Category Archives: FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Democratic Republic of Congo: World Peace Foundation Celebrates the Interational Day of Peace

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Sent to CPNN by Dr John Mukhuta Muhiana

Here is a photo of our celebration of the International Day of Peace, along with excerpts from the ten-year report for our Foundation for 2010-2020.


The World Peace Foundation is a non-profit association created and working in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its field of activity is the entire population of the world in general and that of the DR Congo in particular. The main objective of the FPM is to restore the culture of Peace through the teachings or seminars it organizes in order to transmit the messages of Peace.

The vision on the creation of the World Peace Foundation was born in 1999 by Mr. John MUKHUTA MUHIANA living the unfortunate and massacred events in the Democratic Republic of Congo his country of origin, in Africa his continent and in the whole world his planet earth not only on a physical level, but also on a spiritual level.

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(Click here for the original version in French)

Question for this article

What has happened this year (2020) for the International Day of Peace?

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Our organization has continued to promote the culture of Peace with civil society actors by respecting the standards of respect for the promotion of Peace.

With regard to education for peace, we are working with 55 schools to promote education for peace in partnership with the Living Peace International project.

With regard to democratic participation, we support populations so that they appropriate democratic values, tolerance, non-violence, participation in the management of public affairs, transparency and accountability, solidarity between citizens.

We make populations aware of the peaceful settlement of conflicts, peaceful cohabitation, respect for gender and the protection of the vulnerable (women, children, the elderly, handicaps).

2010 to 2020 the Foundation carried out a lot of activities; we thank the governor of the province as well as the president of the provincial assembly of Lualaba who always accompanies us.

Media used: WANGU RTV, MIKUBA, AMANI, TOP LUALABA, YALISANO, RCL, PALMIER, RTMA, NATURE …

Our Foundation has organized many activities: the International Day of Peace, the Day of Non-violence, the Day of the death of Ghandi, etc.

We have also resolved customary conflicts and in different families.

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Central Africa: Video Conference for International Day of Peace

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Sent to CPNN by Jerry Bibang

As part of the commemoration of the International Day of Peace, celebrated this year under the theme “Shaping peace together”, the Commission of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (Unoca) and the Central Africa Office of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), organized, on September 21, 2020, a video conference dedicated to peace issues and security.


The meeting brought together about sixty participants, in particular experts from the UN, ECCAS, civil society as well as researchers, It lasted for nearly four hours, allowing for discussion on several themes including the challenges of calls to cease fire, preventive diplomacy, the commitment of civil society to the culture of peace, the social responsibility of journalists in the promotion of the culture of peace, among others.

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(Click here for the original version in French)

Question for this article

What has happened this year (2020) for the International Day of Peace?

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During this high-level meeting, in the presence of the Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Head of UNOCA, the President of ECCAS, the Sub-Regional Representative of UNESCO, PAYNCOP Gabon invited the various organizations to strengthen the capacities of local actors in awareness raising, preventive diplomacy, mediation and peaceful resolution of crises and conflicts.

For Jerry Bibang, the National Coordinator of PAYNCOP Gabon, “it is necessary to involve young people at all levels of the peace process, particularly in awareness-raising, prevention, mediation as well as post-conflict operations, in accordance with RESOLUTION 2250 (Jeunes, peace and security) of the United Nations.

“For the latter to be able to participate effectively, we must first train them, equip them, and strengthen their capacities,” he explained. “The current Covid19 pandemic sufficiently shows that international actors are no longer sufficient for peace operations, as their movements are strictly limited due to the disease. It is therefore necessary to involve local actors, especially young people who constitute a strategic demographic dividend for the culture of peace in Africa.”

Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

France: Declaration of the National Collective: March for peace 2020

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Statement by the national collective “En Marche pour la paix” on the occasion of the International Day of Peace (September 21) and the United Nations Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (September 26, 2020)

Saturday, September 19 “Together for Peace and against climate change, for social justice and human rights, for nuclear disarmament”

The Covid-19 pandemic has made it clear that the destiny and interest of all humanity is at stakr. In the face of predatory forces, driven by neoliberal globalization, seeking to make immediate profits from all human activity, and to preserve their stranglehold on the world through an unprecedented increase in military spending, the mobilization of all citizens has become the order of the day.



In France, this crisis has highlighted the inadequacy of the means made available to public health services, social divisions that are unacceotabe and an economy incapable of providing rapid and effective solutions to deal with the pandemic.

The urgent need for new policies to ensure human security (physical, health, economic, ecological and social) for populations in France and around the world is understood and shared by a growing number of people and organizations. Faced with this pandemic, everywhere in the world, the potential for creativity and solidarity to cope has been revealed, but also an awareness of the harmfulness of a certain number of political choices and of the need for human resources and financial resources allocated as a priority to economic, social, health and ecological security and to the well-being of populations through a consequent reduction in world military expenditure which in 2019 reached the level never reached of 1917 billion dollars in 2019 (1624 billion euros).

In this context, the national collective “En Marche pour la paix” has decided, as in previous years, to contribute to the success of the International Day of Peace (September 21) and the United Nations Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. (September 26).
Everywhere in France, on Saturday, September 19, let’s organize Marches for Peace and various public initiatives to allow the expression of popular demands:

* for peace and against climate change,
* for social justice and human rights,
* for nuclear disarmament.

More than ever it is necessary to cry out loud and clear: Stop wars, Stop violence, Stop misery, Stop injustices. Together, let us act to shape peace and the development of a culture of peace through the construction of a united world, free from all weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons, a fairer and more human world. Humanity’s future has no other path than peace.

In addition to marching for eace, the collective “En Marche pour la paix”

* Will address all elected officials, whether parliamentarians or mayors, to highlight these emergencies,

* Will organize a videoconference on Friday September 18 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. to allow expression of the diversity of organizations calling for the success of the International Day of Peace and the Marches on September 19,

* Will organize a videoconference with international participation on Saturday September 26 from 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in order to underline the urgent need for ratification of the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty adopted at the UN on July 7, 2017 by a grand number of States and in particular by States possessing nuclear weapons,

* Will address all the embassies present on French territory to ask that States everywhere respect the peoples’ aspiration for peace and international law with regard to the elimination of all weapons of mass destruction and for the allocation of funds for the achievement of the objectives of sustainable development, protection of the planet and human security in the economic, health, ecological and social dimensions,

* Will ffirm its solidarity with all social struggles that carry the values ​​and objectives of the 8 areas of Culture of Peace, the Sustainable Development Goals and the conclusions of the Paris climate conference.

(Click here for the original version in French)

Question for this article

What has happened this year (2020) for the International Day of Peace?

The National Collective En Marche pour la Paix:

