| Posted: Mar. 22 2005,06:37 |
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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? |
IFOR's
impression is that there is greater awareness of the reality of
violence at the domestic level and greater awareness that the use of
violence needs to be challenged in all levels of society. This includes
especial emphasis on eliminating violence against women and children.
Our impression is that greater equality between men and women is one
action area in which globally there is continuing progress .
The impact of the media and especially of the dominant American culture
has been to entrench violence as an integral aspect of conflict
resolution, especially when violence is used by the side that is
'just'.
Internationally the invasion of Iraq by the US and its allies was a
major setback for all attempts to settle conflicts without recourse to
war and in accordance with international law.
Another aspect in which we can see some progress is fostering a culture
of peace through education. Nowadays, culture of peace education on
every level (from kindergarten to universities) has been promoted. IFOR
welcomes a greater awareness of a non-violence approach in schools.
IFOR/WPP have criteria for evaluating the impact of local and regional
trainings in non-violence on participants and the participants'
network. However, IFOR itself has not developed any ways of measuring
progress but we are aware of the project conducted by Graham Dyson from
the Centre for Peacebuilding and Conflict Managment in Norway. He has
conducted a survey in Norway to find some indicators of changes in
society towards a culture of peace.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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The first major obstacle is that of translating a global aspiration for a Culture of Peace into achievable targets.
As
an international organisation, IFOR does not have enough funds to start
large projects, so lack of money has slowed down the process of
promoting the Decade. In 1999, IFOR went ahead in faith and appointed a
staff member to be specifically responsible for working on the Decade.
Unfortunately,
additional funding was not forthcoming to support this post and the
departure of the staff person was a major setback to IFOR's support for
the Decade at the Secretariat.
The absence of a specific IFOR
staff member for the Decade at IFOR was and is a key difficulty in
supporting the work. At present whether this task is fully carried out
depends on whether there is a full-time volunteer in the Secretariat
available to work on the Decade.
The Decade to Overcome Violence
of the WCC is taking place at the same time as the Decade for a Culture
of Peace. This has been both a great advantage and a difficulty. The
difficulty arose in that a number of IFOR member organisations felt
that they were faced with an either/or choice. Some, for example FOR
Germany, decided to support the WCC Decade and to put fewer resources
into supporting the Decade for a Culture of Peace.
The
lack of staff at UNESCO slows down the process of implementing the
Decade. The Decade has been significantly under-funded and
under-resourced by UNESCO. The existing staff has been doing an
excellent job given the limited resources they have. A very substantial
increase in staff and resources is required if there is going to be
greater impact in the next five years.
IFOR would
specifically recommend the appointment of additional staff charged with
the organization of regional conferences and seminars on the themes of
the Decade.
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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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Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.
A mid-term report from the International Fellowship of Reconciliation.
In
1997 the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed that the
year 2000 would be the International Year for a Culture of Peace. In
1998 the United Nations decided to adopt the Decade for a Culture of
Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World to give greater
worldwide support for a Culture of Peace.
Since the very
beginning IFOR primarily through Pierre Marchand, leading force of this
idea, was very involved in this Decade. Some IFOR branches decided to
undertake projects so that the Decade would not be only a general
aspiration but a concrete project. In this report, you will find
actions undertaken by some IFOR branches and member organizations.
1. IFOR:
In
September 1997, FOR/USA held an IFOR press conference at the United
Nations to support the establishment of a Decade for a Culture of Peace
and Non-Violence. They also introduced the Appeal of the Nobel Peace
Laureates, the foremost supporters of the idea of this Decade.
In
1998 IFOR branches, especially FOR India's youth wing and FOR Austria,
gathered many signatures in order to promote the Appeal for the Nobel
Peace Prize Laureates, the official campaign for this Decade.
In
November 1998, the United Nation's General Assembly voted unanimously
to establish the Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the
Children of the World.
The following year, in 1999, IFOR decided on a nine-point plan for the Decade:
Ø
Education and training for children: Children will be taught conflict
resolution and respect for human rights in both the home and in their
schools. This means inviting all the ministries of education to
introduce education for a culture of peace and non-violence into school
curricula at all educational levels. Violence in schools such as
bullying and violence against girls will be examined and remedies
sought. Another effort would be to exclude military language and
violent metaphors and to rewrite history books.
Ø Education and
trainings for adults: all IFOR member groups and partners organize
conferences, workshops and trainings related to a culture of
non-violence. IFOR is also building worldwide regional training
networks as an IFOR strategy to pass on knowledge on active
non-violence. IFOR had a non-violence education and training program in
1992. Now this component has now been mainstreamed by many of our BGAs.
Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) was also promoting non-violence
education and training.
Ø Development of non-violence media
(worldwide media network): contacts were established with Media Peace
Centre (South Africa) and Forest Creatures Entertainment (United
States) to develop interactive communication and information on
alternatives to violence, the creation of interest within the media for
the Decade, the training of journalists and the production of materials.
Ø
Responding to gender and family violence: this kind of violence is
often hidden from the public domain. It is private and therefore
becomes even more violent. There are many links between gender and
family violence as well as issues of education of children and economic
justice.
Ø Disarmament: IFOR believes there is no room for
weapons in a culture of non-violence. Since its formation, IFOR has
been involved in campaigns against all kinds of weapons.
Ø
Economic justice: Peace cannot exist without justice. IFOR co-operated
with the World Council of Churches in the Jubilee 2000 campaign to
abolish the debts of the Global South by the countries and bankers in
the Global North and with the program of the International Network of
Engaged Buddhism.
Ø Inter-religious dialogue: with its own
spiritually based tradition in non-violence, IFOR wants to focus on
this aspect. In the Women Peacemakers Program regional consultations,
inter-religious dialogues also play an important role.
