Category Archives: Europe

France: Comment venir en aide aux réfugiés ?

. . TOLÉRANCE & SOLIDARITÉ . .

Un article du Routard

Face à l’urgence humanitaire, il est grand temps d’agir. Dons d’argent, volontariat, hébergement, soutien aux ONG et aux initiatives citoyennes locales… Routard.com fait le point sur les différents moyens d’aider les réfugiés en Europe, mais aussi leurs familles restées au pays.

routard
Cliquez sur le photo pour l’élargir

C’est l’une des pires catastrophes humanitaires depuis la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Depuis le début de l’année, l’Europe fait face à un afflux record de réfugiés, dont une majorité de ressortissants syriens. Plus de 320 000 personnes, selon l’ONU, ont traversé la Méditerranée, venant de Syrie, d’Irak, d’Afghanistan, de Lybie, du Soudan et d’autres pays en guerre.

Pour des milliers d’entre eux, ce voyage aura été le dernier. La Méditerranée est devenue un cimetière, aux portes d’une Europe forteresse refusant de voir l’ampleur du drame.

Les chiffres font froid dans le dos. Rien que pour la Syrie, selon Amnesty International, près de 220 000 personnes ont été tuées depuis le début du conflit et 12,8 millions de personnes ont besoin d’urgence d’une aide humanitaire. Plus de 4 millions de réfugiés venant de Syrie (95 %) se trouvent dans seulement cinq pays, à savoir la Turquie, le Liban, la Jordanie, l’Irak et l’Égypte

Derrière ces froides statistiques, il y a autant de drames humains. Ces hommes, femmes et enfants n’ont d’autre choix que de quitter leur pays pour sauver leur vie. Ils méritent en premier lieu notre solidarité et notre aide, et non le rejet à coup de barbelés et de répression.

Il faut aider les réfugiés !

:: Comment s’y prendre ?

Lundi 7 septembre, François Hollande a annoncé que 24 000 réfugiés seraient accueillis sur le sol français en l’espace de deux ans, ce qui est dérisoire au regard de l’urgence humanitaire.

Sans attendre, vous pouvez apporter votre aide aux réfugiés qui ont besoin de vous. Les initiatives se multiplient en France qu’elles soient le fait de simples citoyens ou d’ONG.

Il y plusieurs façons d’aider :

– dons d’argent, de nourriture ou de vêtements ;

– accueil de personnes en difficulté ;

– bénévolat ; aide administrative, engagement citoyen auprès d’associations locales…

Pour être efficace, il est essentiel de s’organiser et prendre contact avec les bénévoles pour connaître les besoins réels.

:: À qui s’adresser ?

Routard.com vous donne les adresses et les liens utiles pour venir en aide aux réfugiés.

Les principales ONG pour venir en aide aux réfugiés

(Cliquez ici pour une traduction anglaise.)

(L’article se continue à droite.)

Question for discussion

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

(L’article se continue de la gauche.)

Les associations suivantes viennent en aide aux réfugiés à l’étranger, dans les pays d’origine et en France, en mettant en oeuvre différentes initiatives : aide médicale et alimentaire sur place, amélioration des conditions de vie des réfugiés dans les camps de transit, assistance tout au long du parcours, sauvetage en Méditerranée, soutien des associations locales, notamment à Calais.

Elles indiquent sur leur site leur programme d’aide et d’intervention et expliquent comment vous pouvez les aider.

La FNARS, une fédération qui regroupe 870 associations de solidarité à travers la France.

Agence des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés

International Rescue Comittee

Médecins du Monde

Médecins sans Frontières

La Croix Rouge Française

France Terre d’Asile

Care France

Première Urgence Internationale

Solidarités International

La Cimade

L’UNICEF

CCFD Terre-Solidaire

Emmaüs

Calais Migrant Solidarity

Les initiatives citoyennes et locales

Des centaines d’initiatives citoyennes ont vu le jour en France.

Afin de repérer la plus proche de chez vous, le site internet aiderlesrefugies.fr répertorie l’ensemble des opérations d’aide, de soutien et d’accueil en France et dans le monde en les géolocalisant sur une carte.

