Category Archives: FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Following Chelsea Manning’s commutation, UN expert urges pardons for other whistleblowers

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An article from the UN News Centre

Welcoming the commutation of United States army officer Chelsea Manning’s 35-year sentence for leaking classified military documents, a United Nations independents human rights expert today [18 January] called on Governments to recognize the contributions of whistleblowers and pardon those serving prison sentences.


Alfred de Zayas, the UN Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order. UN Photo/Violaine Martin

“I call on Governments worldwide to put an end to multiple campaigns of defamation, mobbing and even prosecution of whistleblowers like Julian Assange, Edward Snowden, the Luxleakers Antoine Deltour and Raphael Halet [See CPNN article] and the tax corruption leaker Rafi Rotem [See this article],” said Alfred de Zayas, the UN Independent expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order.

Mr. de Zayas added that these are whistleblowers “who have acted in good faith and who have given meaning to Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on freedom of expression.”

“A culture of secrecy is frequently also a culture of impunity,” Mr. de Zayas said, noting that because Article 19 is “absolutely crucial to every democracy, whistleblowers should be protected, not persecuted.”

In addition, Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights defends freedom of expression and information.

The UN expert also directly called on the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom to follow the recommendations of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and to strengthen the human rights system.

Implementing the recommendations of the Working Group could impact one of the whistleblowers who Mr. de Zayas mentioned. Mr. Assange has been under the diplomatic protection of Ecuador in London for more than four years.

Independent experts and Special Rapporteurs are appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a specific human rights theme or a country situation. The positions are honorary and the experts are not UN staff, nor are they paid for their work.

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2017 Declared the Year of the Promotion of the Culture of Peace in El Salvador

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An article from Prensa Latina

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador declared today [January 12] that 2017 will be recognized as the Year of the Promotion of the Culture of Peace. The initiative was presented to parliament by the Executive and backed by negotiators and signatories of the Peace Accords, in the context of the 25th Anniversary of the Peace Accords, signed in 1992, Mexico, which ended 12 years of armed conflict.

According to the endorsed motion, 25 years after the signing of the Peace Accords, it is necessary to return to the spirit of the Accords and to raise awareness in the present and future generations of preserving peace in a firm and lasting way.

The declaration aims to promote civic and ethical values ​​in Salvadoran society, to lead to the promotion of solidarity in a framework of harmonious and peaceful coexistence.

It also seeks to transmit the values ​​of peace and non-violence to the population, understanding peace not only as an absence of war, but as the result of a state of equality, justice and solidarity and the eradication of any kind of violence, either direct or structural.

Click here for the original Spanish version of this article.

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Chinese diplomat calls for new security concept at UN debate

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An arrticle from Global Times

A senior Chinese diplomat on Tuesday [January 10] called for forging a new security concept while attending the UN open debate on conflict prevention and sustainable peace. “No single country can achieve absolute security purely on its own, nor can any country harvest security from the insecurity suffered by others,” said Wu Haitao, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN.


Wu Haitao, China’s deputy permanent representative to the UN

The international community must firmly uphold the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and foster a common, integrated, cooperative and sustainable new security concept, he said.

It is important to build a global partnership based on dialogue instead of confrontation, partnership instead of alliance, to give full play to the crucial role of the UN and its Security Council in stemming war and maintaining peace, and to build a shared security architecture based on equity, justice, joint contribution and shared benefits, he said.

Wu also urged promoting common development “as peace and development are interdependent and mutually enforcing,” adding that causes of security and threats, such as war, conflicts and terrorism can all be traced back to poverty and backwardness.

Thus, relevant solutions are also to be found in development, he noted.

“It is important to effectively implement 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, forge a global governance concept based on the principles of achieving shared growth by pooling together our minds and strength,” he said.

Wu also said “preventive diplomacy and peace building” must be strengthened, adding peaceful solutions must be favored at all times in dispute settlement and confrontations should be resolved through political means.

While calling for respecting diversity of civilizations, Wu said “there is no superior civilization, culture or religion,” adding “there must be mutual respect, equal treatment among all civilizations, cultures and religions.”

“The United Nations should advocate a culture of peace,” he said.

