Category Archives: DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Nigeria: Akeredolu, Jegede, Ajayi Sign Peace Accord

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by James Sowole from This Day Live

The Ondo State Governor and the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, his two major challengers, the state’s deputy governor and candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Hon. Agboola Ajayi, and Eyitayo Jegede, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and other governorship candidates have promised to embrace peace in the forthcoming Ondo election.


The Catholic Bishop of Diocese of Sokoto, who is a member of the National Peace Committee (NPC), Matthew Hassan Kukah, watching the Ondo State Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, as he signs the Peace Accord.

The candidates made the pledge at the signing of a peace accord organised by the National Peace Committee (NPC) in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The event took place at the International Cultural and Event Centre, the Dome in Akure, the state capital.

Addressing the contestants, the chairman of NPC and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), who spoke via Zoom, advised all stakeholders to demonstrate commitment to the spirit of the accord.

The former head of state, who urged the candidates to use the Edo election as a lesson for the Ondo State exercise, called on the electorate to cast their votes in the election without fear of intimidation or coercion.

He explained that those who signed the peace accord had committed themselves to ensuring peace in Ondo State and Nigeria at large before, during and after the election.

“The tension and anxiety associated with election necessitated the setup of the National Peace Committee which is to support peaceful election process and enthrone culture of peace.

“In 2014, the committee conveyed efforts to support peaceful election as well as ensuring a peaceful transition.

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Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

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“The intervention of the committee contributed immensely to the success of the 2015 election. The NPC has since successfully intervened in the general election to ensure a peaceful outcome to the 2019 general election even at the just concluded Edo governorship election.

“The governorship election in Ondo State is only a few days away and we want peace during and after the election. We want to see Nigeria as a place where people come out peacefully and vote during the election without deprivation and Ondo State deserves this.

“As we go into the election, we have been given assurance by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that they will conduct a free, fair and credible election. The rest is left for the voters to do what is right,” Abubakar said.

Also, members of the NPC, Bishop Mathew Kukah, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, charged the youth not to allow themselves to be used for political violence.

According to Bishop Kukah, “It is imperative to call on everyone to work towards peaceful election to ensure peace reign during and after the election.”

In his remarks, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mamood Yakubu, said the commission had met 12 of the necessary steps for the smooth conduct of the election. Yakubu urged political parties and their supporters to maintain peace for the conduct of the exercise to be peaceful.

The Inspector General of Police (IG), Mohammed Adamu, represented by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Leye Oyebade, while assuring the people of the safety of lives and properties, said the police had been able to map out all the three senatorial districts and the 18 local government areas in the state.

The IG advised members of the public to follow the guidelines for a peaceful election.

In their words, the three major candidates from APC, PDP and ZLP, Akeredolu, Jegede and Ajayi restated their commitment to ensuring a peaceful poll.

Other political parties that signed the accord apart from the three major ones included Accord Party, the African Alliance (AA), African Democratic Congress (ADC), African Democratic Party (ADP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The event was also attended by the Chairman, Ondo State Council of Obas and the Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Fedrick Akinruntan, the Deji of Akure, other traditional rules and religious leaders, among others.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Côte d’Ivoire: traditional chiefs gather in Yamoussoukro

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by TKEmile in KOACI (translation by CPNN)

A great meeting between the Mediator of the Republic and the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs of Côte d’Ivoire was held at the Félix Houphouët Boigny Foundation for the search for peace in Yamoussoukro, hosted this Saturday, August 29, as noted on the spot by KOACI,.


Traditional leaders at the Foundation in Yamoussoukro (photo by KOACI)

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

The Houghouët-Boigny Foundation of Yamoussoukro: what is its contribution to the culture of peace?

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This meeting which saw the effective participation of the President of the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs, His Majesty Amon Désiré Tanoe, of the Minister of State, Minister to the President of the Republic, in charge of Relations with Institutions, Gilbert Kafana Koné, was placed under the theme “the mechanisms for establishing a lasting peace in Côte d’Ivoire.”

The Mediator of the Republic, Adama Toungara, said that the kings and traditional leaders of the country on mission are at the heart of the culture of peace, pledge of lasting stability and harmonious development of Côte d’Ivoire. “I remain convinced that it is with the involvement of all, members of the government, traditional leaders, political leaders, religious guides and civil society, that we will succeed in forging and sustainably maintaining the image of fraternity, solidarity, union and peace.” said the mediator.

