Catholic Institutions Announce Largest-Ever Joint Divestment from Fossil Fuels

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

A press release from The Global Catholic Climate Movement

A coalition of Catholic institutions has today [October 4] announced its divestment from fossil fuels. The coalition of 40 is the largest joint announcement of divestment by Catholic organizations to date. The institutions are located on five continents, and represent fields ranging from a holy site to finance to church hierarchical entities.

Catholic institutions’ decision to remove their support for fossil fuels is based on both their shared value of environmental protection and the financial wisdom of preparing for a carbon-neutral economy.

In Assisi, Italy, the home of St. Francis and a deeply significant place for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, three institutions and a municipal government have divested. The Assisi group includes the Sacro Convento, a monastery complex and holy site that houses the remains of St. Francis, from whom Pope Francis took his name. The Sacro Convento is considered the spiritual home of the world’s Franciscan brothers.

Along with the Sacro Convento, the diocese of Assisi-Nocera Umbra-Gualdo Tadino has divested. The diocese, which includes more than 80,000 people and the town of Assisi, is the site of several important pilgrimages each year. Assisi’s Seraphic Institute, a religious medical center that provides care for disabled children, has also joined the divestment announcement.

In a complementary move, the mayor of the town of Assisi has announced its divestment from fossil fuels.

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Question for this article:

Divestment: is it an effective tool to promote sustainable development?

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In addition to divestment in the highly significant home of St. Francis, church entities around the world are stepping away from fossil fuels. The Episcopal Conference of Belgium, which is the Catholic Church’s policy arm in Belgium, has divested. This is the first Catholic episcopal conference in the world to divest. In South Africa, the Catholic Archdiocese of Cape Town has invested in social and ethical funds. Within the Church hierarchy, a total of one episcopal conference, one archdiocese, three dioceses, and a vicariate have divested.

These spiritual leaders are joined by business leaders. Two financial institutions have announced their divestment. Germany’s Bank für Kirche und Caritas eG (Bank for the Church and Caritas) is one of the first Catholic banks in the world to divest from fossil fuels. The bank, which has a balance sheet of €4.5 billion, is breaking from coal, tar sands oil, and oil shale because it is both morally imperative and fiscally responsible.

The bank is joined in its divestment by Oikocredit Belgium, an ecumenical financial institution and one of the world’s largest sources of private funding for microfinance. Oikocredit is joined by 12 other Belgian institutions.

These institutions are among the 40 that have divested in total. The joint commitment by 40 Catholic institutions more than quadruples the size of an announcement made in May, when nine Catholic organizations divested. Worldwide to date, the total value of those institutions that have committed to divest surpasses $5 trillion.

This divestment announcement comes amid united Christian action to protect the environment during the Season of Creation. The Season of Creation is a monthlong celebration of prayer and action for the environment, and it is embraced by a broad ecumenical community.

Global Catholic Climate Movement is a community of hundreds of thousands of Catholics and a global network of member organizations responding to Pope Francis’ call to action in the Laudato Si’ encyclical.

global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Elders applaud Palestinian reconciliation; renew call for end to blockade of Gaza

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

A press release from The Elders

The Elders warmly welcomed the reconciliation agreement reached by Fatah and Hamas in Cairo last Thursday. The agreement is an essential step towards the full reunification of the West Bank and Gaza, and keeps alive prospects for the peaceful emergence of a Palestinian state.

After 10 years of internal conflict, and several previous failed attempts at reconciliation, the latest developments also hold out the prospect of an end to the blockade of Gaza. During this period, the lives of over two million Gazans have been blighted by three destructive wars and tight restrictions on the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory.

The Elders commended the crucial role played by the Egyptian Government in bringing about this latest – and most promising – reconciliation initiative.

