English bulletin February 1, 2016

PEACE: ARE WE MAKING PROGRESS ?

As we enter the new year of 2016, we may ask if the culture of peace continues to advance on all the fronts that we covered in the various CPNN bulletins of 2015:

WELCOME THE REFUGEES (December): Despite the political resistance to refugees in Europe, there are also social movements in defense of the refugees. This was expressed recently by rallies throughout Europe marking the Global Day of Action against Racism. The Madrid Rally was held under the slogan: “We are all migrants and refugees, we all have rights.” Another slogan was “No to NATO!, making it clear that the influx of refugees is largely due to the military interventions by NATO in Africa and the Middle East.

CULTURE OF PEACE IN LATIN AMERICA (November): There are peace initiatives underway throughout Latin America. The November bulletin describes actions in Cuba, Bolivia, Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Chile, Colombia and Honduras. Last month 500 delegates from 18 countries and 34 education trade unions in Latin America met in Costa Rica in the third meeting of the Pedagogical Movement to renew the cohesion and agenda for the future of education in Latin America.

COLOMBIA PREPARES FOR PEACE (September): The biggest news for peace in Latin America last year was the progress of the peace process in Colombia. As indicated in the chronology published this month, we can expect the signing of peace accords in the month of March.

NEEDED: POLITICAL WILL AT COP21 (August): Although experts regret the lack of political will at the Climate Summit (see last month’s bulletin), the year 2015 has seen “amazing advances in renewable energy,” which raise hopes that we can reverse the process of global warming and climate change despite the failure of the nations to curb their reliance on fossil fuels.

CONFRONTING TERRORISM WITHOUT VIOLENCE (July): The mayors of Paris and Madrid, the cities of Europe that have suffered the most from terrorist attacks have announed that they will hold an international peace forum in response. Rather than promoting military responses, they propose education for non-violence. Similarly, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has released a UN plan of action to confront violent extremism that calls for cultural rather than military measures. Since “extremism flourishes when human rights are violated, political space is shrunk, aspirations for inclusion are ignored, and too many people – especially young people – lack prospects and meaning in their lives. . . . [we need to emphasize] the critical elements for success: Good governance. The rule of law. Political participation. Quality education and decent jobs. Full respect for human rights. . . a special effort to reach out to young people and recognize their potential as peacebuilders.” The latter element is addressed in detail in the recent resolution 2250 of the United Nations Security Council on Youth, Peace & Security.

MOVEMENTS FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY (June): Six hundred representatives of native communities around the world recently gathered in Shillong, northeastern India, for Indigenous Terra Madre (ITM), an event that helps forge a global network of indigenous peoples, activists and their supporters. “The truth is that 500 million small household food communities feed 70 percent of the world, yet they are treated the worst of all”

THE ANTI-AUSTERITY SPRING (May): The Prime Minister of Portugal has said that the first measures of his government this year will begin to end the country impoverishment and social decline due to the policy of austerity. He came to power in the recent elections as a socialist candidate opposing austerity and is governing in coalition with the marxists parties and the communists. In Spain, Podemos which gained a large vote by opposing austerity is now trying to make a similar coalition with left political parties.

WOMEN, EQUALITY AND PEACE (April): African women, organized in Dzomo la Mupo, the Voice of the Earth, associated with the African Biodiversity Network, are reclaiming traditional agricultural practice, opposing the commercialization of farming: “Women also have to teach young girls and young women about seed and food sovereignty and the importance of soil because they’re the ones who will remain to pass that on.”

PEACE THROUGH TOURISM (March): A World Summit on Sustainable Tourism in November adopted a World Charter for Sustainable Tourism +20 incorporating the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations. The Charter also claims the preservation of the actual quality of the destinations and the tourism industry and the ability to meet the tourist as priorities, as well as the need to promote alternative forms of tourism.

LISTEN TO THE INDIGENOUS (February): We recently republished “15 Indigenous Rights Victories That You Didn’t Hear About in 2015.” “Good news. Sometimes, it comes in the form of a cancelled hydro dam that spares 20,000 people from the burden of displacement. Other times, it takes the shape of a simple court admission that Indigenous Peoples do actually make the best conservationists. . . Indigenous rights victories give us all pause to celebrate, to reflect and to rejuvenate our own quests for justice.” And Chile has created a Ministry of Indigenous People, a National Council and Indigenous People”s Councils. Representatives of the ethic groups Aymara, Quechua, Atacameños, Diaguitas, Kollas, Rapa Nui, Kawesqar, Yaganes and Mapuche were consulted.

TRUTH COMMISSIONS (January 2015): In December, the final report of the Canadian Truth Commission was published. The writer reflects that “We, as a country, are just now starting to come to terms with the sobering realization that the systematic destruction of indigenous cultures, languages, family structures, lands and ceremonies amounted to cultural genocide. . . But change is possible. We can change, we are changing, and I am very hopeful that this momentum we have collectively generated will continue. I am excited about the future that lies ahead of us and I am proud to be part of this country that is embracing this cry for change and reconciliation.”

