Category Archives: FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Morocco: World Summit for the promotion of peace

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An article by Driss Lyakoubi, Le Matin (translation by CPNN)

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The youth of Kenitra are mobilizig to promote the values of peace and solidarity between peoples, through the World Summit for the promotion of peace and social development, organized by the Ibn Tufail University in partnership with the wilaya of Gharb Chrarda Beni Hssen and the association “Dar Lakbira “.

This event brings together nearly 120 participants from 32 nationalities from around the world. It is an opportunity for reflection and exchange between young international leaders on topics related to the values of humanism and solidarity. According to its initiators, the World Summit for the promotion of peace and social development is a unique event, designed to broaden the perspectives of international youth on the most pressing issues of the world through positive dialogue, cooperative and constructive.

This is a vision shared by Zineb El Adaoui, the Wali (governor) of the region of Gharb Chrarda Beni Hssen, who reminds us of the supreme interest granted by the Kingdom to the universal values of peace, tolerance, dialogue and solidarité. Azzeddine Midaoui, president of the University Ibn Tofail, paid tribute to the young academic leaders of the association “Dar Lekbira” for the work that led to the organization of this unique gathering in the capital of Gharb. He commended, in this regard, the ties of cooperation that link the university Ibn Tofail and “Dar Lekbira” to promote the values of social solidarity and openness. He highlighted the role of the University in anchoring the values of peace and otherness among youth.

The president of the association “Dar Lekbira” Zinelabidine Taoussi, for his part, said that Moroccan youth had followed the footsteps of his ancestors, that of the consecration of peace and development for the benefit of all countries and peoples of the planet. It should be noted that the World Summit for the promotion of peace and social development, as has been announced by the various stakeholders, is the ideal opportunity for participants to explore cooperation opportunities for project initiation promoting innovative culture of peace, non-violence and social justice in their respective countries and around the world. A charter of principles will also be developed during this global youth forum to strengthen the ideals of peace and social justice within and among all nations and peoples of the world. This reflected the common vision of all summit participants from the world they hope for future generations.

The World Summit for the promotion of peace and social development has set as its main objectives the promotion of the culture of peace and nonviolence in international youth and strengthening youth culture of leadership in areas related to the building of peace and social development. There is also question of strengthening the role of youth in building inclusive societies, peaceful and resilient and the establishment of an international network of young leaders with the ability to serve their communities through innovative community projects.

(Click here for the original French version of this article) )

Question for this article:

Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they desereve?

July 30, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, MideastMideastCPNN Coordinator

San Agustin, Colombia to host International Biennial of Education and Culture of Peace

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An article by the Editor of Diario del Huila (translation by CPNN)

The Faculty of Education of Surcolombiana University (USCO) will hold the first International Biennial of education and culture of peace from 13 to August 15 in the city of San Agustin.

The organizers of this academic event are the USCO, the Faculty of Education, the Masters Program of Education and Culture of Peace and the Peace Education Collective. The academic committee is composed of Myriam Oviedo, coordinator of the Master’s Program and teacher at the USCO; Marieta Quintero Mejía, national coordinator of the Peace Education Collective and professor at the District University; Diego Escobar, professor at the National University of San Martin (Buenos Aires); Miriam E. Kriger, a researcher at CLACSO, Conicet and University of Buenos Aires; Alexander Ruiz, director of the doctorate in Education at the Pedagogical University; and Monica Mazariegos (Guatemala, Universidad Internacional Tierra Ciudadana (UITC).

Participants may be leaders or members of social and training programs and projects, or initiatives related to education and culture of peace. Also invited are program managers and participants of training centers and university institutes specializing in peace studies, research groups, promoters of magazines and publications in the field, teachers, students, professionals, activists and social leaders.

“The First International Biennial of education and culture of peace is conceived to be a stage to share, discuss, disseminate, encourage and promote peace initiatives undertaken by institutions, communities, groups, associations, unions and groups. In this sense, the biennial is intended not only as a space to recognize the voices of the conflict, but also as an opportunity to unite our voices to build multiple possibilities of peace,” the organizers explained.

They added that this first version of the Biennial will be held in the municipality of San Agustin (Huila), “a land of art and peace located between the cold Massif of Colombia and the arid valley of the Magdalena. It was chosen to host this event in view of its ancestral, heterogeneous and multicultural “character

(Click here for the original Spanish of this aricle.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

This discussion question applies to the following articles:

Colombian villagers practice non-violent resistance
Legacy of a Nonviolent Political Leader: Governor Guillermo Gaviria of Colombia
Working for a Culture of Peace in the Valley of the Cauca, Colombia
Remise des Prix de la Fondation Chirac pour la prévention des conflits
Chirac Foundation Prize for Conflict Prevention
The University and the Peace Process in Colombia
La paz supera coyunturas y fronteras (Colombia y Venezuela)
Peace is not stopped by borders (Colombia and Venezuela)
Campesinos colombianos celebran primer acuerdo agrario de paz
Colombian Govt and FARC Reach Agreement on First Stage of Peace Talks
Colombia Campaña de la ONU “La Paz es mía”
UN Campaign in Colombia:
Presidente colombiano reactivará la Comisión Nacional de Paz
Colombian President to Reactivate National Peace Commission
FARC-EP y Gobierno colombiano avanzan en acuerdos para la paz
FARC-EP and Colombia Government advance in their peace accords
Colombia debe ser también la Nación más educada en derechos humanos: Presidente Santos
Colombia should also be the most educated nation in human rights : President Santos
Gabriel García Márquez and the peace process in Colombia
Colombia amanece con un presidente reelecto, esperanzada en la paz
Colombia awakens to hopes for peace with the re-election of their president
Mujer, ruralidad y memoria, entre los temas del congreso de paz (Bogotá, Colombia)
Women, rurality and historical memory among the themes of the Peace Congress (Bogotá, Colombia)
Sonia Ines Goéz Orrego on a speaking tour in the U.S. to share her experience building peace in Colombia
Pax Christi International Peace Award 2015: Women Collective for Reflection and Action (Colombia)
FARC-EP y Gobierno colombiano crearán Comisión de la Verdad
Planning for a Peace Assembly in the Colombian Caribbean
Inician construcción de Asamblea por la Paz en el caribe colombiano
Colombia: Ministerio del Trabajo acompañará, garantizará y facilitará Segunda Asamblea Nacional por la Paz
Colombia: The Labor Minister will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace
Colombia: The Labor Minister will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace
San Agustín, Colombia: escenario de la Bienal internacional de educación y cultura de paz
San Agustin, Colombia to host International Biennial of Education and Culture of Peace

July 28, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Colombia: The Labor Minister will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace

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An article from the Ministerio de Trabajo de Colombia (translation by CPNN)

The Minister, of Labor, Luis Eduardo Garzon, says that the Government will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace, which seeks to contribute from the energy and mining sector a plural and participatory peace that is comprehensive, stable and durable.

“I see here three organizations that differ in many ways, but are united in the quest for peace,” Lucho Garzón

Garzon referred to the participation of Ecopetrol and the Workers’ Trade Union of the Petroleum Industry (USO). He also highlighted the contributions made from the Academy of the National University of Colombia to the Second Assembly, which is conceived as a space for deliberative and purposeful construction at local, regional and national levels.

“I think it is extremely important for the country and the Ministry and the government itself are committed to help stimulate initiatives like this,” said the head of the Labor Ministry.

“I see here three organizations that differ in many ways, but are united in the quest for peace,” he said.

For the National President of USO, Edwin Castaño Monsalve, the issue of oil has an important role in keeping peace. “This union is betting on scenarios to build peace and we are fully committed to the peace process.”

In turn, the rector of the National University of Colombia, Ignacio Prada Mantilla added that “The university is fully committed to the peace proces, that is, we want contribute to it from all areas of knowledge.”

The National Assembly for Peace will include four conversations and 10 regional assemblies. they will take place in Antioquia, Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Choco, Villavicencio, Neiva, Puerto Asis, Tibu, Arauca and Popayan. They will focus on three themes: 1) mining and energy policy; 2) regional development and peacebuilding and 3), culture of peace and followup to the peace accords.

(Click here for the orignal Spanish of this aricle.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

This discussion question applies to the following articles:

July 27, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

NGO Open letter to Member States of the General Assembly on the Selection Process of the UN Secretary-General

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A letter by 13 NGOs listed in the right column

To: Heads of State and Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Permanent Representatives to the United
Nations

Excellencies,

The selection of the new Secretary-General in 2016 will be one of the most important decisions the General Assembly will make in the next ten years. The new Secretary-General will have to address a world confronted with increasingly dangerous civil wars, humanitarian and environmental disasters, terrorism, regressive development, economic and financial turmoil, and inequality. The need for global leadership and international cooperation is greater than ever. It is crucial that the best and most highly qualified candidate is selected to become UN Secretary-General.

The importance and complexity of the office has changed radically during the last 69 years, as have the threats and challenges to the entire UN system. The leadership of successive UN Secretaries-General – as chief administrative officers, diplomats, mediators, and representatives of the UN purposes and principles – has been fundamental in shaping the work of the United Nations. They have provided a critical public international voice on key issues of peace and security, development, and human rights.

The procedure the General Assembly adopted in 1946 to select the UN Secretary-General is significantly outdated, and is not compatible with selecting the best possible candidate. It falls far short of modern recruitment practices for high-level international appointments, as well as of the UN’s own standards and ideals. We highlight, for instance, that no woman has ever been selected to become UN Secretary-General, and that few have been seriously considered.

In the last twenty years, many international organisations, including the UN, have made major improvements and reforms in procedural mechanisms to enhance the transparency and accountability of high-level appointments. It is imperative that the selection process for the next UN Secretary-General is changed to meet the higher standards that the UN General Assembly, UN experts and civil society have persistently called for. A more open and inclusive selection process engaging all UN Member States will also help to revitalize the UN and enhance its global authority.

A group of civil society organisations strongly committed to upholding the UN Charter and its values has agreed on a set of principles and made proposals that form the basis for urgent and credible reform. The proposals are realistic and do not require an amendment of the UN Charter. Many of them have already been endorsed by a majority of UN Member States.

They include publication of formal selection criteria, a call for nominations and a clear timetable for the selection process that enables adequate assessment of candidates, including through an official list of candidates and the submission of candidate vision statements.

We believe that all Members States of the General Assembly can and should play a more prominent and meaningful role in the appointment process.

For example, the General Assembly should hold open sessions that enable Member States, and, in accordance with General Assembly procedures, other relevant stakeholders, to meet the nominees and consider their candidacies. The Assembly should request that candidates undertake not to make promises on specific senior appointments in advance of the Assembly decision on the Secretary-General appointment.

Furthermore, the Security Council could be requested to present or recommend more than one candidate to the General Assembly. Another recommendation is for a single term of a non-renewable period of seven years, which would help the Secretary-General to pursue a longer-term agenda without the disruption of re-election campaigning.

(Article continued in the right column.)

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

Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace? – See comments below

(Article continued from left column)

The proposals are described in the attached policy platform for a new global campaign: 1 for 7 Billion – find the best UN leader. More organisations and individuals from around the world are joining this campaign every day.

As the United Nations is preparing to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the UN Charter next year, we hope that Member States of the General Assembly and the Security Council will seize this historic opportunity to initiate a key set of basic reforms, including those outlined in our document, to ensure that the best and most qualified candidate is selected to become the next Secretary-General of the United Nations.

Yours sincerely,

Dinah Musindarwezo, Executive Director
African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)

Salil Shetty, Secretary-General
Amnesty International

Ricken Patel, Executive Director
Avaaz

Danny Sriskandarajah, Secretary-General
CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation

Yasmeen Hassan, Global Director
Equality Now

Evelyn Balais-Serrano, Executive Director
Forum-Asia

Jens Martens, Director
Global Policy Forum

John Burroughs, Executive Director
Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy

Roberto Bissio, Coordinator
Social Watch

Chee Yoke Ling, Director
Third World Network

Eleanor Blomstrom, Program Director
Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

William R. Pace, Executive Director
World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy

Bonian Golmohammadi, Secretary-General
World Federation of United Nations Associations

July 13, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, global, United Nationsglobal, United NationsCPNN Coordinator

Film: Costa Rica Abolished its Military, Never Regretted it

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An article by David Swanson (abridged)

The forthcoming film, A Bold Peace: Costa Rica’s Path of Demilitarization, should be given every possible means of support and promotion. . . In 1948 Costa Rica abolished its military, something widely deemed impossible in the United States. This film documents how that was done and what the results have been. I don’t want to give away the ending but let me just say this: there has not been a hostile Muslim takeover of Costa Rica, the Costa Rican economy has not collapsed, and Costa Rican women still seem to find a certain attraction in Costa Rican men.

How is this possible? Wait, it gets stranger.

Costa Rica provides free, high-quality education, including free college, as well as free healthcare, and social security. Costa Ricans are better educated than Americans, live longer, are reported as happier (in fact, happiest in the world in various studies), and lead the world in the use of renewable energy (100% renewable energy lately in Costa Rica). Costa Rica even has a stable, functioning democracy . . .

Costa Rica has developed a culture of peace, including an educational system that teaches children nonviolent conflict resolution. . . How did this come to be? The film provides more context than I was previously aware of. Rafael Calderón Guardia, president from 1940 to 1944, began the welfare state in a major way through a unique pre-Cold War coalition of support that included the Catholic church and the communist party. In 1948 Calderón ran for president again, lost, and refused to recognize the results. A remarkable man named José Figueres Ferrer, also known as “Don Pepe,” who had educated himself at Boston Public Library and returned to Costa Rica to start a collective farm, led a violent revolution and won.

Figueres made a pact with the communists to protect the welfare state, and they disbanded their army. And after his own troops threatened a rightwing coup, he disbanded his own army, that of the nation of Costa Rica, saying:

“Los hombres que ensangrentamos recientemente a un país de paz, comprendemos la gravedad que pueden asumir estas heridas en la América Latina, y la urgencia de que dejen de sangrar. No esgrimimos el puñal del asesino sino el bisturí del cirujano. Como cirujanos nos interesa ahora, mas que la operación practicada, la futura salud de la Nación, que exige que esa herida cierre pronto, y que sobre ella se forme cicatriz más sana y más fuerte que el tejido original.

“Somos sostenedores definidos del ideal de un nuevo mundo en América. A esa patria de Washington, Lincoln, Bolívar y Martí, queremos hoy decirle: ¡Oh, América! Otros pueblos, hijos tuyos también, te ofrendan sus grandezas. La pequeña Costa Rica desea ofrecerte siempre, como ahora, junto con su corazón, su amor a la civilidad, a la democracia” . . .

(Article continued in right column)

Question(s) related to this article:

Does Costa Rica have a culture of peace?

(Article continued from left column)

Figueres used a citizens militia and then disbanded it. He expanded the welfare state, extended the right to vote to women and Afro-Caribbeans, and nationalized banks and electricity. Then he retired peacefully, later to be elected president twice more, in 1953 and 1970. He lived until 1990, the victorious general who did what Eisenhower never dared: abolished the military industrial complex.

The U.S. government, under President Reagan, tried to force Costa Rica into military conflict, but Costa Rica proclaimed neutrality. It did not maintain this neutrality as absolutely as one might like, but it never became home to a big U.S. military base as did Honduras.

In 1985, Oscar Arias was elected president on a peace platform, defeating Calderón’s son campaigning on a platform of militarization. Although the U.S. was threatening sanctions, and although 80% of the Costa Rican people opposed the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, over 80% in Costa Rica opposed any militarization. Reagan scared Americans of communists in Nicaragua, but seems not to have scared the Ticos at all. On the contrary, Arias met repeatedly with Reagan, turned him down on at least all the main points, and gathered nations together to negotiate peace in Central America — for which he was given a Nobel Peace Prize that may have actually served an appropriate purpose.

What withstood Reagan’s pressure was not an individual or a political party, but Costa Rica’s culture of peace. A new threat came in 2003, when Costa Rica joined the Coalition of the Willing (to attack Iraq). Costa Rica provided only its name, no actual participation. But a law student named Luis Roberto Zamora Bolanos successfully sued his own government in Costa Rican courts and forced Costa Rica out of the coalition.

While the film doesn’t go into it much, the same lawyer sued Arias and others repeatedly to keep weapons companies and U.S. ships out of Costa Rican territory. In 2010 the U.S. helped overthrow the president of Honduras and flew him to Costa Rica. The U.S. uses its drug war as an excuse to put military ships in Costa Rican waters.

In 2010 Nicaragua took over a Costa Rican island, at least in the view of Costa Rica. Had Costa Rica possessed a military, a war would likely have begun. While Costa Rica did send its “police” to the area, not one bullet was fired. Rather the dispute was resolved in international courts, as all such disputes should be. . .

The film presents a fair portrait, flaws included. I watched it with my 9-year-old son who now wants to move there. The film includes video of past and current presidents, activists, professors, and journalists. It even includes extensive commentary from Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera as a long-shot presidential candidate seeking to uphold Costa Rica’s pacifist traditions in a manner that Japan’s president is of course not attempting. Then we see Solís surge ahead and win. He is now president.

Costa Rica is an inspiration to those of us seeking to abolish war.

June 9, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Planning for a Peace Assembly in the Colombian Caribbean

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An article from Colombia Informa (translated by CPNN)

The first regional meeting of delegates from various sectors and struggles in the Caribbean to construct a Regional Peace Assembly was held on Saturday [May 30] in the city of Cartagena,. The meeting was supported by the workers’ labor union -USO- and the company Ecopetrol. It was attended by delegates from Atlantico, Bolivar, Sucre, Córdoba, Cesar and Guajira.

The main objective was the planning and coordination of facilitator teams in each department to develop departmental assemblies prior to a Regional Assembly for Peace. The organizers of the meeting consider that the meeting met with full success.

The Assembly takes place in the framework of the dialogue between the government and insurgent groups, which takes place in Havana between the Revolutionary Armed Forces -FARC- of Colombia which is of great importance for the country. The convening organizations expect the second Regional Assembly to have a wide participation “in which converge all social sectors present in the territories in order to collect the path of actions towards peace with social justice, peace with changes the country is yearning for. ” They added that in every department of the Caribbean region will have a coordinating team that can approach organizations that wish to participate in the initiative.

Themes considered in the Assembly included mining and energy policies, regional development and assistance to education. Finally, the culture of peace and followup of the agreements.

The USO has historically worked on building peace through regional initiatives, especially in the city of Barrancabermeja. It has also promoted national proposals and the Assembly for Peace, held in conjunction with Ecopetrol in 1996. The union has led in the development of multiple initiatives such as the Assembly of Workers for Peace as an autonomous space in which proposals were collected from different sectors for the country in relation to the transformations necessary for peace.

In 2012, the USO and Ecopetrol signed an agreement for the implementation of the Second National Assembly for Peace, which for various reasons, could not take place until this year. The USO-Ecopetrol team, responsible for conducting the Assembly will feature an expert panel for permanent consultation including professors Alejo Vargas, Victor Currea, Francisco de Roux and Hernando Salazar.

The grand conclusion of the meeting was that “peace is a journey, a process of dialogue in which a just order is reconstructed, living conditions are improved and there is solidarity. The challenge for a new country requires efforts at various levels: personal, family, community, local, regional and national. ”

(Click here for the orignal Spanish of this aricle.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

This discussion question applies to the following articles:

June 8, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Edward Snowden: “Two Years On, The Difference Is Profound”

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An article by Edward Snowden published in the New York Times and excerpted in the Amnesty International Blog

Two years ago today, three journalists and I worked nervously in a Hong Kong hotel room, waiting to see how the world would react to the revelation that the National Security Agency had been making records of nearly every phone call in the United States. In the days that followed, those journalists and others published documents revealing that democratic governments had been monitoring the private activities of ordinary citizens who had done nothing wrong.

Within days, the United States government responded by bringing charges against me under World War I-era espionage laws. The journalists were advised by lawyers that they risked arrest or subpoena if they returned to the United States. Politicians raced to condemn our efforts as un-American, even treasonous.

Privately, there were moments when I worried that we might have put our privileged lives at risk for nothing — that the public would react with indifference, or practiced cynicism, to the revelations.

Never have I been so grateful to have been so wrong.

Two years on, the difference is profound. In a single month, the NSA’s invasive call-tracking program was declared unlawful by the courts and disowned by Congress. After a White House-appointed oversight board investigation found that this program had not stopped a single terrorist attack, even the president who once defended its propriety and criticized its disclosure has now ordered it terminated.

This is the power of an informed public.

Read the full opinion piece at the New York Times.

Learn more about global surveillance and take action at http://amnestyusa.org/NSA/a>.

Question for this article:

The courage of Mordecai Vanunu and other whistle-blowers, How can we emulate it in our lives?

Latest comment:

Whistle-blowers may be considered as very important actors for a culture of peace. As described on the CPNN page for values, attitudes and actions for a culture of peace, the culture of war is characterized by propaganda, secrecy, government control of media, militaristic language and censorship while the culture of peace is characterized by the free flow and sharing of information. Whistle-blowers break the back of secrecy directly and dramatically.

Mordecai Vanunu’s courage continues the tradition of Daniel Ellsberg, who made known the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam War and Karen Silkwood, who exposed nuclear pollution in the United States. Ellsberg was persecuted by President Nixon and Karen Silkwood was murdered, as described some years ago in a very fine film starring Meryl Streep.

As the amount of government secrecy continues to increase, we may expect that the number of whistle-blowers will also tend to increase in the years to come.

June 8, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, North AmericaNorth AmericaCPNN Coordinator

Colombia: FARC and the Government Will Create a Truth Commission

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An article from Ahora Cuba

The FARC-EP and the Colombian government closed the 37th cycle of peace talks with the decision to establish a Commission for Clarification of Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition.

Such a Commission will be set up after the Final Peace Agreement, and will have three main objectives, Rodolfo Benitez, Cuba guarantor at the negotiation table established in this capital since 2012, said yesterday in a news conference.

Representatives of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (FARC-EP) and the government of President Juan Manuel Santos are attending this roundtable discussion.

The first of those objectives is to contribute to the clarification of what happened (…) and provide a full explanation of the complexity of the conflict, said Benitez, accompanied by the government and insurgent peace delegations.

The Commission should contribute to the recognition of the victims as citizens who saw their rights violated and the voluntary recognition of individual and collective responsibilities.

It should also promote coexistence in the territories, by means of an atmosphere of dialogue and the creation of spaces in which the victims are dignified, he said.

According to Benitez, the Commission will be an independent, impartial and extrajudicial mechanism, a part of the comprehensive system of truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition that has to agree to satisfy the rights of victims, end the conflict, and achieve peace.

On the other hand, Ivan Marquez, head of the guerrilla delegation, praised the establishment of the truth Commission as a mechanism of justice and reparation, and requested the opening of the State’s files on the conflict for the clarification of what happened regarding this long confrontation.

(Click here for an article in Spanish on this subject.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

This discussion question applies to the following articles:

Colombian villagers practice non-violent resistance
Legacy of a Nonviolent Political Leader: Governor Guillermo Gaviria of Colombia
Working for a Culture of Peace in the Valley of the Cauca, Colombia
Remise des Prix de la Fondation Chirac pour la prévention des conflits
Chirac Foundation Prize for Conflict Prevention
The University and the Peace Process in Colombia
La paz supera coyunturas y fronteras (Colombia y Venezuela)
Peace is not stopped by borders (Colombia and Venezuela)
Campesinos colombianos celebran primer acuerdo agrario de paz
Colombian Govt and FARC Reach Agreement on First Stage of Peace Talks
Colombia Campaña de la ONU “La Paz es mía”
UN Campaign in Colombia:
Presidente colombiano reactivará la Comisión Nacional de Paz
Colombian President to Reactivate National Peace Commission
FARC-EP y Gobierno colombiano avanzan en acuerdos para la paz
FARC-EP and Colombia Government advance in their peace accords
Colombia debe ser también la Nación más educada en derechos humanos: Presidente Santos
Colombia should also be the most educated nation in human rights : President Santos
Gabriel García Márquez and the peace process in Colombia
Colombia amanece con un presidente reelecto, esperanzada en la paz
Colombia awakens to hopes for peace with the re-election of their president
Mujer, ruralidad y memoria, entre los temas del congreso de paz (Bogotá, Colombia)
Women, rurality and historical memory among the themes of the Peace Congress (Bogotá, Colombia)
Sonia Ines Goéz Orrego on a speaking tour in the U.S. to share her experience building peace in Colombia
Pax Christi International – Peace Award 2015: Women, Peace and Security Collective for Reflection and Action (Colombia)

June 8, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin AmericaLatin AmericaCPNN Coordinator

UNESCO partners with the Aladdin Project for an International Conference on Genocide Prevention, Culture of Peace and Education about the Holocaust in Africa

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An article by UNESCO media services

In the aftermaths of 70th anniversary commemorations of the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Nazi concentration and of extermination camps, the Aladdin project and UNESCO organize the first international conference in Africa on the prevention of genocide, the promotion of a culture of peace and the historical lessons of the Holocaust. Delegations of several ministries of education of Western Africa will participate.

The conference will involve eminent historians of the Holocaust and of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda as well as human rights expert with a view to encourage sharing of experience amongst education stakeholders of the region and explore further strategies to introduce education about the history of genocides and a culture of peace in education policies of African countries, notably in support of UNESCO’s related activities in the region.

The Dakar conference is part of a larger series of 6 conferences on the same theme organized by the Aladdin Project in cooperation with UNESCO in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The first such event took place in Istanbul in 2013.

The Aladdin Project is an international organization based in Paris and created in 2009 under the auspices of UNESCO. The 30 members of its international board, representing different countries of Europe, the Middle-East and Africa, different faiths and cultures, are dedicated to promoting dialogue, mutual understanding, justice and fraternity. The organization strives to enhance intercultural exchanges based on mutual knowledge, education, respect of history, rejection of Holocaust denial and memorial conflicts through the search for peace over the culture of conflict and war.

(Click here for a version of this article in French)

Question for this article:

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

June 7, 2015Africa, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATIONAfricaCPNN Coordinator

6 simple tools to protect your online privacy (and help you fight back against mass surveillance)

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An article by Tanya O’Carroll, Amnesty International

As intelligence agencies hoover up more and more of our online communications, we’ve compiled a list of some simple apps and tools to help protect your privacy and make your calls, emails, texts and chats more secure.

Faced with the enormous power of agencies such as the NSA and GCHQ, it can feel like there is little we can do to fight back. However, there are some great ways you can take control of your private communications online.

The six tools below, which have been designed with security in mind, are alternatives to the regular apps and software you use. They can give you more confidence that your digital communications will stay private.

Note: No tool or means of communication is 100% secure, and there are many ways that governments are intercepting and collecting our communications. If you’re an activist or journalist, you should use these tools as part of a comprehensive security plan, rather than on their own. Additionally, this list is by no means comprehensive – we recommend checking out Security-in-a-Box (from Tactical Technology Collective and Front Line Defenders) and Surveillance Self-Defense (from the Electronic Frontier Foundation) too.

1. TextSecure – for text messages

TextSecure is an easy-to-use, free app for Android (iPhones have a compatible app called Signal). It looks a lot like WhatsApp and encrypts your texts, pictures, video and audio files. The app is open-source and provides end-to-end encryption. That means only you and the person you are sending to will be able to read the messages. (See below for an explanation of technical terms.)

2. Redphone – for voice calls

Redphone is another free, open-source app for Android (for iPhones it’s the same Signal app, which combines voice calls and messaging) which encrypts your voice calls end-to-end. All calls are over the internet, so you only pay for wifi or data rather than using your phone’s credit.

3. meet.jit.si – for video calls and instant messaging

meet.jit.si is a free and open-source service to secure your voice calls, video calls, video conferences, instant messages and file transfers. It runs directly in your browser with no need to download anything and allows you to invite multiple people to join a video call. It’s a bit like Google hangouts, but your calls and chats are encrypted end-to-end. There is also a desktop version called Jitsi which you can download for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X and Android.

4. miniLock – for file sharing

This free and open-source plug-in for your web browser lets you encrypt files – including video, email attachments and photos – and share them with friends really easily. You can upload and send your file to selected contacts by using their unique miniLock id, meaning your file can only be downloaded by the person you share it with.

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Question related to this article:

How can we protect our online privacy?

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5. Mailvelope – for more secure email

This is a free add-on for your web browser which provides end-to-end encryption for your emails. It can be configured to work with almost any web-based email provider, including Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook. It’s open source and uses OpenPGP encryption.

6. SpiderOak – for cloud sharing and storage

This service helps you back-up your files, sync between multiple devices and share files privately with people you trust. It fully encrypts your data end-to-end which means that, unlike other cloud sharing and storage services such as Dropbox, even the company itself cannot see your documents on its servers. SpiderOak charges $12 each month for a personal account. It’s not yet open-source.

Quick guide to technical terms

Encryption: This is a way of coding something that disguises the original form. Today’s modern encryption, when well implemented, can be virtually unbreakable. When encrypting and decrypting content, a complex password – known as a key – is used for authentication. Very often this key is held by the company that provides services such as email or website hosting. That means that the company has full access to your data. Governments can compel the company to hand over this information or can try to hack into a company’s server to get direct access.

End-to-end encryption: With end-to-end encryption, the key is only known to you and never leaves your device. This means your communications stay between you and your correspondents only. To the company transmitting your communication – or anybody else who tries to intercept it – your messages will look like a long string of random numbers and letters. They can know who you communicated with but will not be able to access the contents.

Open-source: Very often the code that makes up computer software is proprietary, meaning that whoever developed it has sole access to it. Open-source code is available for anyone to see and analyse. While it might seem counter-intuitive, this is widely considered to be the best way to make software secure. It helps ensure it doesn’t do anything nasty, like providing a ‘back door’ for intelligence agencies, and that any security weaknesses can be discovered and patched up.

May 21, 2015FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, globalglobalCPNN Coordinator