Kofi Annan, Chair of The Elders and former UN Secretary-General, said:

“The restoration of a single authority throughout the occupied territories is long overdue. The feud between Hamas and Fatah has done no good to the Palestinian people and has seriously damaged prospects for the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state. Those in the international community who have rightly decried the absence of Palestinian unity must now seize this opening to push decisively for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Lakhdar Brahimi, a member of The Elders and former Algerian Foreign Minister, commented:

“There are difficult challenges ahead before we can begin to speak of full unity having been restored to Palestinian ranks. Egypt’s constructive role will be needed over the coming weeks and months.”
Supporting a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, along the lines of the two-state solution, has been a key priority for The Elders since the organisation was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007. Elders’ delegations have visited the region on four occasions, meeting Israeli and Palestinian leaders and supporting their civil societies. The Elders have also spoken out regularly on the urgent need to end the unjust Gaza blockade and restore Palestinian unity.

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

Question related to this article:
DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, Mideast

United Nations: Reaching HIGH civil society ‘virtual’ conference for nuclear disarmament proposals

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from UNFOLD ZERO

Governments have gathered at the United Nations in New York this month (October) to discuss and adopt nuclear disarmament proposals, including a draft resolution to set the dates and mandate for the first ever UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament (UNHLC), scheduled for 2018. A coalition of international civil society organisations and networks used this occasion to meet on Oct 11-12 in a ‘virtual’ conference to discuss action plans and strategies to ensure success of the UNHLC.


Alyn Ware and Marzhan Nurzhan at the hub of the virtual conference – the Global Security Institute office next to the United Nations in New York

The conference involved a series of webinar sessions with civil society representatives participating from around the world through their home/office computers, laptops, cell phones and smart phones.

It was convened by the Basel Peace Office, Global Security Institute, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, UNFOLD ZERO and the Abolition 2000 working group on the 2018 UN High-Level Conference.

Why the UN High-Level Conference

‘We are at a cross-roads of increased nuclear dangers and alternative realities,’ said Alyn Ware, convener of the conference.

‘On the one hand regional conflicts and tensions, such as in North-East Asia, and between Russia and the West, are increasing the reliance on nuclear weapons and the risk of a nuclear catastrophe by accident, miscalculation or even intent. On the other hand, we have a majority of UN member states – all non-nuclear countries – adopting a Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).’

‘These two communities are living in different realities, and the divide between them is increasing. The 2018 UN High-Level Conference provides an opportunity to bridge the communities, and make progress on both nuclear-risk reduction and disarmament measures.’

‘The UN Conference can also bridge the different multilateral processes and forums such as the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review process, UN General Assembly (through which the TPNW was negotiated), UN Security Council and the Conference on Disarmament.’

Most importantly, the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, which will take place in May 2018, can elevate the political, media and public attention to nuclear disarmament in all UN member states, and establish a global expectation of a concrete outcome or outcomes.

We have had considerable success with similar high-level UN conferences on Sustainable Development (2015) which adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals; Climate Change (2016) which adopted the Paris Agreement; Refugees and Migrants (2016) which achieved the New York Declaration; and Oceans (2017) which adopted the 14-point action plan Our Ocean Our Future.

But these all required cooperative action by civil society to push their governments into concrete action. The civil society virtual conference on Oct 11-12 is one of the many efforts to build cooperation and action to ensure the 2018 UNHLC on Nuclear Disarmament is also a success.

The Oct 11-12 conference included six sessions focusing on:

* Politics of current nuclear weapons policies. Nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament initiatives;

* Value of UN High-Level Conferences/Summits. Learning from UN summits on other issues (climate change, sustainable development);

* Visions for the 2018 UNHLC. What are possible outcomes which we should be promoting;

* Engaging governments and preparatory work. How to ensure governments will attend at the highest level and take action in good faith on concrete nuclear disarmament measures;

* Summarizing and packaging the politics and opportunities of the UNHLC; Making it understandable to public.

* Engaging key constituencies and building the campaign. Involvement of parliamentarians, mayors, youth, religious leaders/communities, academics… Public events and promotion.

The conference built on a series of consultation events and meetings conducted by the co-sponsoring organisations in key capitals, UN centres and inter-parliamentary assemblies over the past year. Input from these consultations provided the basis for a food-for-thought paper which explores the optimum agenda and approach of the 2018 UNHLC to ensure success.

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Question for this article:

A UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament: Distraction or progress?