      

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION

madrid forum<
International Peace Forum Proposed by the Mayors of Madrid and Paris

 WOMEN’S EQUALITY

africanwomen

African women organize to reclaim agriculture against corporate takeover

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY

sipri
Global arms industry: West still dominant despite decline; sales surge in rest of the world, says SIPRI

 HUMAN RIGHTS

indigenous

15 Indigenous Rights Victories That You Didn’t Hear About in 2015

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY

Chile

President Creates Ministry of Indigenous People in Chile

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

indigenous terra madre

Native Cultures Push For Sustainable Food Solutions

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Colombia

The peace process in Colombia: A Chronology

EDUCATION FOR PEACE

tawfilis

US: The First Mural Museum in the World is a Culture of Peace Museum
d-information

António Costa: “In 2016 Portugal will begin to end austerity”

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from Entorno Intelligente (translation by CPNN)

The Prime Minister of Portugal said that the first measures of his government this year will begin to end the country impoverishment and social decline due to the policy of austerity. In a letter published in the Portuguese newspaper Diário de Notícias (DN), Costa cited the almost total elimination of the special tax for workers, the gradual return of the cuts applied to government officials and an increase of 5% in the minimum wage. “With these measures, approved in the first 20 days of government, we seek to disrupt the impoverishment and social regression that have been imposed by the austerity policies.”

costa
António Costa

Between 2011 and 2015, Portugal was ruled by the center-right party under Pedro Passos Coelho which implemented tough cuts demanded by banks for the ” financial rescue” of Portugal (2011-2014).

We want to “claim a new vision for the country, a vision based on a strong and sustainable economy,” Costa continued. He is the head of government and leader of the moderate Socialist Party (PS).

The PS came to power against all odds after negotiating a post-election alliance in parliament with the Marxist left and the Communists. Their alliance ousted the center-right, which had won the elections on October 4, but without an absolute majority.

Costa mentioned other laws of a social nature adopted during the first month of his mandate: as the possibility of homosexual couples to adopt children or revocation of fees charged to women who seek an abortion.

In his letter, however, he did not allude to the most difficult aspect of his first month in power: the rescue of the bank Banif worth 2.225 million, which was opposed by their leftist partners, but was eventually approved with the abstention by the center-right.

According to the Government. this controversial injection of public funds does not affect the deficit target of 3% of GDP, and it will not be included in the accounts made by the European Commission due to the extraordinary nature of the operation.

(click here for the original version in Spanish.)

Question for this article:

Movements against governmental fiscal austerity, are they part of the global movement for a culture of peace?

Readers’ comments are invited on this question.

Europe, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

António Costa: “En 2016 Portugal empieza a romper con la austeridad”

.. DESSAROLLO SUSTENTABLE . .

Un artículo de Entorno Intelligente

El primer ministro de Portugal aseveró que las primeras medidas de su Gobierno servirán para que este año su país interrumpa el empobrecimiento y el retroceso social de la política de austeridad.

costa
António Costa

En una carta publicada en el periódico luso Diário de Notícias (DN), Costa citó la supresión casi total del impuesto extraordinario para los trabajadores, la devolución gradual de los cortes aplicados a los funcionarios y un aumento del 5% del salario mínimo.

“Con estas medidas, aprobadas en los primeros 20 días de gobernación, procuramos interrumpir el camino de empobrecimiento y retroceso social que las políticas de austeridad impusieron”, realzó el primer ministro.

Entre el 2011 y el 2015, Portugal estuvo gobernada por el centroderecha de Pedro Passos Coelho que tuvo que aplicar duros cortes por las exigencias del rescate financiero a Portugal (2011-2014).

Queremos “reivindicar una nueva visión para el país, una visión basada en una economía más fuerte y sustentable”, prosiguió el jefe de Gobierno y líder del moderado Partido Socialista (PS).

El PS llegó al poder contra todo pronóstico después de trabar una alianza postelectoral en el Parlamento con la izquierda marxista y los comunistas que desbancó al centroderecha, que había vencido las elecciones del 4 de octubre, pero sin mayoría absoluta.

Costa recordó otras leyes de cariz social aprobadas en su mes de mandato como la posibilidad de que parejas homosexuales adopten niños o la revocación de tasas para las mujeres que quieran abortar.

En su misiva, sin embargo, no aludió al caso más peliagudo de su mandato de un mes: el rescate del banco Banif por valor de 2.225 millones, que mereció la oposición de sus socios más a la izquierda, aunque finalmente fue aprobado con la abstención del centroderecha.

Esta polémica inyección pública no afectará la meta de déficit del 3% del PIB, según el Gobierno, pues no serán incluidos en la contabilidad que hace la Comisión Europea debido a la naturaleza extraordinaria de la operación.

(clickear aqui para una version ingles.)

Question for this article:

Movements against governmental fiscal austerity, are they part of the global movement for a culture of peace?

Readers’ comments are invited on this question.

