Tag Archives: East Asia

The Elders urge Indonesia to take bold steps to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage

…. HUMAN RIGHTS ….

An article by The Elders

The Elders concluded a two-day visit to Indonesia with a call for the government to take bolder fiscal, political and social measures to accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), building on impressive achievements in recent years.


Gro Harlem Brundtland and Ernesto Zedillo visit a health centre in Indonesia in November 2017 (Credit: Agoes Rudianto/The Elders)

Gro Harlem Brundtland and Ernesto Zedillo visited the Indonesian capital Jakarta on 28-29 November for meetings with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) at the Presidential Palace, accompanied by Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Health Minister Nila Moeloek and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani.

They also visited the Kebon Jeruk Puskesmas (health centre) in west Jakarta, meeting patients, staff and local residents. The Elders also consulted with civil society organisations and held a briefing for local media.

Indonesia has the biggest single-payer health system in the world (covering 181 million people), and has committed to reaching full population coverage by 2019.

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The Elders congratulated President Jokowi on Indonesia’s progress to date. However they also expressed their concern about the fact that Indonesia’s rightly ambitious plan to achieve UHC is significantly under-financed. They suggested that without fiscal revenues stemming from additional general taxation, progress towards effective UHC could prove too slow.

The Elders also conveyed to President Jokowi and other high level Indonesian officials their worries about the high rate of tobacco consumption in the country. Higher taxes on tobacco could both deter consumption and provide more resources for health financing. In the longer term, they urged a modification of Indonesia’s policies on tobacco production to promote alternative, less harmful crops.

Gro Harlem Brundtland, Deputy Chair of The Elders and former Director-General of the World Health Organization, said:

“Indonesia has taken significant steps towards improving access to healthcare in recent years, and I am convinced President Jokowi can reach his goal of covering all the people of Indonesia by 2019, if the government commits further resources to the health budget. The level of public health financing and the overall tax yield is still too low to deliver effective public services; increasing taxes on products harmful to public health such as tobacco would be a step in the right direction.”

Ernesto Zedillo, Elder and former President of Mexico, added:

“The healthcare debate in Indonesia stands in stark contrast to some countries in the world, notably in the United States, that are moving away from universal coverage. Here, President Jokowi, government ministers and civil society are all trying to find ways to increase coverage and bolster social protection. I am encouraged by the meetings we have had here, and urge the authorities to be even bolder in committing greater resources to the health system, taxing harmful products and promoting greater accountability.”

The Elders believe Universal Health Coverage is the best way to achieve the overall health Sustainable Development Goal, and will join with civil society organisations and activists worldwide on UHC Day, 12 December, to promote their campaign so no-one is denied the healthcare they need because of a lack of financial resources.

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

East Asia, HUMAN RIGHTS

Taiwan: The sixth Buddhist-Christian talk in progress

. TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .

An article from Radio Vatican

The sixth Buddhist-Christian talk is taking place in Taiwan from Monday to Thursday [November 13-16] on the theme “Christians and Buddhists: Let’s walk together the Way of Nonviolence”.

The four day event is being organized by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) and is represented by delegates from 18 countries mostly Asians.

The Secretary of PCID, Bishop Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot opened the inaugural session illustrating the role of the Dicastery since its founding in 1964. For more than fifty years he recalled, the PCID has been involved in dialogue and collaboration with Buddhists all over the world. The first Buddhist-Christian formal talk was held at the Fokuangshan Monastery in Taiwan in 1995 on the theme “convergences and divergences” between the two religions. The second meeting was held in 1998 at the Asirvanam Benedictine Monastery Bangalore, India on “word and silence”. The third was held in Tokyo, Japan, in 2002 at Rissho Kosei-kai, on “Sangha in Buddhism and Church in Christianity.” The fourth was “Interior Peace, peace among peoples” and was held in Rome in 2013 and the fifth on “Buddhists and Christians together encourage fraternity” was held in Bodh Gaya, India, in 2015.

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Question related to this article:
 
How can different faiths work together for understanding and harmony?

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The current theme of the assembly is taken from the traditional message that PCID sends to the Buddhists for the Vesakh festival, which this year emphasized in particular the urgent need to promote a culture of peace and nonviolence.

“Terrorism is on the increase, as well as the number of people killed in terrorist attacks and most victims are women and children” said the Bishop. Moreover, in most cases, conflicts cross the frontiers and especially affect the poor countries, he added. Making a mention of domestic violence especially come across by women the bishop said that the study of violence is not a simple academic exercise but a matter of life and death. Some of us come from conflict-torn societies, some others experience the long-term or short-term effects of past wars. Some are victims or witnesses of unreasonable atrocities. In many of our countries, we daily hear the cry of the victims of violence he observed. Yet he said, uncontrolled nationalism, sexism, racism, caste, ethnic and religious fundamentalism may numb our hearts and blind our eyes to the suffering of so many people, hence the Buddhists and Christians work together to prevent and defeat violence he concluded.

More than 1.3 million people around the world die each year because of violence; and about 1.2 billion, or one fifth of the world’s population, are affected by some form of violence or insecurity.

Cardinal P Jean-Louis Tauran, President of PCID will take part in the concluding session of the assembly on Thursday.

