At UN Forum Member States call for implementation of the 1999 Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace

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A compilation by CPNN

At the recent United Nations High Level Forum on a Culture of Peace, delegations from around the world recalled the 1999 UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and called for its implementation. Here are excerpts from statements made at the Forum by delegations from Europe, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia and the Arab States.


Her Excellency Mme. Elisenda Vives Balmaña, Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Andorra

On the other hand, just as they boycotted the UN Conference to ban nuclear weapons, the countries of NATO and their allies boycotted the forum. The only exception was the delegation from Belgium.

“Andorra applauds the action of UNESCO in favor of the culture of peace based on the universal values of tolerance, liberty, solidarity, human rights and gender equality. It is a concept that can be found already in the 1999 adoption by the General Assembly of resolution A/53/243 which proposes the promotion of peace through education which should be available to all children, with a particular attention to women.”

“Bangladesh along with all the stakeholders have been engaged in the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace which highlighted the priority areas for the full and effective implementation of this visionary and universally applicable idea.”

“Belgium remains convinced of the pertinence of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace adopted in 1999.”

China: “States should accelerate the realization of the goals related to the culture of peace in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and effectively implement the General Assembly’s Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.”

Cuba: “Eighteen years after the adoption by the UN General Assembly of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, Cuba reaffirms its full validity and is grateful for the convening of this High-Level Forum, which allows to reflect on how much is yet to be done to achieve and enjoy a true cultue of peace, fostering understanding among peoples and tolerance of diffeences.”

“India welcomes and fully supports the landmark resolution A/53/243 on the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. A culture of peace is the keystone of the foundation of a global order of peace and tolerance. In the long history of human civilization which have seen many years of warfare, the United Nations has been a guiding light in the 20th Century with the many initiatives it has taken to build a peaceful and just order.”

Lebanon: “This event gives us the opportunity, not only to celebrate, but also to review our commitment made almost two decades ago in the adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.”

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Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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Libya: “In 1999 the General Assembly adopted the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace which was considered a guide for governments and civil society to promote the culture of peace. This declaration linked the concepts of culture and peace as th main pillars of peacebuilding.”

Malaysia: “My delegation reaffirms its support and commitment for the continued and effective implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace which remains relevant to uphold respect for life as well as human values and diversity. It would be remiss for me to not mention the importance of values set about by the Declaration, including ending of violence, practice of education, dialogue and cooperation, as well as adherence to principles of justice, tolerance, cooperation and cultural diversity. It is our view that these principles , when applied, will address the challenges that we have been facing in attaining the culture of peace.”

Mexico: “The adoption of the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace represents an important step towards establishing integral strategies to promote the culture of peace that contributes to guarantee a sustainable peace in the long term.”

Pakistan: “The General Assembly Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace of 1999 bound us all in a global commitment to build a new century of peace and coexistence.”

Qatar: “In conclusion, I would like to stress our commitment to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and we will continue to provide support to all efforts at the national, regional and international levels in order to promote the culture of peace and nonviolence so that we can benefit the entire humanity.”

Republic of Korea: “The 1999 Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace expanded the parameters of the concept of peace, connecting it more firmly to development, empowerment, human rights and government transparency. In our rapidly changing world, we must zero in on those who can benefit the most from programs meant to promote a culture of peace and ask ourselves if they are being well served,”

Russian Federation: “The significance continues to grow of the inter-religious, inter-civilizational and intercultural dialogue and cooperation and promotion of principles and orientation, that was established by the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace in 1999.”

“Venezuela has actively supported all initiatives of the United Nations fostering a culture of peace, and the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, as well as the International Year for the Culture of Peace, and innumerable specific actions which contributed to a culture of peace and nonviolence from 2000 to 2010.”