Uncategorized

International Peace Forum Proposed by the Mayors of Madrid and Paris

.. DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION ..

by CPNN, based on dispatch from the Spanish wire service EFE

Once again it is the mayors of the world who are taking the lead for a culture of peace. Manuela Carmena, the mayor of Madrid, elected last year at the head of a socialist coalition, and Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor of Paris, are planning to hold an international forum against violence and for peace education in Madrid in the near future. Their announcement was made at a forum of mayors in Paris prior to the COP21 climate conference. The forum will invite leaders from local governments and civil society as well as peace specialists.

madrid forum
Mayors Hidalgo and Carmena. Photo from the twitter page of Mayor Hidalgo

Mayor Carmena recalled that the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, in which 130 people were killed, were similar to those in Madrid on March 11, 2004. Hence, their cities have a special reason and responsibility to work for peace. “How is it possible that young people who grew up in our cities have resorted to violence?” We must help them find another way forward.

We must draw lessons from the tragedies in our cities and find ways to resolve conflicts without violence.

Questions for this article:
DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Europe

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

TFF PressInfo # 354: Open Letter – Political responsibility in the Nuclear Age – January 21st, 2016

By Richard Falk, David Krieger and Robert Laney

Prefatory Note

What follows here is An Open Letter to the American People: Political Responsibility in the Nuclear Age. It was jointly written by Richard Falk in collaboration with David Krieger and Robert Laney. The three of us have been long connected with the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, NAPF.

The NAPF focuses its effort on the menace posed by nuclear weaponry and the urgency of seeking nuclear disarmament. The nuclear agreement with Iran and the North Korean nuclear test explosion are reminders of the gravity of the issue, and should serve as warnings against the persistence of complacency, which seems to be the prevailing political mood judging from the policy debates that have taken place during the early stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.

This complacency is encouraged by the media that seems to have forgotten about nuclear dangers since the end of the Cold War, except for those concerned with proliferation of the weaponry to countries hostile to the United States and the West (Iran, North Korea).

Our letter proceeds on the assumption that the core of the problem is associated with the possession, development, and deployment of the weaponry, that is, with the nine nuclear weapons states. The essence of a solution is to eliminate existing nuclear weapons arsenals through a phased, verified process of nuclear disarmament as legally mandated by Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968).

We would be grateful if you could help us reach the widest possible audience through reposting and dissemination via social media networks.*

• •

Dear fellow citizens:

By their purported test of a hydrogen bomb early in 2016, North Korea reminded the world that nuclear dangers are not an abstraction, but a continuing menace that the governments and peoples of the world ignore at their peril. Even if the test were not of a hydrogen bomb but of a smaller atomic weapon, as many experts suggest, we are still reminded that we live in the Nuclear Age, an age in which accident, miscalculation, insanity or intention could lead to devastating nuclear catastrophe.

What is most notable about the Nuclear Age is that we humans, by our scientific and technological ingenuity, have created the means of our own demise. The world currently is confronted by many threats to human wellbeing, and even civilizational survival, but we focus here on the particular grave dangers posed by nuclear weapons and nuclear war.

Even a relatively small nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan, with each country using 50 Hiroshima-size nuclear weapons on the other side’s cities, could result in a nuclear famine killing some two billion of the most vulnerable people on the planet. A nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia could destroy civilization in a single afternoon and send temperatures on Earth plummeting into a new ice age.

Such a war could destroy most complex life on the planet. Despite the gravity of such threats, they are being ignored, which is morally reprehensible and politically irresponsible.

We in the United States are in the midst of hotly contested campaigns to determine the candidates of both major political parties in the 2016 presidential faceoff, and yet none of the frontrunners for the nominations have even voiced concern about the nuclear war dangers we face. This is an appalling oversight. It reflects the underlying situation of denial and complacency that disconnects the American people as a whole from the risks of use of nuclear weapons in the years ahead.

This menacing disconnect is reinforced by the media, which has failed to challenge the candidates on their approach to this apocalyptic weaponry during the debates and has ignored the issue in their television and print coverage, even to the extent of excluding voices that express concern from their opinion pages. We regard it as a matter of urgency to put these issues back on the radar screen of public awareness.

We are appalled that none of the candidates running for the highest office in the land has yet put forward any plans or strategy to end current threats of nuclear annihilation, none has challenged the planned expenditure of $1 trillion to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and none has made a point of the U.S. being in breach of its nuclear disarmament obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In the presidential debates it has been a non-issue, which scandalizes the candidates for not raising the issue in their many public speeches and the media for not challenging them for failing to do so. As a society, we are out of touch with the most frightening, yet after decades still dangerously mishandled, challenge to the future of humanity.

There are nine countries that currently possess nuclear weapons. Five of these nuclear-armed countries are parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (U.S., Russia, UK, France and China), and are obligated by that treaty to negotiate in good faith for a cessation of the nuclear arms race and for nuclear disarmament.

The other four nuclear-armed countries (Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea) are subject to the same obligations under customary international law. None of the nine nuclear-armed countries has engaged in such negotiations, a reality that should be met with anger and frustration, and not, as is now the case, with indifference.

It is not only the United States that is responsible for the current state of denial and indifference. Throughout the world there is a false confidence that, because the Cold War is over and no nuclear weapons have been used since 1945, the nuclear dangers that once frightened and concerned people can now be ignored.