Abolition des Armes Nucléaires / Maison de la Vigilance – Agence de Promotion des Cultures et du Voyage (APCV) – Agir pour la Paix – AHSETI (ASTI du Havre) – Alternatiba Rennes – Amendil Awraɣ / Ruban Jaune – Amitié Droujba 19 – Anciens appelés en Algérie et leurs amis contre la guerre (4ACG ) – Appel des cent pour la paix Bagnolet – Art et Paix Rennes – Artistes pour la Paix – Assemblée de Citoyens Argentins en France (ACAF) – Assemblée des citoyens du Monde – Assemblée européenne des citoyens (AEC HCA-France) – Association AMANI – Association Art Monumental – Association CHEMINS – Association Compostelle-Cordoue – Association corrézienne de renaissance communiste (PRCF) – Association Culture Bio/Salon Ille et Bio — Association Culturelle des Travailleurs Immigrés de Turquie (ACTIT) – Association d’Amitié Franco-Vietnamienne – Association départementale des élus communistes et républicains de l’Ariège (ADECR 09) – Association des combattants de la cause anticoloniale (ACCA) – Association des Médecins pour la Prévention de la Guerre Nucléaire (AMFPGN) – Association de Solidarité avec le Peuple Sahraoui Lorraine (ASPS) – Association « Droit Solidarité » des Juristes Démocrates – Association Fonds d’alerte contre l’Agent Orange/Dioxine (FaAOD) – Association Française d’Amitié et de Solidarité avec les Peuples d’Afrique (AFASPA) – Association française des Communes Départements et Régions pour la Paix, Section française de Mayors for Peace (AFCDRP) – Association France Palestine Solidarité Nord-Pas de Calais (AFPS) – Association Gauche Citoyenne Nanterre – Association Internationale des Éducateurs à la Paix (AIEP) – Association Internationale des Juristes Démocrates (AIJD) — Association La Courtine 1917 – Association La pause joyeuse – Association Loisirs et Réflexion 19 (ALER 19) – Association nationale des élus communistes et républicains (ANECR) – Association POIL DE CAROTTE – Association pour la taxation des transactions financières et pour l’action citoyenne (ATTAC) – Association « Pour l’AVENIR » – Association Pour l’Emploi, l’Information et la Solidarité des chômeurs et travailleurs précaires (APEIS) – Association Rennaise d’éducation à la paix (AREDAP) – Association Républicaine des Anciens Combattants (ARAC) – Association Réseau Espérance – Association Salam Nord-Pas-de-Calais – Association Simon Bolivar – Association soins palliatifs – Association Togo 19 – Association Un jour la paix – Aux actes citoyens – Boycott Désinvestissement Sanctions France (Campagne BDS) – Bureau International de la Paix – Café associatif « Les femmes s’inventent » – Cap à Gauche 19 – Carline — Cercle Louis-Guilloux – CGT Edu’action 42 – Coexister Rennes – Collectif Citoyens Musulmans pour la paix – Collectif Citoyens & Policiers – Collectif Citoyens pour la climat – Collectif des iraniens contre la guerre – Collectif de solidarité France-Brésil – Collectif Ethique sur l’Etiquette – Collectif Interuniversitaire de Coopération avec les Universités Palestiniennes (CICUP) – Collectif Maquis de Corrèze – Collectif Ni guerres Ni état de guerre – Collectif National pour une Paix Juste et Durable entre Palestiniens et Israéliens, Saint-Denis (CNPIDPJ) – Comité anti-impérialiste, Paris – Comité Corrézien de Défense et de Développement des Services Publics – Comité pour l’abolition des dettes illégitimes (CADTM) – Compagnie Erinna – Confédération des Opprimés Immigrés en Europe (AvEG-KON) – Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) – Conseil Démocratique Kurde en France (CDK-F) – Conseil Portugais pour la Paix – Convergence nationale de collectifs de défense et développement des services publics – Convergence services publics d’Indre et Loire – Corrèze-Cuba Estrella – CUGA/ENSEMBLE 3e circo du 93 – Déclic Femmes – Demain l’Homme – Eco-Choix – EINSMER « Europe in your life » – Enseignants pour la paix – Ensemble ! Mouvement pour une alternative de gauche, écologiste et solidaire – Espéranto-France – Europe Écologie Les Verts (EELV) – Fédération des Tunisiens pour une citoyenneté des deux rives (FTCR) – Fédération Espérantiste du Travail (FET) – Fédération Nationale des Déportés et Internés, Résistants et Patriotes (FNDIRP) – Fédération Syndicale Unitaire (FSU) – FSU Haute-Garonne 31 (FSU 31) – FSU Meurthe-et-Moselle 54 (FSU 54) – Femmes Égalité – Femmes Solidaires – Flandre Terre-Solidaire – FranceKurdistan – Graine de citoyen – Groupe Non-Violent Louis Lecoin – Groupe parlementaire La France insoumise – H.I.J.O.S. Paris – Initiative Féministe EuroMéd – Institut de Documentation et Recherche sur la Paix (IDRP) – Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament – Jeunes écologistes Rennes-Bretagne – Jeunes Enfants Malgaches à l’École (JEME) – Jeunesse Ouvrière Chrétienne – La Coordination Nationale Solidarité Kurdistan (CNSK) — La Libre Pensée – La Maison du Gabon – La Médiation Actes de Parole (La MAP) – La Paille et le Mil – Le Mouvement de la Paix – Les Amis de Continuer la CGT (CL-CGT) – Les Jeunes Écologistes – Les Mondialistes, Citoyens du monde pour l’unification politique de l’humanité (Luxembourg) – Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH national) – LDH 13 – LDH Annecy – LDH Beauvais – LDH Brive et Corrèze – LDH Bretagne et Pays de Loire – LDH Indre 36 – LDH Le Creusot – LDH Mulhouse – LDH Paris Centre – LDH Rennes – Ligue Internationale des Femmes pour la Paix et la Liberté (WILPF) – Maison franco-kurde de Toulouse – Maison Internationale de Rennes – Marche Mondiale des Femmes France (MMF) – Mesa Social para la Paz en Colombia – Mission de France – Mission ouvrière – Mouvement contre le Racisme et pour l’Amitié entre les Peuples (MRAP) – Mouvement des Femmes Kurdes France (TJK-F) – Mouvement Jeunes Communistes de France – Mouvement pour une Alternative Non-violente (MAN) – Mouvement Rural de Jeunesse Chrétienne (MRJC) – Nouveau Depart Guadeloupe – Oasis KarmÔnie – ONG Paix et Bienveillance en Action – Palenque – Parti Communiste des Ouvriers de France – Parti Communiste Français (PCF) – PCF Saint-Brieuc – Pax Christi France – Perma G’Rennes – Pessoas-Animais-Natureza, Portugal – Plateforme des ONG Françaises pour la Palestine – Premières Assises Africaines de la Paix – Quakers de Toulouse – Réseaux de Solidarité et d’Entraide pour le Progrès (RSEP) – Secours Catholique du diocèse de Rennes – Service Civil International France (SCI France) – SNUipp-FSU des Vosges – Socialisme et République – Solidarité Internationale LGBTQI – Solidarité Mondiale contre la Faim (Globidar-France) – Sortir du colonialisme – Sortir du Nucléaire Isère – SOS Racisme Besançon-Doubs – Stop Fuelling War – Survie – Syndicat National des Enseignements de Second degré (SNES) – Syriza Montpellier France – Terre d’Errance, Norrent-Fontes – The Mondialists – Total Respect / Tjenbé Rèd – Union Démocratique Bretonne (UDP) – Union Départementale CGT 44 (UD CGT 44) – UD CGT 49 Maine-et-Loire – Union des Étudiants Communistes (UEC) – Union des Fédérations des Pionniers de France – Union Générale des Fédérations de Fonctionnaires CGT (UGFF-CGT) – Union Juive Francaise pour la Paix (UJFP) – Union Nationale des Étudiants de France (UNEF) – Union Pacifiste de France – Union syndicale Solidaires – Unis pour la Planète Think Tank – Université Européenne de la Paix – Voix des migrants – …