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Key themes and approaches;

There were a number of key themes and approaches to the UNHLC discussed during the Oct 11-12 conference. These included:

Civil society should call on all governments to attend the UNHLC at the highest level. This call can be made to governments of nuclear-armed, allied and non-nuclear countries alike;

Governments already supporting the UNHLC could do joint calls on all other governments to attend the UNHLC at the highest level. CELAC (organisation of Latin American and Caribbean governments) is an obvious possibility given their initial push for the high-level conference;

The UNHLC should provide a space for all countries to participate, and for a range of initiatives to be advanced, including the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, lowering the salience of nuclear weapons, de-alerting, no-first-use, ending nuclear tests, negative security assurances, nuclear stockpile reductions, establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones and developing a framework for global elimination;

A goal for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons could be to obtain 100 signatures by the close of the UNHLC (a number of governments could choose to sign at the UNHLC);

A ‘gift-basket‘ approach could be useful, as it was in the Nuclear Security Summits. This would involve the announcement and/or adoption of a range of measures and initiatives by groups of States, without requiring unanimity of all at the UNHLC;

The UNHLC could recommend UN Security Council action on a number of initiatives, such as that any testing of nuclear weapons would be a threat to peace and security, and that any use of weapons of mass destruction would be a crime against humanity and a threat to peace and security;

In order to move nuclear-armed and allied States to agree to eliminate the role of nuclear weapons in their security doctrines, it will probably be necessary to advance common security approaches for addressing security situations in which they currently believe that nuclear deterrence is necessary. Common security approaches (diplomacy, mediation, arbitration, adjudicaton…) and mechanisms (United Nations, International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe…) are already available but need promoting;

Parliamentarians have a key role to play in moving governments to attend the UNHLC and to commit to concrete outcomes. Civil society should work with parliamentarians to raise questions and advance debates/motions about the 2018 UNHLC in their parliaments;

Civil society should also contact their government officials (foreign ministries and UN ambassadors) directly. PNND and GSI maintains (and will expand) a database of government officials from key countries, plus background on ‘entry points’ (relevant UN resolutions they have supported, and IPU resolutions their parliaments have supported) in order to assist civil society advocates.

Actions and commitments arising from, or announced at, the Oct 11-12 conference include:

1. Abolition 2000 has established a working group on the 2018 UNHLC which is open to anyone to join.This will provide a basis for building cooperation amongst civil society on actions and plans for the 2018 UNHLC;

2. PNND is organising an event at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in St Petersburg to promote the ban treaty, nuclear-risk reduction measures and the 2018 UNHLC;

3. The Abolition 2000 Youth Network and PNND are organising an international youth conference on the 2018 UNHLC. The youth conference will take place in Prague, Czech Republic on Nov 28-29, 2017;

4. UNFOLD ZERO maintains a webpage dedicated to the 2018 UN High-Level Conference. This includes all relevant documents, reports and actions;

5. The Abolition 2000 Youth Network is planning a global Reach HIGH for a nuclear-weapon-free world video, which will involve youth around the world lifting a peace sign high and then passing it to youth video video connection (more detailed explanation to follow). The final video will be shown during the Prep Com for the 2018 UNHLC in New York on March 28;

6. PNND has just produced a Parliamentary Action Plan for a Nuclear-Weapon-Free World which includes parliamentary actions to support the 2018 UNHLC;

7. UNFOLD ZERO and PNND will produce a civil society action guide for the 2018 UNHLC;

8. PNND, Mayors for Peace and Religions for Peace will present the joint appeal ‘A Nuclear-Weapon-Free World: Our Common Good‘ to the President of the 2018 UNHLC and participating governments at the UNHLC Preparatory Meeting in New York on March 28. Additional mayors, parliamentarians and religious leaders can be invited to endorse before March 25, 2018.

9. World Future Council, PNND, Basel Peace Office and the Abolition 2000 working group on the 2018 UNHLC are planning an action ‘Count the nuclear weapons budget‘ in New York over the three days of the UNHLC. Celebrities, youth and peace activists will count 1 million mock $1 million notes = $1 trillion dollars (the nuclear weapons budget for the next decade).

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, global, United Nations,

How Rwanda’s Amahoro Tours has established itself as a leader in eco and community-based tourism

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from eTurbo News

“Amahoro” is Kinyarwanda for “peace.” Literally translated, Amahoro Tours would translate to “Peace Tours.” The word is also used as a form of greeting – to mean “hello.”

At Amahoro Tours, “Amahoro” denotes not just the company’s name, but its motto as well. The company strives at nurturing interaction between members of local communities and visitors with a view to promote sustainable development locally.


Greg Bakunzi at the Kwita Izina 2017 ceremony

Of primary focus to the company is local tour itineraries. “We do it with a view to not only contribute to the economic development of the region and the prosperity of all those involved, but also to raise awareness and help visitors understand better the Rwandan way of life,” explains Greg Bakunzi, the founder and CEO of Amahoro Tours.

This fidelity to the local community out of which it operates has not gone unnoticed.

On September 1, 2017, on the occasion of the 13th baby gorilla naming ceremony (Kwita Izina) in Rwanda, Amahoro Tours and sister company, Red Rocks Rwanda, received a special and rare joint pat on the back. The pat came in the form of the privilege and honor by the founder Greg Bakunzi to be among the 19 distinguished individuals that bestowed names upon the newly-born members of the gorilla family.

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Question related to this article:

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

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This was basically in honor of Amahoro Tours and Red Rock’s firm commitment to a community-based tourism business model that seeks to position the local communities meaningfully at the heart of the tourism food chain.

The inspiration for setting up a tour operation had struck Bakunzi way back in 1997, following his first trip to see gorillas in the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Southwestern Uganda.

Spotting an opportunity, he started working as a freelance local guide the following year, taking tourists to see the mountain gorillas. This went on until 2001, when he created Amahoro Tours.

It is with the creation of Amahoro Tours that Bakunzi attained the clarity of vision that has since helped cement the company’s hard-earned credentials as a community-focused tourism business.

“When I started my own tour company, it was not only for the purpose of gorilla trekking, but a combination of community, tourism, and conservation around the Volcanoes National Park,” Bakunzi said.

Over the years, Amahoro Tours has established itself as a market leader in eco and community-based tourism in Rwanda. The company’s dynamic and tailor-made tour packages have been designed to offer tourists as much interaction with the locals and likeminded visitors as possible, while at the same time enabling guests to enjoy the trappings of nature.

Since then, Amahoro Tours birthed a sister tourism entity, Red Rocks Rwanda, a backpackers’ campsite and hostel located some seven kilometers outside Musanze town, where Amahoro Tours is based.

The introduction of Red Rocks was a well-orchestrated strategy to incorporate the local communities around Volcanoes National Park into the tourism value chain and, as Bakunzi notes, “we are proud that our dreams are coming true.”.

To achieve this, Amahoro Tours works in partnership with an extensive network of likeminded community-based organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations, and volunteers from all the far corners of the world.

The company tasks itself with turning a traveler’s sojourn, however brief, into a splendid journey of exploration, “through prompt, efficient, engaging, and safe service,” Bakunzi guarantees.

He concluded: “Amahoro Tours would like to call upon all well-wishers to join hands in order to bring community, conservation, and tourism together for future sustainability. Without the involvement of the local community, our tourism sector won’t move forward, and conservation might soon be history. We invite other conservationists, universities, and institutions, to join us as we move to address conservation issues through tourism initiatives.”

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Costa Rica A Role Model for Sustainable Tourism to the World

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article from The Costa Rica News

On October 9 to 11, the Sixth International Conference: Planet, People, Peace (P3), the most important international venue on sustainable tourism, will be hosted by Costa Rica. This conference is organized by the Costa Rican Chamber of Ecotourism and Sustainable Tourism (CANAECO) together with the Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT).


(Click on image to enlarge)

P3 International Conference will mark the high point to celebrate in this country the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, so declared by the United Nations General Assembly. 25 keynote speakers –from Costa Rica and other 15 countries such as Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Island, Jordan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, South Africa and the United States, will participate in this conference.

“P3 contributes to positioning Costa Rica as a leading destination for sustainable tourism, ensuring the wellbeing of communities while being the driving force of the social and economic development in the country. In this way, our commitment transcends words, and by hosting this event, the eyes of the world will be in Costa Rica, as it will be developing a high-profile activity attended by world leaders, renowned lecturers, and the world’s highest authority on tourism, the Secretary-General of the UNWTO,” stated Mauricio Ventura, Minister of Tourism.

“P3 strengthens the position of Costa Rica as a responsible destination, highlighting the efforts, best practices and innovative initiatives of the public and private sector in the country, while being the most important venue in the region to discuss what is happening in other parts of the world,” explained Jackeline López, President of CANAECO.

At the invitation of the Costa Rican Tourism Board, Taleb Rifai, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), will attend the conference to talk about the sustainable tourism as a driver for development.

Costa Rica has been more involved and active in the World Tourism Organization. The country has a seat at the UNWTO Executive Council representing countries in the American continent and The UNWTO also recognized Costa Rica, of 55 countries and 139 nominees, with an award for Tourism Innovation and Excellence, where it took second place in the Public Policies and Governance category, becoming the first country to measure the Social Progress Index in Tourism Destinations.

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Question related to this article:

How can tourism promote a culture of peace?

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In addition, the United Nations General Assembly appointed Luis Guillermo Solís, President of Costa Rica, as Special Ambassador of the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, and for the first time ever, the ICT partnered with UNWTO and CNN International to build a new tourism identity: “Costa Rica. My Choice, Naturally.”

Mr. Rifai has been Secretary-General of the UNWTO since 2010. Earlier, from February 2006 to February 2009, he was Deputy Secretary-General.

Cooperation on sustainable tourism and climate change

In its five years of existence, this conference has become one of the largest and most prominent events on sustainable tourism in the region. A triangular cooperation project among Uruguay, Costa Rica and Spain has been one of the outcomes, starting learning exchange on climate change and sustainable tourism.

This contact resulted in an exchange that allowed the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) and key stakeholders to share the Sustainable Tourism Certificate with the Ministry of Tourism in Uruguay (MINTUR), the Ministry of Housing, Land Planning and Environment in Uruguay (MVOTMA), the National Climate Change Response System (SNRCC) and Uruguayan stakeholders in tourism, who are working on a sustainable tourism certification for Uruguay –Green Tourism Certificate (SVT).

Under this project, Uruguay has shared experiences on a recovery of beaches through ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) techniques, implementing train-the-trainers activities with experts from the ICT and representatives from local committees of the Programa Bandera Azul Ecológica de Playas (Ecological Blue Flag Programme for Beaches), running this institute.

About the conference

The conference will be structured around four themes. The Earth theme will analyze how tourism –one of the largest and most dynamic economic sectors– can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pervading local communities and destinations.

The Water theme will focus attention on new market trends and how the tourism industry evolves. The Air theme will address climate change and how it affects tourism. Experts will share precautionary and mitigation measures through best practices and new technologies.

Finally, the Fire theme will explore the main challenges in the sector, such as sharing economy and the carrying capacity of destinations against the decision whether to bet on quantity or quality of tourists.

For the second consecutive year, P3 International Conference has been declared an event of cultural interest by the Ministry of Culture in Costa Rica and for the third time, awarded the declaration of tourist interest. Registrations are open.

Latin America, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Indonesia’s Supreme Court Upholds Water Rights

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article by Andreas Harsono for Human Rights Watch

In a landmark ruling, Indonesia’s Supreme Court this week ordered the government to restore public water services to residents in Jakarta after finding private companies “failed to protect” their right to water.

The court ordered the government to immediately revoke its contracts with two private water utilities and hand responsibility for public water supply services back to a public water utility.


Inadequate water supply service caused by privatization of Jakarta’s water supply has forced residents of low-income areas to buy expensive drinking water from street vendors and bathe in polluted public wells. © 2015 Nila Ardhianie

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The Supreme Court decision quoted residents of low-income areas in North Jakarta who blamed limited access to clean water and sanitation services on the failure of the private companies to adequately service their neighborhoods. Those residents described how the firms, PT PAM Lyonnaise Jaya and PT Aetra Air Jakarta, provided only sporadic water service, mostly limited to evening hours. The two companies were also implicated in denying water access services to residents unable to pay their bills. These residents were forced to buy expensive drinking water from street vendors and bathe in polluted public wells. “Disconnection of water services because of failure to pay due to lack of means constitutes a violation of the human right to water and other international human rights,” concluded three United Nations water experts in 2014.

Water privatization in Jakarta began in 1997 under then-President Suharto, who ordered the privatization in 1995, arguing it would improve service. Suharto ordered Jakarta’s public water utility to be divided into two operations, giving one half to a joint venture between British firm Thames Water and an Indonesian firm owned by his son. The government awarded the other privatized water operation to a joint venture between French firm Suez and Indonesia’s Salim Group, a company chaired by longtime Suharto friend Liem Sioe Liong.

The privatization contracts included guarantees that lower-income consumers would pay lower water tariffs. However, 12 residents and organizations that filed the class action lawsuit that led to the Supreme Court ruling argued that the companies deliberately underserviced lower-income consumers to prioritize higher-revenue service to wealthier consumers.

The onus is now on the government of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to implement the court’s decision and ensure lower-income residents are no longer deprived of their rights to water and sanitation. The government should also scrutinize similar water privatization contracts in other areas including Batam, Palembang, and Banten to determine if similar discriminatory abuses are occurring there.

East Asia, HUMAN RIGHTS

Caritas Jordan hosts Youth World Peace Forum

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article by Rula Samain from the Jordan Times

Caritas Jordan on Friday [September 22] launched the Youth World Peace Forum (YWPF) under the theme “Now is the time”, with the aim of empowering youth in peacemaking.

More than 400 young participants from 40 countries convened at the American University of Madaba for the two-day event to share their personal experiences and plan initiatives to contribute to a more peaceful world.


More than 400 young participants from 40 countries participated in the Youth World Peace Forum at the American University of Madaba (Photo by Rula Samain)

Caritas, a humanitarian charity that counts 160 members worldwide, is a nongovernmental organisation affiliated with the Catholic Church.

Wael Suleiman, general director of Caritas Jordan, told The Jordan Times that the invitation was a “continuation” of the peace initiative launched by Pope Francis last year, who called all Caritas organisations around the world to spread the message of world peace.

He added that the youth are taught the values of true peace by listening and respecting each other, which also helps them to understand the importance of sharing.

For Suleiman, the message of peace can also be conveyed through art: “Most of the activities involved art, singing, music, dancing, where participants expressed themselves as well as their agonies”.

Suleiman noted that a few days before the forum was held, a special camp was established where participants spent time with Syrian and Iraqi refugees, helping fix some of their houses and organising special programmes for the children.

“This is the beauty of the conference: it served as a platform for all peace initiatives by the young generations so that all, whether Christians and Muslims, can share their experiences”, Suleiman added.

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Question related to this article:
 
Youth initiatives for a culture of peace, How can we ensure they get the attention and funding they deserve?

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The two-day event saw the participation of the YWPF and the Italian project “Non Dalla Guerra”.

YWPF President Carlos Dario said that Jordan was the “right place” to host such an event because of its visible efforts in promoting peace.

He told the Jordan Times that the youth represent “the future” and that adults’ role is to guide and encourage them to work for peace, adding that focusing on proper education was essential.

Giovanni Zambon, founder of Non Dalla Guerra, said that Jordan’s effort in hosting refugees constituted a “model to follow” for other countries.

He added that his organisation, which translates into “not through war”, was born in Jordan three years ago when he visited the Zaatari camp.

“I learnt that donating money is important to help refugees but giving one’s time is even more valuable. Being with the refugees, listening to them and sharing with them taught me a lot about peace. I realised that it starts from within the person itself. Giving is not only about money, time has more of a value,” he explained.

During the event, several institutes held workshops to spread awareness on the value of peace and “spread the seeds of love”.

Among them was the Royal Institute for Interfaith Studies (RIIFS), a nongovernmental organisation that provides a venue for the interdisciplinary study of intercultural and interreligious issues, with the aim of defusing tensions and promoting peace regionally and globally, according to its website.

RIIFS Academic Adviser Amer Alhafi told The Jordan Times that peace is “the essence” of the three Abrahamic religions, and stressed the importance to emulate actions of peace and kindness in our daily lives.

Among the participants was Samer Ishaq, 33, from Syria, Khdija Akjabri, 18, from Oman and Srushti Vasani, 17, from India.

The three agreed that the moments they shared together were extremely valuable, and that even though the path to peace making is not easy, it is not impossible, and they are determined to achieve it.

Mideast, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

Brazil: Senac promotes debate on culture of peace in the educational system

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article from ABCdoABC (translated by CPNN)

On October 21, Saturday, Senac São Bernardo do Campo will hold a conference on the Culture of Peace – sharing practices and integrating knowledge, as part of the program of the Education Expo. This action by Senac of São Paulo seeks to foster reflection on issues in the area of ​​education, with the aim of contributing to the process of teacher training and encouraging them in their mission as generators of knowledge and social development.


The debate will be mediated by Andrea dos Santos Pereira Nunes, a graduate in social communication, postgraduate in project management and coordinator of the Senac Culture of Peace Program. The theme is how to put into practice in the educational environment values ​​and attitudes based on respect life and practice of non-violence, through a participatory process for the promotion of dialogue, resolving conflicts at the root of their causes, in a spirit of understanding and cooperation.

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(Click here for the article in Portuguese)

Questions for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

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In 2017, the central theme of the Education Expo, which takes place at different stages throughout the network of Senac São Paulo, is “Innovation in education: what transformations do we need to make?” The general programming highlights a series of discussions and lectures on the importance of investing in innovative methods in the education process, as well as discussing the challenges for promoting learning that takes into account the capacities of the students and that harnesses the resources offered by the new technologies.

The activities of the Education Expo are all free and open to the general public, and especially suited to educational professionals. To know more about the event or about the courses offered in the unit, please access the Senac Portal: www.sp.senac.br/sbcampo.

Expertise in education

The Senac São Bernardo do Campo also offers courses for educators to develop and improve their professional practice. In the portfolio, there are several courses that help teachers bring important concepts such as inclusion, active methodologies, structuring of learning, etc. into their practice in the classroom.

More information about courses and registrations are available at the Portal Senac, www.sp.senac.br/sbcampo.

EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Latin America

Brazil: Government of Espirito Santo launches movement to stop violence against women

. . WOMEN’S EQUALITY . .

An article from Aqui Noticias (translated by CPNN)

The Government of the State, through the Secretaries of State of Public Security and Social Defense (Sesp) and Human Rights (Sedh), launched, on Tuesday morning, October 10, a movement to raise awareness of violence against woman. The action is intended to promote, together with the society of the state of Espírito Santo, a culture of peace and confrontation of violence.


Photo: Leonardo Duarte / Secom

An advertising campaign will be launched in the media to promote reflection, debate and the protection of women, with the objective of reducing the high levels of violence in the state of Espírito Santo. In addition to this initiative, educational videos on social networks will also be released in the coming months, inviting the most diverse sectors of society to discuss the theme.

In a speech, Governor Paulo Hartung asked that the Movement to Combat Violence against Women be joined by everyone in the society. “The problem is a challenge to the state and we invite everyone in Espírito Santo to join forces: government authorities, institutions, public sector, society and churches. Public institutions have a responsibility to make public policies and make evaluations, but the government cannot deal with a challenge like this by itself. This is not a license for omission, but it is a summons. This is the role of a leader in the face of a calamity such as the violence against women that we face in our State and in Brazil. We have the capacity to change the reality of Espírito Santo regarding these indicators that are a great embarrassment to us. Good government is one that dialogues with society and recognizes its limitations.”

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Question related to this article:

Protecting women and girls against violence, Is progress being made?

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To this end, the governor stressed that the theme should also be introduced in each family and that it is necessary to mobilize everyone in order to end the culture of machismo in Espírito Santo.

“A child who watches his father assaulting his mother learns the culture of violence. It is this behavior that we need to stop in order to strengthen the culture of peace. The challenge is to turn this action into a powerful mobilization to end machismo and change the culture of “ownership” that men have over women. If we manage to involve everyone in the society, I am sure that each one of us will deal better with his frustrations, losses and life challenges. It is necessary to change the way of thinking of some men in Espirito Santo, and ensure that women do not allow the perpetuation of violence. We have a “homework” for everyone: to remove from the scene the culture of violence and brutality and to promote a culture of peace,” concluded the governor.

According to Secretary André Garcia, the event aims to make this discussion part of the family environment, since the most diverse types of violence against women start within the home.

“It is a set of initiatives to change the current reality, which is worrying: feminicide is the final stage of domestic violence against women. The autonomy of women is repressed by violence when women are treated as objects. Since the government can not do everything, the society needs to help and reflect on how it can contribute to changing that reality,” said André Garcia.

The Secretary of State for Human Rights, Julio Pompeu, emphasizes that the moment has come to invite all the population of the state of Espírito Santo to speak up in the face of any kind of violence against women.

“As a society we can be much better than we are and for this we need to be all committed to change that situation, that we all embrace our movement and that we fight together to end violence against women,” said the Secretary of Human Rights,” Julio Pompeu.

In addition to authorities, representatives of social movements, engaged in the protection of women, were present at the event.

(Click here for the original version in Portuguese)

Latin America, WOMEN'S EQUALITY

Mexico: Journalism for a Culture of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from NVI Noticias (translated by CPNN)

Mexico City.- The International Encounter of Journalism in the Culture of Peace has prepared a program that includes the participation of women journalists such as Zaina Erhaim of Syria, who received the Peter Mackler Award for Ethical and Courageous Journalism in 2015; Marcela Turati, Nina Lakhani, Patricia Nieto Nieto, Daniela Rea, Yanet Aguilar and Carina Pérez García.

This event will be held as part of the Zócalo International Book Fair on October 10 and 11 at the El Rule Cultural Center. It will review the role of journalism in building a culture of peace.


The journalist from Syria, Zaina Erhaim, will take part in a dialogue with Marcela Turati, moderated by Yanet Aguilar

Tools of art and culture

“Given the situation of violence and insecurity in different regions of the country, the federal government has inserted in its cultural policy the need to take advantage of the tools of art and culture to help repair the damaged social fabric, to recover public spaces abandoned in recent years, and to offer alternative cultural expressions to the society.

Writers such as Jon Lee Anderson, Alma Guillermoprieto, Cristina Pacheco and Leila Guerrero, to mention just a few examples, have been given the task of recovering different artistic and cultural manifestations of our relationship with the environment and journalism in the graphic press, where it is necessary to take into account played by the media, particularly by cultural journalists.

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(Click here for the original article in Spanish.)

Question(s) related to this article:

Journalism in Latin America: Is it turning towards a culture of peace?

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Culture of Peace

In Colombia, a program called Culture of Peace and Coexistence has been developed, based on the conviction that the expression of the Culture of Peace needs to be established in language, ideals and collective practices. The document of the program states that “Individuals, social groups and all nations recognize that the Culture of Peace is the key to transform individual and collective paradigms from the culture of violence. It must be rooted in daily life, favoring the reconstruction of the social fabric through the practice of new values, attitudes and behaviors.”

According to Jesús Alejo Santiago, the Zócalo encounter establishes working groups to foster dialogue among reporters who have experience in electronic and written media in conversation with civil society, in order to evaluate the tools and strategies they have used to spread social, artistic and cultural activities that promote a culture of peace in the various regions of the country that have experienced violence and insecurity.

Participants

This meeting opens with the dialogue between Zaina Erham and Marcela Turati, entitled “How peace can be promoted through journalism.” Next, will be the roundtable, “How to make peace visible: a task for journalism.” In the midst of accounts of conflict, violence, death and bloodshed, journalism also has the responsibility to collaborate on the road to peace and to tell the stories of people who have remained invisible, giving a human context to the facts, according to the cultural journalist.

Other participants include Patricia Nieto Nieto, Hector de Mauleón and Erik Vargas Torres. In the roundtable “Not only bad news is good news” particpants will include Carina Pérez García and Daniela Rea, with the moderator Baltazar Domínguez. Then, in the closing conference, there will be a dialogue between Alberto Salcedo Ramos and Eduardo Vazquez Martín, entitled “Culture and journalism for peace.”

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, Latin America