Ø
Promoting peace teams and zones of peace: the concept of peace
zones has been developed in different parts of the world and is
especially advanced in Central America. The concept of peace teams
should be reconsidered also. In 1999, IFOR was involved in several
peace team initiatives and organizations like the Balkan Peace Team,
the SIPAZ team in Chiapas, Eirene, Peace Brigades International and the
European Network on Civilian Peace Services.
Ø Structure for
peace building: campaign will focus on decision makers and
institutional changes at various levels to encourage the creation of
ministries and councils for peace a well as to encourage the conversion
of military and the control of arms trade.
These nine different
areas should not be considered as separate. The connections between and
overlaps of these areas should be emphasized.
In order to
present the Decade plan, IFOR was involved in several events. In 1999,
IFOR participated in the 2nd International Conference on Non-violence,
in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The same year, there were IFOR speakers on
the Decade at the annual conference of the Scottish and the UK FOR as
well as at a conference organized by Church and Peace. IFOR was
involved in the production of a book entitled "From Coexistence towards
Peace Building and reconciliation: Challenge for the 21st Century".
IFOR
also published Decade material: 7 leaflets were made available, Child
soldiers and Acholi chiefs in Uganda; Peace Teams in former Yugoslavia;
Militarism in Chile; Walk for Peace and Reconciliation in Cambodia;
Creative Leadership for Non-violent Social Transformation; Education
for Girl Child workers in Nepal; Working with Rwandese Refugees.
A
petition to support the Decade was launched and IFOR received thousand
of signatures mainly from supporters in Sweden, Pakistan, India and
Japan.
In 2000, a six-point Manifesto in support of the Decade
was launched in Paris by UNESCO, in the presence of Nobel Peace Prize
Laureates Adolfo Perez Esquivel and Mairead Maguire (both members of
IFOR). The Manifesto was a personal commitment drafted by a group of
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, which gathered more than 75 million
signatures worldwide.
During its quadrennial Council in New York
in 2002, IFOR reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the work of the
Decade. A working group was established with the Decade as its central
focus. In 2004, this working group divided into two, with one group
with Maria Antonietta Malleo as convener concentrating on IFOR
relations with UNESCO. The other working group, of which Christian
Renoux is presently convener, concentrates on promoting the Decade,
especially encouraging national coalitions to support the Decade. In
2003, Maria Antonietta Malleo was appointed as the IFOR UNESCO
representative.
IFOR has 70 member organizations in 40
countries: branches, groups and affiliates. Some member organizations
felt that they faced a choice whether to place their energy promoting
the UN Decade for a Culture of Peace or the World Council of Churches
Decade to Overcome Violence.
Many member organizations
considered that the challenges of the Decade could best be addressed by
working in formal co-operation with similar minded organizations. One
way forward was to establish national platforms, or coalitions, to
support the work of the Decade.
IFOR encouraged its members to
support such platforms. IFOR directly supported the formation of the
International Coalition for the Decade to coordinate the work of
national coalitions and Catherine Meyland (from MIR Romand
Switzerland), the official IFOR representative on the International
Coalition Committee.
Currently IFOR knows of national coalitions
in Austria, Congo (Brazzaville), France, Italy, Netherlands and Sweden.
Discussions are taking place in other countries with a view to
establishing further national coalitions.
IFOR also participates
in EURED-Education for Europe as Peace Education- a project on peace
education in Europe, started in the framework of the Decade. Their
organizational centre is Klagenfurt University in Austria. EURED
developed an in-service training course for teachers and school
consultants (both primary, secondary and higher education) to help
implement peace education in the schools. IFOR is represented in EURED
by Janne Poort van Eeden.
This project has existed since 2002.
There will be a total of 4 seminars and then a closing conference where
the result of 2 years of work will be presented.
One of their projects in the framework of EURED in the Netherlands is to develop a Summer School on Peace Education.
In
2004, IFOR began promoting a project introduced by Eva Füssinger of the
German-speaking Swiss For branch to carry out research in non-violence
education among kindergartens students. The kindergarten age range,
between 3 and 6 years old, is a very important stage for learning about
ways of social interaction. Children do not innately discover the range
of possible non-violent strategies for resolving conflicts and learning
conflict resolution skills will give them the tools they will need to
help resolve conflicts without recourse to violence. Also, teaching
these skills will help children live more peacefully in to-day's world
and encourage a culture of peace. The aim of this project is also to
allow exchanges and cooperation on the international and European level.
IFOR
continues to promote peace teams and zones of peace. IFOR is presently
involved in supporting the Nonviolent Peaceforce, an IFOR member is on
the governing council. IFOR also supports the European Platform for
Conflict Prevention and Transformation, which in turn supports the
Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict. IFOR will have
a representative at the GPPAC conference in New York in July 2005.
Another
project focusing on education is the creation of a peace kit that will
be distributed in schools to help pupils to establish school peace
groups and gain a better understanding of non-violence. Having the
knowledge, these students will have the skills to create projects and
spread the idea of non-violence to their peers.
IFOR's own
publications have emphasised the area of inter-religious work and
interfaith understanding. The most recent issue of the IFOR magazine,
International Reconciliation, focused on Islam, Non-violence and the
Muslim Renaissance.
IFOR's series of longer pamphlets called
"Patterns" include examining non-violence in Islam, non-violence in
Christianity and a comparative reflection on non-violence in the
different spiritual traditions.
The development of school peace
clubs is an area with which IFOR groups in Africa are especially
concerned. The IFOR group in Zambia is currently being funded by IFOR
with support from Brot für die Welt, a charitable organization based in
Germany, to run a scheme establishing peace clubs in schools in the
Copperbelt Region of Zambia.
2. IFOR - work directly with UNESCO
Maria Antonietta Malleo has been the IFOR representative at UNESCO since 2003. She is supported by an IFOR UNESCO working group.