Europe, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

President of Cuba’s National Assembly rejects efforts to restore unipolar world order

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An article from Granma

“During the pandemic, and despite international opposition, the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States for six decades has been tightened. A genocidal blockade that not only violates the human rights of Cubans, including the legitimate right to development, while denying and offending the sovereign right of other countries to sustain relations with Cuba,” stated Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly of People’s Power, during the recent Fifth Conference of Parliament Presidents.


Esteban Lazo Hernández, president of the National Assembly

During the gathering, held online, Lazo, also a member of the Party’s Political Bureau, reiterated our country’s firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, that constitutes the foundation of multi-lateralism and a guide for international relations conducted by states.

“The democratization of international relations, and the culture of peace,” he continued, “require both recognition and respect, by all states, of the right of peoples to choose the economic, political and social system they consider appropriate, as well adherence to the principle of non-intervention in the internal affairs of other nations.”

“Cuban parliamentarians reaffirm that a truly strong and pro-active United Nations is needed, with a transparent Security Council that it duly democratized, and also a re-vitalized General Assembly, that supports states in the sovereign construction of the future each nation itself chooses, with no interference whatsoever,” he insisted.

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Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

Does Cuba promote a culture of peace?

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Lazo, the country’s top legislative authority, rejected attempts to restore a unipolar world order; the United States’ failure to abide by international commitments the country has made; and its attacks on multilateral bodies.
He referred to Cuba’s humanist vocation and solidarity, during these difficult times for the world, providing assistance in 43 countries to support the COVID-19 battle with medical collaboration.

“The National Assembly of People’s Power of Cuba reaffirms our commitment to continue working with parliamentarians around the world in the establishment of a democratic, just international order, that responds to the demands for peace, security, stability, development and social justice for all peoples and contributes to fulfillment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. At the same time, we demand that developed countries supply developing countries the necessary aid to strengthen their scientific and technological capacity to advance toward more sustainable patterns of consumption and production,” Lazo stated.

“Cuban parliamentarians,” he added, “also defend international cooperation as the only way to confront global problems like climate change, terrorism and migration, that undermine peace. In this spirit, we condemn violations of the Charter and international law, including threats of the use of force against sovereign states, interventions, the imposition of unilateral coercive measures, and actions meant to provoke regime change, which jeopardize the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Lazo reiterated the Cuban government’s energetic, firm position rejecting and condemning all acts, methods and practices of terrorism, in all its forms and expressions.

He also noted, “The COVID-19 pandemic makes clear the need to pay attention to migrants’ health and sanitary conditions, as well,” adding that Cuba is strongly committed to safe, orderly migration, and aspires to a change in the current situation of inequality, inequity and poverty, to support a lasting solution to migratory problems.

Referring to the Conference’s central topic, the President of Cuba’s National Assembly emphasized that the representative body’s members support the principles that guide the country’s foreign policy, as codified in the Constitution of the Republic.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America

Annual meeting of the United Nations High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace

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An annoucment from the President of the United Nations General Assembly

. . . In 2020, despite the difficulties in ensuring business continuity in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is of utmost importance that the United Nations continues to support the global movement to promote the culture of peace, its Declaration and Programme of Action, and that our response and recovery efforts are guided towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.


President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande

The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID-19

This year’s High-Level Forum is intended to be an opportunity for an exchange of views on possible ways to further promote the culture of peace, while the world is striving to recover and respond to the global pandemic and trying to address other pressing issues affecting the lives of many people around the globe. The COVID-19 situation has underscored the urgent need to leverage a culture of peace as a means of bridging divides across and within societies, as well as ensuring peaceful coexistence as a foundation for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.

International cooperation and multilateral partnerships are necessary to tackle the pandemic and other global threats. Concrete action is needed by all stakeholders to realize this vision through education, inclusion, poverty eradication, and social cohesion, with more participation from women, the youth, and other segments of society.

The theme for the 2020 High-Level Forum will be “The Culture of Peace: Change our world for the better in the age of COVID-19”.

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Question(s) related to this article:

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

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Building global solidarity is the need of the time and can be achieved through promoting inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue that enable communities to come together to better understand each other and stand against the spread of hate, intolerance, division, and discrimination. The resilient nature of people to overcome the challenges with renewed optimism should be strengthened and put at the core of all our collective response and recovery plans, so that this crisis does not exacerbate the already high levels of inequality and discrimination. Vulnerable populations with less access to health care, basic public services, and economic resources should be our top priority. The event will provide a platform to explore opportunities to change our world for the better after the pandemic.

Participation

Member States and Observers of the General Assembly are invited to participate in the virtual High-Level Forum. The meeting will be webcast and it is open to UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.