By affirming harmony can be achieved through diversity and strength can be attained by embracing inclusiveness and differences, the UN should actively promote dialogue, mutual learning among different civilizations, cultures and religions, he said.

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Making history in the United Nations: the General Assembly adopts a Declaration on the Right to peace promoted by civil society organizations

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An article by David Fernández Puyana from Elaph

On 19 December 2016, the plenary of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) ratified by a majority of its Member States the Declaration on the Right to Peace as previously adopted by the UNGA Third Committee on 18 November 2016 in New York and the Human Rights Council (HRC) on 1 July 2016 in Geneva. This Declaration was presented by the delegation of Cuba with the support of many other delegations and some civil society organizations.

Along the inclusive and transparent negotiation process of the Declaration, conducted by the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Open Ended Working Group (OEWG) on the right to peace Ambassador Christian Guillermet-Fernández of Costa Rica, all delegations and some civil society organizations actively participated in the three consecutive sessions of the OEWG in Geneva (2013-2015).

Thanks to this consensual approach, a majority of Member States supported the Declaration on the Right to Peace, which is the clear result of a complex and difficult negotiation process. This positive approach was elaborated in light of the following elements: firstly, international law and human rights law; secondly, the mandate of the HRC in the field of human rights and thirdly, the human rights elements elaborated by the resolutions on the right of peoples to peace adopted by the HRC in the past years.

As indicated by a Group of Western States within the Third Committee, the Declaration has some value because it develops the New Agenda 2030 and also reinforces the three UN pillars – peace and security, development and human rights-. Also they pointed out that the Preamble of the Declaration additionally contains many elements that will benefit for the clarity and greater balance in order to ensure and to represent the full range of views among memberships.

In the adoption of the Declaration on the Right to Peace by the Third Committee and the plenary of the UNGA, the mobilization and strong voice of some civil society organizations was properly heard in its 71st session, when they openly called on Member States to take a step forward by adopting a declaration that can be meaningful for generations to come.

The UNESCO Chair on Human Rights, Democracy and Peace at the University of Padova (Italy) in a legal study about the Declaration adopted by the HRC concluded in November 2016 that «the conjunction of Article 1 with the very title of the Declaration presupposes that a human right to peace does already exist as implicitly proclaimed by Article 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized”.

As suggested by the Foundation Culture of Peace, this Declaration will pass to the UN history for being the first peace Declaration adopted by the General Assembly in this new Millennium. They also stressed in its statement that “the UNESCO initiative in which in 1997 Member States were invited to discuss a draft Declaration on the Human Right to Peace soon will be realized within the General Assembly”.

On 2 September 2016 the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities adopted the Wielun Declaration in Poland by which it welcomed the adoption by the HRC of the Declaration on the Right to Peace contained in the annex to its resolution 32/28 and called upon the General Assembly of the United Nations to adopt this Declaration by consensus.

An important group of civil society organizations, led by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL), Comunità Papa Giovanni XXIII (APG23) and the UN Network of United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY), stressed in an Open Letter addressed to the diplomatic community of November 2016 that: “in today’s world, devastated by armed conflicts, hate and poverty, the recognition and declaration by an overwhelming majority of states that “Everyone has the right to enjoy peace”, would send to Humanity, and in particular to young and future generations, a very much needed message of peace and hope …. The adoption of the UN Declaration on the Right to Peace will represent a little step forward toward the fulfilment of the solemn promises we made in 1945”. This letter was supported by some 60 NGO with UN-ECOSOC Status and well-known peace and human rights activists.

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In parallel, the Chairperson of the Drafting Group on the right to peace at the Advisory Committee (AC) of the HRC, Ms. Mona Zulficar, and the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the OEWG at the HRC, Ambassador Christian Guillermet-Fernández, published in the Arab newspaper Elaph in December 2016 a reflection in which they stressed that the OEWG witnessed that the text presented by the AC was not properly supported by Member States. For this reason, the Chairperson-Rapporteur decided to promote the effective implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, taking into account that all the main elements on the right to peace identified by the AC had been elaborated in the Programmes of Action on Vienna and Culture of Peace.