The
United Nations defines a Culture of Peace as "a set of values,
attitudes, traditions, modes of behaviour and ways of life." IFOR
considers that it is important to see future activities including
practical and strong changes in cultural messages as well as more
theoretical formulations. This should be done within a broader
commitment to non-violence both by IFOR and also by other international
organizations.
In the message to the President of the General
Conference 2003, which was recorded in the official proceedings as an
IFOR contribution to the issues under discussion, IFOR made four
proposals:
1-To consider the introduction of an international
agreement covering the theory and practice of non-violence and human
rights in the national educational systems of the Member States of UN
as a goal for the Decade;
2- to implement studies and research
on methodologies and educational approaches for the practice of
non-violence, including the process of dialogue and reconciliation, and
to spread knowledge on the theory and practice of non-violence. This is
already practised in several universities in the world.
3-
to support the commitment of world artists and cultural personalities
(in education, sports and other fields of human activity represented at
UNESCO), in order to promote non-violence, dialogue between
civilizations, and cultural diversity. These are the focal points in
the global strategy for a Culture of Peace and in the new goals of
UNESCO. They are also central to the International Day of Peace on the
21st of September;
4 - to strength a strategy against the forms
of physical and psychological violence, especially against the cultural
industry of violence (cinema, videos, television, advertising, toys
production and internet communications), which communicate the contents
of violence. Such a strategy would emphasize the role of the mass media
in mainstreaming a mentality and culture of dialogue and non-violence.
At
the International Conference of NGOs in December 2003, the IFOR
representative obtained a recommendation in the final resolution for
the promotion of the Decade to take place not only within the framework
of the campaign "Heritage and Culture of Peace" but also through "an
intersectorial approach in cooperation with the other United Nation
agencies, in order to create more dynamic synergies" (Resolution NGOs
Conference, December 2003).
Today the challenge is to face the
cultural normalization of violence. Such cultural normalization is a
product of the mass culture industry, which draws strongly on
conflictual and violent inspiration and which has a major impact on
children and young people. Such visual education strengthens
violence and militarism. Many organizations are working against a
culture of violence. The work of 'New Profile' in Israel is only one
such example.
There is a place for a linked campaign against
cultural violence that would involve people who work in mass
communication, in cinema, in television and other areas of the visual
arts and culture.
These themes have been shared with UNESCO and
with other NGOs, international film-makers, artists and cultural
institutions and have received general agreement. Perhaps this is an
area in which UNESCO itself could take a lead.
PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND CULTURE OF NON-VIOLENCE THROUGH CINEMA:
The
dominant message of the last festival of Locarno was the refusal of
violence and war. This festival is strongly committed to the promotion
of human rights. It hosted the General Secretary of Amnesty
International and a round-table on violence against women. The winning
film was 'Private', a film about the non-violent resistance of a
Palestinian family in the occupied territories, with Palestinian and
Israeli actors.
The Video productions of IFOR WPP will be
recorded in the Video Library of Human Rights of the Festival di
Locarno in order to have a wider public circulation.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY:
After
the participation in the debate on cultural diversity at the 2003
UNESCO General Conference, IFOR took part in the process of
consultation of NGOs for the elaboration of a preliminary draft text
for the convention on the protection of "cultural diversity and
artistic expression" in 2004. IFOR made observations in favour of
minorities and against the emergence of a global cultural industry.
Even if the observations of NGOs have been not accepted, they have been
recorded in the documents of the meetings at the request of the Liaison
Committee.
Unfortunately, at the moment the process is an a
phase of standstill; only 11 of the articles have been approved, and
article 11 (the only one approved with consensus) has reduced the
position of civil society in the protection of cultural diversity from
having "responsibility" for protecting of cultural diversity, as in the
initial text, to only being allowed to "participate" in it. The
approved article affirms that "The States Parties shall encourage civil
society to participate in the protection and promotion of the diversity
of cultural contents and expressions, and shall foster the
participation of civil society in their efforts in this domain."
COLOMBIA. :
After
a meeting with a representative of the communities of peace of
Colombia, which are supported by FOR USA and MIR Italia, IFOR is
examining the idea of sustaining their non-violent struggle through the
promotion of their heritage, educational model and economy within the
frameworks of the "Heritage and Culture of Peace campaign, " the
defence of cultural diversity and the commitment for sustainable
development (as in the new UN Decade for Education for Sustainable
development 2005-2014) of UNESCO.
Maria Antonietta Malleo
participated in the 32nd session of the UNESCO General Conference and
spoke during the debate on cultural diversity. She stressed the value
of cultural diversity in spiritual traditions and their role in a
culture of reconciliation.
She also proposed an international
agreement to include the teaching of non-violence in national school
curricula by 2010 as a goal of the Decade.
In December 2003, she
participated in the International Conference of NGO's in official
relations with UNESCO and in November 2004, in the annual meeting of
NGOs at UNESCO.
IFOR has supported the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education.
In
Paris in September 2003 on the occasion of the awarding of the UNESCO
prize, the Rev. David Mumford, IFOR International Coordinator,
participated as a main speaker in a round-table on the theme of
'Culture of Peace and the Foundations of Reconciliation'.
IFOR has a link on its website to the UNESCO website on the Decade.
3. IFOR- Women Peacemakers Program
The
United Nations defined eight areas on how civil society and NGOs can
promote the Decade. Among these, three match the work of the WPP:
1.
Create a culture of peace through education by revising the educational
curricula to promote qualitative values, attitudes and behaviours of a
culture of peace, including peaceful conflict-resolution, dialogue,
consensus-building and active non-violence
2. Promote
sustainable economic and social development by reducing economic and
social inequalities, by eradicating poverty and by assuring sustainable
food security, social justice, durable tensions to debt problems,
empowerment of women, special measures for groups with special needs,
environmental sustainability
3. Ensure equality between men and
women through full participation of women in economic, social and
political decision-making, elimination of all forms of discrimination
and violence against women, support and assistance to women in need.