Format of the High-Level Forum

The High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, convened by the President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly, will take place on Thursday, 10 September 2020, via online WebEx platform from 10 am to 1 pm. The event will consist of an opening segment and a plenary segment. The opening segment will feature statements by the President of the General Assembly and the Secretary-General [tbc]. The plenary segment will comprise statements by Member States and Observers of the General Assembly, as well as other participants, time permitting.

Member States are encouraged to deliver statements on behalf of a group of States, whenever possible. Member States are encouraged to limit their statements to three (3) minutes for individual delegations and five (5) minutes for statements made on behalf of a group of States. There will be a pre-established list of speakers and it will be open for registration before the event. In view of time constraints for the online plenary segment, delegations that did not have the opportunity to speak can send their statements for uploading on the PGA’s website. A President’s summary of the meeting will be circulated to Member States upon its conclusion.

Details pertaining to the virtual arrangements for the meeting will be circulated in due course. Further information regarding this meeting will be made available on the PGA’s website: https://www.un.org/pga/74.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nations,

India: Nagaland’s Rebecca Changkija Sema conferred with ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Award’

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An article from The Sentinal of Assam

Filmmaker and social worker Rebecca Changkija Sema from Nagaland was conferred with the esteemed Mahatma Gandhi National Award during the 4th International Web Conference on Global Peace on July 25 by the Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Forum.

Joining the ranks of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who were previous awardees of the Mahatma Gandhi National Award, Rebecca Changkija Sema has broken the glass ceiling for female social workers in India.

Sema is an Advisory Panel Member at the Censor Board Mumbai and the founder of “Northeast Unsung Heroes”. She describes it as a non-profit organization, emphasizing that there are people from all walks of life, who choose to do good for the society and their country who have not received enough recognition.

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

She reiterates that bringing recognition to these ‘heroes’ translates into them receiving better opportunities further ahead in life.

Sema promotes tourism as well and takes a keen interest in utilizing the talent that comes up from the Northeast region; primarily through social work and cinema. She reiterates that the award has “humbled” her.

“Words are not enough to describe how humbled am today to receive this prestigious award. this is extremely encouraging beyond any words. Thank you Human Rights Saviour to be considering me for @Nagaland #northeast_india #BlessedAndThankful #HumanRights”, she wrote on Twitter.

The Mahatma Gandhi Global Peace Forum is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that aims to promote the culture of peace around the world through the medium of arts, culture and education.

A total of 14 personalities from various parts of the country working in the field of Human Rights were conferred with the award.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, South Asia

USA: Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks to the 2020 Democratic National Convention

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A video from Youtube

USA: Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks to the 2020 Democratic National Convention

Click on image to see video.

Good evening, ​bienvenidos​, and thank you to everyone here today endeavoring towards a better, more just future for our country and our world.

Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?

In fidelity and gratitude to a mass people’s movement working to establish 21st century social, economic, and human rights, including guaranteed health care, higher education, living wages, and labor rights for all people in the United States; a movement striving to recognize and repair the wounds of racial injustice, colonization, misogyny, and homophobia, and to propose and build reimagined systems of immigration and foreign policy that turn away from the violence and xenophobia of our past; a movement that realizes the unsustainable brutality of an economy that rewards explosive inequalities of wealth for the few at the expense of long-term stability for the many, and who organized an historic, grassroots campaign to reclaim our democracy.

In a time when millions of people in the United States are looking for deep systemic solutions to our crises of mass evictions, unemployment, and lack of health care, and espíritu del pueblo and out of a love for all people, I hereby second the nomination of Senator Bernard Sanders of Vermont for president of the United States of America.

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North America

US: Remembering Congressman John Lewis with gratitude

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

Special to CPNN by Anne Creter, U.S. Dept. of Peacebuilding Campaign

Inspired from having just watched Rep John Lewis’s poignant Memorial Service, allow me to make some “good trouble” by sharing the following FYI.  Rep John Lewis is a true Peace Hero to us at the Peace Alliance because he was an original cosponsor of the first Department of Peace bill introduced in Congress by former Rep Dennis Kucinich on July 11, 2001 (along with then Rep Bernie Sanders!). 