Finally, on 22 October 2016, Paz sin Fronteras (PSF), created by Mr. Miguel Bosé and Mr. Juanes, began the campaign called #RightToPeaceNow by which well-known personalities urged Member States of the Third Committee of the General Assembly to adopt a Declaration on the Right to Peace at the end of the 71th regular session. Throughout this campaign, several personalities of the world of culture and art raised their voices to demand a Declaration on the Right to Peace through their media and social networks. They expressed their support so that the process was definitively closed in New York with the adoption of a Declaration on the Right to Peace, such as occurred in this case.

It is strongly desirable for the promotion of peace worldwide to strengthen the positive trend on this matter already initiated by Cuba within the UN Commission on Human Rights in 2002 and after developed at the HRC in 2006. In particular, some Latin American, African and Asian States, which currently support the right to peace, abstained on this topic in both the Commission and the HRC. However, after many years of intensive work by different stakeholders, at present all the Latin American, the African and most of the Asian States positively support this notion. In addition, it should be taken into account that currently an important number of Western States abstained for the first time ever in the General Assembly.

In order to strengthen the positive trend and to move towards a more consensual and inclusive approach, the legislator desired to stress the idea that everyone has the right and is entitled to enjoy and access the benefits stemmed from peace, human rights and development, founding pillars of the whole UN system. Denying this access to the three pillars is to deny the same existence of the United Nations.

The three UN pillars have been recognized by the HRC as a fundamental element aimed to promoting the right of peoples to peace. In particular, resolutions 11/4 of 2009, 14/3 of 2010 and 17/16 of 2011 on the right to peace have constantly stressed these pillars in its operative sections. In this line, the resolution 60/251 of the HRC adopted by the General Assembly on 15 March 2006 recognized in its preambular paragraph 6 that “peace and security, development and human rights are the pillars of the United Nations system and the foundations for collective security and well-being, and recognizing that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.”

In 1996, the General Assembly recognized by consensus in its resolution Resolution 48/126 the human rights approach of the right to in peace. In particular, art. 1.4 of the UNESCO Declaration of the Principles of Tolerance states that “human beings, naturally diverse in their appearance, situation, speech, behaviour and values, have the right to live in peace and to be as they are”.

And as indicated by Oscar Arias, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Costa Rica, “Peace is a never ending process… It cannot ignore our differences or overlook our common interests. It requires us to work and live together”.

* Christian Guillermet Fernández, former Chairperson/Rapporteur of the Working Group on the Right to Peace (2013-2015)

* David Fernández Puyana, former legal Assistant of the Chairperson/Rapporteur (2013-2015)

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for calling our attention to this article)

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In historic decision, CRTC rules that all Canadians must have access to reliable, world-class mobile and residential Internet

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An article from Open Media

December 21, 2016 – The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has just ruled that all Canadians must have access to reliable, world-class mobile and residential Internet services. The decision underpins a call for a new national strategy from the CRTC and citizens alike, resulting from the Commission’s Review of Basic Telecommunications Services consultation.

OpenMedia, which led a nearly 50,000-strong citizen movement for Internet as a basic service (and facilitated more than 95% of the comments to the CRTC proceeding), describes today’s decision as truly historic. The ruling will be a game-changer for rural and underserved communities across Canada where Internet access is either unavailable or unaffordable, due to a digital divide keeping almost one in five Canadians offline.

“Canadians asked for universal Internet access, support for rural communities, world-class speeds, unlimited data options, and minimum guarantees for the quality of their Internet. And today, we won it all!” said Josh Tabish, campaigns director for OpenMedia. “With this ruling, the CRTC has finally listened to Canadians and agreed that residential and mobile Internet is a basic service required for modern life, as important as the telephone.”

Tabish continued: “For too long, rural and underserved communities all across Canada have faced an uphill battle to participate meaningfully in our digital economy. Today’s decision will go a long way toward closing this digital divide. Now that the CRTC has spoken, we need to hold the Trudeau government accountable for ensuring this exciting vision becomes a reality.”

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Key points from today’s CRTC decision, and the accompanying national broadband strategy:

100% of Canadians must have access to reliable, world-class mobile and fixed Internet services.

The decision includes: Internet access defined as a basic service, access to world-class speeds, options for unlimited data packages, and a level playing field for rural and remote Canadians.

