The 3rd Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace took place September 21-26 in Kisarazu and Tokyo, Japan. This extraordinary event began on the International Day of Peace and Global Ceasefire declared by the UN. It featured 21 country delegations*, representing both civil society and parliamentarians, from all five continents, including Nepal, which became the second country after the Solomon Islands to form a Ministry of Peace, and Rwanda, a country that experienced genocide in 1994. The event was sponsored by the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace numbering more than 25 countries and hosted by its Japanese member, Japan United for Ministry of Peace (JUMP).

Ministries and Departments of Peace are dedicated to creating a culture of peace within and between countries where the Ministers of Peace would meet to reduce violence and war through non-violent conflict resolution.

A principal purpose of this Summit in Japan was to support the peaceful nature of the Japanese Constitution, now under review, and to advocate that all countries create peace constitutions.

Over the four days of meeting, the Summit heard reports from each country, carried out a series of intensive training towards the formation of Ministries and Departments of Peace within their respective governments, and resolved to witness the creation at least two more ministries by the next Summit, with Costa Rica as the most likely to declare. “This summit empowered each one of the participants and gave the Global Alliance the power to go forward,” said Yumi Kikuchi, founder and chair of JUMP.

At the summit the Africa Alliance for Peace emerged, initiated by delegates from Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Uganda.

The Global Alliance calls for structures in governments and civil society that support a culture of peace, working together with all sectors in each country, especially youth, towards that goal.

*Countries represented were: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, UK and USA.

The first international People’s Summit for Departments of Peace was held in London, UK, on October 18-19, 2005. The two-day Summit was preceded by two days of training (October 16-17) in the latest developments on the expanding frontier of knowledge and practice in peacebuilding and conflict transformation around the world.

Forty people from twelve countries took time from their busy lives and invested their energy and resources to attend. The countries represented included Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Palestine, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States of America. In addition, written support was received from political leaders in Australia, Nepal, Nigeria, Japan, and Uganda, including:

At the time olf the First Summit, five of these countries had working groups conducting campaigns for Departments of Peace or Ministries for Peace: Australia, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Throughout the four days it was evident that ‘we the people’ are ready, willing, and able to be together and communicate with one another in ways that demonstrate the change we wish to see.

On the final day of the Summit, the participants launched an on-going partnership for global action, now called the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace. The London Summit then concluded with a public meeting in the Grand Committee Room in the Houses of Parliament, hosted by John McDonnell MP and emceed by Diana Basterfield, co-founder of UK ministry for peace. The event opened with video greetings from Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Marianne Williamson, and Dot Maver spoke on behalf of The Peace Alliance. Canada’s representative, Saul Arbess, shared the Canadian working group’s perspective. John McDonnell MP then articulated clearly the urgent need for departments and ministries of peace in order to provide a governmental infrastructure — an institutional space — for dialogue on peaceful resolution of conflict to take place

PNND Update
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The newsletter provides you with latest information from GandhiServe Foundation and with Gandhian news from around the world.

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October 3-5, 2008 - Austin, Texas, U.S. Are you dedicated to solving tough problems through honest talk, quality thinking and collaborative action? Come join hundreds of others who believe that better communication is the key to solving many of the biggest problems facing our organizations, communities, and societies.
NCDD’s dynamic conferences bring together leaders and future leaders in public engagement, conflict resolution and related fields to share resources and strategies, build lasting relationships, increase the visibility and effectiveness of their work, tackle challenges we face, and initiate collaborative projects. Many people who have attended NCDD conferences say they’re the best conferences they’ve ever attended.

Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum “Conflict Prevention in the Multimedia Age”, 3-5 June 2009, Bonn, Germany

Opportunities and challenges posed by new technologies and consumer habits
Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum 2009 will bring together media users and producers, peace building and conflict prevention specialists, representatives from the fields of media technology and security, public relations, the military, the arms industry as well as members of government and political parties to network and discuss the challenges and solutions for the future.

Inspired talks by the world’s greatest thinkers and doers

Eight Ways to Change the World - Global

Produced by Panos Pictures, this online and in-person photography exhibition uses visual communication to draw attention and aid to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Eight photographers, each sponsored by a leading British development agency, produced a set of photographs from the developing world, along with a personal testimony about what the experience meant to him or her. Meant to ignite action, the photography communicates messages such as, “”Just because poverty is a long way away doesn’t mean there is nothing we can do to tackle it.”"

