| Posted: April 25 2005,06:24 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
The
Austrian Network for Peace and Non-Violence was founded in 2000.
At present we have 35 organizations which consider themselves
members. We have a mailgroup in which announcements of activities is
shared by all. We have a web site. Since the founding, several
projects have been carried out after being agreed upon in the General
Assembly of the Network. A few additional organizations have
expressed interest in joining. There has been increasing pressure
on the Government to anchor the Rights of Children in the Austrian
Constitution. There is somewhat more information in the media
when activities relating to peace are held. There is somewhat
more interest in working together towards a culture of peace. All
of these could be seen as "progress".
However, world events seem to overtake the small steps the organizations make towards promoting a culture of peace in society.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Most
of the active members of the individual organizations are volunteers;
many of the organizations are NPO's. The time and energy they
invest in the Decade is, therefore, spent mainly with their own groups,
each with its own goals. It has not been possible to achieve either a
commitment to work for a certain amount of time in the Network as a
whole; nor has a supportive atmosphere been gained to help all of us
work together. The Network itself depends on volunteers, and one
person who receives a token salary for her work. The internet
discussion group has not developed into a discussion forum - and there
is very little feedback when ideas and minutes of meetings are posted.
These hinder progress towards our goals. And there is very little
public relations, or events where the press attends.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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The
opening event of the Austrian Network for Peace and Non-Violence to
promote the UN Decade in Austria took place on January 18th 2000. Nobel
Prize Winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire addressed our opening event on
November 13th 2000 in Vienna. The theme of this event was "Ways out of
the Spiral of Violence". On the following day, Mairead Corrigan
Maguire met with 130 school children in the Aula of the
University of Vienna.
Since
the network was founded, 35 groups working in some aspect of peace have
joined together. A brochure in English, German, French and Croatian has
been produced that lists all the members. In addition to the
activities of the individual organizations, there are several annual
projects, which have been agreed upon at each of the General Assemblies
of the Network.
The Annual Projects are:
Weeks
for Peace: This is one of the main activities that has been carried on
in November since 2001. Network members as well as other organizations,
institutions and initiatives that work in related areas are invited to
create seminars, workshops, events, etc. throughout Austria that
promote a peace and non-violence. From 2001 until 2003 the Weeks for
Peace were organized together with the activities of the Annual Global
Education Week. In 2005, the Peace Weeks will begin on September 21,the
International Day for Peace, on which day the program for the Freedom
Weeks will be presented to the public. The Peace Weeks will also
include activities on the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse
on November 19, and the World Children's Day on November 20th.
Study
Day (annually): The Ecumenical Council of the Churches declared 2001 -
2010 as "The Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence". Since 2001 we
have jointly organized the Study Day. The topics of the event
have been: "Overcoming Violence", "Education for Peace",
"Violence in Language and the Media", "Learning from our European
Neighbors" The next Study Day will be based on Bertha von Suttner's
"Put Down Your Weapons" and involve projects created by school
children, and working groups that address the questions to wrote about.
Study Day events take place during the Peace Weeks and promote
cooperation within both Decades.
School project: "Who is
different?" (2002, 2003, early 2005) In the framework of this project
school girls and boys meet and interact with "outsiders": handicapped
people, refugees, homeless, and people from other religions and
cultures, etc. The aim is to generate understanding and provide
awareness and opportunities to overcome prejudices. In the three years
this has been held, over 100 students have participated.
Run for
Peace (2002-2004): Together with other Austrian NPOs, the Network
participated in the Austrian "Run for Peace" around Vienna's town hall.
Every participant had a sponsor. With the proceeds from the event
various children projects around the world have been supported.
Other activities of the Network:
2002:
Catalogue
of concerns, demands and measures: To show concrete measures aiming to
reach a culture of peace and non-violence, the members developed a
catalogue (see attachment) on issues and demands in four areas of
concern:
1. Peace-building and Education in Non-Violence
2. Democracy and Human Rights
3. Active Peace Politics
4. Peace Economics
This
catalogue is an attachment to the network folder and has been sent to
all Austrian political parties and to members of the government with
the request for statements in 2003.
The Network website www.friedensnetzwerk.at was designed.
2003:
Publication
of the book "Dem Rad in die Speichen fallen": This is a work book with
texts from Nobel Prize winners and persons active in the Decade and
peace activities and presents Austrian initiatives for peace and
non-violence. One main focus of the book is peace education.
The
International Coordination was founded in Paris. The Austrian Network
is represented, and takes an active part, for example, in the
administration council and in the team for education.