Rather than fulfill their obligations for negotiated nuclear disarmament, the nine nuclear-armed countries all rely upon nuclear deterrence and are engaged in modernization programs that will keep their nuclear arsenals active through the 21st century and perhaps beyond.

Unfortunately, nuclear deterrence does not actually provide security to countries with nuclear arsenals.

Rather, it is a hypothesis about human behavior, which is unlikely to hold up over time. Nuclear deterrence has come close to failing on numerous occasions and would clearly be totally ineffective, or worse, against a terrorist group in possession of one or more nuclear weapons, which has no fear of retaliation and may actually welcome it.

Further, as the world is now embarking on a renewed nuclear arms race, disturbingly reminiscent of the Cold War, rising risks of confrontations and crises between major states possessing nuclear weapons increase the possibility of use.

As citizens of a nuclear-armed country, we are also targets of nuclear weapons.

John F. Kennedy saw clearly that “Every man, woman and child lives under a nuclear sword of Damocles, hanging by the slenderest of threads, capable of being cut at any moment by accident, or miscalculation, or by madness. The weapons of war must be abolished before they abolish us.”

What President Kennedy vividly expressed more than 50 years ago remains true today, and even more so as the weapons proliferate and as political extremist groups come closer to acquiring these terrible weapons.

Those with power and control over nuclear weapons could turn this planet, unique in all the universe in supporting life, into the charred remains of a Global Hiroshima.

Should any political leader or government hold so much power?

Should we be content to allow such power to rest in any hands at all?

It is time to end the nuclear weapons era. We are living on borrowed time.

The U.S., as the world’s most powerful country, must play a leadership role in convening negotiations. For the U.S. to be effective in leading to achieve Nuclear Zero, U.S. citizens must awaken to the need to act and must press our government to act and encourage others elsewhere, especially in the other eight nuclear-armed countries, to press their governments to act as well.

It is not enough to be apathetic, conformist, ignorant or in denial. We all must take action if we want to save humanity and other forms of life from nuclear catastrophe.

In this spirit, we are at a stage where we need a robust global solidarity movement that is dedicated to raising awareness of the growing nuclear menace, and the urgent need to act nationally, regionally and globally to reverse the strong militarist currents that are pushing the world ever closer to the nuclear precipice.

Nuclear weapons are the most immediate threat to humanity, but they are not the only technology that could play and is playing havoc with the future of life. The scale of our technological impact on the environment (primarily fossil fuel extraction and use) is also resulting in global warming and climate chaos, with predicted rises in ocean levels and many other threats – ocean acidification, extreme weather, climate refugees and strife from drought – that will cause massive death and displacement of human and animal populations.

In addition to the technological threats to the human future, many people on the planet now suffer from hunger, disease, lack of shelter and lack of education. Every person on the planet has a right to adequate nutrition, health care, housing and education. It is deeply unjust to allow the rich to grow richer while the vast majority of humanity sinks into deeper poverty.

It is immoral to spend our resources on modernizing weapons of mass annihilation while large numbers of people continue to suffer from the ravages of poverty.

Doing all we can to move the world to Nuclear Zero, while remaining responsive to other pressing dangers, is our best chance to ensure a benevolent future for our species and its natural surroundings.

We can start by changing apathy to empathy, conformity to critical thinking, ignorance to wisdom, denial to recognition, and thought to action in responding to the threats posed by nuclear weapons and the technologies associated with global warming, as well as to the need to address present human suffering arising from war and poverty.

The richer countries are challenged by migrant flows of desperate people that number in the millions and by the realization that as many as a billion people on the planet are chronically hungry and another two billion are malnourished, resulting in widespread growth stunting among children and other maladies.

While ridding the world of nuclear weaponry is our primary goal, we are mindful that the institution of war is responsible for chaos and massive casualties, and that we must also challenge the militarist mentality if we are ever to enjoy enduring peace and security on our planet.

The fate of our species is now being tested as never before.

The question before us is whether humankind has the foresight and discipline necessary to forego some superfluous desires, mainly curtailing propensities for material luxuries and for domination of our fellow beings, thereby enabling all of us and succeeding generations to live lives worth living. Whether our species will rise to this challenge is uncertain, with current evidence not reassuring.

The time is short and what is at risk is civilization and every small and great thing that each of us loves and treasures on our planet.

* This Open Letter has been published in The Nation on January 14, 2016.

This question pertains to the following articles

An excerpt from remarks by President Trump at the World Economic Forum

Nihon Hidankyo’s Nobel Peace Prize Win Could Not Have Come at a More Important Moment

UN chief warns of nuclear ‘danger’ as world remembers Hiroshima; urges elimination of weapons

Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2024

UN Security Council Holds Rare Nuclear Disarmament Debate

Nuclear Abolitionists Occupy New York

UN pushes disarmament talks amid fears that drums of nuclear war are beating again

2023 World Conference against A and H Bombs

Hiroshima Peace Declaration 2023

US prelates lead ‘Pilgrimage of Peace’ to Japan seeking abolition of nuclear weapons

A united civil society push for Spain to join the TPNW

Mayors for Peace: The Hiroshima Appeal

NPT Review Conference ends without agreement: What next?