East Asia, TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY

South Korea: Artists, activists to promote peace in Cheongju

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by You Soo-sun in Peace News

An international event will bring 500 cultural activists to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, Friday [November 10].

Under the theme “Designing a Culture of Empathy, Culture of Peace,” artists, experts and activists representing 50 countries including the U.S. , Yemen, Japan, Rwanda and France will gather for the three-day event, Better Together 2017.


The event is being run by World Culture Open (WCO), an international network of global activists, and is funded by North Chungcheong Province and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Since 1999, WCO has initiated numerous projects with the aim of bringing the world closer together.

The network has invited over 500 people from various fields including the arts, humanities, science, education and environment to share how they have utilized their talents to improve the global community.

Read the whole story in Artists, activists to promote peace in Cheongju | Korea Times.

Question for this article:
East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

Gwangju, South Korea: The 1st Asian Literature Festival

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Brother Anthony from the Korea Times

The vast, recently completed Asia Culture Center in the heart of Gwangju, South Jeolla Province, was the scene of Korea's first Asian Literature Festival last week, Nov. 1 to 4. It brought together writers from Asia and beyond, together with a number of Korean writers, for a time of sharing and encounters designed to establish stronger bonds between writers across the globe.


Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka from Nigeria speaks at Asian Literature Festival in Gwangju, Nov. 4. / Yonhap

In his opening remarks, the senior Korean poet, Ko Un, stressed until now the sheer size of the region known as "Asia," together with its linguistic diversity, have been a great obstacle to free communications between the writers of the region. Korean poets have remained unaware of and unable to read the poetry written in other countries and on other continents, and vice versa. Ko Un recalled how the Korean poet Oh Sang-sun wrote a poem titled "Asia's Night" in 1920, in the aftermath of Japan's suppression of the Korean March 1 Independence Movement. He proposed poets coming together now in friendship might be able to produce, nearly a century later, a response he called "Asia's Morning."

In his opening address, the 1986 Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka from Nigeria stressed that humanity today faces a vital choice between freedom and stagnation. Creativity, he said, is only possible in freedom and today, in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, fundamentalist religious intolerance is resulting not only in the destruction of many nations' artistic heritage but in the uprooting and scattering of whole populations. In response, he called for the festival's participants to work together to develop a new "Culture of Peace," binding "all peoples together from Africa to Korea and around the globe."

The Asia Culture Center was built around and under the former Jeolla Provincial Office and other buildings on Geumnam-ro Street, which today form a memorial complex to the victims of the 5.18 Democratic Uprising. It was the site of the final massacre of the civilian militia when the army retook control of the town in the early morning of May 27, 1980. President Roh Moo-hyun first suggested turning the site into a cultural center for the whole of Asia. It was only natural that the festival participants should begin by making a solemn visit to the May 18th National Cemetery, led by Ko Un, and together pay their respects to all who lived and died for Korea's democratization, in 1980 and also both before and since then. Ko Un paid special tribute to poets Kim Nam-ju and Jo Tae-il and activist Yun Han-bong. In the Memorial Hall at the cemetery the visitors saw a special display of poems selected from Ko Un's great "Maninbo" cycle, commemorating some of those who died in the Uprising.

A number of poets from across the world spoke during the festival. The great Spanish poet Antonio Colinas said, in particular, "The poems and prose of the East possess literary and vital roots, about which we still need to learn, of which we must perform a radical reading to escape the chaos toward which we are heading." He concluded, "The poetry of the past has lasted and must endure today in the face of the uniformity and chaos that foments global dehumanization. This was possible because the poetry of the past has been faithful to its primary mission, to go beyond words."

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Question for this article:

How can poetry promote a culture of peace?

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French poet Claude Mouchard evoked his encounter with a homeless Sudanese refugee in France; finally that man lived for eight years in his home and they struggled to communicate despite the language barriers. Mouchard took scraps of their shared conversations and turned them into poetry. The man one day died of a heart attack in the poet's arms, but his words remain, noted by the poet as "perhaps poems." American poet Zack Rogow traced the influence of Asian poetry and art, especially that of Japan, to the writers and artists of France and Russia.

That evening, Ko Un and singer Na Yoon-sun joined forces in a concert, Ko Un's dramatic readings of his poems alternating with the vibrant voice of the immensely popular singer before a packed theater. Ko Un's manner of reading his poems has long made him a celebrity in literary festivals across the globe and at 84 he continues to impress and deeply move audiences.

At the heart of the festival were poets and novelists from a number of Asian countries: Ayu Utami from Indonesia, Damdinsuren Uriankhai from Mongolia, Duo Duo from China, Sagawa Aki from Japan and Shams Langeroodi from Iran, as well as a dozen writers, mostly poets, from Korea. Each of the overseas guests was accompanied by a personal interpreter to facilitate communication. During visits to the top of Mount Mudeung, to the bamboo groves and a traditional garden in Damyang, freewheeling exchanges formed the essence of the festival, as poet met poet across the barriers of distance and language. One literary translator spoke on the last day to stress the essential role of the translator in enabling multiple local literatures written in so many mutually incomprehensible languages to cross all frontiers and become truly "Asian literature" and "world literature."