New network speed targets of 50 Mbps download speed and 10 Mbps upload speed, and the ability to subscribe to fixed Internet package with an unlimited data option.

Canadians from coast to coast to coast must have access to high-speed mobile and residential Internet connections. To fund this, the CRTC will redistribute hundreds of millions of dollars from telecommunications company revenues over the coming years.

Going forward, rural, remote, and urban communities must be able to access Internet speeds five times as fast as the U.S. minimum (10/1) and the government will encourage the widest availability of the fastest 4G/LTE mobile networks.

Finally, the CRTC issued a new report outlining the imperative for a national broadband strategy and what the federal government should consider when building it.

Throughout our participation in this proceeding, OpenMedia argued that only a properly-funded national strategy can tackle Canada’s digital divide. We asked the CRTC to create new rules to ensure all Canadians have access to guaranteed minimum service levels on fixed and mobile networks — rules that will enable all Canadians to enjoy equal opportunity to participate in the social and economic activities afforded by Internet access at a fair price.

Our community-driven submission argues that these new rules should not hinder industry, but should instead promote investment, competition, and openness.

Canadians can call on the government to build on the CRTC’s vision to create a national broadband strategy at https://act.openmedia.org/broadband-plan

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‘Cyprus can be symbol of hope’ the world badly needs, says UN chief Guterres as conference opens

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An article from the United Nations News Centre

A United Nations-supported conference on Cyprus opened in Geneva today [12 January], bringing together the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot leaders in a dialogue chaired by Secretary-General António Guterres.. .


Secretary-General António Guterres with Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus (left) and Mustafa Akinci, Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community (right) in Geneva. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
Click on photo to enlarge

A United Nations-supported conference on Cyprus opened in Geneva today [12 January], bringing together the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot leaders in a dialogue chaired by Secretary-General António Guterres.

Speaking at a press conference during a recess, the UN chief said “it is my hope that there will be a breakthrough” that the people of Cyprus deserve and the world needs.

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(Click here for this article in French or click here for the article in Spanish.)

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Can Cyprus be reunited in peace?

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“We are facing so many situations of disasters. We badly need a symbol of hope. I strongly believe Cyprus can be the symbol of hope at the beginning of 2017,” he added.

The conference brought together not only the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot leaders, but also the so-called guarantor powers – Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom for the first time.

Mr. Guterres paid tribute to the statesmanship displayed by Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci for about 20 months of negotiations toward a united Cyprus.

The Secretary-General described the opening session of today’s talks as “extremely constructive,” adding that during lunchtime, the participants had open debate and brainstorming, in which “it was possible to identify, not only the very important progress that was made in the negotiations, as taken in the last few days on the first five chapters, but also to identify the complexity of the problems related to security and guarantees that need to be addressed and resolved.”

In that lunch, he continued, “it was possible to clearly come to the conclusion that we need to find instruments, instruments that allow for the implementation of the settlement that would be achieved in a way that guarantees simultaneously the response to the security concerns of the Turkish Cypriot community and the security concerns of the Greek Cypriot community.”

Mr. Guterres said the goal is neither a calendar nor a vanity fair, but to get the necessary results.

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Opportunities of Peace and Scenarios of Risk for 2017

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Executive summary of Oportunidades de paz y escenarios de riesgo para 2017, published by the Escola de Cultura de Pau (translated by CPNN)

Opportunities of peace:

Colombia: The inclusion of a gender perspective in the peace agreement between the Government and the FARC represents a unique opportunity to advance the construction of a sustainable and inclusive peace in Colombia, with the participation of women and the LGTBI population as key actors in the implementation of the agreement.


click on the photo to enlarge

Philippines (NDF): The resumption of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), a political movement representing the communist guerrilla New People’s Army (NPA) in 2016, and the willingness of both sides to sign a peace agreement for mid-2017 is a historic opportunity to end one of the longest-running conflicts in the world.

Myanmar: The Burmese government is facing the best opportunity in recent decades to negotiate a peace agreement that will end a conflict that has lasted almost 70 years. The popular and democratic legitimacy of the new Government is the main asset, since it has a wide national and international support. However, many obstacles must be overcome to make the process truly inclusive.