About 200 chiefs, from 108 departments of Côte d’Ivoire, took part in the meeting in Yamoussoukro this Saturday. The Mediator of the Republic and the President of the National Chamber of Kings and Traditional Chiefs, called on the traditional chiefs, guarantors of customs and traditions, to be messengers of Peace and social cohesion in their different villages, cantons and kingdoms in this election year. To conclude, they invited the political actors in the right tone and to avoid any action likely to undermine the peace and the unity of the Nation.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Burkina: The Movement for the Culture of Peace and Love of the Fatherland

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An article from Le Faso

The Movement for the Culture of Peace and Love of the Fatherland (MPAP) held its second ordinary congress on August 29 and 30, 2020 in Bobo-Dioulasso. This meeting brought together the officers from 13 regions and the focal points of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso under the theme: “Election year in Burkina Faso: what contribution for a free and transparent election, pledge of peace and social cohesion?”. The ceremony which took place on Saturday, August 29, 2020, was sponsored by the chef de canton des bobos mandarès.

The elections of November 22, 2020 crystallize debates both nationally and sub-regionally. They constitute a major stake for the consolidation of democracy and social cohesion.

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

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According to the president of the Movement for the Culture of Peace and the Love of the Fatherland (MPAP), Samuel Kalkoumdo, these elections are being held in extremely difficult conditions, in that there are more than a million displaced people under conditions of insecurity that persist and make localities inaccessible. “In this condition, how can we succeed to hold free, transparent and universally accepted elections and avoid a social divide?” he asked.

It is in this context that the MPAP is committed to the quest for social cohesion, peace and living together through its congress held in the city of Sya. For the president of the MPAP, this is what motivated the choice of the topic of reflection which will allow the delegates to return home, seasoned and enlightened, to be real vectors of peace in their respective localities.

“The choice of this theme is imperative. In such a context, the country must be united. We must advocate social cohesion in order to be able to hope to build a bright future. All 45 provinces are represented at this congress. And during the two days of work, the delegates will be trained and steeped in experience,” he said.

Participants will take part in several communications, including one on the electoral process. “We are convinced that if people understand how the process is going, they will be less inclined to say without evidence that there has been fraud. The participants will be trained as association leaders, in order to be able to send a message of peace to the population,” explains the president of the MPAP. The Burkinabè shoujld cultivate peace by working for free and transparent elections accepted by all.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

Culture of Peace in Guinea: Journalists Equipped with a ‘Common Ground Approach’ for Managing Rumors During Election Periods

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Adama Hawa Bah in Guinee 360 (translation by CPNN)

On the initiative of the international NGO Search for Common Ground, ten journalists from the written press and online media benefited from training on the roles and behaviors that journalists should adopt during elections: conflict-sensitive journalism, rumor management and the “Common Ground approach ”.

This USAID-funded project is part of the ” Electoral Capacity Building, Orderly Standards and Democratic Responsibilities” executed by Search for Common Ground with the theme ”the Common Ground Approach, the Journalist’s Role in election period and rumor management.”. The meeting served to remind media workers of their responsibilities before, during and after the elections.

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

Question related to this article:

How should elections be organized in a true democracy?

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“We know that the press plays a crucial role in the elections. We decided to talk to the media to remind them of their responsibilities in the conduct of his elections so that they do their job in a professional and responsible manner,” explained Fanta Conté, program manager at Search for Common Ground.

“We hope that these two days of work (25 and 26 August) will allow journalists to play their roles and do their work in a professional manner during this election period. After this workshop, we will establish a partnership with the participating bodies. They will produce articles on the electoral process but also on the promotion of peace because, it is important to educate citizens and to get people to understand how to participate in an election. … ”

Siba Guilavogui represented the editorial staff of the nimbanews.org site at this workshop. He was especially impressed by the quality of the modules provided by the trainers.

“I am very pleased with the quality of this workshop. The topics discussed were interesting. The presidential election will take place soon in our country and it is often peppered with violence. So as a man of the media, I have to know how to identify the right information to publish, to know how to give information that is in the sense of advocating peace instead of contributing to violence. ”

Nowadays, many people call themselves journalists without knowing the ethics and professional conduct of the profession, regrets Mantenin Sacko, a reporter who received the training. “I would like to thank the organizers for this great initiative, which has increased our knowledge of the journalistic profession. This training allowed us to learn much more about the social responsibility of journalists, and the behavior they should adopt during an election period. It also allowed us to understand a lot of things about life in society through practical exercises. It made a big impression on me,” she said.