The
WPP believes that the empowerment of the women through active
non-violence promotes equality and that encouraging women and girls to
become involved in peace building and civil society building is
essential for development. WPP believes that without peace, development
is impossible and without women, neither peace nor development can take
place. This program is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs.
The program helps women peace activists deepen their skills and link up with like-minded activists and groups by:
·
Organizing an annual training for women trainers in active
non-violence. This consists of a two-week training of trainers who then
return home and conduct two gender-sensitive non-violence trainings.
They are put in touch with a mentor. The WPP helps provide seed money
for these non-violence trainings. The next year the same women come
back together for a follow-up two weeks training in which they discuss
the challenges and obstacles that they face as non-violence trainers.
This process means that one training of 17/20 women by the end can
affect over 700 women.
· Supporting active non-violence
trainings for women, with an emphasis on gender (trainings have taken
place in Aceh, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya,
Romania, the Thai-Burma border, Zimbabwe and elsewhere)
· Holding regional consultations for women from different sides of armed conflicts
· Organizing exchange programs for women in peace organizations
· Conducting regional gender trainings
· Holding media trainings for women peace activists
In
2001, WPP published a workshop kit consisting of information,
suggestions, exercises and resources. This is a very useful tool for
anyone interested in conducting trainings about active non-violence.
The United Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence gives
opportunities for creating awareness of the need to support women's
peace initiatives. This kit is used all over the world and is available
in English, French, German, Arabic, Georgian and Spanish.
In
2004, Aurore Salinas and Daniel Laqua from UNESCO asked IFOR to write
an article about gender and the WPP; this article was published in the
UNESCO Decade newsletter in January 2005.
4.DECADE WORK AND MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS:
The
following describes the situation as far as it is known by the IFOR
secretariat. Communication can be difficult and much may well be taking
place that the secretariat is unaware of. However if something is
included, then it is definitely happening. Although IFOR initially
wished to appoint a paid staff person specifically to work on the
Decade, funding constraints meant that this that this was not a
possibility.
IFOR's ability to support the Decade depends on one of
the two or three full time volunteers having the interest and the
competency to take on this task.
AFRICA:
WPP have carried out or supported trainings and events in the following countries: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Nigeria.
MIR-MAD: (Madagascar)
In
October 2004, MIR-MAD organized a training for trainers with the theme
"Non-violence and gender communication"; this training had the
objective of promoting peace and justice by non-violent means. This
clearly endorses one of the aspects of a Culture of Peace as seen by
the UN, promoting peace through education.
ASSOCIATION CONGOLAISE POUR LA NON-VIOLENCE:
In
June 2003, the Coordination Congolaise pour la Décennie was formed with
7 organizations and there are now 18. An IFOR member, the Association
Congolaise pour la Non Violence was deeply involved in the formation of
this coordination.
In 2004, they launched the Program Femmes
Artisanes de Paix, a women peacemakers program, which examine the
gender issue as well as non-violence.
They have regular debates and conference on non-violence in their centre in Brazzaville.
ASIA:
ANANDO:
ANANDO,
an IFOR group based in Bangladesh, has worked since 1999 on specific
action programs for the Decade. ANANDO started basic peace education
that works on child education, trainings in conflict transformation,
conflict resolution and mediation. They have selected about 100
educational institutions to implement this program with a training for
trainers organized for 30 trainers. They planned activities as workshop
for students and teachers. This work is supported by publicity, peace
theatre and follow-up actions after each initiative.
They also
aim to promote cooperation and inter-religious dialogue in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts . In order to do so, they have worked with
ethnic communities and the Bengali settlers. They organized youth work
camps, and a women's income generation project.
FOR-INDIA:
In India, the IFOR branch has been committed to promoting the Decade since the very beginning.
In
2000, after 8 months of work, FOR-INDIA in association with the
Cultural Academy of Peace (CAP) opened a desk in Ernakum to coordinate
the Decade program which centred on a five-point action plan: work on
peace education, training in active non-violence, eradication of family
and domestic violence and inter-religious cooperation and coexistence.
Activities have included mediation camps, family empowerment programs
and monthly meetings on inter-religious cooperation. The state educator
was approached with the proposal to include peace education in schools
and college curricula. The state education system responded positively
to the idea. In Cochin, a pilot program was undertaken to form peace
groups in schools and college. It attracted more than 1000 students.
FOR-INDIA released a video in 2000 entitled "Building the
Decade
for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence". This video features the Asia
Girl Child Peace Camp held in Katmandu, Nepal, in 1999. The camp is one
example of what can be done to implement peace education training.
FOR-INDIA
launched the message of peace campaigns in several hundred schools.
Their work has been done so far with great acceptance. They also
conducted periodical competitions with the theme "peace and
reconciliation" like debates, essays writing, posters, paintings, etc,
as well as conflict transformation and conflict management programs in
association with the district administration, the educational authority
and several other NGO.
To spread the message of the Decade, they have tried to get people involved at the level of legislature and representatives.
FOR India is also deeply concerned in work to counter inter-communal tension and conflict.
PAG-AALAY NG PUSO FONDATION
One
of our members, Pag-aalay NG Puso in the Philippines has been
actively involved in promoting the Decade. In 2002, they proposed to
the Minister of Foreign Affairs that an Asiatic Centre for Peace be
established. They have been working with 15 non-violent NGO for a
common commitment for peace through a sustainable development in the
frame of the Decade. They also have focused their work to promote the
Decade through families in economically depressed areas. In 2004, they
introduced their plan to conduct an active non-violence training for
families in the areas of the informal settlers.