Georgia: Resumption, after four years of paralysis of one of the mechanisms of the peace process, the Incident Prevention and Response Mechanism for Abkhazia and, on the other hand, the institutionalization of consultations between Georgian representatives involved in the process and local women’s organizations, are making progress towards building multilevel confidence, despite the political obstacles of formal negotiations.

Nuclear weapons: Endorsement by more than 100 states of holding negotiations in 2017 to achieve a nuclear arms ban treaty, coupled with the growing humanitarian approach to the issue and the pressure of international civil society, opens up a historic opportunity for stigmatizing the use and possession of nuclear weapons and moving towards a binding legal instrument, despite the rejection by nuclear states and their allies.

Scenarios of risk:

Ethiopia: The country is suffering the worst political and social crisis of recent years, with a wave of anti-regime protests that have been suppressed with extreme harshness and which have caused hundreds of fatalities over the past year. The serious protests reveal the fragility of the social contract between the elites and the population of the country, dissatisfied with years of corruption, with an authoritarian political system, for the exclusion of much of the population from the supposed Ethiopian economic miracle. The decree of a state of emergency provides for a worsening of the situation.

( Click here for the Spanish original.)

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Libya: During 2016 difficulties in implementing the Skhirat agreement confirmed the fragility of the pact and highlighted the multiple challenges of Libya, which could lead to a worsening situation in 2017. Among them, a persistent political polarization, an active range of armed actors, an international approach conditioned by often dissonant priorities, and a deteriorating economic, humanitarian and chronic human rights violations.

Nigeria: The proliferation of political tensions, armed movements and intercommunal violence in various regions of the country (north, center and south) is creating a situation of serious deterioration of security in Nigeria that threatens its stability. The role of security forces in the repression of opposing and dissident groups and communities has been a significant factor in triggering the outbreak of violence in various parts of the country, contributing to the radicalization of different movements.

South Sudan: One year after the signing of the Peace Agreement, the future of the peace process is more uncertain and precarious than ever. Failure to implement the clauses of the agreement, systematic violations of the ceasefire, increased violence against the civilian population and the de facto collapse of the Transitional Government highlight the major challenges facing the immediate future of the Transitional Government..

Afghanistan: Armed conflict remains strongly entrenched in the country fifteen years after the invasion of the United States and causing very serious impacts on the Afghan civilian population. New dynamics in the conflict, the incipient presence of ISIS and the worsening of the crisis of forced displacement make it difficult to achieve a negotiated solution in the short or medium term. The political crisis that the Government is experiencing further hinders the situation in the country from improving.

Philippines (Abu Sayyaf): The proliferation and greater coordination of various Islamist groups in Mindanao; the possibility that ISIS may be expanding and consolidating its presence on the island as the epicenter of its activities and project in Southeast Asia; and the increase in armed actions by groups declaring their alignment and even membership in ISIS, such as Abu Sayyaf or Lanao Islamic State, could lead to increased insecurity in the region and affect the peace process with the MILF.

Turkey: The failure of the peace process and the intensification of conflict at the military, political-social and regional levels, as well as a more complex overall scenario in Turkey, marked by the challenges and consequences of the failed coup attempt of 2016, point to a deterioration in the situation of the Kurdish issue, of greater violence and militarization and of the gap between the State and the Kurdish movement.

Israel-Palestine: The 50th anniversary of the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank could become the basis for new tensions and violence, given the ultra-right orientation of the Israeli Government and signs of growing frustration in the Palestinian population with occupation. The weakness of Palestinian political leadership, and the low expectations that international initiatives will revive the peace process, contribute to a climate of skepticism about the viability of the two-state formula.

International Criminal Court: The International Criminal Court, which faces many challenges, pressures and criticism, has been accused of placing too much emphasis on African cases and, by the end of 2016, has been facing one of the main challenges since its inception : Three African countries, South Africa, Burundi and Gambia, have announced their withdrawal from the Court. The culmination of this decision and its domino effect may lead to a weakening of the institution and a setback in terms of human rights protection.