Africa, DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

US: WNBA players wearing T-shirts opposing Dream owner

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from ESPN

WNBA players are wearing “Vote Warnock” T-shirts to games this week to support Rev. Raphael Warnock, who is challenging Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) for her U.S. Senate seat.

Last month, Loeffler wrote a letter to WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert objecting to the league’s promotion of Black Lives Matter — which is painted on the courts at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where the league is holding its restart — and advocating instead for teams to add American flags to jerseys.


Photo from Twitter – Sue Bird

Elizabeth Williams, a forward on the Atlanta Dream, told ESPN that the league’s executive committee began exploring the shirt idea as a response to Loeffler’s statements, because “for effective change to happen, there has to be policy changes. And so if we’re going to sit here and talk about wanting justice reform, part of that is making sure that we have officials in office that understand that.”

Williams said the Dream and other players have made a coordinated effort not to discuss Loeffler or her statements in recent weeks, and instead focused on how they could best support a candidate they felt better represented their political views.

“I think when all this stuff started happening with her, we didn’t want to feel like we were pawns,” Williams said. “We can only control so much about what the league does [in regard to Loeffler], and so for us, we wanted it to be bigger than that.

“That’s kind of been the theme of this season. So we wanted to make sure we could still keep the focus on our social justice movement, and funny enough, Rev. Warnock is somebody who supports everything that we support and just happens to be running in that seat. So it just worked out really well.”

Williams said Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird initially came up with the idea.

Bird told ESPN that participation in the campaign to support Warnock is voluntary and that all players have discussed the idea over Zoom calls while at IMG Academy, where the WNBA season resumed in late July.

“This was a situation where given what was said in regards to the owner of Atlanta and how, basically, she came out against a lot of what the women in our league stand for, I think was emotionally tough for a lot of the women in our league to hear that,” Bird said. “But very quickly we started to realize that this was only happening for her political gain. This was something that she wanted. And the more noise we made, whether it was a tweet saying to get her out, that was just playing into her hands.

“I’m not some political strategist, but what I do know is that voting is important. And I think our league has always encouraged people to use their voices and to get out and vote.

“So, what a great way for us to get the word out about this man, and hopefully put him in the Senate. And, if he’s in the Senate, you know who’s not. And I’ll just leave it at that.”

Last month, Loeffler told ESPN that she feared the WNBA’s public support for the Black Lives Matter movement could drive some fans away.

“I think a lot of people feel that they may not have a place,” Loeffler said. “They may feel excluded from this sport and other sports that make them feel like American values aren’t at the core of what we’re doing here.”

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Question for this article:

How can sports promote peace?

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She also contended that there is a difference between saying “Black lives matter” and the organization Black Lives Matter.

“I think we all agree the life of every African American is important,” Loeffler said. “There’s no room for racism in this country, and we have to root it out where it exists. But there’s a political organization called Black Lives Matter that I think is very important to make the distinction between their aim and where we are as a country at this moment.

“The Black Lives Matter political organization advocates things like defunding and abolishing the police, abolishing our military, emptying our prisons, destroying the nuclear family. It promotes violence and anti-Semitism. To me, this is not what our league stands for.”

Warnock released a statement through his campaign Tuesday saying he was “honored and humbled by the overwhelming support from the WNBA players. This movement gives us the opportunity to fight for what we believe in, and I stand by all athletes promoting social justice on and off the court.

“Senator Loeffler and those like her who seek to silence and dismiss others when they speak up for justice have planted themselves on the wrong side of history. We are in a moment of generational, transformative change, and there is no place in that movement for bigotry. We celebrate the courage and resolve of these players standing for justice, and I am proud to stand with them.”

Later Tuesday, Loeffler followed up with a statement of her own, saying, “This is just more proof that the out-of-control cancel culture wants to shut out anyone who disagrees with them. It’s clear that the league is more concerned with playing politics than basketball, and I stand by what I wrote in June.”

Following the Dream’s 81-74 loss to the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night, the players’ decision was a primary talking point.

“We definitely decided to wear it because he’s for Black Lives Matter,” guard Chennedy Carter said. “He supports the league and the movement, and we support him. We’re voting for Warnock.”

Forward Betnijah Laney concurred.

“He’s just somebody that also supports the Black Lives Matter — the movements that the WNBA is standing behind this year,” she said. “So, this is somebody that we’re supporting, as well.”

Also on Tuesday, the Seattle Storm defeated the Connecticut Sun 87-74. After the game, several members of the Storm spoke about the process.