Participation
with many Austrian organizations to develop a National Action Plan for
the Rights of Children and Young People as requested by the Austrian
Government. This was initiated to further the special general assembly
of the UN on the Rights of Children.
2004:
Folders
for peace projects in schools have been designed for the 100th
anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Bertha von Suttner.
This will be sent to all secondary schools in Austria in 2005. These
folders highlight different projects concerning women and peacemaking.
A web site to bring to everyone's attention the activities of the
"Bertha von Suttner" year can be found at http://www.berthavonsuttner2005.info
Presentation
of the Austrian Network and the activities for the Bertha von Suttner
anniversary at the "Salon des initiative de Paix" in Paris.
Workshop about how you can act non-violently and about matters of concern of the Decade in Linz at the Austrian Social Forum.
At
the Austrian Peace Forum in Salzburg, the Network gave presentations of
the activities of the Network, in particular for the Bertha von Suttner
anniversary.
School
youngsters who are speaking with a young refugee who is here without
any members of his family; waiting to be granted asylum. This is the
activity, "Who is Different?" where over 100 15 - 18-year-olds have had
the opportunity to meet handicapped, refugees, homeless, and others who
live "outside" the mainstream.
(photos by Link)
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
It
would be so helpful if the UN could help achieve publicity for this
Decade in the participating countries. The media might be
contacted and "convinced" to present at least a one-hour's program in
many languages, or with subtitles on the history of the Decade, and the
hopes for the second half - and beyond.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Members of the Austrian Network:
Aktion
Kritisches Christentum * ARGE Jugend gegen Gewalt und Rassismus *
Brücken für den Frieden * Christian Solidarity International *
ChristInnen für die Friedensbewegung * Evangelische Akademie *
Forum für Lebens- und Sozialberatung -Elternwerkstatt * Friedensbüro
Salzburg * Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker * Grazer Büro für
Frieden und Entwicklung * Hilfswerk Austria * Horizont 3000 *
Humanistische Plattform * Internationaler Versöhnungsbund - österr.
Zweig * Institut für Sozialethik der kath.-theol. Fakultät Wien *
Jugend Eine Welt - Don Bosco Aktion Austria * Katholische Aktion
Österreichs *Katholische Sozialakademie Österreichs * k.i.d.s. - forum
für kinderschutz * Koordinierungsstelle der österreichischen
Bischofskonferenz für internationale Entwicklung und Mission *
LehrerInnen für den Frieden * Netzwerk für Lebensqualität * National
Coalition Building Institute, Austria * Östereichische Frauenföderation
für Weltfrieden * Österreichische Friedensgesellschaft Bertha von
Suttner * Österreichische MediznerInnen gegen Gewalt und Atomgefahren *
Österreichische
Studienzentrum für Frieden und Konfliktösung * Pax Christi
Oberösterreich * Pax Christi Österreich * Pax Christi Vorarlberg
* Service Civil International
Süd-Nord-Aktionsgruppe-Entwicklungsconsulting * Wiener
Friedensbewegung*Welt der Kinder
In joint sponsorship: ECPAT, "Austrian Platform against the sexual commercial exploitation of children";
Active partnership in the International Coordination for the Decade in Paris.
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
Special
emphasis on the Bertha von Suttner 100th anniversary of her Nobel Peace
Prize. More active participation in the International Days for
Peace and Children, and the International Day for the Prevention
of Child Abuse (possible actions: collection of signatures for the
establishment of the rights of children in the Austrian Constitution.
contact with peace groups in neighboring countries to emphasize active
politics for peace; active work on the problem of undernourished
children in the world following the goals of the UN; Presentation of
the Network at the meeting of the Alternative Nobel Prize in Salzburg;
Continued efforts to interest more organizations to join the Network;
joining the newly founded Network for Neutrality and disarmament in
their activities, e.g., Hiroshima Day in August; intensified
cooperation with the Ecumenical Council of Churches to plan joint
activities for the rest of the Decade., i.e. perhaps a campaign to
ensure that peace training becomes part of the teacher training in
Austria, publication of editorials with the Network's opinions on
projects or political or world situations that relate to the Network
activities; continued efforts to realize the points on the Catalogue of
Concerns, Demands and Measures.
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Postal address of organization
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Österreichisches Netzwerk für Frieden und Gewaltfreiheit,
c/o Internationaler Versöhnungsbund, A-1080 Lederergasse 23/3/27, Tel/Fax: 43 01 408 53 32
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E-mail address of organization
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info@friedensnetzwerk.at
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Website address of organization
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http://www.friedensnetzwerk.at
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Culture of Peace Domains
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a culture of peace
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Austria
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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International
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