Unlike Bernie who moved on to the Senate, Rep Lewis continued to faithfully cosponsor the bill in each of the 10 additional congressional sessions it has been reintroduced (presently HR-1111 sponsored by Rep Barbara Lee of Ca).  Few other Members of Congress have that long-enduring distinction.  

Our Georgia Dept of Peacebuilding Committee member had a wonderful relationship with Rep Lewis, so we often visited his office during our Advocacy Days in DC (first picture). 

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Questions related to this article:

Where in the world can we find good leadership today?


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His Deputy Chief of Staff, Jamila Thompson, who just spoke at the Service, is in middle of the second picture.   

We will sorely miss him making “good trouble” — “necessary trouble” for the culture of peace in the beloved community of our one world.  

Here is a recent Peace Alliance tribute to Rep Lewis.  https://peacealliance.kontribune.com/articles/10053

If you are not already on the Peace Alliance list of individual / organizational endorsements for the Department of Peacebuilding bill, now is a great time to do so.  Thanks. 
https://peacealliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/DoPOrgEndorsements6-5-20.pdf

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North America

Third edition of the Paris Peace Forum

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Press release from the Paris Peace Forum

The third edition of the Paris Peace Forum, which is set to take place 11-13 November 2020, will be the first event on the international calendar focused on constructing a better world post-pandemic. During the Paris Peace Forum, the Finance in Common Summit on 12 November will highlight the role of Public Development Banks in reconciling the necessary short-term responses to the crisis with sustainable recovery measures that will have a long-term impact on the planet and societies.


Bouncing back to a better planet

Amid suffering, anxiety and uncertainty, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the fore the urgency to better organize the planet through innovative new forms of collective action.

Chiefly devoted to the multi-actor response to the COVID-19 pandemic and serving as a platform to push forward solutions both to improve our immediate response and to be better prepared in the future, the 2020 Paris Peace Forum is based on the conviction that we can collectively overcome the enormous challenges before us – and learn from this crisis to rebuild a more sustainable world. The main issues covered throughout the Forum will focus on solutions to recover from the pandemic: to improve global governance of health; to fix and make capitalism greener; and to get data and social media to help, not hurt.

In 2020, the Forum will thus emphasize projects and initiatives from around the world seeking to respond to the COVID-19 crisis, improve our collective resilience and build a more robust and sustainable world. All key actors of global governance, from Public Development Banks, states, international organizations, NGOs, companies, foundations, philanthropic organizations, religious groups, trade unions, think tanks, universities, and more are invited to submit innovative solutions to the 2020 Call for Projects of the Paris Peace Forum, currently open through 12 May at 6pm (Paris time).

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Click here for the version in French)

Question(s) related to this article:

Global meetings, conferences, assemblies, What is the best way for delegates to interact afterwards?

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As the Paris Peace Forum convenes actors of change from around the world to discuss global governance and multilateralism, the Finance in Common Summit will gather the whole development bank community, comprising more than 400 Public Development Banks (PDBs). PDBs are public institutions controlled or supported by governments, with a mission to perform public mandates, so that certain social and economic objectives drive their operations. The Summit will examine their crucial role, both during the crisis and in the long-term, in building a more resilient and sustainable world going forward. The first gathering of its kind, the Finance in Common Summit is a unique opportunity to build a new coalition of Public Development Banks, to foster cooperation among them, and to reconcile the entire finance community in support of common action for climate and Sustainable Development Goals.

The ambition of the Summit is to release a collective statement from all Public Development Banks declaring their willingness to align with sustainable finance principles and incorporate the goals of the Paris Agreement, the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the 2030 Agenda into their business strategy, core standards and impact analysis.

Leading up to the Summit, a research conference will be held on 10 November, during which a consortium of prominent academic institutions will present papers and share insights about how PDBs can produce better finance over the long term.

“The current crisis shows how dependent national leaders are – even those rejecting multilateralism – on collective action for essential tasks like finding and distributing a vaccine, supporting fragile countries, and restoring a Coronavirus-free world. Never has the multi-actor approach that underpinned the creation of the Paris Peace Forum been so necessary.”

– Justin Vaïsse, Director General of the Paris Peace Forum

“IDFC members have collectively mobilized their financial capacity and expertise to provide an immediate response to the short-term health challenges as well as to prepare for a postCOVID-19 world that will require a long-awaited paradigm shift.”

– Rémy Rioux, IDFC Chairperson

“We need to think multilateralism in networks, closer to the people; we need to work hand in hand with regional organizations but also financial institutions, development banks and specialized agencies.”

– António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General

As the global public health situation is at this stage impossible to predict come midNovember 2020, the event is currently planned to take a hybrid format: partly inperson, partly online.

(Thank you to Phyllis Kotite, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

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The anti-militarist movement of Colombia rejects the arrival of troops from the United States

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An statement from La Red Antimilitarista de América Latina y el Caribe (translated by CPNN)

From the Antimilitarist Movement of Colombia we express our deep concern and absolute rejection of the actions led by the Government of Colombia, at the head of the Ministry of National Defense and in coordination with the US Government, regarding the arrival in Colombia of a US Security Force Assistance Brigade -SFAB.

[Editor’s note. According to Wikipedia, a brigade of the US Army usually includes more than 4000 personnel.]

This elite corps was formed 17 years ago by experts in the execution of military operations led by brigade commanders who have been in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their presence in Colombia is a latent threat to Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law. This was assessed in 2009 by the Constitutional Court, when it made constitutional control and rejected the bilateral military agreement between the US and Colombia, headed by Barack Obama and Álvaro Uribe Vélez, which contemplated the arrival of US uniformed personnel to seven military bases in Colombia.

(Continued in right column)

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

Question related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

(Continued from left column)

The United States’ military presence in Latin America has been transformed in recent years. Currently, the official presence of US military estates is concentrated in strategic points on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, in El Salvador (Comalpa), Cuba (Guantánamo), Aruba, Curação and Puerto Rico, while a negotiation with the government is taking place. Bolsonaro for the establishment of military bases in Brazil. But this does not mean that the American military presence is decreasing, it is transforming. There is evidence of a growing network of informal facilities that support US operations in the region, the so-called “quasi-bases” are military units that can be installed without prior authorization from parliaments. Parallel to this transformation, it is noteworthy that since 2017 the United States has been carrying out military actions in the Amazon from the management of the Brazilian Army and with their collaboration in Colombia and Peru.

The presence of the -SFAB brigade in Colombia is an unconstitutional military action, given the serious damage and multiple human rights violations that the presence of foreign armed actors in the territories brings, including:

1. Threatening the fundamental right to Peace;

2. Violates national sovereignty;

3. It considerably exposes and threatens the physical and emotional integrity of girls and women, who on previous occasions have been raped and violated by the US military, as confirmed by women’s organizations and the reports of the Historical Conflict Commission; and not least,

4. It is a latent threat of transnational war, because it is presumed that the US will use Colombian territory for strategic purposes of opposition to the government of Venezuela, whose international allies,including Russia and Cuba, they would become per se enemies of Colombia, the US “Strategic Ally”. Extremely serious situation for Colombia and the countries involved.

In consequense:

1. We strongly question and reject the militaristic and warlike policies promoted and implemented by the Colombian and US governments, led by Iván Duque and Donald Trump, whose violent actions violate and threaten the lives of the entire Colombian civilian population, thus like its natural ecosystems.

2. We absolutely reject the presence of the US military, and of any other army, in Colombian territory, that legalizes war as an exercise of territorial control.

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