| Posted: April 13 2005,14:47 |
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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
Government of Canada has taken some action to better coordinate its
activities in this field by creating Peace Support Operations to
embrace some activities of the Departments of Foreign
Affairs(Human Securty Division), National Defence and the Canadian
Interational Development Agency(CIDA). The recently formed Canada Corps
is dedicated to peace and humanitarian work as in Tsunami relief. The
refusal of the Canadian government to support the invasion and
occupation of Iraq or to join Ballistic Missile Defence with the US,
although not absolutely clearcut, are significant developments in
foreign policy and Canada-US relations. These developments and Canada's
strong endorsement of multilateral policies and institutions are all in
the direction of opposition to war and militarism as solutions to
global problems. Domestically, Canada's multiculturalism policy has
been strengthened by recent actions and responses, both legal and
otherwise, to racist incidents.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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The
budget and activities of National Defence remain, for the most part,
conventional warmaking and defence, with UN peacekeeping dwindling
almost to non-existence. Foreign Affairs' Human Security Division is a
miniscule portion of its efforts. and funding for NGOs has been
suspended. Also we have acted as belligerents in Kosovo, Afghanistan
and Haiti, alongside the US or NATO, which moves us away from
peacemaking and peacebuilding. There is a lack of integration and
coordination of peace-related work now spread across 8 departments,
each in its own "silo." The mantra "security trumps trade" is leading
to closer integration with, and domination, by the US in our affairs.
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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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Our
Working Group has been striving since October, 2003, to create a
Department and Minister of Peace within the Government of Canada
together with a stand-alone Commission on Peace made up of prominent
Canadians representing our full diversity, peace and justice NGOs and
govenment liaison personnel. The Minister would, it is our hope,
fundamentally change the nature of debate and decision-making in
Cabinet towards a culture of peace and non-violence and reinvigorate
Canada's role as a global peacemaking and peacebuilding nation. The
Minister would integrate and coordinate peace-related functions now
spread across at least 8 departments so that timely responses to
crises, before they escalate into violence, could be made. The Minister
would be responsible for post-conflict reconciliation and
reconstruction efforts in war-ravaged nations.
Among the
Minister's domestic responsibilities would be: to propose projects for
the conversion of military expenditures to peaceful purposes; make
annual reports to Parliament on the sale of arms from Canada to other
nations with an analysis of the multiple impacts of such sales and how
they affect or frustrate peace; fund the development of curriculum
materials for use at all educational levels; support university-level
peace studies and encourage citizen initiatives in non-violent
peacebuilding and conflict resolution.
We will be convening a
Festival of Peace in Victoria, British Columbia. on June 10-12, 2005.
and, in concert with our counterparts in the UK and the US who are also
seeking Departments of Peace in their countries, will be meeting in
London, UK, in October, 2005, and then in Victoira, June 21,22, 2006,
prior to the World Peace Forum in Vancouver, June 23-28, 2006, where we
hope to play a siginificant part.
Photo: Alexander Arbess-Joy
Photo: Alexander Arbess-Joy
Photo: Alexander Arbess-Joy
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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? |
That
the veto power of members of the Security Council be eliminated and its
permanent membership increased to reflect an accurate profile of UN
members; that the General Assembly implement or increase its powers to
over-ride the decisions of the Security Council; that measures be taken
to bring global corporations under the rule of law and to diminish
their influence on the UN system; that an emergency response force
under UN Command be constituted.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
We
are working with the Department of Peace campaign in the US and the
Minister for Peace project in the UK to create departments of peace. We
are members of the Canadian Peace Alliance and the Canadian Culture of
Peace Program(CCOPP) and and collaborate with the Canadian Voice of
Women for Peace, the World Federalist Movement(Canada), Victoria
Chapter, among others.
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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)? |
Continue
to pursue our objective of creating a Department of Peace in Canada and
networking with the US, the UK, who are actively working toward the
same goal, as well as other countries world-wide.
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Postal address of organization
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45 Cambridge St., Victoria, B.C. Canada V8V 4A7
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E-mail address of organization
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sarbess@shaw.ca
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Website address of organization
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www.departmentof peacecanada.com
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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International peace and security
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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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Canada
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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US and UK
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