The Wombat

The Foundation for Global Community is a nonprofit educational organization, dedicated to reconnecting people, the planet, and prosperity. Recognizing that natural, social, and economic systems are all parts of a single interconnected whole, the Foundation has been promoting cultural change, facilitating personal development, and strengthening community connections for over 50 years. A funny and moving Flash application called The Wombat - down the front page of the Foundation of Global Community website.

United States Peace Alliance

We recognize that the world is interconnected and that everything influences the whole. As a consequence, there is no “them and us.” There is only us, and the welfare of others, indeed of all life, is our own welfare.

Therefore, we must seek ways to consciously connect and build a culture of peace, a culture of respect, cooperation, compassion, nonviolence, and wholeness in human relations with all life. Indeed, all our systems of foreign policy, education, politics, business, health, and social welfare can and must be united in seeking, teaching, and living peace.

“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.” - President George Washington

The Peace Alliance has organized thousands of citizens in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Guam and in 300 congressional districts across the country. These local and statewide grassroots organizations are working together to build support for a federal, cabinet-level Department of Peace. The purpose of the Department will be to research, facilitate, and strengthen support for new and on-going nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflicts by addressing the underlying root causes of violence in society, developing and extending peace education programs, and establishing a national peace academy.

There is a long history, back to antiquity, about peace and the use of nonviolent conflict resolution approaches in human societies. The slide show, Governing Ourselves in a Culture of Peace, traces that history, with special attention to the United States and the current legislation in Congress to establish a cabinet-level Department of Peace.

“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that the people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.” - President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Already, peace building and conflict transformation technologies are being developed and put into practice around the world in a wide range of conflict situations within and between countries. The time has come to educate ourselves and help create the necessary infrastructure for peace in our culture.

Campaigning for a Ministry for Peace in the United Kingdom

www.MinistryForPeace.org

The goal of a ministry for peace is to put peace into power and power into peace. Labour MP John McDonnell and I (Diana Basterfield) were the joint co-founders of the project in July 2003. We were both opposed to the UK going to war in Iraq. I marched with the millions in London in the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in February 2003 and I am sure John did too, under the Labour Against the War banner, a pressure group within the Labour Party which he helped to set up.

Since then, together with the group of volunteers steering ministry for peace (mfp), we have been working hard to make a persuasive case for a government Ministry for Peace. We accept that initially this could be a Minister within, say, the Cabinet Office with a remit to champion a peace and non-violence agenda. To inform and influence MP’s and the public we have held monthly meetings in the Houses of Parliament - to discuss the Iraq war and wars of terrorism, how to create a culture of peace, non-violent communication, human rights, peace education in schools and conflict resolution.

In March 2004 we held a conference entitled Peace Builder or Warmonger Britain’s role in the 21st century. We ran a stall at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2004 and John spoke to a vast crowd from the main stage. At our fringe meeting at the 2004 Labour Party Conference in Brighton, former Labour MP and Government Minister Tony Benn spoke in support of our campaign. Another key supporter is the Dalai Lama.

For a Ministry to be effective mfp considers that it must employ the considerable body of expertise and experience already developed on conflict transformation and peace building by organisations such as Transcend, whose originator - Johan Galtung - wrote the UN manual on the subject. Transcend argues that to work for peace is to work against violence and mfp finds its analysis of three types of violence comprehensive and very compelling. According to Transcend, direct violence equates to direct physical, verbal or violence; structural violence is the slow, grinding violence of political, social and economic structures that repress, harm or kill; and cultural violence describes those aspects of a culture that normalise violence religions and ideologies that condone direct violence, for example, or national stories that extol the use of extreme violence to “resolve” conflicts. An effective Ministry would need to tackle all these three forms of violence together.

To encourage debate on useful methodologies that could be employed to do this we have organised seven intensive training courses in London led by the brilliant Kai Brand-Jacobsen from Transcend.

On the parliamentary front, John put forward a Ten Minute Rule Bill In October 2003 calling for a Ministry for Peace, which had cross-party support. It was not opposed but fell due to lack of parliamentary time. Other parliamentary moves are planned. Within the Labour Party, the Labour Representation Committee included the call for a Ministry for Peace in its policy document for the 2005 General Election. The Scottish Socialist Party and Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalist Party) also called for a Ministry for Peace in their General Election manifestos. There has also been support in the Green Party for the concept.

In June 2006 the second Summit was held, this time in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Attendance this time was 60 delegates from 18 countries.

Ministry for peace will continue to make the case for using peace strategies rather than violence to tackle violent conflict. Recognising that a strong, independent civil society body will also be needed to stand alongside a future Minister/Ministry for Peace, our work in 2006 included reaching out to UK NGO’s to build that structure together.

