{"id":14048,"date":"2018-11-04T08:10:30","date_gmt":"2018-11-04T13:10:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=14048"},"modified":"2018-11-21T19:03:22","modified_gmt":"2018-11-22T00:03:22","slug":"2018-world-beyond-war-toronto-conference-included-workshop-on-departments-and-infrastructures-for-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/?p=14048","title":{"rendered":"2018 “World Beyond War” Toronto Conference Included Workshop on Departments and Infrastructures for Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . .<\/p>\n

Special to CPNN by Anne Creter<\/p>\n

I am a long-time advocate within the U.S. \u201cPeace Alliance\u201d Department of Peacebuilding Campaign for the\u00a0current bill in Congress to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (H.R.1111).\u00a0 Thus I am thrilled to report my favorite topic of\u00a0Departments and Infrastructures for Peace\u00a0(I4P)\u00a0was featured at this September\u2019s international \u201cWorld Beyond War\u201d (WBW) conference in a workshop my Canadian Department of Peace counterpart, Dr. Saul Arbess and I co-presented there.\u00a0 It was a logical collaboration, in that for the last decade Saul and I have worked together promoting governmental I4P within an international organization known as the\u00a0Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace\u00a0or GAMIP (currently in transition). \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nFrame from the conference video: Karen Johnson gives report from workshop on Departments of Peace<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

The ambitious conference intent, as stated by its planners, was to \u201cexplore how to re-design systems to abolish the institution of war by examining existing and potential legal models, modes of governance and frameworks that can be used to curb and abolish war, such as treaties like the Kellogg-Briand Pact, Peoples\u2019 Tribunals, peace tax funds,\u00a0departments of peace,\u00a0civil disobedience, the use of universal jurisdiction and the International Criminal Court.\u201d<\/p>\n

Our workshop was timely because it meshed with above and also with my UN NGO work whose focus this year has been on \u201cseeking global solutions to global problems\u201d\u00a0 —\u00a0per the UN 2030 \u201cSustainable Development Goals\u201d (SDGs).\u00a0 The UN Development Program, which oversees both the SDG\u2019s and I4P, has conducted studies showing evidence that\u00a0a viable solution to the global problem of \u201cviolence\u201d is establishing governmental departments\u00a0and other I4P worldwide.\u00a0\u00a0This relatively new peacebuilding concept of “governmental I4P” is already operational in countries where violence has been shown to decrease (Journal of Peacebuilding & Development\u00a0Special I4P Issue, volume 7, Number 3, 2012 ISSN: 1542-3166).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Thus if I4P are a viable global solution to the global problem of \u201cviolence,\u201d then establishing them in governments should be encouraged to provide the (missing) connective tissue links necessary to build the culture of peace.\u00a0\u00a0That this topic was deemed relevant to the WBW\u2019s provocative conference theme of\u00a0Designing a World Beyond War:\u00a0 Legalizing Peace\u00a0was promising.\u00a0\u00a0For it\u00a0offered a unique international forum for how governmental I4P may be\u00a0a viable alternative to war providing\u00a0a \u201clegal\u201d institutional framework for peace\u00a0that could be\u00a0the \u201cblueprint\u201d for redesigning a world beyond war.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Article continued in right column)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nQuestion related to this article:<\/em><\/strong><\/div>\n
\n

<\/p>\n

How can we develop the institutional framework for a culture of peace?<\/a><\/p>\n

Is a U.S. Department of Peace a realistic political goal?<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

(Article continued from left column)<\/p>\n

The conference was held September 21-22 to coincide with the International Day of Peace celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, whose focus this year was\u00a0\u201cThe Right to Peace.\u201d\u00a0 It was held outside the U.S. in Toronto, Canada to demonstrate WBW\u2019s belief that\u00a0for the global peace movement to succeed in redesigning a world beyond war, it must broaden its scope to build one unified coalition in solidarity worldwide with other peace groups. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most attendees were Canadian yet other countries were represented, as far away as New Zealand — home of my UN NGO,\u00a0Peace Through Unity Charitable Trust\u00a0— which as a founding member of the\u00a0Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace\u00a0has long advocated for a New Zealand \u201cMinistry for a Culture of Peace\u201d and passage of a UN Resolution urging I4P in all member states\u00a0(see PeaceNow.com).\u00a0 To quote Gita Brooke,\u00a0Peace Through Unity\u00a0founder:\u00a0\u00a0New instruments are in the planning for carrying out the guidelines contained in the\u00a0UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace:\u00a0 ministries and departments of peace will serve as meeting places for closer, more comprehensive and effective cooperation between peoples and governments; peace academies will teach and help develop communication, peacebuilding and peacemaking skills of individuals and groups within society; and the general public will hold themselves, their governments, as well as the UN, accountable for implementing promises that have been made.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The U.S. Constitution preamble beautifully articulates the primary purpose of government \u2013 which in a nutshell is to ensure humanity\u2019s basic Human Rights (ie. the Right to Peace). Because we live in an ever-escalating global culture of violence, government needs vital help meeting this essential purpose. My advocacy for governmental 14P stems from my conviction that I4P can greatly assist government fulfilling its fundamental \u201cPeace\u201d mandate. \u00a0Yet how I4P relate to the compelling WBW idea of \u201clegalizing peace\u201d needs further exploration.\u00a0\u00a0While we only had time to scratch the surface there, our group began a lively interactive dialogue on I4P basics, such as the lack of political will for peace and on how the mere mention of I4P in some countries puts I4P advocates at risk of harm.<\/p>\n

We are grateful to UN Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury for his short video on the conference theme, with mention of how I4P promote the Culture of Peace; also to Congressional sponsor of H.R. 1111 Rep. Barbara Lee for her welcoming letter where she states:\u00a0\u201cNow is the time to put an end to needless wars and violence and to establish a Department of Peacebuilding in the U.S. and violence prevention infrastructures throughout the globe.\u201d \u00a0Visit WBW website to see the Ambassador\u2019s video and Congresswoman\u2019s letter, plus our power point and other valuable conference details at\u00a0https:\/\/worldbeyondwar.org\/nowar2018<\/a>\u00a0\u2026 and while there, be sure to access your copy of their scholarly publication \u2013\u00a0A GLOBAL SECURITY SYSTEM:\u00a0 An Alternative to War.<\/p>\n

In conclusion, I learned of other possible frameworks that could redesign a world beyond war which I found hopeful at this time of unprecedented global political upheaval.\u00a0 They included such compelling models as: Kellogg-Briand Pact (WBW Director David Swanson), Divestment from War Profiteers (Medea Benjamin), Peace Education\u00a0 Approaches (Tony Jenkins), World Citizenship & Global Rule of Law (David Gallup) to mention a few.\u00a0 Participating gave the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0\u201cPeace Alliance\u201d National Department of Peacebuilding Campaign\u00a0the opportunity to enlarge an important “peace education” dialogue alongside our Canadian Department of Peace brothers and sisters.\u00a0 Hopefully it will continue so \u201cDepartments and I4P\u201d may appear inside next year\u2019s 2019-2020 edition of A Global Security System!<\/p>\n

To continue this conversation, please write with comments or questions to Anne at annecrets@aol.com . <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

. . DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION . . Special to CPNN by Anne Creter I am a long-time advocate within the U.S. \u201cPeace Alliance\u201d Department of Peacebuilding Campaign for the\u00a0current bill in Congress to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peacebuilding (H.R.1111).\u00a0 Thus I am thrilled to report my favorite topic of\u00a0Departments and Infrastructures for Peace\u00a0(I4P)\u00a0was featured at … Continue reading 2018 “World Beyond War” Toronto Conference Included Workshop on Departments and Infrastructures for Peace<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,91],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-14048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-democracy","category-north-america","tag-north-america"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14048"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14048\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/english.cpnn-world.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}