Editor’s note: The statements from Andorra, Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Cuba, Mexico, Pakistan, Republic of Korea and Russia are available as pdf images at https://papersmart.unmeetings.org/ga/71st-session/high-level-forum-on-the-culture-of-peace/statements/. Remarks from Andorra, Belgium, Cuba, Mexico and Russia are translated by CPNN. Statements from Lebanon, Libya, Qatar and Venezuela, are transcribed from the English language interpretations available at http://webtv.un.org/search/high-level-forum-on-the-culture-of-peace-general-assembly-71st-session/5567708131001/?term=&lan=english&page=2, while those from India and Malaysia are transcribed from the English language interpretations available at http://webtv.un.org/search/panel-discussion-on-sowing-the-seeds-on-the-culture-of-peace-at-high-level-forum-on-the-culture-of-peace-general-assembly-71st-session/5566146546001/?term=&lan=english&page=2.

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IPI Forum at United Nations: Advancing the Culture of Peace

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An article from International Peace Institute

On September 7th, IPI together with the Al-Babtain Foundation cohosted a policy forum on the culture of peace during the annual UN High-Level Forum entitled “Advancing the Culture of Peace.” This event provided input into the high-level forum by building upon the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1999.


Video of Forum

Please note that the event was broadcast in native language. An English-language version will be forthcoming.

The eight pillars identified in the 1999 Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace echo today’s priorities set by the Secretary-General and the President of the General Assembly. The event on September 7th at IPI explored the connections among culture, peace, security, and development, focusing specifically on the connections between the culture of peace, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the 2016 resolutions on sustaining peace.

As there is significant overlap between the Sustainable Development Goals and the eight pillars, it is important to reflect on the ways sustainable development can be integrated into the culture of peace. Similarly, it is critical to consider ways to strengthen the structures, attitudes, and behaviors that both foster a culture of peace and sustain it. This event provided an opportunity to discuss the links among the three agendas, exploring the opportunities, risks, and best strategies moving forward.

Welcoming Remarks:
Ambassador Terje Rød-Larsen, President, International Peace Institute

Opening Remarks:
H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly
Dr. Abdul Aziz Saud Al-Babtain, Chairman and Founder of Abdulaziz Saud Al-Babtain Cultural Foundation

Speakers:
H.E. Ms. Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
H.E. Mr. Masud Bin Momen, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nations
Mr. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support

Moderator:
Dr. Adam Lupel, Vice President, International Peace Institute

Question(s) related to this article:
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In India the energy revolution does not wait !

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ..

An article by Auguste Bergot for La Releve et la peste

Since the Paris Agreement, India has taken its commitments for sustainable development very seriously. For the third most energy-consuming country in the world, the energy transition has been, in a sense, a windfall: it has enabled it to reconcile its development objectives – by making electricity accessible to its entire population – and asserting itself as a “superpower of renewable energies” on a global scale. By developing massively its photovoltaic panels, India has already managed to exceed all expectations, and is not ready to stop.


(Photovoltaic installation of Khilchipur (Madhya Pradesh, Inde) MWc, started up in 2014. Crédits : EDF EN)

India has more than 1.3 billion inhabitants. In this country, where the ventilator is an indispensable part of everyday life, the inhabitants show an increase in demand for electricity that is roughly similar to France or Germany. On the other hand, at the level of quantities, in 2014, people consumed on average 805.6 kWh compared to 6,937 kWh in France and 7,035 kWh in Germany, a huge difference that reflects serious inequalities in access to electricity in India.

Indeed, about 240 million Indians (nearly 2% of the population) still do not have access to electricity. This is a major problem as many Indian people still can not light up in the evenings. This prevents children from studying and poses food preservation problems. That is why, with the commitment of the COP21, India has set itself the goal of providing power to its entire population 24 hours a day by 2030.

To meet this objective, India could simply have relied on conventional energy sources, including coal, its traditional energy source. But instead, it decided to invest fully (and at high speed) in renewable energies, and particularly solar energy. It takes advantage of its 300 days of sunshine per year on average, which is particularly apt for development of this sector. This is why it is the leader of the International Solar Alliance, a coalition of 121 countries located between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Tropic of Cancer, which aims to “generalize solar energy in the world and mobilize $ 1 trillion of investment by 2030 [invested by the World Bank] “by making the best use of the photovoltaic potential of the countries of the South.

In addition, it appears that investors have identified the advantageous profile of India. As the World Bank points out, “the last call for tenders for a solar project in the Rajasthan desert was a record low rate of 2.44 rupees (the equivalent of 4 cents) per kilowatt hour. So the price of solar energy is already more competitive than that of coal, which is excellent news for the trend towards a gradual exit from coal (which still accounts for 69% of the Indian energy mix) .

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

Question for this article:

Are we making progress in renewable energy?

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While the previous government had set a timid target of 22 gigawatts for 2022, the Minister of Energy of Narendra Modi’s government of India, Piyush Goyal, said that “it is not very difficult to envisage that India installs 10 GWp of photovoltaics per year and 6 to 8 GW of wind each year. The target was simply multiplied by 7: 160 GW of wind and solar energy by 2022. However, despite the unprecedented efforts of India, it seems difficult to imagine that the State can achieve its objective.
Indeed, even if the growth of the photovoltaic sector is spectacular in India (+632% in 2011, +154% in 2012, +64% in 2013 and +43% in 2014), it still had only in 2016 a production capacity of 9.01 GW, out of the 100 GW of the 160 planned for 2022 … However, it can be said without reservation that the 22 GW target set by the former government will be far surpassed if India follows this momentum. But far from being enough to dethrone the fossil energy sector, India will have to be patient and continue working to achieve its goals. It is estimated that Indian greenhouse gas emissions will continue to increase at least until 2030, before the efforts have a visible impact.

The triple problem faced by India today is how to reconcile its commitment to energy transition with its desire to bring electricity to the entire population and to meet the economy in full development. Thus, the measures put in place by the Modi government, in particular concerning the doubling of the coal tax and the aid for the closure of coal-fired power stations over 25 years of age, are at the same time a further step towards a revolution in energy and a thorn in the foot for the development of Indian industry.

An article published by La Tribune also notes that “if India is a new Eldorado for renewable energy, a high cost of capital and a financing market make it relatively complex.” However, massive investments by the World Bank are aimed at remedying these aporias. With a contribution of more than $ 1 billion in support to India’s solar plans, the World Bank and Indian State cooperation will develop Indian solar parks, develop solutions storage and contribute to the development of common network infrastructures.

Just a few months ago, the Indian government announced that it wanted to make its fleet of cars completely electric by 2030 to curb air pollution (according to Greenpeace, India became the country for the period 2016-2017 where air pollution causes the most deaths in the world).

The efforts of the Modi government to achieve the goals set by COP21 and to drive the so-called “southern” countries (formerly excluded from the ecological transition, despite their potential due to the excessively high costs of renewable energies) should be a source of inspiration for European leaders, who seem to be more concerned about half-hearted measures than strong and assertive international mobilization.

While India’s ambitions are beyond its own capabilities, they remain an ideal that deserves support and pursuit by the international community, not only on the basis of profits for corporations. Without this, we may have the bitter result that India is only the new playing field of investors who profit from a particularly juicy market …

(Thank you to Kiki Chauvin, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

South Asia, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

China eclipses Europe as 2020 solar power target is smashed

.. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ..

An article from Euractiv

China has reached its 2020 solar power target three years ahead of schedule, after installed capacity topped well over its 105GW target. Europe has been urged to show similar ambition.


The largest floating solar power farm in the world was recently hooked up to China’s power grid. [Sungrow]
(Click on image to enlarge)

New figures published by solar industry firm Asia Europe Clean Energy (Solar) Advisory (AECEA) last week revealed that China has exceeded its 2020 target of 105GW of installed solar capacity, after new builds in June and July pushed it up beyond 112GW.

Solar power is enjoying a sunny 2017 in China, after the first half of this year saw capacity increased by 24.4GW, dwarfing similar efforts in Europe, and cementing China’s status as the world’s leading solar nation.

(Thank you to Kiki Chauvin, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

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

Question for this article:
East Asia, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

From Europe to the United States, these cities oppose their governments to better accommodate migrants

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

An article by Rachel Knaebel for Bastamag

In the United States, hundreds of municipalities have chosen not to contribute to the hunt against the undocumented launched by Donald Trump. In Europe, many municipalities have commited themselves to a welcome of migrants. “Sanctuary cities”, “refuge cities” … From Italy to Great Britain, from Barcelona to Grande-Synthe, these communes are trying to constitute a veritable counter-power against unworthy and xenophobic policies.


Photo: LGBT demonstration of solidarity with refugees in London, June 2016 / CC Alisdare Hickson
(Click on the photo to enlarge)

In the United States, hundreds of municipalities have chosen not to contribute to the hunt against the undocumented launched by Donald Trump. In Europe, many municipalities have commited themselves to a welcome of migrants. “Sanctuary cities”, “refuge cities” … From Italy to Great Britain, from Barcelona to Grande-Synthe, these communes are trying to constitute a veritable counter-power against unworthy and xenophobic policies.

Barely elected President of the United States, Donald Trump passed a decree to cut federal funds to the hundreds of municipalities that criticized his anti-migrant policy. Confronted with Trump’s program, his willingness to expel undocumented migrants irrespective of the number of years of residence, and his desire to erect a wall on the Mexican border, many cities quickly declared themselves “Sanctuary cities”. These municipalities “have adopted policies that promise to protect and serve all their residents, regardless of their migratory status,” says the powerful American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

In effect, these cities refuse to cooperate with the federal security forces, when they ask them to put undocumented migrants in detention. They do not necessarily require citizens to produce a birth certificate or to stay legally to access local public services. Some sanctuary municipalities even decide to recognize non-US identity papers as valid in their territory or to distribute their own municipal identity papers to all their residents, regardless of their nationality.

From New York to Milan, via Barcelona

Some of the most important cities in the United States, such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and Washington, have adopted this position. And they have not lost the battle against Donald Trump, since a federal judge blocked last April the decree of the president who wanted to cut off their resources.

In Europe too, faced with a historic crisis in the management of migration, local authorities are countering the closure policy pursued by the European Union states. Most European governments rely on safe management and agreements with undeveloped countries like Libya and Turkey (read our article Sending them to detention or to a dictatorship: this is how Europe “relocates” its refugees). However, in Milan on May 20, 100,000 people demonstrated at the initiative of the left-wing mayor of the city to promote the reception of migrants.

In February, it was the mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, allied with the Podemos party, who called for a demonstration for the reception of migrants. Again, more than 100,000 people responded. The Catalan capital has also initiated an international network of cities committed to helping migrants, Solidarity Cities, intended to push the Spanish government to speed up the reception of refugees arriving in Europe, and to relocate them to Spain.

“France is not welcoming”

And in France ? There is the good example of Grande-Synthe, a northern town of 20,000 inhabitants, where the municipality has welcomed migrants en route to England (see our article Assuring migrants’ reception, ecology and social emancipation: the astonishing example of Grande-Synthe), notably by constructing a reception center with Médecin sans frontières with decent living conditions (taken over by the prefecture, the center was destroyed by a fire last April). Individual citizens also commit themselves, from Calais to the Italian border, and are sometimes taken to court for “Illegal acts of solidarity” (read our article At the Franco-Italian border, residents of the Roya valley risk imprisonment for helping migrants).

In Paris, thousands of migrants disembarked in the capital find themselves on the streets without any care and they are harassed by the police. Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the opening of a first reception center in May. The center opened six months later. Scheduled for 500 people, it is too small and saturated permanently. According to the association France Terre d’asile, more than 1,000 migrants were still sleeping in the street in early July near the reception center. The association Gisti (Group of information and support to immigrants) also denounced the police violence against the migrants who were waiting in lines to enter the center. In spite of very real but dispersed initiatives (read here our article), “France is not welcoming”, regrets Filippo Furri. Will the French cities take over from a failing state?

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

Question for this article

The refugee crisis, Who is responsible?

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Crisis of the Italian hosting model

“We must differentiate between networks of solidarity-based cities in Europe and the movement of sanctuary cities in the United States,” said Filippo Furri, a member of the Migreurop network and a doctoral candidate at the University of Montreal. In Europe, municipalities are forming a safe haven on the issue of asylum. In the United States, the movement has instead built itself to protect all undocumented immigrants who have lived in the country for a while. ”

Filippo Furri is well aware of the Italian case, in particular that of Venice: “With the Balkan war in the 1990s, there was a wave of refugees. In Venice, an initiative of citizen and NGO solidarity organized a dignified welcome. A reception system was set up at the beginning of the 2000s. Venice became a sort of prototype of the asylum system, which later developed in Italy, with the current emergency situation. ”

Along with Greece, Italy is one of the two main countries of arrival for the hundreds of thousands of people who land every year in Europe by sea, seeking asylum and security. More than 360 000 people have arrived by the Mediterranean Sea in Europe in 2016. More than 98 000 since the beginning of 2017 (more than 2000 migrants have already died in the Mediterranean Sea this year). Italy is therefore one of the countries that has to manage the reception of migrants in urgent and large numbers, in addition to sea rescues. In early July, its government called on other European countries to help care for newcomers. But instead of taking the side of hospitality, the Italian government also threatened at the same time to close its ports to the migrants.

Aid to development in the face of failing states

“Italy, like Greece, is becoming a real retention territory,” says Filippo Furri. There are forms of hospitality and hospitality in civil society. It is a response to state management, which is primarily aimed at controlling flows, sorting people, and scattering reception centers by imposing them on local governments. There is a conflict between the local reception of municipalities and the state control. In the same way that NGOs take over from the European states and authorities to save lives in the Mediterranean Sea, Italian municipalities are organizing to do what the Italian state refuses to do: to organize a dignified welcome and to encourage exchanges between the local population and newcomers.

The network of “Communes of the Earth for the World”, founded in 2003, today brings together more than 300 municipalities from all over Italy. For example, the association organizes an intercultural festival in Riace, a village in Calabria that has become one of the entry points for many migrants in the EU (see our article These villages that choose to welcome migrants). The association of municipalities also conducts international solidarity projects, such as a solar energy development project in the Sahel. “The Recosol network is organized on a logic of solidarity that goes beyond the issue of migration,” says Filippo Furri. It is a network of mutual assistance between local communities. ”

To constitute solidarity associations, beyond the sole objective of managing the emergency, this is surely the specificity of the networks of shelter cities in the face of the migration policies of the States. “The State leaves it up to the Italian municipalities to organize the reception of migrants. It is the municipalities that organize housing, language courses and local integration,” explained the coordinators of the network of municipalities Recosol. The Italian government’s policy suffers from the lack of a global vision and a national plan for the reception and integration of migrants. It is therefore the NGOs and the citizens, on the territory, who make the difference. ”

Sanctuary City in the UK

In Britain too, citizens and municipalities are countering the xenophobic policy of the Conservative government. “A Sanctuary City was created in Sheffield in 2005 by a small group of people who wanted to better accommodate the refugees,” said Forward Maisokwadzo, spokesperson for the British network. The Mayor of this city of 500,000 inhabitants in the north of England fully supported the initiative and made a public commitment to welcome asylum seekers and refugees in his city. “Then the movement became very important, in terms of the number of people and communes involved. It now includes a hundred municipalities. The idea is to work with everyone: citizens, associations, local authorities.”

For the movement “City of Sanctuary”, the key to hospitality is in this collective work. “The actions carried out by the movement vary from place to place. They can, for example, involve raising awareness of the issue of the reception of asylum seekers, says Forward Maisokwadzo. In Bristol, the city has tackled the problem of deprivation of asylum seekers, who receive very little financial support and are not allowed to work during their study. A dozen other cities are committed to the issue. Their job is also to push the government to address this issue.”

(Thank you to Kiki Chauvin, the CPNN reporter for this article.)

Europe, North America, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY,

Germany: The dead refugees lament! Action September 5

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY .

A press release from Kultur des friedens (translated by CPNN)

On Tuesday 5 September 2017 at 12 noon, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin
a 100 meter long banner was erected listing the names of 17,306 refugees that have died in the Mediterranean since 2012. It serves as a memorial to them and as a resistance to the inhuman policy that contributed to their deaths, the restrictive policy of the European Union (Fortress Europe). The dead lament. This action takes place on the occasion of the last General Debate on current political issues in the Bundestag before the parliamentary elections which will take place on Tuesday 5 September .

Members of the Culture of Peace Society (GKF) have just returned from refugee camps in Greece, most recently from Mytilini / Lesbos, where the central place was occupied by refugees because they no longer see any prospect of leaving the island. The real cause of their flight was ignored at the latest European refugee summit, as the federal government combats the consequences of its own misguided policy.

At the same time, a reminder action is called for at the Brandenburg Gate on 5 September 2017 at 12 noon, parallel to the meeting in the Bundestag.

We ask the media to announce the event and to report how the cause of death was war, poverty, climate change and human rights violations.

Question for this article
Europe, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

United Nations High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace – 2017

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An announcement from the United Nations

On 7 September 2017, the President of the UN General Assembly will convene a High-level Forum on the Culture of Peace.

Following the wide-ranging success of the UN General Assembly’s first High-level Forum on The Culture of Peace held on 14 September 2012 and each successive annual Forums, the Assembly, under the guidance of its President H.E. Mr. Peter Thomson and co-sponsored by 102 Member States, adopted by consensus the resolution 71/252 on “Follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace”.


Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly

On 13 September 1999, the General Assembly adopted, by consensus and without reservation, resolution 53/243 on the Declaration and Programme of Action on Culture of Peace. Amongst others, it provided the driving force for the advancement of the UN-declared International Decade for Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).

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Question(s) related to this article:

What is the United Nations doing for a culture of peace?

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Through annual substantive resolutions for the last 20 years as well as annual High-level Forums since 2012, the General Assembly has highlighted the priority it attaches to the full and effective implementation of these forward-looking objectives which are universally applicable and sought after by the vast majority of peoples in every nation.

In keeping with this approach, this year’s High-level Forum aims to highlight emerging trends that impact on the realization of a culture of peace and to enable Member States and others to exchange ideas on further promoting a Culture of Peace.

Programme

The High-level Forum as in past years will consist of an opening session, a plenary segment, an interactive panel discussion and a closing segment. The opening session and plenary segment will be held in the General Assembly Hall from 10.00 am to 1.00 pm. The panel discussion will take place in the Trusteeship Council Chamber and will focus on “Sowing the Seeds of the Culture of Peace: Early Childhood Development is the Beginning”

Format

A President’s summary of the meeting will be made available to all Member States.

Participation

Member and Observer States are invited to participate at the highest possible level. The meeting is also open to UN agencies, civil society organisations, the private sector and other stakeholders.

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Brazil: Agrestina organizes first Culture of Peace Meeting

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

by Helena Lourenço

At a meeting on August 25 in Agrestina (Pernambuco, Brazil), representatives from nine communities agreed to create a provisional commision that will lead to the formation of a Culture of Peace Council in the region of Agreste.


Photo by Jocelim Valdemar / Decom – PMA

The event was held by the Women’s Thematic Chamber of the Agreste and Mata Sul Municipalities Consortium
 
Among those present were the coordinator of the Women’s Chamber of Comaqsul and regional coordinator of the Central Agreste of the State Women’s Secretariat, Betânia Ribeiro, Agrestina’s Secretary of Public Policies for Women, Emilia Alves, the president of the Brazilian Association of Women Folklore Festivals of Brazil – ABRASOFFA, Helena Lourenço, the representative of the Public Policy Managers for Women in the Agreste Central Region, Claudia Roberta, the mayor of Lagoa dos Gatos, Edmilson Moraes, and the invited speaker, David Adams.

The theme of the speech by Dr. Adams was: The Culture of Peace and Non-Violence. He spoke out of his experience as the Director of the United Nations International Year for the Culture of Peace (2000). During the international year, 75 million people worldwide, 15 million of them in Brazil, signed the Manifesto 2000, as part of the initiative to promote a culture of peace. This shows a great awareness of the need to change our culture for a change of culture of peace, “he said.

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(Click here for a Portuguese version of this article)

Questions related to this article:

 

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

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The proposal of the culture of peace seeks alternatives and solutions to these issues that afflict humanity as a whole, focuses not on the issue of violence, but on peace as a social state of dignity where everything can be preserved and respected. These points are one of the great challenges of building a culture of peace.

According to the United Nations, the culture of peace has eight aspects:
1. Education for a culture of peace. Tolerance and solidarity3. Democratic participation 4. Flow of information 5. Disarmament 6. Human rights 7. Sustainable development 8. Equality of gender

Dr. Adams said that “It is necessary to replace the culture of war with a culture of peace. This can be done by cities because they have no need for nuclear weapons, there is no need for war culture.

The speaker concluded that he has a dream to see Brazil recognized for spreading the culture of peace. “Brazil will be known worldwide for being a country that seeks a culture of peace, thanks to the young people who go to communities and favelas to work and learn about a culture of peace.

According to UNESCO, the culture of peace “is intrinsically related to the prevention and non-violent resolution of conflicts” and is based on the principles of tolerance, solidarity, respect for life, individual rights and pluralism. This discussion is strengthened by the growing vision of universal responsibility for the construction of a new world and places this theme as one of the main educational actions that promote effective sources of peace in the world.

COMAGSUL – It is the Consortium of Agreste and Mata Sul Municipalities and was born of the common needs between Agreste and Mata Sul municipalities, with populations below 70,000 inhabitants. The consortium’s mission is to promote regional integration, foster the socioeconomic and cultural development of Agreste and Mata Sul de Pernambuco, as well as strengthen Municipal Management through joint actions, seeking the exchange of experiences and cost reduction of public services management between two or more municipalities that are part of the consortium. Currently, the group of municipalities consortium is of 22 municipalities.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America

English bulletin September 1, 2017

. . VISIT TO LATIN AMERICA . . .

As the coordinator of CPNN, I was invited recently to take part in peace seminars in Mexico and Brazil. Along with a conference that I attended at the end of 2015 in Colombia, it has given me the chance to appreciate the great advances being made towards a culture of peace in Latin America.

In particular I have been impressed by the Latin American advances in participative budgeting as a form of democratic participation, in mediation and restorative justice, in the struggle against violence against women, and in tourism for peace. Also, it is Latin America that has given us the World Social Forum. Of course, the peace process in Colombia has been the leading peace process in the world in the last few years. And now there is movement towards the development of networks of city peace commissions in Brazil and Mexico.

Participative budgeting allows citizens to debate and define policies, by deciding each year on the city’s budget priorities for investments and services. This stimulates the involvement of the citizenry in the public good and the city’s management. The process was started ten years ago in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre and has since spread to many cities around the world. My visit this month included the cities of Santos and Curuaru in Brazil as well as Mexico City, and CPNN this month carries articles about participative budgeting in each of those cities.

Brazil is a leader worldwide in the development of restorative justice, as we have seen last October in CPNN. This month we carry an article about progress in restorative justice in the southern region of Brazil. Similar systems of mediation as alternative justice are increasingly used in Mexico as we have seen in previous articles in CPNN in July and November, 2016, and we carry an article this month from Chiapas, the southern region of Mexico.

I was impressed during my visits by the high level of violence against women, and the increasing struggle in those countries to stop the violence. In Brazil, the struggle is carried out in the framework of a law named after one of the victims, Maria da Penha, while in Mexico, it is in the framework of the General Law for Women’s Access to a Life Free from Violence. In Colombia, one of the initiatives is being carried out in the framework of traditional indigenous rituals. In a related note, we carry an article from Colombia this month about the creation of a Council of Indigenous Women as a integral part of the peace process in that country.

Latin America is also a leader for peace tourism. This will be considered in October at the Latin American Congress of Tourist Cities, entitled “Constructing Peace through Tourism.” In this regard we carry stories this month about tourism in Puebla, Mexico, and the development of tourism as a contribution to the peace process in post-conflict zones of Colombia.

The World Social Forums, which began in Brazil, can be considered as the most important global gatherings for a culture of peace. CPNN has previously carried stories about the World Social Forum Belem (2009) in Brazil, as well as the last Forums in Canada and Tunisia. Next year the forum returns to Brazil where preparations are being made in Salvador de Bahia.

Finally, I want to mention that progress is being made in Mexico and Brazil towards networks of city peace commissions. A number of commissions were established in Brazil during the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and we carry an update on their activities, including the most city peace recent commission in Santos, which is now giving consideration to include the culture of peace activities by the youth of that city such as those previously described in CPNN. As I write this, a network of city peace commissions is being established in Pernambuco, Brazil, and the Mexican Association of Mayors is considering a proposal for city peace commissions at their annual meeting.

I would like to thank my friends in Mexico, Brazil and Colombia for inviting me to visit and take part in their development of a culture of peace, and I am sure we will hear much more from them in the future.

      

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION



Brazil: Open Letter convenes World Social Forum 2018 in Salvador

TOLERANCE AND SOLIDARITY



10th Annual Japan-Korea “Peace & Green Boat” Joint Statement

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION



Brazil: Restorative Justice: AJURIS and its Judiciary School sign agreement with Terre des Hommes and MPRS

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT



Colombia: Tourism in post-conflict zones, another contribution to peace

WOMEN’S EQUALITY


Women’s Council for Peace in Colombia created by indigenous women

HUMAN RIGHTS


Cape Verde: Youth take human rights to the streets

DISARMAMENT AND SECURITY


Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly now endorsed by over 1,500 current and former lawmakers from 120 countries

EDUCATION FOR PEACE


Iceland: Spirit of Humanity Forum promotes love, transformation and humanity
Uncategorized

Two examples of Participatory Budgeting in Brazil

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .

By the coordinator of the CPNN

I recently visited two cities in Brazil, Santos and Caruaru, where participatory budgeting is being practiced.

Participatory budgeting is an important instrument for promoting democratic participation, as it allows the citizen to debate and define the future of a city. In it, the population decides the priorities of investments in works and services to be realized each year, with the resources of the budget of the city hall. In addition, it encourages the exercise of citizenship, the commitment of the population to the public good and the co-responsibility between government and society on the management of the city.

Here are two examples.

Santos, Brazil: Participative Budget has already received 43 thousand votes

An article from the City of Santos

About 43 thousand people have already expressed their views on the priorities that the City Hall should adopt for 2018, through the Participatory Budget process. Next week, the total should reach 50 thousand participations (more than four times the goal, of 12 thousand, established in the PDR – Direct Participation in Results).

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(Click here for the original article in Portuguese)

Discussion question

Participatory budgeting, How does it work?

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An Ombudsman team was present today at the UME Auxiliadora da Instrucção, in Macuco, for elementary students to vote on the benefits they expect for Education. Teams were also present at the health units, street markets and supermarkets.

To vote, click here. Just enter, identify the neighborhood where you live and vote. The alternatives are provided within the fields of Citizenship and Social Action, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Environment, Public Services, Education, Health and Urban Mobility. You can choose one option in each of them.

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Caruaru, Brazil: Municipality to launch an application for popular participation

An article from Te Amo Caruaru

On Friday (25), the Secretariat for Planning, Budget and Management will hold a public hearing for the General Consolidation of “Mobiliza Caruaru”, in the auditorium of the Shopping Center Difusora, at 9:00 am, attended by the mayor of Caruaru, Raquel Lyra.

The main purpose is to show citizens the final result of the nine public sessions held in the Agreste capital, four in the rural area and five in the urban area. This process contributes to the structuring of municipal budget planning, which also includes the Budgetary Guidelines Law and the Annual Budget Law for 2018. The multi-year plan will be forwarded to the City Council by October 05, according to the legislation.

At that time, the application “Mobiliza Caruaru” will also be presented, initially available for Android phones. This mobile application will be another tool for the population to interact, as well as consolidate participatory and collaborative processes between the municipal government and civil society and its various organizations.

DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, Latin America