Mayors for Peace: Delegation attended the 10th NPT Review Conference

Nagasaki mayor warns of ‘crisis’ on atom bomb anniversary

Full text of Hiroshima Peace Declaration on 77th A-bomb anniversary

Humanity’s just one misunderstanding away from ‘nuclear annihilation’ warns UN chief

Vienna: first Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

The Bourgogne Franche-Comté collective for the abolition of nuclear weapons

Europe: Mayors and local leaders play a key role in advancing the nuclear prohibition

SIPRI: Global nuclear arsenals are expected to grow as states continue to modernize

Ulaanbaatar Statement on Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones

U.S. Conference of Mayors Adopts Sweeping Resolution: “Forging a Path to Peace and Common Security”

Russia, China, Britain, U.S. and France say no one can win nuclear war

Open Letter from Mayors for Peace to States Parties of NPT (Nuclear Proliferation Treaty)

UN pledges full support to Nagasaki voices fuelling ‘powerful global movement’ against nuclear arms

UNAC statement: Ban nuclear weapons starting with the US! Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Nagasaki Peace Declaration

The City of Hiroshima: PEACE DECLARATION

Mayors for Peace Adopts New Vision and Action Plan

Mayors for Peace : Report on 2020 Vision (Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons)

Red Cross: Nuclear Weapons Are Finally Outlawed, Next Step Is Disarmament

France: Gatherings in Front of the National Assembly and the Embassies of the Nuclearized Countries

United Nations: Guterres hails entry into force of treaty banning nuclear weapons

Joint statement by World Future Council members and Right Livelihood Laureates : Abolish Nuclear Weapons to Assure a Sustainable Future

Nuclear deterrence gives ‘false sense of security,’ Vatican official says

Peter Kuznick on the Significance of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Red Cross : Nuclear ban: “Today is an historic day. We call on world leaders to act with courage and join the right side of history”

The Elders call on world leaders to take action or risk nuclear catastrophe

UK: Oxford City Council says “no” to nuclear weapons

ICAN cities appeal : Support from Mayors for Peace

Youth representatives speak out for Nuclear Disarmament at the NY City Hall

New York City hearings pave the way for nuclear weapons divestment

Gorbachev: Nuclear Weapons Putting World In ‘Colossal Danger’

Full text of Nagasaki Peace Declaration on the 74th A-bomb anniversary

Officials Urge Disarmament ‘Stepping Stones’

French Organizations Commemorate the Rejection of Nuclear Weapons by the UN in 1946

2019 Doomsday Clock Statement

A divided UN General Assembly votes on nuclear disarmament resolutions

Nuclear Abolition Day: Security Council session clashes with UN High-Level Meeting

USA: Former Marine to Create Legacy of Peace

Women legislators release appeal for common security for a sustainable and nuclear-weapon-free world

UN chief launches new disarmament agenda ‘to secure our world and our future’

Nuclear Weapon States’ Long Arm Seen Behind Deferral of Landmark UN Conference

Physician Leaders Urge All States to Sign Nuclear Weapons Treaty

USA: Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance

Campaign for Compliance with the Nuclear Ban Treaty

March 28: 1st meeting of UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament

Nobel Peace Prize Lecture – 2017 – Beatrice Fihn

Nobel Peace Prize Lecture – 2017 – Setsuko Thurlow

Spanish action to support the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Pope Francis denounces nuclear weapons possession

Prague: International youth conference: Reaching High for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

Spreading Hiroshima’s Message of Peace

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2017

United Nations High-Level Meeting on the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

At the United Nations, leaders voice support for nuclear ban treaty

Parliamentarians for Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament releases Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World

Belarus: OSCE parliamentarians adopt Minsk Declaration with comprehensive recommendations for peace and prosperity

Unfold Zero: Making Use of the New Nuclear Ban Treaty

Historic agreement banning nuclear weapons a “victory for our shared humanity”, ICRC says

Richard Falk: Challenging Nuclearism: The Nuclear Ban Treaty Assessed

UN conference adopts treaty banning nuclear weapons

UN: Conference Considers Revised Draft of Proposed Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons

UN nuclear ban treaty negotiations: transit, threat and nuclear weapons financing

UN Conference Concludes First Reading of Draft Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons

Banning landmines taught us how to bring about real change in the world, now we’re sharing these lessons to ban nuclear weapons

Countries for and against the UN resolution to launch negotiations for a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons

United Nations: WILPF statement to the 2017 NPT Preparatory Committee

Brooklyn, US: Forum: One Struggle, Many Fronts: No Nukes, War, Wall or Warming

United Nations: Women’s Rally and March to Ban the Bomb

Abolition 2000 Annual Meeting: Supports Women’s March. Calls for Nuclear Risk Reduction

UN commences nuclear abolition negotiations

Bid Adieu To Voice Of International Law Jurist C.G Weeramantry…

Open Letter to President-elect Donald Trump on Nuclear Weapons

Civil Society and the UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament

UN votes to outlaw nuclear weapons in 2017

UN talks recommend negotiations of nuclear weapons ban treaty

Banning Nukes: Divergence and Consensus at the UN Working Group on Nuclear Disarmament

USA: Over Seventy Prominent Scholars and Activists Urge Obama to meet Hibakusha, Take Further Steps on Nuclear Disarmament

The historic visit of Barack Obama to Hiroshima marks a new stage in the international mobilization against nuclear weapons

Text of President Obama’s Speech in Hiroshima, Japan

David v Goliath: Marshall Islands take on nuclear powers at UN court

33 Latin American and Caribbean states endorse Austrian Pledge and call for negotiations on a nuclear ban treaty

– – – – Links for the following articles published prior to 2015 do not work because they were made by a version of PERL programming that is no longer supported. With three easy steps, you can find the article by its number. First, click on it before returning to this page. Your browser will say that the article is not available but in the address listed you can see that it was located at ViewArticle=xxxx where xxxx is the number of the article. Returning to this page, then click here for the listing of all years. Then click on the year that contains the number for the article you seek. It will send you to the page where you can easily search for the article by its title. – – – –

Peace and Planet Events, April 24-26 in New York City

La reunión humanitaria de mayor convocatoria mundial toma posición contra las armas nucleares

La plus grande réunion humanitaire du monde prend position contre les armes nucleares

World's Largest Humanitarian Meeting Takes Position against Nuclear Weapons

Ten Actions for Nuclear Abolition Day – June 2

U.S. Conference of Mayors Adopts Strong New Mayors for Peace Resolution

Poster exhibition on the atomic bomb damage

Oslo: Historic global conference prepares ground for new initiative towards ban treaty

Nuclear arms: the big questions…

Armes nucléaires : les bonnes questions…

The Hiroshima Appeal

Les Forces Nucléaires Diminuent, mais leur Modernisation se Poursuit, selon le SIPRI

Las Fuerzas Nucleares se Reducen pero Continúa su Modernización, Afirma el SIPRI

Nuclear forces reduced while modernizations continue, says SIPRI

U.S. Conference of Mayors Adopts Bold Resolution on Nuclear Disarmament

Nuclear disarmament: Greenpeace Champions the Marshall Islands

Movimiento Cubano por la Paz y la Soberanía de los Pueblos

Cuban movement for peace and sovereignty of peoples

Nuclear Weapons Production in the US

Sir Joseph Rotblat: A Legacy of Peace (1908-2005)

Click here for earlier CPNN discussions on this subject.

d-disarmament

United Nations: Experts call for efforts to save indigenous languages

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Xinhua News

Endangered indigenous languages are being brought back from the brink of extinction but there is still much work to be done, a group of indigenous language experts told reporters here Thursday [United Nations, January 21].


indigenous
Edward John (FLICKR)

“There are examples of us not just holding onto our languages, but using them to educate new generations, using them in our homes again,” said Amy Kalili, an expert in the Hawaiian language, who participated in a panel of indigenous language experts here this week.

The panel provided examples of indigenous languages being revitalized around the world, from Maori in New Zealand to Hawaiian in Kalili’s native Hawaii.

It is now possible to study in the Hawaiian language from infancy through to doctoral level, said Kalili, mostly due to community efforts to save the language from extinction.

Kalili said that saving indigenous languages would also benefit the global community through preserving vital indigenous knowledge.

“The wealth of knowledge that we have to offer the global community is codified in our native languages,” she said.

However, Grand Chief Edward John from the Tl’azt’en Nation in British Columbia, Canada said that sadly one Indigenous language dies every week or two weeks.

“If there’s an animal or plant or fish going extinct, people are up in arms over that, but when a language is going extinct, no one says anything,” he said.

And while technology may offer some assistance, it is not the answer in and of itself, said John.

“We now need to get the elders into these gadgets so that they can use this technology to teach the young people,” he said. “Technology in and of itself won’t be the answer, but it’s a tool.”

Tatjana Degai from Kamchatka in the far East of Russia said that despite a multicultural approach and government support for indigenous languages in Russia, some languages are still on the brink of extinction.

“Our language is surviving, in Russia which is a multicultural country (with) over 200 different languages”, she said.

“Some languages are spoken by a million people, some languages are spoken by thousands, and mostly it is indigenous languages of the people of North Siberia and the far-East which are at the brink of extinction,” she said.

There are between 6,000 and 7,000 languages globally, said John. One of the panel’s recommendations is for countries to help map out the indigenous languages within their own borders, he added.

Question for discussion
global, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY, United Nations,

Iraqi teachers’ campaign strives to end violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Education International

In conjunction with the United Nations’ recent 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, Iraqi teachers organised a number of activities under the theme of “Home Peace to World Peace, Peaceful Education for All.”

iraqi
Activities organised during the campaign to end violence against women in an Iraqi school

To bring awareness and generate concrete steps to eliminating violence against women, Iraq’s Kurdistan Teachers’ Union (KTU) launced a series of initiatives to mobilise the public. 