A jury had screened in advance the work of the foreign participants and the first Asian Literary Award was given to Damdinsuren Uriankhai from Mongolia, whose work combines traditional nomadic poetry with modern, more universal features in a remarkable way. Always dressed in traditional Mongolian robes, his calm smile and warm presence were especially impressive throughout the festival. He received his award from the hands of the poet Do Jong-hwan, who is the current minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The climax of the festival came with the keynote speech by Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka on Saturday afternoon. In it he said, "We know that when we set out into the realms of imagination, we experience liberation at its most unsullied. We are not only free, we see humanity as the very repository and expression of freedom, beyond doctrine and politics." He evoked the many ways in which power has always felt threatened by the freedom of creativity, and striven to crush it, whether in the Chinese Cultural Revolution or the Spanish Inquisition or in the Stalinist USSR, and especially pointed at the current wave of Islamic violence, including in his own land of Nigeria. He paid tribute to the young Kenyan poet Kofi Awoonor who was killed in a terrorist attack on a Nairobi shopping mall. "Poetry is the antithesis of power, and negation of boundaries, not merely physical boundaries but frontiers of thought and imagination that run contrary to our human avocation. Border crossing is the very condition of true explorers." He quoted lines by an ancient Japanese poet, by British, American poets, Sylvia Plath and Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, before widening his references to ask, "Do you know Tierno Bokar, the Sage of Bandiagara? Do you know the Ozidi Epic? Do you even know the Legend of Shaka Zulu or indeed the narratives of Fagumwa? Do you know of the compendium of Ifa oracular poetry? The lamp of the voyager, however luminous, must submit to the sunrise of universal Enlightenment. The ecumenical spirit of poetry urges on the explorer in all creatures endowed with the power of imagination."

To conclude, the participants issued a Declaration "The Morning of Asia: For the Furtherance of Democracy, Human Rights, and Peace" affirming the vital role of literature in the construction of a world of peace, free of discrimination and violence.

The writer is a professor emeritus at Sogang University.

East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE

USA: Sign The People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea

. .DISARMAMENT & SECURITY. .

An article from United for Peace and Justice

Alarmed by the threat of a nuclear war between the U.S. and North Korea, UFPJ and other concerned U.S. peace groups have come together to send an open message to Washington and Pyongyang that we are strongly opposed to any resumption of the horrific Korean War. What we want is a peace treaty to finally end the lingering Korean War!


Inspired by the Vietnam-era People’s Peace Treaty, we have initiated a People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea, to raise awareness about the past U.S. policy toward North Korea, and to send a clear message that we, the people of the U.S., do not want another war with North Korea. This is not an actual treaty, but rather a declaration of peace from the people of the United States.

Our goal is to collect many thousands of signatures by the end of 2017, and to publicize the People’s Peace Treaty in conjunction with nationally coordinated peace actions on Armistice Day (aka Veterans Day), November 11. The People’s Peace Treaty will be sent to the governments and peoples of Korea, as well as to the U.S. Government. Please add your voice for peace by signing the People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea. Add your name today.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN!

TO: WASHINGTON & PYONGYANGFROM: YOU

PEOPLE’S PEACE TREATY WITH NORTH KOREA

A MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES

Deeply concerned with the increasing danger of the current military tensions and threats between the Governments of the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (the DPRK, North Korea), which may re-ignite the horrendous fighting in the Korean War by design, mistake or accident;

Recalling that the United States currently possesses about 6,800 nuclear weapons, and has threatened the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea in the past, including the most recent threat made by the U.S. President in his terrifying speech to the United Nations (“totally destroy North Korea”);

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Question for this article:

The peace movement in the United States, What are its strengths and weaknesses?

Are economic sanctions a violation of human rights?

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Regretting that the U.S. Government has so far refused to negotiate a peace treaty to replace the temporary Korean War Armistice Agreement of 1953, although such a peace treaty has been proposed by the DPRK many times from 1974 on;

Convinced that ending the Korean War officially is an urgent, essential step for the establishment of enduring peace and mutual respect between the U.S. and the DPRK, as well as for the North Korean people’s full enjoyment of their basic human rights to life, peace and development – ending their long sufferings from the harsh economic sanctions imposed on them by the U.S. Government since 1950.

NOW, THEREFORE, as a Concerned Person of the United States of America (or on behalf of a civil society organization), I hereby sign this People’s Peace Treaty with North Korea, dated November 11, 2017, Armistice Day (also Veterans Day in the U.S.), and

1) Declare to the world that the Korean War is over as far as I am concerned, and that I will live in “permanent peace and friendship” with the North Korean people (as promised in the 1882 U.S.-Korea Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation that opened the diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Korea for the first time);

2) Express my deep apology to the North Korean people for the U.S. Government’s long, cruel and unjust hostility against them, including the near total destruction of North Korea due to the heavy U.S. bombings during the Korean War;

3) Urge Washington and Pyongyang to immediately stop their preemptive (or preventive) conventional/nuclear attack threats against each other and to sign the new UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons;

4) Call upon the U.S. Government to stop its large-scale, joint war drills with the armed forces of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Japan, and commence a gradual withdrawal of the U.S. troops and weapons from South Korea;

5) Call upon the U.S. Government to officially end the lingering and costly Korean War by concluding a peace treaty with the DPRK without further delay, to lift all sanctions against the country, and to join the 164 nations that have normal diplomatic relations with the DPRK;

6) Pledge that I will do my best to end the Korean War, and to reach out to the North Korean people – in order to foster greater understanding, reconciliation and friendship.