“What we’re trying to do is first educate ourselves, and then educate everyone else. Initially, this kind of came from Sue — vote for Warnock. We had an opportunity to be on two separate Zooms with him and see what he stands for and what he’s fighting for,” forward Breanna Stewart said. “I think he’s someone who’s fighting to create change and fighting to be on the right side of things. Obviously, I’m not voting for Georgia, but continuing to use my platform to help with that — but I did vote today, just want to let you know.”

Guard Sami Whitcomb concurred, saying the players “are very concerned with leadership in this country and people that we want to be representing us and the morals that they represent. I think [Loeffler has] proven that she doesn’t represent us, she doesn’t represent our voices — not in this league, not in the community. Rev. Warnock does, so we’re putting our support behind him because of the person that he is and the type of legislation that he stands for. You can call it politics. We call it supporting the human race and morals.”

Seattle guard Jordin Canada added that this “is bigger than basketball. We’re more than athletes. To have someone in our league that doesn’t represent or support African Americans, who are 80% of our league, is disheartening, honestly, and sickening.”

Former Dream player Layshia Clarendon, who has written and spoken out about Loeffler’s comments, was also heavily involved in the planning of the WNBA players’ campaign.

“It’s important for us to support voting and the overall campaign to flip the Senate,” said Clarendon, who now plays for the New York Liberty. “We want people in office who support the same values and morals as we do. Rev. Warnock is pro criminal justice reform, for LGBT+ rights, and pro choice/reproductive rights. Those are the kind of people we want representing us, because that’s what our league stands for.”

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, North America

Colombia: Details of the Non-Violence Secretariat to be created by the Mayor’s Office of Medellín

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An article from San Andres (translation by CPNN)

The mayor of Medellín will present this Monday [August 3] to the municipal council the functions of the planned Secretariat of Non-violence, dedicated to guiding the construction of territorial peace in the Antioquia capital.

According to the founding document on its functions, the new agency, whose creation must be approved by the Council, will define and implement strategies for the prevention of violence and victimizing acts that affect the lives and environments of the inhabitants of the city.


The social manager of Medellín, Diana Osorio talks about the need to create the Secretariat of Non-Violence

Likewise, this new Secretariat, which replaces the initial idea of ​​a Peace Management, would be in charge of the “promotion of restorative justice and comprehensive security that allows the transformation of conflicts and the protection of life as a fundamental value.”

The entity would be made up of the Undersecretary of Restorative Justice and the Undersecretary of Construction of territorial peace. Its creation was planned from the office of the Medellín Social Manager, Diana Osorio.

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

Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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The Secretariat’s functions

The Secretariat of Non-Violence will have at least 14 main functions, among them, to accompany the design, formulation, implementation and evaluation of the Municipal public policy of Peace, reconciliation and coexistence, in accordance with the guidelines of the National Public Policy.

It must also implement policies, plans, programs and projects for training and generating a Culture of Nonviolence at the central and decentralized level, as well as leading research, social innovation and knowledge management programs and projects that contribute to the prevention of violence and the transformation of conflicts in the city.

It will also be a function of the agency to implement a model of care, assistance, accompaniment, protection and monitoring of the victims and re-incorporated ex-combatants to guarantee their rights, non-stigmatization and any reparations that may be necessary to promote peaceful coexistence.

It must also provide care and support for the reintegration of the prison population and adolescents in the criminal responsibility system, as well as the population at risk for the prevention of violence.

It will be in charge of coordinating, with entities such as the National Center of Historical Memory, the Casa de la Memoria Museum and civil society organizations, specific actions for the dignity of victims and the construction of collective memory in the territories of the Municipality of Medellín.

The Secretariat should also strengthen the processes and scenarios of conflict transformation and reconciliation, favoring the formation of networks of social and community organizations for citizen reconciliation.

And it must consolidate a process of articulation with the System of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantee of Non-Repetition created after the peace agreements with the FARC. This system includes the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP), the Commission for the Clarification of Truth, and the Unit for the Search of Persons reported as Disappeared.
 

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

USA: New Haven Alders Put Peace On The Ballot

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article by Thomas Breen in the New Haven Independent

Peace will be on the ballot this November — in the form of a nonbinding referendum asking New Haveners how they’d like Congress to spend the majority of the federal budget.

On the military, as is currently the case? Or on jobs, education, environmental sustainability, and other human services instead?


Monday night’s virtual aldermanic hearing.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting of the full Board of Alders, local legislators voted unanimously in support of adding that question about federal spending priorities to the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

The non-binding advisory referendum, proposed by the city’s Peace Commission, will ask New Haveners the following question: “Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?”