“In addition to these activities, and in coordination with KTU representatives in all schools following KTU guidelines, we raised awareness about the importance of giving equal education opportunities for all,” said KTU President Abdalwahed M. Haje.
Local culture sometimes becomes a barrier to these opportunities, however, and the KTU asked parents to support the effort towards reducing the rate of uneducated children which stands at 12 per cent. The KTU also asked the government and the Education Ministry to provide more tools to reduce the rate of uneducated adults.

Events organised by the KTU included the following: 

• Participating in a large community event in the presence of the President of the Council of Ministers and his deputy, MPs, ministers, women’s organisations, and civil society at the start of the national campaign on 16 November

• Organising five meetings in the governorates of Erbil, Duhok, Sulemanyah, and Kirkuk, in which hundreds of women participated. These meetings emphasised the importance of the campaign, respecting women, enforcing equality, and explaining applied international regulations

• Organising two seminars with key speakers and civil activists Newroz Hawezy and Hero Kamal. A lot of data and statistics on violent acts and solutions to them were presented, as well as human rights regulations. In terms of employment opportunities, it was stressed that education fares well with a ratio of female to male teachers of 53:47

• Setting up two photography exhibitions. The first one in Erbil featured numerous pictures and graphs stressing the role of women in society in the past, and also highlighted the violence they can experience. The second exhibition in Sulemanyah displayed photographs about women’s role in organising their families, management, economic, and agricultural roles. Both exhibitions highlighted that a healthy community is a community with an equal participation for both genders.

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

Question related to this article:
Mideast, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Des enseignant(e)s irakien(ne)s lancent une campagne pour mettre fin à la violence à l’égard des femmes

. . . EGALITE HOMMES/FEMMES . . .

Un article de Internationale de l’Education

Conjointement à la campagne des 16 jours d’activisme contre la violence sexiste des Nations Unies, les enseignant(e)s irakien(ne)s ont organisé différentes activités autour du thème « De la paix nationale à la paix mondiale, une éducation pacifique pour tous ».

iraqi
Les activités organisées durant la campagne pour mettre fin à la violence contre les femmes dans une école irakienne.

Afin de sensibiliser la population au problème de la violence à l’égard des femmes et de mettre en place des mesures concrètes visant à éradiquer ce fléau, le syndicat irakien Kurdistan Teachers Union (KTU) a lancé une série d’initiatives.

« Outre ces activités, et en collaboration avec les représentantes et représentants du KTU dans toutes les écoles se soumettant aux directives du syndicat, nous avons sensibilisé la population à l’importance d’une égalité des chances en matière d’éducation », a déclaré le Président du KTU, Abdalwahed M. Haje.

Cependant, la culture locale s’érige parfois en obstacle. C’est pourquoi le KTU a invité les parents à soutenir les efforts visant à réduire le taux d’enfants non scolarisés, qui s’élève actuellement à 12 %. Le KTU a également appelé le gouvernement et le ministère de l’Education à lui fournir davantage d’outils afin de réduire le nombre d’adultes n’ayant pas reçu d’éducation.

Voici quelques exemples d’événements organisés par le KTU:

• Participation à un grand événement communautaire, rassemblant le Président du Conseil des ministres et son adjoint, les parlementaires, les ministres, les organisations de femmes et la société civile, à l’occasion du lancement de la campagne nationale le 16 novembre.

• Organisation de cinq réunions dans les provinces d’Erbil, de Dahuk, de Souleimaniye et de Kirkouk, auxquelles ont participé des centaines de femmes. Ces rencontres ont mis l’accent sur l’importance de la campagne, sur le respect des femmes, sur le renforcement de l’égalité et sur l’explication des réglementations internationales en vigueur.

• Organisation de deux séminaires accueillant deux intervenant(e)s et militant(e)s, Newroz Hawezy et Hero Kamal, qui ont présenté un grand nombre de données et de statistiques sur les actes de violence et les solutions trouvées, ainsi que sur les réglementations en matière de droits humains. En termes d’opportunités d’emploi, il a été souligné que l’éducation se portait bien, et affichait un ratio de 53 hommes pour 47 femmes.

• Organisation de deux expositions de photographies. La première, organisée à Erbil, proposait des images et des graphiques mettant en exergue le rôle que jouaient les femmes dans la société par le passé, ainsi que la violence dont elles sont victimes. La deuxième, tenue à Souleimaniye, présentait des photographies autour du rôle de la femme dans l’organisation d’un foyer, ainsi que dans les domaines de la gestion, de l’économie et de l’agriculture. Ces deux événements ont mis en lumière le fait qu’une communauté saine, c’est une communauté dans laquelle les hommes comme les femmes participent de façon équitable.

(Cliquez ici pour une version espagnole de cet article ou ici pour une version anglaise.)

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La campaña de los docentes iraquíes tiene por objeto acabar con la violencia contra las mujeres

. IGUALDAD HOMBRES/MUJERES .