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues.

This is ministry for peace’s latest initiative, which came after many months of quiet effort. We have secured enough support in Parliament to set up an official All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues. The purpose of the APPG, as formally stated in the Parliamentary Register, is ‘To encourage dialogue, on the basis of expert information and opinion from across the political spectrum, on issues relating to conflict; especially on the practical means to prevent, transform and resolve violent conflict.’

Establishing this group, which is a major step forward for ministry for peace, has generated a lot of interest across government and amongst those who work in the field of conflict management. The APPG will provide a forum where Parliamentarians, government officials, NGOs, academics and others can come together on a regular basis to share ideas and thoughts about the challenges of non-violent approaches to managing violent conflict. Members of the following political parties have registered as members:

Labour Party 10
Conservative Party 6
Liberal Democrat Party 3
Plaid Cymru 1

2007 promises to be an exciting year in British politics with a new Prime Minister. We hope to build valuable links with the new PM and his team. Our Co-Founder, John McDonnell, has declared that he will stand for Leader of the Labour Party (this automatically becomes the Prime Minister) once Tony Blair signals that he is standing down. He will first need the support of 44 other Members of Parliament to enable him to go forward in the election process. If he were to be successful and win the subsequent election - the voters will come from the Labour Party, Trade Union and affiliated society members and Members of Parliament, this would give a rapid boost to the campaign for a Ministry for Peace.

Ministry for Peace Uganda Working Alliance; Project of Uganda Peace Foundation Initiative

MinistryForPeaceUgandaAlliance.blogspot.com/
www.UgandaPeaceFoundation.org

“Peace in our Hands”
Support the calls for the establishment of Department of Peace/Ministry for Peace in Uganda

The conflict in Uganda borrows substantially from the colonial past in causes, nature and consequences. It is therefore no surprise that the current conflict, particularly in northern Uganda has its roots in the unfolding events before, during and in the trouble times of Ugandan Independence of 1962.

The analysis of the root causes of the conflict and general content of conflict and violent in Uganda clearly illustrate that Uganda is a country deeply wounded by injustice, fear, war, prejudice, hatred, violent conflicts, intolerance, and deliberate falsification of its history by successive regimes and is continuing to face the same in the years to come and generation after generations. The political campaigns is yet another clear indicator for further instances of violent conflict, instability and all other forms of aggressions and the Peace dialogue currently on a litmus test.

Leaving alone the existence of internal conflicts, Uganda is/has been involved in armed conflict and war with her neighbouring countries like; The Republic of Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Sudan, and at the same time neighbored such countries with internal warring factions within the great lakes region without inserting much influence to institute peace, dailogue and harmonised co-existence.

In order to address issues of violence, prejiuce, injustices and facilitate peace talks, and subsequently institute a value and culture of peace, non-violence and tolerance; establishment and existence of a functionally sole institution-department /Ministry for Peace within the Government structure is a necesscity and a vital measure to foster a better understanding of a culture of peace and non-violence among the population, a culture where nonviolence is an organising principle of society, and promote democracy and sustainable development through active processes of reconciliation and dialogue at all level and across all regions in Uganda and it neighbours.

There is a rapidly growing international movement to establish Departments for Peace or Ministries of Peace in countries around the world with the goal of supporting the emergence of a culture of peace in those countries. This global movement is premised on the understanding that all of our systems of foreign policy, education, politics, economics, business, health, and social welfare are interdependent and therefore can and must cooperate and coordinate with one another in seeking, teaching, and living in peace. These campaigns are motivated by both a recognition of the alarming levels of violence in the world and an awareness that humanity actually knows how to curtail or even eliminate it - if we would choose to do so. The Global Allaince for departments/Ministries for Peace is the umbrella global body launched in United Kindom, London (Oct 2005) to strengthen and grow the international movement for a culture of peace and for government depart�ments of peace and ministries for peace by: Building a global network of, and a sense of community among, country-level campaigns; Developing coordinated strategies for strengthening and financing country-level campaigns and for encouraging the establishment of campaigns in other countries.

Already Active campaigns are currently exist in the following countries;

• UK under UK department of peace campaign (www.ministryforpeace.org);
• USA, (www.thepeacealliance.org);
• Canada (www.departmentofpeace.ca);
• Japan, Australia; Nepal and India, Costa Rica
• And groups in other countries are exploring launching similar campaigns.

The Ministry for Peace Uganda Working Alliance was concieved in September 2005 prior to the first peoples summit for the department of peace in October London, and it’s a special project of the Uganda Peace Foundation Initiative; as a national Organisation which will be advocating for the establishment of a department of peace/Ministry for peace within the government structure. This emerging advocacy working group will also form part of the Global Alliance for Departments/Ministries for peace(www.mfp-dop.org ),worldwide movement.

A lot of preliminary progress towards designing and mapping strategies for the camapiagn has been drawn. Already several powerful individuals both in and outside governments have been approached, intsance; Hon. Henry Okello Oryem MP and Minister of State for International Affairs, Including other Parliamentarians as well as a growing number of peace building organizations in and outside the country have all positively responded to call for the rationale for a such a Ministry and we hope to continue with establishing such close collaborations.

Objectives:

• To be a member of a Global Alliance for Departments /Ministries for Peace that advocate for a Ministry/departent of peace with the minister for Peace as a senior member in the cabinet within the government, in Uganda and throughout the world.
• To foster a better understanding of a culture of peace and non-violence among the population.
• To nurture a deeper appreciation among people of the urgent need for peace, and to promote a culture of peace, democracy and development through the active processes of reconciliation and dialogue.
• To provide resources for training in peace-building and conflict transformation to People everywhere.
• To research, articulate and help bring about non-violent solutions to conflicts at all levels.
• To direct government policy towards non-violent resolution of conflict and to seek peace by peaceful means in all conflict areas;
• To promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights and the security of persons and their communities, consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, other related UN treaties, conventions and the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace(1999);
• To promote disarmament and strengthen non-military means of peacemaking and peacebuilding;
• To develop new approaches to non-violent intervention, and utilize constructive dialogue, mediation and the peaceful resolution of conflict at home and abroad;
• To address matters of concern both domestic and international in scope
• To encourage the development of peace initiatives from local communities, faith groups, NGOs and the formation of civilian nonviolent peace forces;
• To facilitate the development of peace and reconciliation summits to promote non-violent communication and mutually-beneficial solutions;
• To act as a resource for the creation and the gathering of best practices documents, lessons learned, and peace impact assessments;

Basic functions of the department of peace will:

• to foster a culture of peace through education
• to promote sustainable economic and social development
• to promote respect for all human rights
• to ensure equality between women and men
• to foster democratic participation
• to advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity
• to support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge
• to promote international peace and security

Our strategy for achieving a Department of Peace/Ministry for Peace:
National Strategy:

1. work with the Ruling Governemnt and other political parties, parliamentarians, Ministers and other influential persons, to bring forward a motion/bill in the Ugandan Parliament to proclaim a new Minister for Peace within the government structure.
2. Directly approach , lobby and coordinate with the office of the President of Uganda.
3. Develop a movement by forming Advocacy groups across Uganda, generating publicity, and building a grounds well of support that becomes irresistible to politicians.
4. Closely develop networks and collaborations, and form joint partnerships with the various Organisations working on peace building and Conflict resolutions as well as the media houses.
5. Build a web-based campaigns and, an on-line interactive forum, letter writings, a newsletters publication, flyers and on-line petition.

International Strategy:

1. Work with the other nations to build an international coalition to further our mutual goal.
2. Be part of the International initiatives such as; the Global Alliance for Departments/Ministries for peace and Other peace working groups around the world, to get inspired ,share experiences, technical expertise and resources.
3. Work closely with other multilateral organisations and agencies engaged in peace building and conflict resolution ensuring promotion of sustainable peace and development.
4. Participate in the annual Global Alliance for departments/Ministries of peace summits, to share expriences and challenges and learn aditional concrete skills and strategies, building collaborative networks.

Networks and collaborations with Parliamentarians, Political groups, Civil society organizations and Individuals with enormous expertise and interests in Peace building and Conflict resolution activities are currently being established, to partner in the campaign and to form a national coalition and international framework for this initiative through which we shall together dialogue and advocate for the establishment of a ministry for Peace in Uganda. This is to be followed by drafting of the first proposal/manifesto for the Ministry for peace in Uganda.

You may ask and subject yourselves to the following questions, bearing in mind the unforgettable history of violent conflicts of Uganda.

1. Does Uganda as one of the developing countries in Africa really needs a department and ministry for peace?,
2. Is the current political situation suitable for the establishment and existence of department of peace?,
3. How can the independence for ministry of peace be significantly justified without it being compromised politically?
4. How can it be empowered, structured, administered or should it be a replacement of an existing Ministry…? Etc.

This is a long term commitment whose objectives are set henceforth; it is not a one year ‘process neither is it an individuals’ struggles, but a progressive process and commitments for all of us. Wonderful experiences can, however be borrowed from other groups notably in the UK, US, and Canada, who have their legislative bills to call for ministry and department of Peace presented in the house of representative/Parliament. But note that your support and active engagement can bring this into reality. The peace process starts from where you stand. You have made a contribution to all peace initiatives when you resolve any conflict non-violently and creatively. It can be personal, within family, community, governmental or international; each arena helps us build the Culture of Peace.

We cannot expect our leaders, be they political, community, religious or the media to give us policy and program which we, the people cannot ourselves understand and practice. We cannot depend on others, as helpful as they may be, to take responsibility for us. To take action learn the Conflict Resolution skills yourself and then go on to teach them to others.

We are excited by the prospect of the Ministry for Peace for Uganda and hope that our enthusiasm is contagious. We honour all the efforts of the peace movements and activitis through times and solicit the support of those long-established in the movement. We are energized by the knowledge of the ability of social movements to galvanize the people and believe that indeed, if the people lead the leaders will follow. “One alone can not build peace, together we shall achieve a great deal” and have in our hands a culture of peace with a concept that inspires the work of individuals, groups, organizations and institutions around the world.

“Peace in our Hands”

Peter P. Lukwiya
Founder, Ministry for Peace Uganda Working Alliance
Executive Director, Uganda Peace Foundation Initiative

Contact: Uganda Peace Foundation Initiative Plot 65-75, Pager Crescent P O Box 123, Kitgum Uganda. ]]> http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/uganda.html/feed http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/new-zealand.html http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/new-zealand.html#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:19:35 +0000 admin http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/?p=32

New Zealand - Operation Peace Through Unity (OPTU)

www.PeaceThroughUnity.info

Accredited NG0 in association with the UN Department of Public Information

The 1999 United Nations Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace (A/RES/53/243) makes it emphatically clear that “a key role in the promotion of a culture of peace belongs to parents, teachers, politicians, journalists, religious bodies and groups, intellectuals, those engaged in scientific, philosophical and creative and artistic activities, health and humanitarian workers, social workers, managers at various levels as well as to non-governmental organizations”.

It also urges that the United Nations, it’s Member States, and ‘We, the Peoples of the United Nations’ work together towards this end.

The Declaration has energized and inspired the increasingly powerful groups in the UK, Canada, USA, Australia, Nigeria, Costa Rica and many other countries belonging to the Global Peace Alliance, who are lobbying their governments for the establishing of ministries or departments of peace.

Among achievements can be mentioned the bill, which is presently before the US House of Representatives, hoping (with public pressure) to make it into law; the Solomon Islands that already has a Minister for Peace; and Nepal which has just established a Ministry for Peace and Reconstruction.

Although our goal is ultimately the same as these other campaigns, the New Zealand proposal has chosen a slightly different approach:

We would like to think that such a ministry would signify the beginning of a new type of governance, i.e. a full, open and dynamically interactive working relationship and partnership between peoples and government, the result of which would be a type of democracy that will leave no one out, and for which we are all mutually responsible;

Moreover, we suggest that this ministry be called a Ministry for a Culture of Peace. Although a longer name, it will keep reminding us that for peace to have any meaning it will need to become a strong and vibrant culture, demonstrated in the way we all live and relate to each other.

In May 2006 Peace through Unity (OPTU) tabled a paper for a panel discussion on this subject, organized by the UNANZ Wellington branch, which contained some background information on the ministry for peace initiative, and also a 5-point proposal for a NZ Ministry for a Culture of Peace. The text of these points is based on the UN Declaration and Plan of Action on a Culture of Peace.

We hope that these five points will serve as a basic structure, a skeleton so to speak, on which - through comprehensive community consultation and contribution - the whole body of this new organism can begin to be shaped. There is increasing agreement worldwide that it is the peoples of the world, who will need to breathe life and real meaning into the concept of democracy - becoming its heart and soul.

A small committee is emerging, currently consisting of OPTU, UNANZ branch members, teachers and Youth representatives, who are in the process of arranging consultations within schools and community groups in the Wanganui region and beyond. We warmly invite you and your group to participate in this consultation process and hope you will consider using the 5-point proposal as a basis for your thoughts, comments and suggestions as to how you think such an effective and comprehensive working relationship could come about. The outcome: a mutually agreed proposal for a NZ Ministry for a Culture of Peace to be presented to the Government of New Zealand.

OPTU’s five-point Proposal

The primary aim of a New Zealand Ministry for a Culture of Peace would be to act as an instrument for the building of a culture of peace in accordance with the guidelines of the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace, through:

1. Identifying root-causes of conflict, disharmony and hostility within and between peoples, cultures and nations;
2. Actively promoting the employment of conflict-resolution, mediation, negotiation and other peacebuilding/peacemaking skills, and encouraging that these skills become common practice;
3. Acting as a focal point for comprehensive, consistent and constructive cooperation and consultation between government (and its various departments) and interest groups within the various parts of society (education, health, environment, industry, unions, science, arts, culture, laws, media, police, military, volunteers, local government etc.) ensuring that the legislative process of formulating any specific law takes into account the effect it may have on the community in its entirety;
4. Forming working partnerships with international institutions and co-workers for the building of a culture of peace worldwide;
5. Keeping the government and the general public aware of the UN resolutions which our Government has committed itself and us all to implement.

Some relevant quotes:

“The secret of success in all group action lies in complete unity of purpose and intention, plus diversity of expression and method” (DK)

“We are in the midst of a fundamental shift that will impact new governance. It recognizes the rise of the ‘third sector’ - civil society - and that it has a certain economic value” To make the most of this breakthrough opportunity civil society will need to meet three challenges, which are: Consciousness - Conscientiousness - Competence. (Lester Salamon, Director, Centre for Civil Society Studies, John Hopkins Institute for Policy Studies)

A democratic system is not enough. We need to learn to live with each other, “horizontal democracy is as important as vertical democracy” (B.H. Levy, French philosopher)

Democracy: “government of the people, by the people, for the people” (Abraham Lincoln)

We hope very much that you will consider participating in this process of consultation on the possibility of establishing a future Ministry for a Culture of Peace, and would welcome the opportunity to discuss this proposal with you at your convenience.

Gita Brooke
optubrookiana@xtra.co.nz
Co-founder Operation Peace through Unity (OPTU)
On behalf of the organizing committee
Kate Smith
k_smith@clear.net.nz ]]> http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/new-zealand.html/feed http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/nepal.html http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/nepal.html#comments Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:18:57 +0000 admin http://www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org/?p=30

Nepal Peace Initiative Alliance

www.peace-nepal.org
www.aspectasia.org

Nepal Peace Initiative Alliance (NPIA) is a national alliance of NGOs, CBOs, CSOs, media, and educational organizations working for peacebuilding and conflict transformation in Nepal.

NPIA was formed in December 2005 through an alliance of 10 organizations, and the list has been growing day by day. Manish Thapa has been extensively involved with the various organizations in peacebuilding and conflict transformation in Nepal who were proposed for this alliance in December 2005. He has been working with them to initiate and build a long-term, sustainable platform for effective public participation, and representation for the concerns of the wider civil society in the emerging national peacebuilding and conflict transformation process in Nepal. This emerging network will also act as a working group within the International People’s Initiative for the Department of Peace which is a growing movement worldwide.

Objectives

The Nepal Peace Initiative Alliance envisions working together with various people and organizations concerned with peace, democracy and development holding the following objectives:

1. To be a part of an international initiative for the creation of Departments of Peace in governments throughout the world, including Nepal, by initiating a strong lobby for this purpose with a vision for starting on the path towards putting peace into power, and power into peace.
2. To nurture a deeper appreciation among people of the urgent need for peace, and to promote a culture of peace, democracy and development through the active processes of reconciliation and dialogue;
3. To create a better understanding at the popular level of peace as sine qua non for democracy and development.
4. To raise consciousness on the crucial importance of fostering attitudes, values and ideas at both the personal and community level, which will help us attain a peaceful world.
5. To inculcate within the human family, and at both the individual and collective levels, a profound commitment to a universal spiritual and moral vision of life and living together which will serve to guide humankind in its quest for peaceful co-existence and a just world;
6. To fight poverty, deprivation, ignorance and injustice as these are fundamental causes of conflicts and violence, and to develop institutions that sustain peace, democracy and development.
7. To enhance the capacities and expertise of the partner organizations by encouraging co-operation, facilitating information exchange, and stimulating the exchange of lessons learned and best practices in the network.

Individuals and organizations who are interested in working with us and join our campaign, contact:

Manish Thapa, Coordinator: peacealliance@gmail.com
Pramila KC, Secretary: prinsha16@yahoo.co.uk