WI'AM:
WI'AM,
an IFOR member organization based in Bethlehem is one of many IFOR
members which arrange regular inter-faith meetings between
religious leaders and help build up trust and friendship as well as
reflection on the things which make for peace within each faith
tradition.
EUROPE:
FOR AUSTRIA :
In 2000,
FOR-AUSTRIA initiated an Austrian Platform called "Österreichisches
Netzwerk für Frieden und Gewaltfreiheit" - Austrian Network for Peace
and Non-violence, with 35 member organizations. FOR-AUSTRIA took the
leading role in organizing the meeting and the network. In November
2000, an opening public panel discussion and a day with students of
high schools, which both attracted more than 120 participants, was
organized with Mairead Maguire in Vienna.
FOR-AUSTRIA has a
yearly study day of the "Netzwerk" and the Austrian Ecumenical Council
of Churches on different aspects to overcome violence. Topics so far
have included "Overcoming violence" (2001, with Fernando Enns/WCC as
main speaker), "Peace Education" (2002, with Uli Jäger/Institut für
Friedenspädagogik Tübingen), "Violence and/in language", "Media" (2003)
and "Learning from each other as neighbours" (2004, with guests from
Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic). Last year, the event
took place in Vienna on the 4th of December and David Mumford, IFOR
International Coordinator, participated.
Since 2001, they have
participated in the Global Education Week of the Council of Europe,
which takes place in combination with peace weeks in November. The
activities during this time are focused on schools and
training/education for adults.
A 16-page booklet "Gewaltfrei
handeln" has been published with the support of the Ministry of
Education. About 10,000 copies have been given away. They also released
a book "Dem Rad in die Speichen fallen. Stimmen von
FriedensnobelpreisträgerInnen und das Österreichisce Netzwerk für eine
Kultur des Friedens und der Gewaltfreiheit", compiling articles by
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates and from Austrian organizations.
Since
2000, the Austrian FOR has conducted annual training course on
non-violence in the framework of the Decade, with 10-16 participants
each year. Additionally, there are workshops in schools and for adults
on various aspects of a culture of peace and non-violence going on
regularly.
In 1999, they cooperated with the former Afghans Network
by working with schools for displaced Afghan children in Islamabad,
Pakistan. They sent them IFOR Decade material as well as cooperating
through an exchange of information.
FOR-Austria, through the Austrian Platform, is a member of the International Coalition for the Decade.
FOR-
AUSTRIA mentioned the positive and close cooperation between the groups
for the UN Decade and the Austrian Ecumenical Council of Churches,
which seems to be unique and which was inspired by Hildegard Goss-Mayr.
Also, there is a broad spectrum of organizations which are members of
the Network (peace and development organizations, children's rights
groups, church groups and organizations). On the negative side,
FOR-AUSTRIA mentioned they have had less success in making the Decade
really known to the public or in bringing their demands to a political
level. There is not much support for the intentions of the Decade among
politicians in general, and future developments do not seem likely to
further a Culture of Peace and Non-violence.
FOR GERMANY
FOR
Germany is not giving priority to promoting the United Nations Decade
as they decided to focus on the WCC Decade to Overcome Violence.
However a significant part of their work has clearly supportive
consequences for the goals of the Decade.
Activities found on
their website include: training in non-violent actions, workshops in
non-violent communication according to Marshal Rosenberg and the
project "Kreative Konfliktbearbeitung im kommunalen Zusammenhang"
(Creative Conflict Resolution in Communal context) together with the
ORCA institute. The Einfühlsam Zuhören (compassionate or mindful
listening) project aims at furthering the understanding between Jews
and Germans in regard to their common historical background. Their
peace secretary and ecumenical secretary work also for the
demilitarisation of society and for international youth exchange.
So even though they are not dedicating their work to the UNESCO Decade, their activities support a Culture of Peace.
MIR ITALY:
MIR
Italy runs several projects supporting the Decade. This was decided in
the working plan during their national assembly held in Rome 2001.
A
bill has been submitted to both the houses of the Italian Parliament to
pass a regulation creating an International Institute of Peace Research
and Conflict Resolution. MIR Italy also submitted a resolution to the
local administrations to encourage them to promote a non-violence and
peace culture in Italian schools. At the national level, a bill has
been signed by almost 100 members of all political parties and has now
been introduced into the Chamber of Deputies to provide the financing
for peace and non-violence education in schools.
In 2003, MIR Italy
set up the Italian Committee for the Decade which now has 5
organization: Associazione per la Pace, Beati I Costruttori di Pace,
GAVCI-Gruppo Autonomo Volontariato Civile in Italia, Movimento
Internazionale della Riconciliazione, Movimento Nonviolento, Banca
Popolare Etica) and whose secretariat is based in Padova. This
committee has joined the International Coalition for the Decade.
The
Italian Committee is active and has undertaken several projects; they
are now a legally established organization. They have designed their
logo and have a Decade website. They have published posters and
leaflets. They compiled a survey to find out more about peace education
experiences, which is now being used in schools. To help in promoting
the Decade, they also give lectures and put on activities in schools.
Soon, they will distribute a CD-Rom about the Culture of Peace and
Non-violence in high schools.
In May 2003, they organized their
first international meeting during Civitas, the Third Sector Fair. They
again took part in this fair in 2004. In Assisi, they attended a
meeting organized by the group of organizations named "Tavola per
la Pace" and participated in the political debate before this year's
local elections. In October 2004, they organized a study conference
entitled "Se vuoi la pace educa alla pace" (if you want peace, teach
peace).
During 2005, they plan on having a conference on peace
and non-violence education issues and reviewing what has been done
during the first half of the Decade.