Un artículo de Internacional de la Educación

leyenda:

Juntamente con la reciente campaña de 16 Días de Activismo contra la Violencia de Género de las Naciones Unidas, los docentes iraquíes organizaron una serie de actividades bajo el tema “De la paz en el hogar a la paz en el mundo, una educación pacífica para todos y todas”.

iraqi
Actividades organizadas durante la campaña para poner fin a la violencia contra las mujeres en una escuela iraquí.

Para crear concienciación y tomar medidas concretas para eliminar la violencia contra las mujeres, el Sindicato de Docentes de Kurdistán (KTU) de Irak puso en marcha una serie de iniciativas destinadas a movilizar a los ciudadanos.

“Además de estas actividades, y en coordinación con los representantes de KTU en las escuelas que siguen las directrices de KTU, hemos fomentado la sensibilización sobre la importancia de ofrecer igualdad de oportunidades educativas para todos”, dijo el Presidente de KTU, Abdalwahed M. Haje.

La cultura local a veces se convierte en un obstáculo para ofrecer estas oportunidades y KTU pidió a los padres que apoyaran los esfuerzos que se realizaban para reducir la tasa de niños que no recibían instrucción, que se sitúa en el 12%. KTU también solicitó al gobierno y al ministerio de educación que proporcionen más recursos para reducir la tasa de adultos analfabetos.

Entre los eventos organizados por KTU figuran los siguientes:

• La participación en un gran evento comunitario que contó con la presencia del Presidente del Consejo de Ministros y su vicepresidente, diputados parlamentarios, ministros, organizaciones de mujeres y la sociedad civil y tuvo lugar el 16 de noviembre cuando se lanzó la campaña nacional.

• La organización de cinco reuniones en las provincias de Erbil, Duhok, Sulemanyah y Kirkuk, en las cuales participaron cientos de mujeres. En estas reuniones se puso de relieve la importancia de la campaña, del respeto hacia las mujeres, de velar por la igualdad y se explicaron las normas internacionales vigentes.

• La organización de dos seminarios con oradores destacados y los activistas civiles Newroz Hawezy y Hero Kamal. Se presentaron una gran cantidad de datos y estadísticas relativos a los actos de violencia y las soluciones a los mismos, así como los reglamentos en materia de derechos humanos. En términos de oportunidades de empleo, se destacó que en el ámbito de la educación la proporción de mujeres y hombres docentes era de 53:47, lo cual era satisfactorio.

• La creación de dos exposiciones de fotografía. La primera en Erbil presentaba numerosas imágenes y gráficos que destacaban el papel que habían tenido las mujeres en la sociedad en el pasado y también ponía de relieve la violencia que podían sufrir. La segunda exposición en Sulemanyah exhibía fotografías sobre el papel que desempeñaban las mujeres en la organización de sus familias y sus funciones en la administración, la economía y la agricultura. Ambas exposiciones destacaron que una comunidad sana es una comunidad que cuenta con una participación equitativa de ambos géneros.

( Clickear aquí para la version inglês o aquí para la version francês.)

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Uncategorized

Hundreds join refugee solidarity rally in Madrid, slamming NATO invasions

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article from Russia Today

Around 800 protesters marched Friday night [December 18] in Madrid to show support for refugees on the Global Day of Action against Racism. The protesters chanted anti-war slogans, and demanded that the EU open its borders and close refugee detention centers.

Madrid rally
Video of Madrid rally

Around 800 protesters marched Friday night in Madrid to show support for refugees on the Global Day of Action against Racism. The protesters chanted anti-war slogans, and demanded that the EU open its borders and close refugee detention centers.

The march started at Madrid’s Atocha railway station, and ended up near the Spanish Foreign Ministry, under the slogan: “We are all migrants and refugees, we all have rights.”

Protesters’ main demands were to push the Spanish government and the EU to open its borders for incoming refugees, disband the EU’s border control authority Frontex, close immigration detention centers and to stop making bilateral agreements with neighboring Morocco and Turkey who were “not respecting human rights.”

The demonstrators also chanted anti-war slogans slamming NATO and military interventions.

“No to NATO! It is a means that has proven to be handled by interests that do not correspond with the majority of citizens,” an activist told RT’s Ruptly video agency. “It is a tool to create a world based on the power of the 1 percent that, blinded by their interests, continues to implement a warmonger system.”

Palestinian flags and slogans reading “Shame wall” (apparently referring to border fences that prevent refugees from crossing into the EU) and “No human is illegal” were also seen in the crowd.

Similar rallies were taking place across Europe on Friday, marking the Global Day of Action against Racism.

In Greece, thousands of refugees and left activists took to the streets, shouting: “Open the borders!” demanding the refugees be granted permission to continue their journey to wealthier northern European countries. The march ended on Syntagma Square and the EU Commission Offices in Athens, being guarded by riot police.

Refugee solidarity events also took place in Italy, Austria and France, with participants also voicing demands to lift restrictions on crossing borders and speaking out against stricter rules for granting asylum.

Europe is now experiencing the largest influx of refugees from Middle East and North Africa since WWII. Hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their countries in pursuit of a safer life after the wave of Western-organized coups and bloody civil wars all across the region.

Question for discussion
Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY