, he promised “to reach out to everyone, to bring together, reassure, appease and reconcile, in order to consolidate the peace, security and stability essential to the economic and social development of our dear country” He recalled “our valiant resistance fighters, famous or unknown heroes, who, giving themselves body and soul, defied the odious colonial system and its so-called civilizing mission, to defend the freedom of our people and their values of culture and civilization.”

President Faye challenged his countrymen to take up “the historical responsibility to consolidate our sovereignty by breaking the chains of economic dependence,” through the “the construction of African integration and the achievement of the objectives of the Zone. of African continental free trade.”

In Europe and North America, there are eloquent political candidates who oppose the dominant political discourse of war and xenophobia.

In France, with the cry of “PEACE! PEACE! PEACE! That is our vote! Peace in Gaza! Recognition of the State of Palestine! Punishment of war criminals! Peace in Ukraine,” Jean-Luc Melanchon concluded his address to the opening of the campaign of Action Populaire for the June election to the European Parliament. He called for a force for peace “capable of engaging the new generation. That force is the people. We are the forward detachment. That force is a collective intelligence.”

Melanchon denounced the current policies of war: “War can produce nothing else except deaths, victims, desolation, destruction! War is the failure of the human condition. War is the failure of civilization. War! War will never produce anything other than war again! Always war, more war!”

In the United States there are good independent candidates, , although they are allowed very little media attention, in a Presidential campaign dominated by Biden and Trump. Independent candidate Cornel West says, “I want to raise my voice to mobilize people and get people to see that Trump is leading us toward second civil war and Biden is leading us to a third world war.”

West calls for disinvestment from the military: “62 cents for every one dollar in the discretionary budget in Washington goes to the military.  We have 800 military units around the world and special operations in 130 countries. We have to cut back massively on military spending and put it directly into universal basic income.”

Jill Stein, who seeks to be the Green Party candidate for President, also calls for disinvestment from the miitary: ““We are spending $12,000 this year maintaining forever wars in the Forever War Machine—$12,000 per household—in our tax base.” She says that these funds could be more effectively used to address domestic issues.” Stein focuses her campaign on the Green Party’s core principles of environmental sustainability, social justice and a commitment to nonviolence.

Also in the United States, there is a renewed mobilization of trade union activism led by the dynamic President of the United Auto Workers, Shawn Fain. Speaking to autoworkers seeking to unionize the Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama, Fain said “Working class people, like all of you here today, have the power to change the world. You have the power to change your circumstances. You have the power to take back your time. To take back your life. To win real time off the job. A fair wage. Good healthcare you can afford. A better life for your family. For all of Alabama. . . . Without a Union contract, they have all the control. You have the power. You just have to recognize it and use it. Let’s finish the job that started so long ago. Let’s walk a new path for working-class people together in solidarity.”

On a global level, Mary Robinson delivered the keynote address to the assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. She is the President of The Elders, a group of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela who work for peace, human rights and a sustainable planet. She told the parliamentarians: “The Elders are calling for long-view leadership to tackle existential threats and to build a more resilient and equal society. Long-view leadership means showing the determination to resolve intractable problems, not just manage them. The wisdom to make decisions based on scientific evidence and reason and the humility to listen to all of those affected.”

Finally, the speech by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi on International Women’s Day decried the lack of women’s equality everywhere in the world, and especially the worst cases of Israel and Palestine, Iran and Afghanistan. She expressed the conclusion of last month’s CPNN bulletin and blog that Insofar as women take leadership, we have a greater chance that coming changes will lead to a culture of peace,

And In this month’s blog, we write that the leadership shown by Lula and Faye give hope that perhaps democracy can survive in Africa and Latin America by gaining freedom from the control of the grand capitalists that rule in Europe and North America.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Speech by Brazil President Lula at the opening of the 37th African Union Summit

HUMAN RIGHTS



Amnesty International: Julian Assange’s five-year imprisonment in the UK is unacceptable

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Youth Lead Global Strike Demanding ‘Climate Justice Now’

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



Dr. Shirin Ebadi Speech In Paris on International Women’s Day

  

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



UN Security Council Holds Rare Nuclear Disarmament Debate

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Colombia: The first meeting is held in Cali to weave a network of peace initiatives in the territories

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments sweep campuses of major universities across the United States

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



First message to the nation from President Bassirou Diomaye Faye – on the eve of Senegal’s independence day

English bulletin April 1, 2024

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY AROUND THE WORLD

Celebrations and protests marked International Women’s Day around the world on March 8.

CPNN carried photos from many of the these events.

In Europe, they came from Albania, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine.

In Asia and the Pacific, from Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, North Korea, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

In Africa and the Middle East, from Algeria, Azerbaijan, Cameroon, Côte D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Turkey and Uganda.

In the Americas, from Argentina, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, United Nations, United States and Venezuela.

In the capitalist countries, the events were mostly protests and demands for women’s rights in the face of widespread discrimination and violence against women, including criminal prosecution for abortion. Many events condemned in particular the violence against women in Palestine and Israel in recent months.

In many of the socialist and former socialist countries, the events were celebrations rather than protests. This was the case in Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, North Korea, Cambodia, and Vietnam. this reflects the history of the day, which was initiated by socialist organizations at the beginning of the last century, and then celebrated primarily by the socialist movement and communist countries until its adoption by the United Nations in 1977.

This year the United Nations celebrated the Day with the slogan “Invest in women to accelerate progress.” They criticized an “alarming lack of financing” for achieving gender equality: “Feminist organizations are leading efforts to tackle women’s poverty and inequality. However, they are running on empty, receiving a meagre 0.13 per cent of total official development assistance.”

The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, founded to oppose World War I, and boasting the Nobel Peace Prize to two of its founding members, dedicated their celebration of the day to solidarity with the people of Palestine, concluding that “the world sees Gaza as a global front against the rule of oppression, colonialism, and tyranny, so they act in solidarity with Gazans and for justice for all including themselves.”

The organization, The Warriors of Peace, also condemned the violence against women in israel and Palestine, and added reference to violence against women in many other regions of the world. They wrote that “This International Women’s Day has a special flavor. We know to what extent wars and conflicts can destroy struggles and weaken achievements. We, The Warriors of Peace, are convinced that women, when they unite, form the most powerful shield against the destruction of the world. We are the resistance. We are the ones who hold on, who stay standing . . . Feminism is justice, equality and dignity for all. It is the refusal of assignment and division. Feminism is peace.”

As discussed in the blog this month, “we are entering an era of economic and political contradictions that will lead to revolutionary change. Insofar as women take leadership, we have a greater chance that the change will lead to a culture of peace.”

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



International Women’s Day: Asia/Pacific

HUMAN RIGHTS



South Africa requests ICJ emergency orders to halt “unspeakable” Gazan genocide

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Greta Thunberg, 40+ Other Climate Activists Block Entrance to Swedish Parliament

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Peace Wave 2024

  

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



Kremlin, NATO at odds over pope’s call for Ukraine to show ‘white flag’ and start talks

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



FIJCA 2024: JAZZ as an instrument of social cohesion in Ivory Coast

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Search for Common Ground in Israel and Palestine

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



France: Speech by Jean-Luc Melanchon on the force of action for peace

English bulletin March 1, 2024

CULTURE OF PEACE AS A VISION FOR THE FUTURE

The United Nations Summit for the Future, planned for September 2024, calls for a vision for the future. In their proposals submitted to the Summit some have proposed that it should re-commit the UN to the culture of peace.

In her proposal, Anne Creter says that “Culture of Peace is a comprehensive, UN established “blueprint” or “roadmap” of actions necessary at all levels of existence to manifest sustainable peace.” She sites in particular the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace A/RES/53/243 adopted by the General Assembly (GA) in 1999, saying that it “must be integrated into A Pact for the Future.”

In her proposal, Myrian Castello calls for “future characterized by sustainability, inclusivity, and a culture of peace.” She promotes specifically the Declaration for the transition to a culture of peace in the XXI Century.

In their proposal, the International Alliance of Women “recalls the banner in front of the NGO peace tent in Huairou during the 4th UN World Conference on Women 1995 reading “Change the Culture of War to a Culture of Peace”.

And in his proposal, Paul Malliet asks for a UN Council of Peace that could eventually make up for the impotence of the Security Council. He calls attention to the UN A/RES/52 -243. “Declaration and Programme for a culture of peace”; as an existing initiative that requires structure to be effective.

A vision of a transition to a global culture of peace through radical reform of the United Nations is provided in the utopian novella, I have seen the promised land.

The countries of the Global South plan to play a major role in the UN Summit. Concluding from their Summit that took place in January in Kampala they says that the more than 100 countries involved “hope to play an influential role in shifting the balance of the geopolitical landscape from conflict, confrontation and mistrust to diplomacy, dialogue, peace and understanding.”

Although the outcome document of the Summit of the Global South is devoted primarily to economic reform, it does make explicit reference to the culture of peace: “We reaffirm that there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development. We stress the importance of building a culture of peace by strengthening multilateralism based on international law. . . ”

News of the Summit of the Global South was reported in English in at least 33 countries of the Global South, and probably many others in local languages. However, despite the participation of high-level representatives of more than 100 countries, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the UN General Assembly, the Summit received ABSOLUTELY NO mention by the major English-language news agencies of Europe and North America! As published in French in the journal L’Humanité , it was “un événement totalement passé sous silence dans les pays occidentaux.”

Among other visions, youth participants in the Luanda Biennale Pan-African Forum for the Culture of Peace say that “The spirit of the Biennale of Luanda inspires a new generation of young Africans that paved the way towards a peaceful and prosperous Africa.”

The culture of peace as a vision for the future is promoted in the recent book published in Norwegian by Ingeborg Breines: The Culture of Peace – Utopia or Alternative Security Policy? The author brings to the forefront a series of guiding documents, inspiring projects and publications such as the International Year for a Culture of Peace, the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World, the Manifesto 2000 on a Culture of Peace, the Seville Declaration on Violence, the Statement on Women’s Contribution to a Culture of peace, the Declaration on the Right to Peace and not least the Constitution of UNESCO.

Vince Two Eagles writes from the Sioux Indian Reservation of South Dakota that “In 1999, the General-Assembly adopted, by resolution 53/243, the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, which serves as the universal mandate for the international community, particularly the United Nations system, to promote a culture of peace and non-violence that benefits all of humanity, including future generations.”

Readers are invited to sign declarations and manifestos for peace.

The most recent is the Manifesto for Peace Media in the XXI Century which includes among its demands to “Carry out a preventive, slow and contextualized journalistic work that contributes to the de-escalation of conflicts and prioritizes the prospects for peace, before, during, and after the outbreak of violence.” The Manifesto is open for signatures here.

A Declaration of Peace, conceived and promoted by the organization World Beyond War, has now been signed by people in 196 countries. It says “I understand that wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us, that they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.” The Declaration is open for signatures here.

And specific for a culture of peace, the Declaration for the Transition to a Culture Of Peace in the XXII Century describes strategies in two simultaneous routes: local and global. The local route is fundamentally pedagogical and is carried out mainly by organized civil society with the support of local governments. The global route involves the expansion of the UN General Assembly, along with the formation of an international security council of mayors that would issue regular press releases demonstrating that the culture of peace could be achieved if the United Nations were governed by “we the peoples.” The Declaration is open for signatures here.

As discussed in a blog this month, during times of radical change, a collective vision for a new social order, such as that for a culture of peace, could give shape to the future.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY



The UN Summit of the Future: a fight at the end of the tunnel?

HUMAN RIGHTS



World Court to Review 57-Year Israeli Occupation

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Greenpeace: Here are the REAL culprits of the agricultural crisis in France

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



The Biennale of Luanda 2023 – Through eyes of its young participants

  

WOMEN’S EQUALITY



Proposal to the UN Summit of the Future from the International Alliance of Women

EDUCATION FOR PEACE



Johan Galtung: In Memoriam

TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY



Powerful Protest Against Racism Sweeps Germany

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Manifesto for Peace Media in the 21St Century