Hill Alder Ron Hurt urged his colleagues to vote in favor of the resolution that included the ballot update. He said the purpose of the resolution and nonbinding referendum is to give New Haven voters an opportunity to weigh in on whether or not they would like to see Congress and the President “end foreign wars, scrap all nuclear weapons, rebuild infrastructure, and develop a new economy based on renewable energy.”

According to a June committee hearing on the item, 53 percent of the current federal budget is devoted to military spending. Many who testified during that two-and-a-half-hour hearing spoke of the perversity of this country spending so much on weapons and vehicles of destruction when that money could instead be going to bolster the nation’s public health infrastructure, which has so struggled to keep up with the pandemic. The Department of Defense’s budget, meanwhile, has proven seemingly impossible to audit because of bookkeeping errors, deficiencies, and irregularities.

In a press release put out after the vote, Downtown/Yale Alder Eli Sabin, who is the aldermanic representative on the Peace Commission, applauded the move. He quoted Peace Commission Chair Joelle Fishman as saying, “this ballot referendum will allow New Haven voters to express their hopes and dreams, and perhaps inspire other cities to do the same, building the momentum needed to create the political will for every person to be treated with dignity and respect, for every person to have health care, housing, a living wage job, food security, in a peaceful and sustainable world.”

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Questions for this article:

Does military spending lead to economic decline and collapse?

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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Westville Alder and Health and Human Services Committee Chair Darryl Brackeen, Jr. is also quoted in that release as saying that supporting the peace resolution “is the right thing to do and now it’s time to hear from the people.”

Peace Resolution

Below is the resolution adopted by the Board of Alders Monday night. The title of the resolution is: From the Peace Commission, a Resolution calling on Congress and the President to prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities and states for human needs, jobs, and an environmentally sustainable economy and placing a non-binding advisory referendum to that effect on the November 3, 2020 New Haven municipal ballot.”

Whereas, the severity of the U.S. economic crisis, compounded by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, has caused severe budget shortfalls at all levels of government, necessitating a re-examination of national spending priorities; and

Whereas, every dollar spent on the military produces fewer jobs than spending the same dollar on education, healthcare, clean energy and other beneficial programs; and

Whereas, U.S. military spending has ballooned to more than half of federal discretionary spending – more than during the Cold War, the Vietnam conflict, or the Korean War; and

Whereas, the United States trails many other nations in life expectancy, infant mortality, education, housing, and environmental sustainability;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Board of Alders of the City of New Haven, Connecticut calls on the U.S. Congress and the U.S. President to end foreign ground and air wars; refrain from new military ventures; work toward an end to all nuclear weapons; reduce military spending in order to meet human needs; promote job creation; re-train and re-employ those losing jobs in the process of conversion to non-military industries; rebuild infrastructure; assist municipal and state governments; and develop a new economy based on renewable energy.

Be it further resolved that the most honorable City Clerk of New Haven is hereby directed to accomplish any and all actions necessary to place the following non-binding advisory referendum on the November 3, 2020 municipal ballot:

“Shall Congress prepare for health and climate crises by transferring funds from the military budget to cities for human needs, jobs and an environmentally sustainable economy?”.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, 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

Guadalajara, Mexico: Online Diploma of Culture of Peace

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

An article from the Government of Guadalajara (translation by CPNN)

The Municipal President of Guadalajara, Ismael Del Toro Castro, has inaugurated an online Diploma of Culture of Peace and Civil Society Organizations: Paradigms, Innovation and Contemporary Action.

“It is very important today, on the subject of the culture of peace, that we can all be in this training process, in the new reality that is going to present itself in our environment and that forces governments and civil society to be even more closely linked on the subject of culture of peace, ”said the mayor of Guadalajara.

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(Click here for the Spanish original of this article)

Questions for this article:

How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

Is there progress towards a culture of peace in Mexico?

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The objective of this online diploma course is to professionally train the members of Civil Society Organizations in the field of a culture of peace, in order to address the social problems that mainly affect vulnerable groups.

For her part, the councilor Rocío Aguilar Tejada, said that the diploma “will give us the necessary elements so that all the actions are aimed at achieving peace and thereby generate well-being for the people of Guadalajara.”

“The most important thing is what can be done in the various neighborhoods and districts, according to the new reality where we must work virtually. Above all, we must build peace in the neighborhoods and within the civilian associations”, said the Secretary General of the Guadalajara City Council, Víctor Manuel Sánchez.

José Carlos Izaguirre, coordinator and representative of the Consultative Council of Civil Society Organizations for Human Development, and Ernesto Samuel Rea, president of the Jalisco Bar Association, were also present at the opening of the event, carried out by electronic means.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

Mayors and Ecologists on the Left in France: A “tour de force”

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

An article by Florent Le Du in L’Humanité (reprinted by permission) (translation by CPNN)

About twenty socialist, environmentalist and communist mayors gathered in the Loire Valley on Tuesday to build a network for sharing ideas and building common projects. Without aiming for the presidential election, they assure.


Among the mayors meeting in Tours on July 21, from left to right: Léonore Moncond’huy (Poitiers), Eric Piolle (Grenoble), Emmanuel Denis (Tours), Anne Hidalgo (Paris) and Johanna Rolland (Nantes). Guillaume Souvant / AFP

One hundred years after the famous Congress, Tours was once again, on Tuesday, at the heart of the debates of the Left, for a day. Green-pink-red elected officials – mayors, deputies or metropolitan presidents of twenty-one cities – gathered there for a working seminar, at the invitation of the new municipal councilor, Emmanuel Denis, who wishes to create a federation of town halls for “social ecology”. Anne Hidalgo (PS, Paris), Bruno Bernard (EELV, metropolis of Lyon), Nathalie Appéré (PS, Rennes), Johanna Rolland (PS, Nantes), Éric Piolle (EELV, Grenoble), and Léonore Moncond’huy (EELV , Poitiers) notably made the trip.

This meeting is a foreshadowing of the future, said the mayor of Tours. The voters have sent a clear message: they want an acceleration of the transition to renewable energy. Synergies must be set up between these cities, especially those that are ecologically advanced, a network of humanist cities.”

Three central themes

Ecology was widely discussed during this meeting, with the issues of 5G, clean transport, the development of bicycle networks, ecological transition and waste treatment. Beyond the environmental issue, elected officials also worked on the city’s policies in terms of youth and precarious employment, integration of working-class communities, reception of refugees, housing and a social and solidarity economy.

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(Click here for the French version of this article)

Question related to this article:
 
How can culture of peace be developed at the municipal level?

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“We spent the morning sweeping through the various topics around three central themes, which are solidarity, ecology and citizenship. For each of these subjects, it will then be necessary to have regular exchanges in order to build real common projects, continue to be inspired by what colleagues are doing and weigh in order to remove certain constraints”, explained Gaylord Le Chequer, deputy to the PCF mayor of Montreuil, Patrice Bessac.

“An ambiguity”

The Tours gathering is therefore the birth of a network for the convergence of ideas, exchanges of good practices and mutual aid. It is not a new movement with the Élysée in the sights, say the elected officials present. A few days ago, in the Journal du dimanche, the president of the metropolis of Lyon, Bruno Bernard, had mentioned “an ambiguity” on this subject and a need to “clarify things”. “This has been done, no personal ambition or prospecting for the future of national politics has been put forward,” he said on Tuesday at the end of the first half-day of work.

However, this network of left mayors has an interest in having a national resonance, according to Nathalie Appéré, PS mayor of Rennes: “We are not building a new left here, but a left of the territories which will have to be heard at the national level. It is essential to remove certain blockages, particularly on the ecological transition. We have battles to take to the government. According to Anne Hidalgo, “obviously, this convergence must also make it possible to transform 21 votes of mayors into one. We are decentralizers. We must finally get out of this archaism in which our country has been immersed for a very long time, this Jacobinism, this Colbertism, which means that everything is decided at the level of the ministries in Paris. ”

“Congress of Tours reversed”

Hidalgo, the elected mayor of Paris, had already announced, on the eve of the second round of municipal elections, the transformation of its “Paris en commun” platform into a “lasting political structure” with the objective of creating a “federation” with a view in particular to preparing the next electoral deadlines. Until then, all of the questions discussed during the Touraine seminar will then be divided into working groups. “With the health crisis we have become accustomed to meeting remotely, this is what we will do very regularly with all the mayors gathered here, and others like Michèle Rubirola in Marseille”, explained Emmanuel Denis. . Regular meetings like yesterday’s are also planned “in order to maintain momentum and never lose the connection”. The mayor of Touraine hopes to be able to hold this rally again in his city at the end of the year: “Since the split of the left took place in December 1920, we can celebrate this centenary by uniting it again. A sort of inverted Congress of Tours.
 

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe