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San Agustín, Colombia: escenario de la Bienal internacional de educación y cultura de paz

. LIBERTAD DE INFORMACIÓN .

Un articulo por Redactor Diario del Huila

La Universidad Surcolombiana, a través de la Facultad de Educación, llevará a cabo la primera Bienal internacional de educación y cultura de paz. Del 13 al 15 de agosto se llevará a cabo este certamen en el municipio de San Agustín.

Los convocantes de este evento académico son la USCO, la Facultad de Educación, la Maestría en Educación y cultura de paz y el Colectivo Educación para la Paz. El comité académico está integrado por Myriam Oviedo, coordinadora de la maestría y docente de la USCO; Marieta Quintero Mejía, coordinadora nacional del Colectivo Educación para la Paz, docente de la Universidad Distrital; Diego Escobar, docente de la Universidad Nacional de San Martín (Buenos Aires); Miriam E. Kriger, investigadora CLACSO, Conicet y Universidad de Buenos Aires; Alexánder Ruiz, director del doctorado interinstitucional de Educación, Universidad Pedagógica; y Mónica Mazariegos (Guatemala, de la Universidad Internacional Tierra Ciudadana (UITC).

Los participantes podrán ser líderes o integrantes de programas sociales y de formación, proyectos, experiencias e iniciativas relacionadas con la educación y cultura de paz. También están convocados los directores de programas de formación y participantes, centros e institutos universitarios especializados en estudios de paz, grupos de investigación, promotores de revistas y publicaciones especializadas en este ámbito, profesores, estudiantes, profesionales, activistas y líderes sociales.

“La I Bienal internacional de educación y cultura de paz se constituye como un escenario para compartir, debatir, divulgar, fomentar y promover iniciativas de paz desarrolladas por instituciones, comunidades, grupos, asociaciones, gremios y colectivos. En este sentido, la bienal surge no solo como un espacio para el reconocimiento de las voces del conflicto, sino también, como una oportunidad de unir nuestras voces para construir múltiples posibilidades de paz”, expresaron los organizadores.

Añadieron que esta primera versión de la bienal se llevará a cabo en el municipio de San Agustín (Huila), “un territorio de arte y paz ubicado entre el frío Macizo Colombia y el árido valle del Magdalena, el cual fue escogido para acoger este evento por su carácter ancestral, heterogéneo y multicultural”.

( Clickear aquí para la version inglês.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

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San Agustín, Colombia: escenario de la Bienal internacional de educación y cultura de paz
San Agustin, Colombia to host International Biennial of Education and Culture of Peace

July 28, 2015UncategorizedCPNN Coordinator

Colombia: The Labor Minister will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article from the Ministerio de Trabajo de Colombia (translation by CPNN)

The Minister, of Labor, Luis Eduardo Garzon, says that the Government will provide full guarantees, facilitate and promote the Second National Assembly for Peace, which seeks to contribute from the energy and mining sector a plural and participatory peace that is comprehensive, stable and durable.

“I see here three organizations that differ in many ways, but are united in the quest for peace,” Lucho Garzón

Garzon referred to the participation of Ecopetrol and the Workers’ Trade Union of the Petroleum Industry (USO). He also highlighted the contributions made from the Academy of the National University of Colombia to the Second Assembly, which is conceived as a space for deliberative and purposeful construction at local, regional and national levels.

“I think it is extremely important for the country and the Ministry and the government itself are committed to help stimulate initiatives like this,” said the head of the Labor Ministry.

“I see here three organizations that differ in many ways, but are united in the quest for peace,” he said.

For the National President of USO, Edwin Castaño Monsalve, the issue of oil has an important role in keeping peace. “This union is betting on scenarios to build peace and we are fully committed to the peace process.”

In turn, the rector of the National University of Colombia, Ignacio Prada Mantilla added that “The university is fully committed to the peace proces, that is, we want contribute to it from all areas of knowledge.”

The National Assembly for Peace will include four conversations and 10 regional assemblies. they will take place in Antioquia, Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Choco, Villavicencio, Neiva, Puerto Asis, Tibu, Arauca and Popayan. They will focus on three themes: 1) mining and energy policy; 2) regional development and peacebuilding and 3), culture of peace and followup to the peace accords.

(Click here for the orignal Spanish of this aricle.)

Colombia: Ministerio del Trabajo acompañará, garantizará y facilitará Segunda Asamblea Nacional por la Paz

. LIBERTAD DE INFORMACIÓN .

Un artículo del Ministerio de Trabajo de Colombia

El ministro del Trabajo, Luis Eduardo Garzón, dijo que el Gobierno Nacional ofrecerá plenas garantías, facilitará y promoverá la Segunda Asamblea Nacional por la Paz, que busca contribuir desde el sector minero-energético a la construcción participativa y plural de una paz integral, estable y duradera.

“Hay aquí tres entes diferentes, pero con una voluntad verdadera, la paz, en la cual estamos jugados, porque creemos”, Lucho Garzón

Garzón, celebró la generación de este espacio de participación que auspicia Ecopetrol y la demostración que hace la Unión Sindical Obrera de la Industria del Petróleo, USO, dando una demostración de que además de la protesta, prioriza la propuesta.

Así mismo, resaltó los aportes que desde la Academia hará la Universidad Nacional de Colombia a la Segunda Asamblea, concebida como espacio de construcción deliberativo y propositivo desde lo local, territorial y nacional.

“Pienso que es un activo supremamente importante que se le hace al país y desde el Ministerio y el propio Gobierno estamos en el compromiso de ayudar a estimular iniciativas como esta”, precisó el titular de la Cartera Laboral.

“Veo aquí tres entes diferentes y en una misma línea, pero con una voluntad verdadera, la paz, en la cual estamos jugados, porque creemos”, agregó.

Para el presidente Nacional de la USO, Edwin Castaño Monsalve, el tema del petróleo tiene un papel preponderante en consonancia con la paz. “Este sindicato le apuesta a escenarios de construir paz y tiene todo el compromiso para que el proceso de paz termine bien”.

A su turno, el rector de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Ignacio Mantilla Prada, anotó “La universidad tiene todo el compromiso para que este proceso de paz termine bien, es decir, queremos sumarnos desde todas las áreas del conocimiento a contribuir”.

Durante la Segunda Asamblea Nacional por la Paz, se realizarán 4 conversatorios y 10 asambleas regionales en Antioquia, Barrancabermeja, Cartagena, Chocó, Villavicencio, Neiva, Puerto Asís, Tibú, Arauca y Popayán, las que girarán en tres ejes temáticos: Política Minero-energética, Desarrollo Regional y Construcción de Paz y el tercero, Cultura de Paz y Post acuerdos.

( Clickear aquí para la version inglês.)

Question(s) related to this article:

What is happening in Colombia, Is peace possible?

This discussion question applies to the following articles:

July 27, 2015UncategorizedCPNN Coordinator

La Internacional de la Educación se centrará en los refugiados

. . EDUCACIÓN PARA LA PAZ . .

Un articulo de Internacional de la Educación (reproducido bajo los términos de Creative Commons)

La Internacional de la Educación (IE) debe trabajar y trabajará para garantizar el acceso a la educación de los niños desplazados, según lo acordado en el Séptimo Congreso Mundial de la IE celebrado en Ottawa, Canadá.

Michael Thomson, del Sindicato Nacional de Educación (NTEU, Australia), Foto: Gabriel Castro – IEAL

A finales de 2014 había en el mundo 60 millones de desplazados. Graham Dawson, de la Asociación Nacional de Sindicatos de Mujeres Docentes Directoras (NASUWT/Reino Unido) presentó estas estadísticas de la ONU en el Congreso y se propuso una resolución sobre el derecho a la educación para niños desplazados, refugiados y apátridas. Incidió en la grave situación por la que pasan los refugiados de Irak, Siria, Oriente Medio, el norte de África y otras zonas; además, afirmó que «no debemos dejar que luchen solos».

La Resolución destaca la determinación del Congreso de apoyar a las organizaciones miembro de países que acogen a grandes cantidades de niños refugiados y desplazados. También confirma la disposición del Congreso para presionar a los agentes nacionales e internacionales de modo que den prioridad al apoyo económico de la educación de los refugiados y desplazados internos.

Michael Thomson, del Sindicato Nacional de Educación (NTEU, Australia), afirmó que «el trato que se da a los refugiados es inaceptable» y que, desde los sindicatos, se debe trabajar para acabar con este «tratamiento inhumano hacia los niños».

La IE debería poner en marcha un protocolo adicional que declare a los causantes de las guerras responsables también de la educación, indicó Jean Kamdem, de la Federación de sindicatos de enseñanza e investigación (FESER/Camerún). Este hecho promovería la educación pública de calidad para todos, así como la educación en zonas de conflicto, afirmó.

También aportaron su vision al debate Michelle Olivier, SNUIPP-FSU (Francia), Rose Therese Magalie Georges, CNEH (Haití), Stephanie Ly, AFT (Estados Unidos), Aurelia Sarasin, SNES-FSU (Francia) y Abdelaziz Iouy, SNE-FDT (Marruecos).

(Gracias a Janet Hudgins, reportero CPNN deste artículo)

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

Question for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

July 27, 2015UncategorizedCPNN Coordinator

L’Internationale de l’Education braque les projecteurs sur les réfugié(e)s

. . EDUCATION POUR LA PAIX . .

L’Internationale de l’Education (reproduit selon les termes de Creative Commons)

Comme l’a rappelé le 7e Congrès mondial de l’Internationale de l’Education réuni à Ottawa, au Canada, l’Internationale de l’Education doit œuvrer en faveur de l’accès des enfants déplacés à une éducation, et s’y attellera.

Michael Thomson, du National Tertiary Education Union/Australie, Photo Credit: Gabriel Castro – IEAL

Fin 2014, on dénombrait 60 millions de personnes déplacées. Ces statistiques des Nations Unies ont été rapportées au Congrès par Graham Dawson, de la National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT, Royaume-Uni), qui a proposé une résolution sur le droit à l’éducation des populations déplacées et des enfants réfugiés et apatrides. Il a souligné le désarroi dans lequel se trouvaient les réfugié(e)s d’Irak, de Syrie, du Moyen-Orient, d’Afrique du Nord et de nombreuses autres régions du monde, en affirmant qu’on ne pouvait « les laisser livrés à eux/elles-mêmes dans ce combat ».

Cette résolution met en lumière la détermination du Congrès à soutenir les organisations membres engagées dans les pays qui accueillent un nombre considérable de réfugié(e)s et d’enfants déplacés. Elle vient également souligner la volonté du Congrès à faire pression sur les acteurs nationaux et internationaux, afin que ces derniers accordent en priorité leur aide financière à l’éducation des réfugié(e)s et des populations déplacées à l’intérieur d’un pays.

La façon dont les réfugié(e)s sont traité(e)s dans le monde entier est tout simplement inacceptable, a déclaré Michael Thomson, du National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU, Australie), avant d’ajouter que les syndicats devaient s’attaquer de pied ferme au « traitement inhumain des enfants ».

L’IE doit appeler à la mise en place d’un nouveau protocole afin que les responsables de la guerre assument également leur responsabilité envers l’éducation, a déclaré Jean Kamdem, de la Fédération des Syndicats de l’Enseignement et de la Recherche (FESER, Cameroun). Cette mesure permettrait non seulement de promouvoir une éducation de qualité pour tous, a-t-il indiqué, mais également de promouvoir l’éducation dans les zones de conflit.

Michelle Olivier, SNUIPP-FSU (France), Rose Therese Magalie Georges, CNEH (Haïti), Stephanie Ly, AFT (Etats-Unis), Aurelia Sarasin, SNES-FSU (France), et Abdelaziz Iouy, SNE-FDT (Maroc), figuraient au nombre des participant(e)s à ce débat.

(Merci à Janet Hudgins, le reporter de CPNN de cet article.)

(cliquez ici pour la version anglaise de cet article ou ici pour la version espagnole.)

Question pour cet article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

July 27, 2015UncategorizedCPNN Coordinator

Education International to focus on refugees

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

Education International (reprinted according to terms of Creative Commons)

Education International (EI) must – and will – work to ensure that education is made available to displaced children, according to Education International’s 7th World Congress in Ottawa, Canada.

Michael Thomson of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU/Australia), Photo Credit: Gabriel Castro – IEAL

At the end of 2014, 60 million people were displaced. These UN statistics were brought to Congress by Graham Dawson, of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT/UK) who proposed a resolution on the Right to Education for Displaced People, Refugees and Stateless Children. He highlighted the plight of refugees from Iraq, Syria, the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere saying they “should not be allowed to struggle alone.”

The Resolution outlines Congress’ resolve to support member organisations in countries hosting large numbers of refugees and displaced children. It also outlined Congress’ resolve to pressure national and international agents to prioritise financial assistance for the education of refugees and internally displaced people.

The treatment of refugees all over the world is unacceptable, said Michael Thomson of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU/Australia), adding that the “inhuman treatment of children” must be tackled head on by trade unions.

EI should call for an extra protocol to make those responsible for war also responsible for education, said Jean Kamdem, Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement et de la recherche (FESER/Cameroon). This would promote quality education for all, he said, and would also promote education in areas of conflict.

Contributions to the debate were made by Michelle Olivier, SNUIPP-FSU (France), Rose Therese Magalie Georges, CNEH (Haiti), Stephanie Ly, AFT (US), Aurelia Sarasin, SNES-FSU (France), and Abdelaziz Iouy, SNE-FDT (Morocco).

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

(click here for the French version) of this article or here for the Spanish version

Question for this article:

What is the relation between peace and education?

July 27, 2015EDUCATION FOR PEACE, globalglobalCPNN Coordinator

Wanep Gambia Holds Peace Education Training for Students

… EDUCATION FOR PEACE …

An article by Abdoulie Nyockeh, All Africa (abridged)

West Africa Network for Peace-Building (WANEP) -Gambia on Thursday held a two-day peace education training of trainers for peer mediators for school children within region one and region two. The theme of the training was “Catch them young. Peace education a long term preventive mechanism against violence”. The training, which targeted thirty students from thirteen schools within regions one and two, was held at the NANA conference hall.

In her official opening of the workshop, Mrs Amicoleh Mbaye, Director of Basic and Secondary Education, registered the appreciation of her ministry for the unique role WANEP has continued to play in supporting peace education in schools through peace clubs in schools.

“This initiative is very timely as peace is the only tool that can address the numerous challenges that our world is confronted with,” she said.

In Africa, she added, genocide, tribal and ethnic conflicts have been threatening peace and stability of nations, thus the need to incorporate attitudinal change towards the promotion of issues such as human rights, democracy and good governance.

According to her, the intervention of WANEP through such training would contribute immensely to ensuring that the Gambian population continues to maintain peace and stability by supporting students to acquire values and knowledge as well as develop positive attitudes, skills and behaviours to live in peace and harmony with one another.

“The youth are the future leaders and the education system is indeed a platform that can target the youth to inculcate a culture of peace in them.

“It can also equip youth and citizens with skills that holistically nurture citizens to peaceful coexistence of community citizens,” she stated.

Peace, which is a process of establishing trust and cooperation among people, entails learning to appreciate other people and their culture, learning to resolve disputes through communications and dialogue rather than violence.

She stated the UN defines the culture of peace as a combination of values and attitudes and behaviours and life styles that reject violence and prevent conflicts.

Director Mbaye further stated that the current education policy commits government to upholding the right of every person to basic education, regardless of gender, age, religious or disability.

This however cannot be attained without inculcating the culture of peace in the student, she said.

“When students harness a culture of peace, they will be better able to tolerate others regardless of their circumstance, thus the need for education on peace building,” she said. . . .

“I believe this august gathering will agree with me that this workshop really came at an opportune time, for it will raise awareness of the peer mediators on the importance of peace and equip them with skills to further support other peers.” . . .

Question related to this article:

What is the best way to teach peace to children?

July 25, 2015Africa, EDUCATION FOR PEACEAfricaCPNN Coordinator

Protecting Schools 80 Years After Roerich

… HUMAN RIGHTS …

Bede Sheppard, Human Rights Watch (abridged)

Eighty-years ago today [July 13], the United States became the first country to ratify the international treaty commonly known as the Roerich Pact. Actually, “commonly” is a bit of a stretch—the 80-year-old agreement doesn’t get a lot of attention these days—yet one of its key objectives has recently been in the spotlight.

A child’s painting of education under attack: A student depicts the scene at her school in Sagene during the years of German occupation. Randi Lind/1944

The pact’s full name, the “Treaty on the Protection of Artistic and Scientific Institutions and Historic Monuments,” gives a clearer overview of its intentions. The treaty’s first article notes that “educational…institutions shall be considered as neutral and as such respected and protected by belligerents… The same respect and protection shall be accorded to…educational…institutions in time of peace as well as in war.”

Only 10 countries joined the treaty—all of them from the Americas. The Americas is also the region with the highest number of countries in which laws explicitly limit the authority of government security forces to enter higher education institutions. Most recently, many countries in the Americas have been early and enthusiastic supporters of the Safe Schools Declaration that was opened for states to join at an international summit in Oslo, Norway, on May 28-29.

The Safe Schools Declaration was drafted under the leadership of Argentina and Norway. The 47 countries that have joined so far include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Panama, and Uruguay. The Declaration is a political commitment to do more to protect students, teachers, schools, and universities from attack during times of armed conflict. It also allows countries to endorse and commit to use a set of Guidelines for Protecting Schools and Universities from Military Use during Armed Conflict, which call upon armed forces to refrain from converting schools or universities into military bases, barracks, defensive positions, detention centers, and weapons caches.

The need to continue working for the protection of education institutions 80 years after the Roerich Pact remains clear. In the past decade, schools have been used for military purposes in at least 26 countries with armed conflict—the majority of countries with armed conflict during that time. The practice exposes students and teachers to the danger of incoming attacks if they remain in the school while they are being used, as well as the risk of harassment, rape, and forced recruitment by the soldiers inside the school. When schools are taken over completely, those buildings may still be damaged or destroyed, with long-term consequences for students’ education. The practice has also been shown to cause students to drop out of school as well as harming school attendance, new enrollment, and advancement to higher levels of education.

But 80 years after being the first to join the Roerich Pact, the United States has shown no interest in joining the Safe Schools Declaration. At the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva this month, the United States joined countries such as China, Cuba, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia to snub efforts to highlight the Oslo Safe Schools Summit in an annual resolution on the right to education. (Bolivia and Venezuela sat out the vote as well.) . . .

Question related to this article:

The Roerich Pact, Is it still relevant?

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

July 25, 2015global, HUMAN RIGHTSglobalCPNN Coordinator

The Peace Gong E-book on promoting peace through inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

by Syeda Rumana Mehdi and Kanupriya Gupta

Inviting young people below 21 years of age to share short stories, poems, posters and paintings for the Peace Gong E-book.

“Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where people are becoming more and more closely interconnected.”- Kofi Annan

The former UN Secretary General has rightly underlined the centrality of tolerance, promotion of inter-cultural dialogue and mutual respect for global peace. At a time when various parts of the world is hungering for peace and the phenomenon of racism, xenophobia, extremism and various other forms of violence are stirring the very edifice of a peaceful global society, all efforts needs to be made to promote voices of compassion and love.

All cultures of the world inherently promote the ethereal values of compassion, respect, tolerance and mutual understanding. It is only when negative elements try to exploit situations leading to self-destruction and conflicts. This is the challenge the whole humanity faces.

Promoting dialogues amongst different cultures, sharing unique stories of respect for diversity and nonviolence, bringing out the transient nature of peace in every culture will go a long way in challenging divisive forces. As Kofi Annan says people are becoming more and more closely interconnected, we need to share these stories so that we can promote mutual understanding.

In this context, The Peace Gong plans to bring together an E-book comprising of short stories, poems, posters and paintings which draws how different cultures promote the values of mutual respect, tolerance, dialogues and humanism. As the book would be aimed at youth, it can be a unique melting pot of stories and poems by young people from different cultures on peace and nonviolence.

Those below 21 years of age can send their entries. The entries can be sent to thepeacegong@gmail.com

Short stories should not be more than 1000 words in length.
Paintings and posters should be in jpg format.

A small undertaking should be sent by the writers/poets/painters that their work is original and not plagiarized.

Contributors should also send a few lines about themselves and their education along with their email and a photograph.

We plan to put together this E-book by October 2, 2015 the International Day of Nonviolence.

(Article continued in right column.)

Question for this article:

Peace-building Stories, literacy development with peace-building

(article continued from left column.)

The Peace Gong is a children’s newspaper brought out from India aiming to promote voices of young people from different cultures.

The Guiding Principles are: “Let every dream become Martin Luther King’s dream, let every step towards peace become Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March and let every obstacle in your path become Nelson Mandela’s painful twenty-seven years in prison. Promise yourself that you will contribute your best to make the phenomenon of violence outdated, promise yourself that you will try to motivate your friends to walk on the path of nonviolence.”

July 24, 2015EDUCATION FOR PEACE, South AsiaSouth AsiaCPNN Coordinator

Mayors at Vatican: Cities play ‘very vital role’ in addressing climate, poverty

. . SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT . .

An article by Brian Roewe , National Catholic Reporter

Mayors from around the world meeting at the Vatican this week issued a manifesto that recognized the reality of human-induced climate change and underscored the “moral imperative” for action, both in within their cities and the global community. The two-day summit was held Tuesday and Wednesday [July 21-22] and hosted by the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences. In their joint declaration issued Tuesday, 64 mayors and government officials said they came together in the context of Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Laudato Si’: on Care for Our Common Home,” to discuss issues related to “two dramatic and interconnected emergencies: human-induced climate change and social exclusion in the extreme forms of radical poverty, modern slavery and human trafficking.”

(Photo from Catholic News Service/Paul Haring)

Earlier that day, Francis emphasized to the assembly that his encyclical is not merely a “green” document, but rather “it is a social encyclical.”

“It is true that everything revolves around … this culture of care for the environment. But this ‘green’ culture — and I say that in a positive sense — is much more than that. Caring for the environment means an attitude of human ecology. In other words, we cannot say: the person and Creation, the environment, are two separate entities. Ecology is total, it is human … you cannot separate humanity from the rest; there is a relationship of mutual impact, and also the rebound effect when the environment is abused,” Francis said.

Those attending the Vatican summit presented a cross-section of the globe, with 31 countries represented: among them Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Iran, Ivory Coast, Botswana, Gabon, Italy, Jamaica, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and France — which in Paris will host the U.N. climate summit (COP 21) in December.

Ten U.S. mayors also participated, hailing from Boston, Boulder, Colo.; Birmingham, Ala., Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Portland, Ore., San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle. California Gov. Jerry Brown was also a participant.

In their declaration, the mayors, who joined the pope in signing it, said their cultural traditions each affirmed the beauty of the natural world and the “moral duty to steward rather than ravage” the planet, and committed to developing more sustainable cities that better protect their most vulnerable residents.

Among the declaration’s highlights:

“Human-induced climate change is a scientific reality, and its effective control is a moral imperative for humanity.”

“Today humanity has the technological instruments, the financial resources and the know-how to
reverse climate change while also ending extreme poverty, through the application of sustainable development solutions, including the adoption of low-carbon energy systems supported by information and communications technologies.”

“The financing of sustainable development, including the effective control of human-induced climate change, should be bolstered through new incentives for the transition towards low-carbon and renewable energy, and through the relentless pursuit of peace, which also will enable a shift of public financing from military spending to urgent investments for sustainable development.”

(Article continued in right column.)

Question for this article:

Despite the vested interests of companies and governments, Can we make progress toward sustainable development?

(Article continued from the left column)

The Paris climate talks “may be the last effective opportunity” to negotiate a global agreement to limit human-induced warming below 2 degrees Celsius, and “Political leaders of all UN member States have a special responsibility to agree at COP21 to a bold climate agreement that confines global warming to a limit safe for humanity.”

“The high-income countries should help to finance the costs of climate-change mitigation in low-income countries as the high-income countries have promised to do.

“As mayors we commit ourselves to building, in our cities and urban settlements, the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reducing their exposure to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters, which foster human trafficking and dangerous forced migration.

“At the same time, we commit ourselves to ending abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of modern slavery, which are crimes against humanity, including forced labor and prostitution, organ trafficking, and domestic servitude; and to developing national resettlement and reintegration programs that avoid the involuntary repatriation of trafficked persons.”

In addition to the declaration, several mayors used the Vatican summit as occasion to announce local plans of action. De Blasio said New York City has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2030 along its way to achieving 80 percent reductions by 2050, a goal he announced in September.

But the purpose of the gathering wasn’t to congratulate one another on their progress, he said, but “to take Laudato Si’ and give it life.”

“Our hope is that each of us — and thousands more like us all over the world — will act boldly, and in doing so, will jolt our national paradigms and the collective global paradigm,” de Blasio said.

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales told NBC News that there was excitement in his city for his Vatican trip, particularly among the young people.

“They say, ‘He’s our pope.’ He’s the ‘Portland pope,’ because his values about the environment and about social justice so closely match the young people who’ve moved to Portland … And they read this document, maybe the first encyclical they’ve ever read, and say, ‘He’s one of us,’” Hales said.

At the summit’s second day, the mayors turned their attention toward city planning that simultaneously promotes economic growth, equality and environmental protection. According to Catholic News Service, many of the mayors discussed the growing number of poor people in their cities and the increasing wealth gap.

“We live in one valley, but two worlds,” said Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose, Calif., which sits in the tech capital Silicon Valley, but has witnessed a growing homeless population.

CNS reported that De Blasio asked his fellow mayors why they remained committed to outdated economic growth models when that “model of development is slowly killing us.” He challenged them to create sustainable cities that address poverty while reducing pollution, even when such work becomes uncomfortable.

“By setting the high goal, we actually force ourselves day by day to take action related to it,” de Blasio said.

July 23, 2015global, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTglobalCPNN Coordinator