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, East Asia, North America,

South Korea: Busan Film Festival and creation of world culture

EDUCATION FOR PEACE .

An article by Park Sang-seek published by the Korea Herald (reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher)

I attended as an invited guest the opening ceremony of the 22nd Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 12. I immensely enjoyed the whole ceremony and the reception. It reminded me of the 10th Singapore International Film Festival in April 1997 I attended when I served as Korean ambassador to Singapore.


Photo from the 2016 Busan festival.

After the event in Singapore I wrote an article on the SIFF in the Strait Times in which I emphasized that nations can cope with deepening racial, ethnic and cultural conflicts through cultural exchange and cooperation despite, and because of, rapid economic and social globalization.

BIFF has made me reconfirm my belief. It is ironic that economic and social globalization has actually resuscitated racial, ethnic and cultural conflicts. The reason is that the more people contact each other, the less they understand each other.

When different races develop different cultures, they become divided into different ethnic groups. Different ethnic groups form their own states (nation-states). There are also multiethnic states, but they are in general more conflict-ridden than homogeneous nation-states.

Cultural exchanges in general are more likely to promote peace among states than any other exchanges, because economic exchanges rather strengthen nationalism, while social exchange can increase immigration and migration, which in turn create racial, ethnic and cultural conflicts within a state. We are eyewitnesses to such conflicts in multiracial, multiethnic and multireligious states in both the West and non-West.

Why can cultural exchanges promote mutual understanding and empathy better among different racial, ethnic and religious peoples?

My answer is that culture is more likely to activate empathy in the human heart than any other human activity. Empathy is the main source of peace. Some scholars believe that reason is the strongest source, but empathy is more prevalent and stronger than reason in the average human.

How would an average person react to foreign cultures? She may dislike or like them. But art performances transform them into emotional panaceas and invoke empathy in audiences. Among all art forms, film is the best to build empathy because it is an integrated art form (an amalgamation of novel, poetry, music, dancing, drama, sculpture and painting) and can affect every sensual organ of the human.

Whenever I see movies, my racial, national, ethnic, educational, family and ideological backgrounds suddenly disappear and I become a primordial human being and begin to empathize with any other kind of human being.

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Question for this article:

Film festivals that promote a culture of peace, Do you know of others?

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When I watched the Iranian movie “Gabbeh,” I thought I was living with a tribe in Iran and experienced the love of mankind. I had the same experience as I had at SIFF when I saw the “Glass Garden” (a profound anatomy of human nature) showcased at BIFF. When I watched a physically handicapped girl, my psyche became instantly connected to hers, my mind melded into hers and I shared my life with her.

Film is one of the most effective and inexpensive means of promoting empathy among all humans and consequently to create a culture of peace. According to the preamble of the UNESCO constitution, “since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”

UNESCO believes a culture of peace can be built through education, interstate cultural exchanges and the preservation of national cultural heritage and diversity. But it has been proven that member states have been using UNESCO for the preservation of their own cultures, not for the creation of a universal culture. I personally observed this during my tenure as South Korean ambassador to UNESCO in the early 1990s.

Since UNESCO which was created to promote world culture has been unable to fulfill its objective, some other international organizations and activities have to undertake this role. BIFF and other similar organizations worldwide are most well-suited for it. I have become more convinced of this after I attended the activities of BIFF this year. BIFF may make small contributions to the creation of world culture, but its small step will lead to a giant step for humankind toward the ultimate goal.

However, it will be practically impossible to build the foundation of world culture without going through an intermediate stage: a regional stage to provide a bridge to a world culture.

Therefore, each region should establish its own regional organization for cultural cooperation. I had this in mind when I proposed a Pacific Cultural and Information Organization at a conference hosted by the Korean Commission for UNESCO in the mid-1980s. Nation-states create a regional culture in their respective regions first and work toward the creation of a global culture next. It is encouraging to note that regional film festivals are also held in all regions.

The freedom of filmmaking is one of the most important human rights. It is not surprising that dictatorships take filmmaking under state control.

BIFF can contribute to the creation of peace and global culture while promoting human exchanges better than any other cultural organization, activity or diplomacy.

After I attended the festival, I thought the programs of BIFF could be improved.

One important shortcoming of the festival is that some programs are not well internationalized. For a lack of funds, the organizer uses many university students as volunteer workers and guides, interpreters or desk workers. But they are not quite familiar with Western culture and protocol. International conferences and events are held according to Western protocol and rules of conduct and therefore BIFF should also be held according to them.

I also believe BIFF should be completely depoliticized. Otherwise, the very purpose of BIFF, the creation of a culture of peace, will never be realized.

[Publisher’s note: The author, Park Sang-seek, is a former rector at the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University and the author of “Globalized Korea and Localized Globe.”]

East Asia, EDUCATION FOR PEACE, Uncategorized

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

Philippines: Hope, compassion reign over at the peace month culmination in Iligan

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

An article by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process

Messages of hope and compassion reigned over here [Iligan City] on Sunday (October 1) as the people of Marawi and Iligan exchanged symbolic gifts to celebrate and cement their relationship amid challenges brought about by the ongoing crisis.

A peace gong, which was erected at the city’s public plaza, was unveiled to show the people of Marawi’s deep appreciation to the people of Iligan for unconditionally accepting them and providing them a second home.


(Click on photo to enlarge)

Deputy Presidential Peace Adviser, Undersecretary Nabil Tan, in behalf of Secretary Jesus Dureza, emphasized the need to further the peace building in the country. He led the banging of the peace gong along with Marawi City Mayor Majul Gandamra and Iligan City Vice Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz.

Speaking on behalf of the people of Marawi, Mayor Majul Gandamra expressed his gratitude to the people of Iligan, saying that the city is “first” among others, which opened its doors to the distraught people of Marawi seeking refuge.

For his part, Iligan city Mayor Celso Regencia vowed that they will continue to provide the needed help and sanctuary to the displaced people of Marawi.

“Kung tayo magkakaisa, ang Iligan City at ang Marawi City, wala silang (terrorists) lugar dito,” he said.

The crisis in Marawi has been running for almost four months since terrorist groups lay siege in the city.

“Let’s take away deep-seated biases and prejudices against each other,” Regencia said, adding that what is happening in Iligan shows the triumph of the people for coexistence.

Iligan City Vice Mayor Jemar Vera Cruz said they have welcomed “the people of Marawi with open arms.”

“All of us desire peace in Mindanao. Peace will not come to us if we will not work for it. We have to work together,” he urged.

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Question for this article:

Can peace be achieved in Mindanao?

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“Peace is not just the absence of violence. Peace should be based on justice, truth and love. Peace is having good relationship,” he noted.

Undersecretary Diosita T. Andot of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace (OPAPP) said the agency decided to culminate the celebration of the National Peace Consciousness Month in this city because of the solidarity and compassion that have been reigning since the crisis began.

“The city of Iligan epitomized what peace is. When we opened our doors to the people of Marawi,” she noted.

She said the military campaign in Marawi is just part of winning the war against violent extremism.

“We are trying to win the war through might. The threat to our peace and security is huge. We need the help of the security to counter violent extremism,” she acknowledged.

“However, there is also a need to pursue the healing process. Hindi madali tanggapin at makakalimutan ang nangyari sa Marawi,” she noted.

“Even if the war will end, there is a bigger war. We need to fight for peace. Addressing social injustices,” she urged.

OPAPP, which is leading the government’s celebration of peace month, has also completed the journey of its “Peace Buzz” here.

The Peace Buzz has been crisscrossing the country since September 21. It aims to promote a culture of peace throughout the archipelago.

“We should keep buzzing for peace na dapat po na naririnig sa Mindanao and buong Pilipinas,” Andot said.

“We need to strengthen the buzzing to reach every nook and corner of the country. We need unity. It is a key to advance the peace,” she said, encouraging people to “defend peace up to our last breath.”

The people of Cordillera also gave the people of Marawi a framed peace prayer to show its solidarity delivered by the Peace Buzz from Baguio.

Part of the culmination activities is a food fair, where internally displaced persons of Marawi sold their products at the public square to augment their livelihood.

East Asia, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

Spreading Hiroshima’s Message of Peace

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY .

An article from NHK World

Atomic bomb survivors are getting older and their number is dwindling. An American NGO has come up with a new way of preserving their experiences. It’s calling global educators to Hiroshima and Nagasaki to discuss how to share the survivors’ messages with their students.


Frame from NHK video

In early August, a group of teachers from around the world gathered in the peace park.

“My first impression of the site was… It’s hard to look at for too long for me,” says Matthew Winters, one of the participants. He is a junior high school teacher from the US state of Utah.

“There is a narrative in the United States about Nagasaki and Hiroshima in which you enunciated very well about, it was necessary to drop the nuclear bomb. It was necessary to end the war,” he says.

Winters has held classes discussing whether the bombing was necessary. But he says he wasn’t sure what the right answer was. He came to Hiroshima to learn more. “There is a human factor there that goes well beyond what’s happening in the pages of a history book,” he says.

Another participant is Hacene Benmechiche from Algeria. He is a history lecturer, and believes that peace education is especially important in his region and the Middle East, where violence persists.

“So I want our students to be peace-loving children. We are weary of violence. Violence is not a good thing. It beats development, it shatters countries, it destroys families,” he says.

This program, “Oleander Initiative,” is named after the city flower of Hiroshima, the first one to bloom after the bombing. It has become a symbol of resilience and peace. The organizer, Ray Matsumiya, hopes the teachers and their students take home the spirit of Hiroshima. He learned about the horror of the bombing from his grandfather, who experienced it.

“With the nuclear weapons ban treaty, one of the ideas is to mobilize civil societies around the world. In terms of our program, it helps spread that knowledge of why nuclear weapons shouldn’t exist,” he says.

On this day, the participants visited an atomic bomb survivor. 88-year-old Teruko Ueno welcomed them for lunch. Ueno was 1.6 kilometers away from ground zero when the bomb was dropped.

She was 16 years old and worked as a nurse at the Red Cross Hospital. She was shielded from the extreme heat by the hospital building. She still suffers from the effects of the radiation.

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Question related to this article:

Can we abolish all nuclear weapons?

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After the bombing, she struggled for days to save her colleagues and patients, who were badly burned. “Their skin was melted off their bodies. People came to my hospital saying ‘Give me water,’ and collapsed,” she explains.

She recalls how many children were born with physical disabilities. Her daughter and granddaughter listen next to her. “People were saying we would give birth to children with deformities. I was so worried,” says Ueno.

The participants are at a loss for words. “Your story…Thank you, thank you, thank you…” Winters says to Ueno.

“I am glad to hear that,” Ueno responds.

“She gave me a giant hug that just made me cry immediately. It was like being hugged by my grandmother. It was so emotionally fulfilling. It changed me. I feel like a different person today than I did yesterday,” says Winters.

Benmechiche says he learned something different. “I cannot feel exactly the way they feel. But I think that they are ready to forgive, otherwise there are still very deep wounds inside, because they know that forgiveness, not forgetfulness,” he says.

The teachers were deeply impressed with the openness and resilience of the people of Hiroshima.

The ceremony this summer was particularly special for the people of Hiroshima. It marked the achievement of a long-standing goal — the nuclear weapons ban treaty adopted in July. The teachers took part in the events.

The teachers discussed the goal of a nuclear-free world and how countries can work together to attain it. They talked about the recent nuclear weapons ban treaty, and the deep rift between nuclear powers and non-nuclear states.

“It was almost like a virtual media blackout. There was nothing said about it, even though it happened at the UN in New York,” says Kathleen Sullivan, a lecturer from the US.

“Nothing would make any change. The gap will be there unless we do something with the leaders, with the politicians,” says Khalil Smidi, a teacher from Lebanon.

“That’s where the educator’s roles are so important. It was the people that brought the ban treaty. I mean the thing that was so exciting about it, was that it was actually a process of education,” responds Sullivan.

Winters shared his new determination with his peers.

“A large majority of my students have parents that work at that military base. They are air force people and it’s a large economic center for the city. So, to combat that is going to be very difficult. We have to start a dialogue about these issues,” he says.

The teachers come up with a motto: “Education is the best weapon.” They want their students to think about how they can make even a small amount of change toward a better world.

(Thank you to the Global Campaign for Peace Education for calling this article to our attention.)

DISARMAMENT & SECURITY, East Asia

Asia: International Day of Peace

FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

A survey by CPNN

The following 67 events in 20 Asian countries were listed in “Google News” during the week of September 21-28 under the key words “International day of peace” and 国际和平日 (Chinese). This includes also some events listed on the websites of the Global Feast for Peace, the Peace Wave, the event map for the International Day of Peace, and the Campaign Nonviolence. No doubt there were many events listed on the Internet in languages other than those for which we searched.


Here are excerpts from the articles.

ASHBURTON , AUSTRALIA : Love Peace Harmony Fun : Afternoon to celebrate International Day of Peace for 2017.

BUNDABERG, AUSTRALIA : The Bundaberg Lions Club joined forces with Bundaberg Regional Council to unveil a peace pole in Buss Park yesterday.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA : In Sydney, an International Peace Day Gala Dinner Convention sponsored by the United Nations Association of Australia Peace Program was organised by its very capable director Dr Zeny Edwards. The event, which was held at Novotel Hotel, Darling Harbour, was attended by dedicated diplomats from various countries, Australian peace advocates and peace volunteers.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA : September 21 was the annual United Nations “International Day of Peace”, and this Sunday 24th September the 10.30 Mass is celebrated in conjunction with the United Nations Association of Australia as the annual Choral Mass for Peace.

DHAKA, BANGLADESH : On September 23, 2017, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Bangladesh organised ‘2017 JCI Bangladesh Peace is Possible Awards’ at Spectra Convention Centre in Gulshan 1 of Dhaka city.

DHAKA, BANGLADESH : In observance of International Day of Peace, UNIC Dhaka jointly with the Dhakabashi organization and the National Federation of Youth Organizations in Bangladesh (NFYOB) organized a Children Art Contest and Rally respectively at Hazaribagh Community Centre and Hazaribagh Park area on 21 September 2017.

BEIJING, CHINA :On September 21, at the occasion of the commemoration of International Day of Peace, the China World Peace Foundation, the Beijing International Peace Culture Foundation and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) The 4th “Peace Court Peace Festival” was held in Beijing. Envoys came from more than 100 countries on five continents, international organizations, government representatives, business representatives, experts and scholars and representatives of young people. The theme of the “Peace Court” is the “peace of mind” and the President of the China World Peace Foundation, Mr. Li Ruohong, read the message from the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova and said that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on governments, civil society and international and regional institutions to work together to maintain peace (from Chinese original).

NANJING, CHINA : Today (September 21) is the 36th “International Day of Peace”, and the anniversary of the Japanese invasion of Nanjing. At the Massacre Memorial Hall Peace Square, there were peace message signature activities. Visitors from across the country have signed the memorial Hall Peace Square signature message. Ms. Ma from Anhui, said her first visit to the memorial hall, visiting the “million people pit” site, struck her heart like a knife. Memories of the Japanese violence at that time is really hateful Peace is too precious. Officers and men lined up in front of the Statue of Liberty to take pictures of the world forever peace symbol. (from Chinese original)

BANGALORE, INDIA : Celebration of international day of peace 2017 @ gfgc k.r.puram, bangalore (college)

BHUBANESWAR, INDIA : To celebrate International Day of Peace on Thursday, students from eight educational institutions participated in a skit competition on the theme of peace and harmony in the afternoon.

HYDERABAD, INDIA :. Marking the occasion, of the International Day of Peace . . . and contributing to a culture of peace . . . Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM, a UN NGO) that spreads the message of ‘heartfulness meditation’ technique, conducted the ‘Making peaceful, powerful’ session at Shilpakala Vedika, Shilparamam, Hyderabad. The session included a talk by president of SRCM Kamlesh D Patel (Daaji) and an experience of the ‘Heartfulness meditation’ session for over 1,500 IPS, IRS, doctors and other prominent members of the society.

JAMMU, INDIA : The Panun Kashmir Human Rights Committee organised a special programme to observe the International Day of Peace here today. . . .. The programme was presided over by Ashwani Chrungoo, Panun Kashmir president and chairman, Human Rights Committee. Others who attended the programme included Prof ML Raina, chairman, Political Affairs Committee, Upinder Kaul, general secretary and Virender Raina, national spokesperson of Panun Kashmir.

KALINGA, INDIA : The International Peace Day was observed at the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences on 21 September 2017 on the theme #PeaceFirst. The students of KISS actively took part in the functions throughout the day. The students wrote Peace Wishes on the Peace Wish Tree. A human peace formation was created by the students of KISS to promote peace awareness.

LAITUMKHRAH, INDIA :To commemorate World Peace Day, the Lou Majaw Foundation in collaboration with the Department of Art and Culture observed the occasion with poetry and music at Andante Music School, Laitumkhrah. Several music bands including Haystack Ladies, an all ladies band from Tura, Tengnang D Sangma, the Fourth Element, Empirical Tribe, Nexus, Twilight a newly formed band from Jowai, Felixes and Lou Majaw himself rocked the crowd with their excellent musical forte.

KOHIMA, NAGALAND, INDIA : The Nagaland State Bharat Scouts & Guides (NSBSG) observed the International Day of Peace 2017 at Mezhür Higher Secondary School, Kohima on Sep. 21, where state coordinator of State Resource Centre for Women, Gracy Ayee, talked on “youth speech for peace.”

NAGALAND, INDIA : The International Day of Peace was observed in Dimapur and Peren districts. Peace Channel observed International Day of Peace-cum-12th Peace Channel foundation day in collaboration with Community Education Centre School (CECS). Speaking on the occasion, Dimapur district co-ordinator, Garrol Lotha asserted that since its inception Peace Channel have been relentlessly rendering its service to the people and effectively working to promote culture of peace in the society. The highlights of the programme include peace anthem, special number by the peace club members of CECS, group activity on the issues related to peace and conflict in the society initiated by NEISSR interns, vote of thanks delivered by teacher animator of the Peace Club, Maong followed by a Peace Prayer.

NAGPUR, INDIA : The India Peace Centre, on September 21, 2017, organised a ‘Peace Bicycle Rally’ in Nagpur to celebrate International Day of Peace. . . . Speaking on the occasion, Dr Amit Samarth appealed to participants to adapt to cycling as a pollution-free and fitness oriented means of transport, and lauded the efforts of India Peace Centre in using bicycle as an instrument to spread the message of peace.

TEHERAN, IRAN :The First Expert Meeting on Youth and Urban Peace was held in the Iranian capital on the occasion of International Day of Peace. The event was organized by the Young Shahryaran Club affiliated to Tehran Municipality and supported by the United Nations Information Center (UNIC). UNIC Director Maria Dotsenko, Head of Elite Commission of Iran’s Expediency Council’s Secretariat Mohammad Ebrahim Maddahi and Head of Environment Commission of Tehran City Council Zahra Sadreazam-Noori were the main speakers of the meeting.

BISHKEK, KYRGYZSTAN : Youth peer mentors from around Kyrgyzstan climbed a mountain and hauled hundreds of rocks to craft this awesome peace sign in Koh Tash village near Bishkek to highlight the importance of peacebuilding. The mentors are taking part in leadership training this week as part of our constructive dialogues on religion and democracy project.

(Survey continued in right column)

Question for this article

What has happened this year (2017) for the International Day of Peace?

(Survey continued from left column)

YANGON, MYANMAR : We had a great turnout on Saturday for our #PeaceDayMyanmar celebration with Moving Forward Together in Mahabandoola Park, Yangon. Lots of people braved the rain to listen to live music and poetry and to share messages of peace. Below, reggae artist Saw Poe Kwar performs songs of peace, harmony and tolerance to a big crowd.

PAITA, NOUVELLE CALEDONIE (French territory) : On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, and dressed in the colors of the rainbow, nearly a thousand schoolchildren from the private schools Luc-Amoura and Dumbéa-sur-Mer gathered yesterday at the Arena of the South to present their work on the theme of Peace: “Pacific-Actions”.

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN : Young students of Roots Garden Schools, Roots IVY Schools and Roots DHA1 celebrated ‘International Day of Peace’ to highlight the significance of world peace and harmony by expressing their heartfelt feelings, compassionate ideas and visions of a peaceful world by singing a special peace song by the school choir that sung, “Long live absolute world peace” at a ceremony held in Islamabad.

MULTAN, PAKISTAN : UPF Pakistan in collaboration with Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry organized a seminar on UN international day of Peace Celebrations, on September 21, 2017. The theme was “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”.

LAHORE, PAKISTAN : Walks, seminars, vigils held to mark International Day of Peace

LAHORE, PAKISTAN : The interfaith groups in Pakistan dedicated the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 to Rohingya refugees who fled violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state. Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore chaired an inter-religious seminar in Lahore at the Dominican Peace Centre where prayers, speeches, poetry, songs and candles vigil were held for the Muslim minority, at least 420,000 of whom have fled to neighboring Bangladesh. United Religions Initiative Pakistan was the main organizer.

LAHORE, PAKISTAN : 21st September was observed as the International Day of Peace at Lahore College for Women University.

CEBU, PHILIPPINES : So Alive led the International Day of Peace celebration at the SM City food court on September 21, last Thursday. An Interfaith Prayer of the Nations opened the program. The national anthem was sung with a dance of OLJLC Performing Arts Group.They were attired to represent different communities of our islands. . . There were many songs and messages of peace.

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES : On Saturday, the #Everydaypeace Concert in Quezon City saw the launch of our new app in the Philippines promoting the idea that ‘peace is within our power’, plus the new single Kalinaw by music icon Dong Abay.

PAPEETE, TAHITI (French territory) : The Peace Concert, held on Friday 29th September at 19:30 in the main Hall of the City Hall of Pirae, is the 13th artistic and charity gala organized jointly by the Art Conservatory and Soroptimist International Charity Club Tahiti / Papeete from the beginning of their collaboration. The Tipaerui Institution will engage 40 volunteer artists and volunteers, including 11 professors and teachers, 22 high-level students and seven musicians (traditional orchestra), who will offer the general public a first part of traditional dance and a second part of chamber music.

TONGATAPU, TONGA : Some 35 girls from various secondary schools in Tongatapu are holding a Girls Empowerment Camp from September 19-23 as part of activities marking the International Day of Peace

In addition to the above events with links on the Internet, there are a number of events in Asia listed on the event map for the International Day of Peace.

TOWNSVILLE, AUSTRALIA held Gathering in peace for conversation and prayer.

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA held a water ceremony for peace on the banks of the Torrens River.

ARMIDALE, AUSTRALIA had presentations and lectures on Peace, with multicultural food and music.

UNHAM, INDONESIA held a memorial ceremony and seminar.

JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Students created Graphic novels to promote a Culture of Peace.

YOKOHAMA, JAPAN : The United For Peace Film Festival (UFPFF) is held every year on September 21st, the United Nations International ‘Peace Day’.

CANTERBURY, NEW ZEALAND : A small but perfectly formed group of people gathered in the Botanic Gardens to ring World Peace Bell.

TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND: A meditation for personal and world peace was held on the beach in Tauranga

WHANGANUI, NEW ZEALAND : Panel discussion on the annual theme, “Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All”.

RAWAI PHUKET, THAILAND : Peace picnic at Palm House Primary School

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM : Our Pre-school is making an art installation of pinwheels to celebrate peace

Some Asian events are listed on the Peace Wave webpage of the International Peace Bureau:

SUVA, FIJI : Peace Wave teach-in at the University of the South Pacific

INDIA: activities for the Peace Wave in the following cities:

– JAMMU: Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

– VISAKHAPATNAM: Peace March, meeting and signature drive.

– PARVATIPURAM: Meeting and signature drive.

– NAGPUR: (1) Meetings and signature drive and (2) Meeting, photo exhibition and signature drive.

– BHUBANESWAR: Meetings and signature drive, Organizer: Mr. Maheswar Raut.

– INDORE: Meeting and signature drive.

– DIDGHAPANDA: Meeting and signature drive.

HIROSHIMA, NAGASAKI & TOKYO, JAPAN : At noon, September 20, Gensuikyo will declare the start of the “Peace Wave”

MARSHALL ISLANDS : Desmond Narain Doulatram, REACH-MI (Radiation Exposure Awareness Crusaders for Humanity

TAURANGA, NEW ZEALAND : candlelit vigil every evening from 20th – 26th September

SEOUL, REPUBLIC OF KOREA : Press Conference, rallies and performances are planned during Peace Wave campaign period.

Many cities and communities are members of the International Peace Cities network and the following are listed on the Global Feast Map as celebrating a feast to mark the International Day of Peace. They include:

INDIA: NAGPUR, KOCHI, SRINAGAR, RAIPUR, PIRWADHAI, MUMBAI, CHANDIGARH, GOYA

PAKISTAN: AHMEDABAD, QUETTA, MULTAN, ISLAMABAD, MURIDKE, KARACHI, CHITRAL-KHYBER

NEPAL: KATMANDU, LALITPUR

PHILIPPINES: MATAKI

THAILAND: PATHUTHANI

Campaign Nonviolence events took place in:

AFGHANISTAN, KABUL (involving participants from all Afghan provinces)

AUSTRALIA: ADELAIDE, PARKVILLE AND MELBOURNE

INDIA, CHANDIGARH

IRAQ, KURDiSTAN (36 peace actions and events)

East Asia, FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION, South Asia,