Si vous souhaitez héberger une personne ou une famille dans le besoin, l’association d’aide aux réfugiés SINGA a créé la plateforme CALM (Comme à la maison) qui met en relation les particuliers et les réfugiés et recense des milliers de propositions d’hébergements.

Libre à vous de choisir les initiatives qui vous correspondent le mieux, en faisant preuve de discernement notamment pour les dons d’argent car si les ONG ont un devoir légal de transparence, ce n’est pas forcément le cas des initiatives privées.

Quoi qu’il en soit, chaque geste compte. Merci pour votre aide.

Europe

International dialogue on gender equality in the media to be held in Geneva

. WOMEN’S EQUALITY .

An article from UNESCO

From 7 to 10 December, UNESCO and the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG) will hold the first International Development Cooperation Meeting on Gender and Media and the first General Assembly of the Global Alliance on Media and Gender (GAMAG), in Geneva, Switzerland.

geneva
Pupils participating in a physical education class at Tutis Primary School in Oromia State of Ethiopia, November 2013. © UNICEF Ethiopia

The events are co-hosted by the Republic of Lebanon and the Hellenic Republic (Greece) and supported by close to 20 UN organizations. Both events will coincide with the International Human Rights Day, December 10.

Women’s participation, their leadership and fair representation in media and technology are way below that of their male counterparts. After four decades of research and development actions, little change can be celebrated.

The world famous actor* Geena Davis observed that at the present rate, it will take another 70 years to achieve gender equality in the media. This is more than four times the number of years agreed upon by the international development community to achieve the new sustainable development goals, by 2030. A dialogue of a different order is needed.

Gender inequalities in the media and technology are rooted in cultures, traditions, stereotypes, beliefs and a lack of awareness of the negative gains of these inequalities on economic and sustainable development. Such social practices are no longer separated by remote geographical boundaries. Dialogue then becomes crucial to bring about a deeper understanding and agreement on a common path to change.

Therefore, the main aim of the high-level events is to initiate a dialogue about global development cooperation framework to achieve gender equality in and through media. The meeting will include various development actors such as UN agencies, funds and programmes, national and regional development organizations, governments, private sector and other international development organizations. Ministers, ambassadors, media, civil society, private sector, and development executives as well as leading experts are invited to attend.

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Question for this article

Does the UN advance equality for women?

(Article continued from left column)

Topics will include ingredients for global development cooperation framework on gender and media, the emerging online media and youth, gender and media as a business and development model, and strategic link between policy and research on gender and media.

To register for these events please click here.

GAMAG is a UNESCO-initiated groundbreaking partnership among over 800 media, civil society, academic, private and governmental organizations. Its purpose is to be the global mechanism through which Section J, gender and media, of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPA) can be systematically implemented and monitored. It is governed by 20 member organizations that form the international steering committee.

Before GAMAG there was no defined global framework for follow up on Section J of the BDPA. The twin events from 7-10 December 2015 will build on the global partnerships started through GAMAG. Yes We Must! Reaching Gender Equality by 2030.

Register now for these events and join GAMAG.

For more information please visit our website.

Europe, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Spain: An appeal against NATO military exercises galvanizes demonstrations and civil disobedience actions

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from Tercera Information (reprinted in accordance with the rules of Creative Commons and translated by CPNN)

More than 70 groups and organizations throughout Spain and the rest of Europe have so far made public their support for the “ Call to Action” against the military exercise “Trident Juncture 2015”, the largest exercise by NATO since the end of the Cold War, which from today will mobilize 36,000 soldiers, 4,000 vehicles, warplanes and hundreds of tanks in Italy, Portugal and especially in Spain, where 20,000 troops are deployed (8,000 of them provided by the Spanish armed forces themselves).

no nato

Following this call, groups from different places have engaged in nonviolent actions. In Bilbao and Valencia, they have blocked the path of the military machine by chaining themselves to the tanks that were preparing participate. In the port of Sagunto they have cut off the flow of arms to the prinicipal area of ​​these “war games” in Zaragoza, And in Zaragoza itself they are preparing a human chain of protest against the visit to that city by secretary general of NATO on 4 November which the military organization has defined as “Distinguished Visitors Day”. Demonstrations and civil disobedience actions that have also taken place in Barbate (Cádiz) with the support of the Network Antimilitarista y Noviolenta de Andalucia and the Network Antimilitarista Europea. “The war starts here, let’s stop it here”: that is the main motto for these actions of protest and civil resistance to barbarism, responding to the Call to Action.

All the signatory groups believe that these “super-manoevers” “increase insecurity in the world and particularly our region which is the main stage of their war operations. If we allow them to bring the war “home”, we become collaborators of the violence of NATO, encouraging terrorism, social division, racism, fear … ”

The NATO exercise Trident Juncture has taken over and militarized ports, airports, railways and natural spaces in Valencia, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Navarre, Albacete and parts of Andalucía in order to undertake training for war and to certify the offensive and interventionist capacity and high readiness of the forces of NATO and to display their destructive power.

In the view of the organizations supporting the call, “the NATO maneuvers are designed to protect only a privileged minority, while increasing global military spending at the expense of vital investment in social and humanitarian needs, such as fighting the dramatic consequences of the capitalist crisis, curbing environmental degradation, promoting fair trade, economic solidarity and cooperation for the overall development of the planet.”

(Article continued in the right column)

( Click here for the original Spanish version. )

Question for this article:

Can NATO be abolished?

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According to these groups, one can see the policies that prioritize the preparation of war in the fact that only in 2014 world military expenditure was 1.8 billion dollars, while in 2016 the State Spanish consume 25 million dollars in the preparation of war and social control. The Conscientious Objection “Alternative Antimilitarista” draws attention to the fact that only one tenth of the Spanish military and repression budget would provide the amount that Action Against Hunger estimates is needed to end child malnutrition worldwide. In fact, the Spanish State is among the 7 major global arms exporters, and the permanent members of the Security Council of the UN are the largest exporters of military equipment. ”

According to Alternative Antimilitarista, “these policies contribute to increasing tension, insecurity and the arms race in the world. The trip over themselves to make new wars that produce new ‘enemies’, which are, in turn, used as an alibi to justify further military and militarism, thus closing the vicious circle: If you want peace, prepare for peace, not war ”

Further according to Alternative Antimilitarista, “The consequences of these militarist policies of NATO, as well as Russia and its allies, are visible to the public in the form of systematic violation of human rights, destruction and persecution of civilians, extreme violence against women, the plundering of resources, and the exodus of millions of people in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, among other territories. We need to act consistently on the plight of refugees: a truly humane policy would immediately suspend these military maneuvers and invest their budget (the size of which is kept secret) in aid to shelter the population who are fleeing war.”

In the words of members of the anti-militarist network “We must build a culture of peace based on cooperation, justice and nonviolence, not deterrence and force.” “We must change the paradigm of defense and security defined militarily, that leads us again and again to war and violence. Instead, we need “human security” as defined by the United Nations Development Plans, which place at the center the defense of the rights of people and nature.” In this new paradigm, “armies and military structures are actually a threat to those rights and should be abolished and dismantled.”

The appeal was made public for the first time on 1 September and continues to collect new signatures. It will be updated and disseminated again in a second delivery shortly before the “climax” of the maneuvers, when Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, Zaragoza comes to visit on 4 November to witness the “demonstration of land force”.

Click here for the list of organizations and groups that support the “Call to Action against the NATO maneuvers Trident Juncture 2015”

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Europe

France: Territories of zero long-term unemployed

… HUMAN RIGHTS …

An article from ATD Fourth World

As part of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, the “Territories of zero long-term unemployed”, an experiment initiated by ATD Fourth World, launched a strike notice of the unemployed. On October 15, around friendly pickets, everyone will work.

chomage

As part of the World Day to Overcome Extreme Poverty, the “Territories of zero long-term unemployed”, an experiment initiated by ATD Fourth World, launched a strike notice of the unemployed. On October 15, around friendly pickets, everyone will work.

The strike of the unemployed, what is it?

In the same way that employees disgruntled by their working conditions cease their activity, unemployed citizens who protest against the deprivation of employment begin a strike.