Syria: The Syrian war has been characterized by brutal levels of violence against civilians and systematic violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, in a context of total impunity and the lack of action by the international community. Although it is not the only case, Syria is also setting a symbolic and dangerous precedent that exposes the weaknesses of the international framework for the protection of civilians in armed conflict.

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Over 100 countries sponsor annual resolution on the culture of peace at the UN General Assembly

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The following is adapted from emails received from Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the UN

Dear activists — The 71st session of the UNGA has adopted its resolution on the follow up of the UN Programme of Action on Culture of Peace on 23 December by consensus with a final total of 102 co-sponsors.


(Click on image to enlarge)

Ever since the initiative taken in 1997 to include a separate agenda item on the culture of peace and the UNGA decision to do so allocating the item to the plenary of the General Assembly, every year the Assembly has adopted by consensus a comprehensive, self-standing resolution on the culture of peace.

The text of the draft resolution issued by the UN as an L. document is attached. Attached also is the full list of 102 Member States which joined Bangladesh as co-sponsors making it possible for crossing the century mark.

[Editor’s note: Conspicuously absent from the co-sponsors are the United States and its principal allies such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australis.]
 
Please note additional elements and changes over the resolution (A/Res./70/20) adopted last year in  the following:

– preambular para 9 (adding the two UN proclaimed days in addition to International Day of Non-Violence at the proposal of Armenia);

– preambular para 17 (adding the increased interest, particularly of the Member States to make country statements in its Plenary segment of the High Level Forum and the President’s Summary issued for the first time in the Forum series);

– operative para 6 (adding reference to vulnerable children in the of the UNICEF’s Early Childhood Peace Consortium);

– operative para 8 ( adding “global citizenship” overcoming insistence by Myanmar and Cuba on referring to only “active citizenship”),

– operative para 12 ( adding the International Day of Non-Violence to the International Day of Peace requesting all to accord increasing attention to their observance); and

– operative para 13 (requesting the Secretariat to support the effective organization of the High Level Forum). 

Wishing you all the best for 2017 in every way

— Anwarul Chowdhury

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Second international conference on the culture of peace in Africa

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An article from the Angola Press Agency

The 2nd international conference on the culture of peace in Africa, which ended Monday [December 12] in Luanda, is a testament to Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos’ commitment to promoting durable peace on the continent, said the Director of the Regional Office UNESCO Multisectoral Program in the Countries of Central Africa, Felix Iyé.


A cultural event during the 2nd international conference on the culture of peace
click on the photo to enlarge

The representative of the United Nations Fund for Education and Culture (UNESCO) was speaking at the ceremony of the event sponsored by the Eduardo dos Santos Foundation (FESA), in celebration of his 20th birthday and his 73 year old patron, José Eduardo dos Santos.

Speaking to representatives of more than a dozen African countries, Cameroonian Félix lyé said that the event is a sufficient testimony of Angola and President José Eduardo dos Santos, in favor of promoting the culture of durable peace in Africa.

He added that in the world-wide concept of education and citizenship there is a conviction that peace can not have a lasting basis if respect for all is not encouraged in ways that foster a sense of belonging to a common humanity and help learners to become Citizens of the world, responsible and active.

The event, which was opened by Education Minister Pinda Simão and closed by his Youth and Sports counterpart, Albino da Conceição, was attended by representatives of the networks of research institutions to promote a culture of peace in Africa, led by Fesa, and Of other institutions, Cameroon, South Africa, South Sudan, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Senegal, Congo, Nigeria, Tunisia, Belgium, Botswana, Gabon, Uganda, Niger, among others.

The 2nd conference, a social object of Fesa, addressed the “prevention of violence and the promotion of a culture of peace in electoral period in Africa: What contributions of the network of foundations and research institutions.”

He also discussed the “role of young people in the prevention of violence and the promotion of a culture of peace in the electoral period” and a presentation was made of the campaign for the culture of peace in Central Africa: Two different words, one language: Peace [See CPNN articles from July 11 and July 20, 2016].

( Click here for the Portuguese original.)

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

Will UNESCO once again play a role in the culture of peace?

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The 2nd international conference for the promotion of peace in Africa was held under the motto Prevention of Violence and Pormotion of the Culture of Peace in the Elietoral period in Africa.