Instead of remaining idle, the unemployed and those who support them perform useful work that is not being done otherwise. (see press release).

Why?

The “Territories of zero long-term unemployed” proposes to create new jobs funded by the transfer of the costs of long-term unemployment. This will need a law authorizing it. Introduced by Laurent Grandguillaume, deputy of the Côte-d’Or, the bill will receive its first reading at the National Assembly the week of November 23, 2015.

What is being done in what places?

There is no shortage of work that needs to be done nor the skills to do it. The project stakeholders, the unemployed, entrepreneurs, elected officials, have identified social needs that are not satisfied, and on October 15, strikers will complete the related work in the following regions.

 Ille-et-Vilaine: Saint Ganton and Pipriac

– Creation of a garden shared between the nursing home and home of persons with disabilities
– Landscaping the site of a Neolithic village
– Miscellaneous maintenance and beautification of the town center
– Timely support to the work of harvesting a vegetable garden
– Helping children cross streets to go to schools in Pipriac and Saint-Ganton,
– Collecting cardboard and paper from companies
– Various administrative tasks in the city councils of the two towns, as well as in businesses.

Meurthe-et-Moselle: Colombey and South Toulois

– Work at the leisure center of Favières,
– Workshop for apple juice manufacturing at the “cuvée des bras perdus”
– A hall for trades and know-how

Deux-Sèvres: Grand Mauleon

-Cleaning brush from public spaces
-Setting up recycling collection with the elderly
-Workshops for reading, computer-initiation and creation of a tourist circuit.

Nièvre: in Prémery, Community of Municipalities Entre Nièvres and forests

– -Part of the premises of a disused factory will be rehabilitated to accommodate local enterprises

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

Question for this article:

Can state funds be used to provide work for the unemployed?

Europe, HUMAN RIGHTS

Distrust over EU GM crop approvals grows as 17 countries move towards national bans

. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT .

An article by Greenpeace

In the latest blow to the European Commission’s laissez-faire approach to GM crops, 17 EU countries and four regions (in two other countries) are in the process of banning the cultivation of GM crops on their territories. On 5 October, 17 EU countries (Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland and Slovenia) and four regional administrations (Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the UK, and Wallonia in Belgium) had notified the Commission of their intention to ban GM crop cultivation under new EU rules [1].


greenpeace
Click on photo to enlarge

This brings the total number of countries who have already declared their intention to put in place GM crop bans to 17 – plus four regions – representing over 65 per cent of the EU’s population and 65 per cent of its arable land (for detailed figures please see this table: bit.ly/1OhTApm).

The bans currently notified apply to the only GM crop currently approved for cultivation in Europe – Monsanto’s pesticide-producing GM maize, known as MON810 – but also to the seven GM crops awaiting approval by the Commission [2]. These are all GM maizes [3].

Nine EU countries (Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg and Poland) had previously banned cultivation of MON810 under so-called safeguard clauses.

Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg said: “A clear majority of the EU’s governments are rejecting the Commission’s drive for GM crop approvals. They don’t trust EU safety assessments and are rightly taking action to protect their agriculture and food. The only way to restore trust in the EU system now is for the Commission to hit the pause button on GM crop approvals and to urgently reform safety testing and the approval system.”

In July 2014, Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said that the Commission should not be able to force through GM crops against a majority of EU countries [4]. The Commission is yet to deliver a legislative proposal that can achieve this. A revised EU risk assessment scheme, called for by EU environment ministers in 2008, has similarly not been implemented. Current risk assessments by the EU’s food safety authority also ignore EU rules in place since 2001 (Directive 2001/18) for more in-depth and independent testing of GM crops.

(Continued on right side of page)

Question for this article:

What is the relation between the environment and peace?

(Article continued from left side of page)

Notes:

[1] Under EU Directive 2015/412, governments can ask biotech companies whose GM crops have already been authorised for cultivation in the EU, or are pending approval, not to market their crops on their territory. The companies – Dow, Monsanto, Syngenta and Pioneer – can then accept or refuse these opt-outs, without having to justify their response. Governments can also legislate to ban individual or groups of GM crops approved in the EU. The Commission list of notifications for national bans: http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/gmo/new/authorisation/cultivation/geographical_scope_en.htm.

[2] Denmark and Luxembourg are so far requesting bans for MON810 and only three other GM crops pending approval.

[3] The pending authorisations include Pioneer’s pesticide-producing GM maize, known as 1507, whose EU approval was opposed by 19 out of 28 EU countries in February 2014: http://www.greenpeace.org/eu-unit/en/News/2014/Record-number-of-EU-countries-opposes-Commission-plan-to-allow-pesticide-producing-GM-maize.

[4] Juncker said: “[I] would not want the Commission to be able to take a decision when a majority of Member States has not encouraged it to do so”: Political Guidelines for the next European Commission (July 2014): http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/docs/pg_en.pdf

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

2015 MacBride Prize to Lampedusa (Italy) and Gangjeon Village, Jeju Island (S. Korea)

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

A press release by The International Peace Bureau

The International Peace Bureau is delighted to announce its decision to award the annual Sean MacBride Peace Prize to two island communities who, in different circumstances, show proof of a profound commitment to peace and social justice.

ipb prize

LAMPEDUSA is a small island in the Mediterranean and is the southernmost part of Italy. Being the closest part of the territory to the African coastline, it has been since the early 2000s a primary European entry point for migrants and refugees. The numbers of persons arriving has been rapidly increasing, with hundreds of thousands at risk while travelling, and over 1900 deaths in 2015 alone.

The people of the island of Lampedusa have given the world an extraordinary example of human solidarity, offering clothing, shelter and food to those who have arrived, in distress, on their shores. The response of the Lampedusans stands out in stark contrast to the behaviour and official policies of the European Union, apparently intent only on reinforcing their borders in the attempt to keep these migrants out. This ‘Fortress Europe’ policy is becoming more and more militarised.

Aware of its multi‐layered culture, which epitomizes the evolution of the Mediterranean region where over the centuries different civilizations have blended and built on each others’ developments, with mutual enrichment, the island of Lampedusa also shows the world that a culture of hospitality and respect for human dignity are the most effective antidotes to nationalism and religious fundamentalism.

To give but one example of the heroic actions of the people of Lampedusa, let us recall the events of the night of 7‐8 May 2011. A boat full of migrants crashed into a rocky outcrop, not far from the shore. Although it was in the middle of the night, the inhabitants of Lampedusa turned out in their hundreds to form a human chain between the shipwreck and the coast. That night alone more than 500 people, including many children, were carried to safety.

At the same time the people of the island are very clear that the problem is a European one, not theirs alone. In November 2012, Mayor Nicolini sent an urgent appeal to Europe’s leaders. She expressed her outrage that the European Union, which had just received the Nobel Peace Prize, was ignoring the tragedies occurring on its Mediterranean borders.

The IPB believes that the dramatic situation in the Mediterranean – constantly visible in the mass media ‐ must be at the top of Europe’s urgent priorities. Much of the problem springs from social injustices and inequalities resulting in conflicts in which the West has – over centuries ‐‐ played an aggressive role. We recognise that there are no easy solutions, but as a guiding principle, Europe should be honouring the ideals of human solidarity, over and above the cynical considerations of governments and profit/power/resource‐seeking entities. When Europe contributes to the ruining of the livelihoods of people, as for instance in Iraq and Libya, Europe will have to find ways to help rebuild those livelihoods. It should be below the dignity of Europe to spend billions on military interventions, and yet not to have the resources available to meet the basic needs. The most vital question is how to develop cooperation between people of goodwill on both sides of the Mediterranean in a long‐term, constructive, gender‐sensitive and sustainable process.

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Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

Readers’ comments are invited on this question and article. See below for comments box.

(article continued from the left side of the page)

GANGJEON VILLAGE is the site of the controversial 50‐hectare Jeju Naval Base being constructed by the South Korean government on the southern coast of Jeju Island, at a projected cost of nearly $1 billion. The waters around the island are protected by international law as they are within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (in October 2010, nine geological sites on on the island were recognised as Global Geoparks by the UNESCO Global Geoparks Network). Even so, the construction of the base continues, although building work has been halted many times by mass protests of people concerned about the base’s environmental impact. These people see the base as a US‐driven project aimed at containing China, rather than enhancing South Korean security In July 2012, the South Korean Supreme Court upheld the base’s construction. It is expected to host up to 24 US and allied military vessels, including 2 Aegis destroyers and 6 nuclear submarines, plus occasional civilian cruise ships on completion (now scheduled for 2016).

Jeju Island has been dedicated to peace ever since around 30,000 were massacred there from 1948‐54, following a peasant uprising against US occupation. The South Korean government apologized for the massacre in 2006 and the late President Roh Moo Hyun officially named Jeju an “Island of World Peace”. This violent history helps to explain why the people of Gangjeon Village (population 2000) have been protesting non‐violently for around 8 years against the naval base project. According to Medea Benjamin of Code Pink, “About 700 people have been arrested and charged with hefty fines that amount to over $400,000, fines that they cannot or will not pay. Many have spent days or weeks or months in jail, including a well‐known film critic Yoon Mo Yong who spent 550 days in prison after committing multiple acts of civil disobedience.” The energy and commitment shown by the villagers has attracted the support (and participation) of activists from around the world. We endorse the construction of a permanent Peace Center on the site which can act as a focus for activities reflecting alternative views to those represented by the militarists.

IPB makes the award in order to increase the visibility of this exemplary non‐violent
struggle at a crucial time. It takes great courage to physically oppose the government’s growing aggressive and militaristic policies, especially as they are backed by, and at the service of, the Pentagon. It takes even more courage to maintain that struggle over a period of many years.

CONCLUSION
There is an important connection between the two situations. Not only do we recognise the common humanity of those who resist without weapons the forces of domination in their own island. We make the argument that public resources should not be spent on massive military installations that only increase the tension between nations in the region; rather they should be devoted to meeting human need. If we continue devoting the world’s resources to military rather than humanistic purposes, it is inevitable that we will continue to witness these inhuman situations with desperate people, refugees and migrants, at risk while crossing the seas and at the prey of unscrupulous gangs. Thus we repeat also in this context the basic message of IPB’s Global Campaign on Military Spending: Move the Money!

East Asia, Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

UK: Power to the Peaceful – Support Jeremy Corbyn – Join Stop the War

. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION .

An article from Stop the War

Jeremy Corbyn’s fantastic victory in the Labour party leadership election is a huge tribute to him as a campaigner and Member of Parliament. It is also the result of the years of campaigning by the movements against war and austerity.

stopwar

Jeremy has always supported Stop the War, which has played an important part in building anti-war and peace sentiment in Britain, and he is currently our national chair.

Labour members and supporters have delivered a fitting riposte to the terrible legacy of Tony Blair, who helped to launch the ‘war on terror’ and took us into catastrophic war in Iraq.

But we know that the Tory government and its media supporters continue to press for wars and military solutions, despite the obvious failure of such strategies.

Jeremy’s victory sends a strong message against war, injustice and inequality. It raises the possibility of a real break with current foreign policy. But he will need the widest and most active possible support.

Stop the War is committed to campaigning with everyone who agrees with his ideas, to bolster anti-war opinion and strengthen the mass movement.

As David Cameron prepares for a vote in parliament to bomb Syria, the Stop the War Coalition is needed more than ever.

Please do everything possible to help and especially, join us if you can.

– Join Stop the War – help spread our message and strengthen our campaign

– Donate – unlike the merchants of war, we rely on our members and supporters for all our funding

Help the campaign to stop the bombing in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East, to oppose the replacement of Trident nuclear missiles, and to prevent future wars.

Question related to this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Youth Congress of Esperanto held in Germany

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

Special to CPNN by Klara Ertl

From the 2d to 9th of August 2015, the 71st International Youth Congress of Esperanto (a.k.a. “Internacia Junulara Kongreso” or IJK) took place in the city of Wiesbaden, Germany. There were 300 participants from 35 countries, mainly young adults but also children, teenagers and older adults. They all had one common language: Esperanto.

esperanto

Esperanto was initiated as an international bridge language with no country to be attached to, simple and easy to learn, and fair to everyone. Its initiator, L. L. Zamenhof from Poland, grew up in a country torn by cultural conflicts. The idea of peace was his chief motivation to dedicate all his efforts to this ambitious project, and peace still lies at the core of the Esperanto movement worldwide.

During one week, in and around the youth hostel of Wiesbaden, participants gave presentations and courses on various subjects, played music, sports and games, danced, talked, joked, debated and organized, bought and sold Esperanto books, magazines and music. They shared their knowledge, their skills and above all, their friendship. Young or old, poor or rich, and no matter which of the five continents they were from and how proficient they were at Esperanto – everyone was given a chance to express themselves, and listened to. Equality was also explicitly promoted: For example, some of the participants made an ongoing initiative to inform about and promote acceptance for transgenderism. There is a growing tendency among Esperanto speakers to add a new, gender-neutral pronoun (“ri”) to the traditional pronouns for male (“li”) and female (“ŝi”).

In 1985, at its General Conference in Sofia, UNESCO acknowledged the results obtained by the use of Esperanto in mutual understanding between peoples, and its potential for contributing to it in the future. It also invited all its Member States to introduce the study of Esperanto in schools and institutions of higher education. Though this is rarely done, it can easily be learned by informal means, especially through the Internet.

The next IJK will take place next summer in Wroclaw, Poland. But Esperanto meetings take place all year, and no matter where in the world, they create a space for cultural exchange, openness, and equality.

—-

Some links:

Homepage of TEJO (Worldwide Esperanto Youth Organization), which organizes this congress: www.tejo.org

Information about Esperanto: www.esperanto.net

Learning Esperanto: www.lernu.net

Main Esperanto Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/esperanto.grupo/

Question for this article
Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Hundreds of women trade unionists gather for world conference in Vienna

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from industri-all global union

Some 300 women trade unionists from over 60 countries are gathering in Vienna, Austria for IndustriALL Global Union’s first-ever Women World Conference.

new women

The inaugural event, hosted by Austrian trade union PRO-GE, takes place from 14 to 16 September in the capital.

Austria’s President, Dr. Heinz Fischer, will address the opening ceremony, together with the minister for health, Sabine Oberhauser, the minister for labour, Rudolf Hundstorfer and the secretary of state, Sonja Stessl.

IndustriALL Global Union, which represents 50 million workers in the metal, chemical, energy, mining, textile and related industries, is bringing together women trade unionists from across five continents to address some of the issues most affecting women in the workplace.

“Vienna has opened its arms to our trade union colleagues and we are delighted to welcome so many women to Austria for IndustriALL’s first World Women Conference. It promises to be a lively and informative conference from which we will emerge stronger and better equipped to improve the lives of women through the trade union movement,” said IndustriALL’s assistant general secretary Monika Kemperle.

A key theme of the conference will be unions’ role in preventing violence against women, with a new campaign launched on the occasion. Gender-based violence and discrimination whether at work or not, limits women’s potential at work and is therefore a trade union issue.

Women panelists from countries as diverse as Australia, Colombia, Iraq, Myanmar, the Ukraine and South Africa, will be sharing their experiences and expertise in improving health and safety, increasing maternity protection, preventing HIV/AIDS, building membership, fighting precarious work, ending gender discrimination, and achieving a work/life balance, among other topics.

An Equality Charter advocating women’s rights will be proposed for adoption at the Conference. Trade unions, especially in male-dominated sectors, have not always been inclusive of women or taken their concerns seriously.

Participants will also be examining IndustriALL’s own leadership structures with a motion to increase women’s representation from 30 to 40 per cent.

The event is due to be streamed live on www.industriall-union.org and can be followed on twitter at @IndustriALL_GU and #WWCVienna.

For more information, please contact Leonie Guguen, Communications Officer at IndustriALL Global Union. Email: lguguen@industriall-union.org. Tel: +41 (0)79 137 54 36.

(Thank you to Janet Hudgins, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

(Click here for a Spanish version of this article or here for a French version)

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Europe, global, WOMEN'S EQUALITY,

A stronger UN: The Elders hold high-level talks in Liechtenstein

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A press release from The Elders

As the UN celebrates its 70th year, three Elders travelled to Liechtenstein to participate in high-level discussions on strengthening the organisation with a distinguished and diverse group of experts.

Liechtenstein

The Elders met in Liechtenstein on 5-6 September at the invitation of Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick to discuss proposals on strengthening the United Nations in its 70th anniversary year to ensure it remains “fit for purpose”.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair of The Elders, led the delegation together with Lakhdar Brahimi and Martti Ahtisaari, and held wide-ranging discussions with ministers from Liechtenstein and other UN states, including several UN Permanent Representatives and former officials.

The discussions follow the launch of The Elders’ “Stronger UN” initiative at the Munich Security Conference in February 2015, which calls for four fundamental changes to the way the organisation operates: enlargement of the UN Security Council, a new agreement on UNSC veto restraint to prevent mass atrocities, a transparent and accountable mechanism to elect the new UN Secretary-General, and greater involvement of civil society in UN processes and decision-making.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair of The Elders, said:

“We have held excellent and substantial discussions on all aspects of strengthening the UN with a distinguished and diverse group of experts. The constructive ideas raised and debated should prompt further informed debate at the UN General Assembly later this month.”

“We are particularly grateful to Liechtenstein for hosting this event, and for its commitment to UN reform as a member of the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency Group (ACT) and its wider foreign policy priorities.”

“The UN is a vital part of our global security and governance infrastructure but it has to change – its present arrangements are neither normal nor reasonable. We hope that discussions such as these will generate sufficient political momentum that the key players within the UN system will view The Elders’ initiative for formal consideration.”
The Elders will discuss their proposals further in New York at the upcoming UN summit on the Sustainable Development Goals and the General Assembly.

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Can the UN help move the world toward a culture of peace?

The following comes from the CPNN Coordinator’s blog of October 2012

The United Nations and the Culture of Peace

My ten years working in the United Nations system left me with a sweet and sour taste: the sweet side was the universality of the UN, both its staff and mandate, and its great significance for raising the consciousness of the peoples of the world; the sour side was the jealousy of the Member States who make sure that the UN does not encroach on their freedom to rule over their own citizens, as well as people in other countries that they may dominate through neo-colonial relations. This became crystal-clear to me when the United States delegate, during the informal meetings of the UN General Assembly in 1999, opposed the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, saying that it would make it more difficult for them to start a war. In fact, throughout history, war (call it “defense” if you prefer) has always been the most fundamental “right” of the state

With this in mind, I have been pleasantly surprised by the extent to which the UN system has once again taken up the culture of peace as a priority, as shown in this month’s CPNN bulletin, just as it was a priority in the Year 2000 when I was the director of the UN International Year for the Culture of Peace

Of course, this does not happen by chance, and great credit belongs to two men who played key roles for the Year 2000, Federico Mayor Zaragoza, who made the culture of peace a priority of UNESCO, and Anwarul Chowdhury, who played the role of midwife at the UN General Assembly, guiding the culture of peace resolution through nine months of opposition by the powerful states. Once again, this last month, these two men motivated and spoke eloquently at the High Level Forum on a Culture of Peace at the UN

As always it was the countries of the South who supported the initiative (see the CPNN article of September 24 and its discussion), but at least this month it was not blocked by the powerful states

In fact, it is my impression that the powerful states pay less and less attention to the United Nations. When there was a financial crisis a few years ago, the powerful states did not turn to the UN agencies , the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, but set up their own temporary system of finance ministers, and when it came time for the review of nuclear non-proliferation, President Obama held his own meeting with heads of state in Washington and ignored the UN conference where the only head of state to speak was that of Iran. And the US has pulled out of UNESCO entirely, forcing drastic cuts in its budget

In fact, the lack of attention by the powerful states may provide the UN system with an opportunity to push the agenda of the culture of peace without their opposition – let us hope that the UN can take advantage of this

Of course, in the long run, the UN, or any other institution, cannot mandate a culture of peace; instead, the culture of peace can only grow from the consciousness, both understanding and action, of the peoples of the world (see last month’s blog below). That’s why the role of the UN for consciousnes-raising is ultimately its greatest contribution!

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