[The following is added from another article from the Angola Press Agency

At the 2nd International Conference on the Culture of Peace in Africa, Education Minister Pinda Simão reaffirmed that the country has accepted the challenges of embarking on the Unesco Operational Strategy2014 / 2021, which identifies peacebuilding through the formation of a society Inclusive, peaceful and resilient, with a goal to maintain peace.

He added that at the same time there was a growing sense of responsibility and solidarity with other African peoples, such as coordinating efforts in the Great Lakes region, the Central African Republic, Guinea-Bissau and other territories seeking peace.

In this regard, he recalled that the concept of a culture of peace was born in Africa during the international conference on peace and the spirit of men organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO in 1998 in Côte d’Ivoire).

Elucidating that the culture of peace consists in developing values, attitudes and behaviors that reflects and favors the coexistence and partnership founded on the principles of freedom, justice and democracy in all human rights, tolerance, solidarity, rejecting violence and dedicating itself to Prevention and conflict.

“As having its root causes and problem solving through dialogue and negotiation to ensure full exercise of its rights, as a member of participation in the process of development of the person and society,” he said.

For the minister, peace is a deeply rooted desire in humanity. It is the inspiration of a reconciled society and is the condition of a decent life, because to be human peace is not a natural process but culture. Therefore, it needs to be built, consolidated and cared for, educating for peace.

“Pope Paul VI reinforced the idea of ​​peace by presenting peace as the new face of development. This is not a ready thing is a continuous make, it is a dynamic and permanent process that affects all people and all institutions, “he stressed.

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Winners of Youth Innovation Challenge to Engage in Peacebuilding in South Sudan

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An article from PC Tech Magazine

The Youth Innovation Challenge for Peace was organized by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Community Security and Arms Control Project to specifically recognize the strength of youth-led initiatives and the impact of home-grown ideas on societies emerging from conflict. 132 youth attended the original introduction workshop when the competition launched in August 2016.


UNDP call for proposals

From there, 150 ideas were submitted and 26 semi-finalists were selected by an evaluation committee to participate in this week’s “ideation workshop”.

In a press statement, Eugene Owusu; Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, said; “The purpose of the challenge is not to reward ideas with dollars but to inspire and nurture creativity that would transform South Sudan.”

“ The challenge is about building a culture of peace and thrusting the youth at the forefront of creativity and social change, amplifying their ambition and smart use of new technology to engage and transform their society,” Owusu adds.

The participants received guidance and support for refining their ideas, structuring their proposals, and delivering effective presentations from UNDP’s Regional Innovation Advisor for Africa Mr. Mark Lepage and local open technology experts from Juba Hub (jHub).

Lightning-round sessions were held on Tuesday, where each project had seven minutes to present their idea in whatever format they chose.

Semi-finalists were judged based on a common set of criteria: clarity and presentation of their idea; creativity and originality of their idea; addresses the issue of engaging youth in peace; viability in the long term and financial sustainability; number of youth and general population who could benefit; implementable and realistic; scalable and replicable; and gender and social inclusion.

Winners

The overall winning proposal, taking home the top prize of US$10,000 was an individual submission from Mr. Kwaje called 64 Hands SACCO (savings and credit co-operative society), which combines social entrepreneurship with peace-building by providing South Sudanese small and medium enterprises access to a community-based source of financing.
64 Hands SACCO is designed to be propelled by youth drawn from all 64 tribes in South Sudan.

Kilkilu ana Comedy Extra placed second, with seed funding of US$6,000 to execute their vision of developing multi-lingual comedy performances to promote healing, understanding, and reconciliation. Their proposal focused on a pilot program to take place in IDP camps in and around Juba.

GOGIRLS-ICT Initiative won third place and will receive US$4,000 awarded to implement their proposed #TTOS-ICT project. The aim of the project is to engage, educate and empower women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) based fields through a philosophy of chain-based trainings. GOGIRLS-ICT Initiative focuses on mentoring and making meaningful social impact to address development challenges women and girls face in South Sudan which contribute to insecurity, like early and forced marriage, illiteracy, and unemployment.

The winning submissions will work closely with UNDP moving forward, with the ultimate aim of implementing their ideas on the ground in pilot programs.

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