Several articles related to
their activities on the Decade were published in the "Azione
nonviolenta"and the "Cahiers de la Réconciliation".
The MIR
local group of Padova has now a project, "Dieci anni per la pace e la
nonviolenza" (Ten years for peace and non-violence) including the
announcement of a competition for the voluntary Civilian Service,
approved by the Council of Ministers. From August 2003 to July 2004,
two interns worked within the framework of this project.
The
groups of MIR Italy in Val d'Aosta and Sicilia have been running
educational projects promoting non-violence and a culture of peace in
different schools. They also created an award in memory of Professor
Rocco Campanelle, a former IFOR member and conscientious objector.
Since
2002, Ileana Alparone, artist and a MIR member has created artworks and
a logo with the theme "War and Peace" in order to promote the Decade.
This work was given to the Franciscan Order of Lipari (see attached
images).
KERK AND VREDE (Netherlands)
In 1998, Kerk en
Vrede took the initiative for the establishment of a platform for a
culture of peace and non-violence. Currently, this platform has 18
members. There are three main areas on which its campaigns and
activities focus: peace education, civil peace services, and a national
commission for peace and non-violence. Particularly in the area of
peace education there has been a lot of progress in terms of
cooperation and a broader range of projects.
Furthermore Kerk en
Vrede is also a member of the project group for the implementation of
the Ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence that was set up by the Dutch
Council of Churches. The work that they do in this group focuses on
three main themes: violence in the public area, domestic violence, and
violence in church and theology. Especially related to the last point
Kerk en Vrede has written a critical book about the sources of violence
within Christianity that was published in September 2003. They
regularly publish worksheets titled "Overcome" to stimulate local
churches and communities to work on the themes of the World Council of
Churches ecumenical Decade.
Another topic that the Dutch IFOR
branch is involved in is intercultural and inter-religious peace work.
To reveal the backgrounds of the discussion about wearing a veil in
public, they published a booklet that gives a thorough picture of the
meaning of veils from a historic perspective. Moreover they offer
support to communities, organizations, and individuals on how they can
support cross-community work.
FOR SWEDEN:
In 2002, SweFOR
undertook many activities to promote the Decade. In November 2002, they
had a non-violence training weekend for Christian youth in Stockholm,
some non-violence lessons in schools in Vaxjo and a non-violence
workshop including role-plays with the Swedish UN-Committee. They also
had a workshop for the 100th year anniversary of the Student Christian
Movement in Lund and another workshop with the theme "Non-violence and
global justice" held in Stockholm.
In January 2003, they held a
workshop at a conference about the European Union together with the
Swedish Church and the Democracy Academy.
Since 2003, they have
observed Martin Luther King Day in cooperation with the Swedish Baptist
Church. The King Day 2004 was observed in several places in Sweden with
theatre, demonstration and church services.
During summer 2004,
SweFOR organized a meeting with the theme "South Africa and
Non-violence", to learn from the non-violent struggle that freed South
Africa from apartheid. In October 2004, in association with the Muslim
Youth of Sweden, they organized an evening about non-violence and
religion. This helped spread the message of peace, which is strong in
the world religions. With this cooperation, they aim to uphold the
tradition of non-violence in both Christianity and Islam and learn from
each other's religions. By doing so, they will develop new ways on how
they can cooperate to bring forward peace and non-violence.
In a
more general perspective, SweFOR has given trainings and information in
non-violence and conflict transformation in association with five other
organizations (SweFOR, Christian Council of Sweden, PeaceQuest,
Teachers for Peace and the United Nations Association of Sweden). This
project is a part of the "peace in our hands" project in which they
also made a proposal to include conflict transformation and
non-violence in teachers' education and in the Swedish curriculum. They
train youth who will in turn train other youth in non-violence. So
within this project, they teach non-violence and conflict management
skills to teachers, their members and anyone interested in promoting a
culture of non-violence.
As a faith organization, SweFOR and
four other organizations EFS Youth, The Student Christian Movement,
Swedish Catholic Youth and the Swedish Baptist Youth formed the Peace
Network. Together they also give trainings and seminars in non-violence.
With
the Council of Churches in Sweden, they offer seminars about
non-violence and conflict transformation; this project is called
"Parishes for Peace"To highlight the World Council of Churches Decade
they will have an ecumenical mid-Decade conference on non-violence with
the Council of Churches.
FOR SWITZERLAND:
Ø MIR Romand
The
French speaking Swiss branch is a member of a platform in the Canton de
Vaud. They regularly intervene in churches to promote the goals of the
Decade.
Ø FORUM FUR FRIEDENSERZIEHUNG
This branch conducts
activities in parishes. They organize weekly peace-prayer services,
role-plays, workshops about conflict resolution and non-violence. They
also hold panel discussions about violence and non-violence and other
informative events.
Different parishes work from time to time in
cooperation by holding larger events. Even though the main focus is not
actually the UNESCO Decade, their aim is the same. They work to promote
the Decade decided by the Swiss Churches entitled "Time of Peace"
AMERICA:
FOR-USA:
In
2000, from July to August FOR-USA held a people's campaign for
non-violence in Washington DC. Within this context, special events like
non-violence trainings, vigils, demonstrations and entertainment took
place. The campaign centred on two key demands, one being racial,
social and economic justice and the other demilitarisation.
FOR-USA
was very supportive in helping Christian Renoux during his trip to New
York in April 2004, where he gave a briefing about the International
Coalition for the Decade to the NGO representatives at the UN. John
Kim, FOR/IFOR representative at the UN-NY, assisted Christian in
organizing the briefing.
5.DECADE WORK BY NATIONAL COALITIONS OF WHICH IFOR MEMBERS ARE A PART:
COORDINATION CONGOLAISE POUR LA DECENNIE:
In
November 2003, they organized a training about non-violent
communication and mediation that was followed by another training in
February 2004. The person who conducted the training was Michel Monod,
from Geneva, Switzerland. He is an IFOR UN representative in Geneva.
The training took place in cooperation with the Institut Vie et
Paix-Brazzaville. During these trainings participants were taught how
to prevent violence and how to resolve conflicts. They focused on the
following points: self-affirmation, understanding others, attitudes in
conflicts and mediation.
In June 2004, a forum for
consciousness-raising about the United Nations Decade for a Culture of
Peace was organized in Brazzaville. The theme was: non-violence at
school from kindergarten to university. Representatives from the
Ministry of Technical and Professional Education as well as members of
UNESCO, NGO and other associations were present.
FRANCE:
In 2000, MIR France took the initiative to create a French coalition, which now consists of around 50 NGO's.
To
promote a Culture of Peace, they celebrate the International Day of
Peace every 21st of September. Since 2002, they have campaigned on the
national level requesting the introduction of non-violence and peace
education in the French educational system. In October 2003, they
organized a forum with the theme: la non violence à l'école, de la
maternelle à l'université (non-violence at school from kindergarten to
university) and in October 2004 they organized a second forum with the
same theme.
They held a "Salon des initiatives de Paix" in June 2004
in Paris at which many different peace organizations, including IFOR
were represented. The salon introduced different means to overcome
violence.
THE NETHERLANDS:
In 1999, a Dutch platform for
Culture of Peace was initiated by IFOR and Kerk and Vrede. There are
now 18 member organizations. This platform connects Dutch peace
organizations by making an inventory to know in which field they
operate and where cooperation is possible. The platform has taken part
in several campaigns like the movement against the war in Iraq, the
Dutch Social Forum and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of
Armed Conflict.
The platform tries to address Dutch politics but so
far has not been very successful. In the educational field, it connects
initiatives, advertises them and brings the coordinators together.
It
published a brochure in Dutch on a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence as
a tool that will be used for the campaign. It tries to involve other
NGO's working for a Culture of Peace.
In March 2005, the platform
plans to organise a march for all member organizations working for
peace and non-violence and individuals willing to participate. They
also scheduled a review on what has been done so far on the promotion
of the Decade. They have invited prominent Dutch people to give
presentations and discussions on the results and methods used.
THE INTERNATIONAL COALITION:
In
June 2003, the International Coalition was set up in France with
national coalitions and international NGO's. The aims of the
International Coordination are the following:
Ø promoting the United Nations Decade,
Ø coordinating its members' actions by gathering resources and information,
Ø sharing the experiences and dialogue, particularly about education for peace and non-violence;
Ø
representing its member coalitions on the international level and
acting as a supporting and advisory body for the creation of new
national coalitions in countries where they do not yet exist;
Ø coordinating international campaigns or actions upon themes of the Decade.
Such actions can be supported by those national coalitions that are not yet able to lead them by themselves.
6.CONCLUSION:
Work
for a Culture of Peace cannot be carried out in isolation from
political, social and economic backgrounds. It is profoundly
unfortunate that major world powers show by their actions that they
continue to be committed to the use of violence as a method of settling
disputes. IFOR notes with particular disappointment the invasion of
Iraq in 2003 and the failure to make significant progress towards
disarmament, especially in respect of weapons of mass destruction. The
rise of militarism is in conflict with a culture of non-violence.
IFOR
also notes with concern the increasing trend towards neo-liberal
globalisation and reliance on market forces in the provision of
communications. Culture is not a commodity to be assessed only by
commercial values. Spiritual and social values are profoundly
important. Civil society needs to be supported in acting more strongly
to defend spiritual and social values and affirm our common humanity,
the necessary background for a commitment to non-violence.
As well
as global factors, which have militated against the success of the
Decade there have also been resource and organizational constraints.
The
Decade has been significantly under-funded and under-resourced in its
first five years. Staff have done excellent work in almost impossible
conditions. A substantial increase in UNESCO staff and resources is
required if there is going to be greater impact in the next five years.
In particular, IFOR hopes for the appointment of additional staff
concerned with the promotion of peace education. IFOR also hopes for
the appointment of additional staff with regional responsibilities
charged with improving the awareness of national UNESCO commissions of
the tasks of the Decade, funding projects and programs connected with
the Decade and with the encouragement and development of national
coalitions for the Decade. IFOR hopes for at least one officer directly
concerned with the overlap between the human rights of children and the
work of the Decade. IFOR would hope for additional staff for organizing
of regional conferences and seminars on the themes of the Decade.
Adequate clerical and administrative support is needed as well for
UNESCO Decade staff to raise the profile of the Decade within UNESCO
and the UN.
The possibility of establishing an external reference group to support the work of the Decade should be explored.
The
extent to which UNESCO national commissions are aware of the Decade and
have moved towards including it in their work is variable.
Overall,
many governments are not motivated about the Decade. Where governments
have been involved in initiatives which could be part of the concern of
the Decade - such as reducing bullying in schools - this has not
usually been seen to have been connected with the Decade at all.
This poses a challenge for national coalitions for the Decade.
Often such coalitions themselves have little in the way of additional
resources, especially in respect of the capacity to cover core staffing
costs.
There is also a challenge of strengthening the
connections between working towards a Culture of Peace and the way in
which United Nations Peacekeeping Operations are carried out. The
implications of resolution 1325 also need to be taken fully into
account. There is a need for increased awareness of the desirability of
discovering non-violent methods of intervention and also for working
towards cultures of peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of
conflict.
The Decade is now nearly halfway through its set period.
On
the positive side, it has given a focus to work that is already taking
place and it has helped to ensure there is greater awareness that
violence at all levels from domestic violence to nuclear war needs to
be challenged.
The projects cited in this report prove that the
Decade is not only a general aspiration but also that IFOR and its
member organizations are working concretely to promote it.
This
report also shows the important role taken by IFOR and its members in
the establishment of national coalitions and the international
coalition. IFOR played its part in establishing the Decade and has
continues to be one of the Decade's main supporters.
|
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? |
Work
for a Culture of Peace cannot be carried out in isolation from
political, social and economic backgrounds. It is profoundly
unfortunate that major world powers show by their actions that they
continue to be committed to the use of violence as a method of settling
disputes. IFOR notes with particular disappointment the invasion of
Iraq in 2003 and the failure to make significant progress towards
disarmament, especially in respect of weapons of mass destruction. The
rise of militarism is in conflict with a culture of non-violence.
IFOR
also notes with concern the increasing trend towards neo-liberal
globalisation and reliance on market forces in the provision of
communications. Culture is not a commodity to be assessed only by
commercial values. Spiritual and social values are profoundly
important. Civil society needs to be supported in acting more strongly
to defend spiritual and social values and affirm our common humanity,
the necessary background for a commitment to non-violence.
As
well as global factors, which have militated against the success of the
Decade there have also been resource and organizational constraints.
The
Decade has been significantly under-funded and under-resourced in its
first five years. Staff have done excellent work in almost impossible
conditions. A substantial increase in UNESCO staff and resources is
required if there is going to be greater impact in the next five years.
In particular, IFOR hopes for the appointment of additional staff
concerned with the promotion of peace education. IFOR also hopes for
the appointment of additional staff with regional responsibilities
charged with improving the awareness of national UNESCO commissions of
the tasks of the Decade, funding projects and programs connected with
the Decade and with the encouragement and development of national
coalitions for the Decade. IFOR hopes for at least one officer directly
concerned with the overlap between the human rights of children and the
work of the Decade. IFOR would hope for additional staff for organizing
of regional conferences and seminars on the themes of the Decade.
Adequate clerical and administrative support is needed as well for
UNESCO Decade staff to raise the profile of the Decade within UNESCO
and the UN.
The possibility of establishing an external reference group to support the work of the Decade should be explored.
The
extent to which UNESCO national commissions are aware of the Decade and
have moved towards including it in their work is variable.
Overall,
many governments are not motivated about the Decade. Where governments
have been involved in initiatives which could be part of the concern of
the Decade - such as reducing bullying in schools - this has not
usually been seen to have been connected with the Decade at all.
This poses a challenge for national coalitions for the Decade.
Often such coalitions themselves have little in the way of additional
resources, especially in respect of the capacity to cover core staffing
costs.
There is also a challenge of strengthening the
connections between working towards a Culture of Peace and the way in
which United Nations Peacekeeping Operations are carried out. The
implications of resolution 1325 also need to be taken fully into
account. There is a need for increased awareness of the desirability of
discovering non-violent methods of intervention and also for working
towards cultures of peace and reconciliation in the aftermath of
conflict.
The Decade is now nearly halfway through its set period.
On
the positive side, it has given a focus to work that is already taking
place and it has helped to ensure there is greater awareness that
violence at all levels from domestic violence to nuclear war needs to
be challenged.
The projects cited in this report prove that the
Decade is not only a general aspiration but also that IFOR and its
member organizations are working concretely to promote it.
This
report also shows the important role taken by IFOR and its members in
the establishment of national coalitions and the international
coalition. IFOR played its part in establishing the Decade and has
continues to be one of the Decade's main supporters.
|
PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
IFOR as an international secretariat depends on its network.
IFOR has 70 member organizations: branches, groups and affiliates.
IFOR
works closely with other partner international organisations. We have
asterisked* those bodies in whose foundation IFOR was involved.
On
the peace and non-violence side, IFOR works especially with the
International Peace Bureau, War Resisters International, the United
Nations in Geneva, New York and Vienna, the International Coalition for
the Decade*, Nonviolent Peaceforce*, the European Centre for Conflict
Prevention* and the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed
Conflict.
On the spiritual, faith and non-violence side, IFOR
works closely with the World Council of Churches, Pax Christi
International, the Conference of European Churches*, Eirene*, SERPAJ
(Latin America)* and Church and Peace*.
|
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)? |
culture of peace in the second half of the Decade (2006-2010)?
IFOR
is on its way to implement a new research project focusing on
non-violence education for 3 to 6 years old pupils. Another project
aiming schools is the creation of a peace kit then will be then
distributed to schools so students can create their peace clubs and by
doing so, increasing their knowledge of non-violence and learning how
they can create their own projects.
IFOR is committed to a
renewed emphasis on inter-faith dialogue and on encouraging each faith
tradition to reflect anew on all that makes for reconciliation and
non-violence within its own faith tradition. The latest issue of the
IFOR magazine International reconciliation reflects this commitment and
concern.
The global and coordinated effort, which was visible at
the beginning of the campaign with the international year for a culture
of peace in 2000, is still necessary. It can only happen through the
work of UNESCO and other UN agencies in cooperation with civil society.
Such
a global and coordinated approach can be facilitated through a greater
coordination between the goals of the Decade and the goals of the major
programmes that are the core of the future strategic plan of UNESCO -
Education for all, Education for Sustainable development (focussing the
attention not only on the development of educative processes and
literacy, but also on the educative contents and methodologies through
non-violent awareness and approaches) and within the Human Rights
strategy, the defence of cultural diversity and the dialogue
among civilizations.
At IFOR we will focus on peace education in
schools and through the Women Peacemakers Program the accent will
continue to be placed on ensuring equality between women and men in
civil society.
Today the challenge is to face the cultural
normalization of violence existing through the global product of the
mass industry, which is mostly violence inspired and has a large impact
expecially on children and young generations (with tv, cinema,
advertising, toys, web, etc.). The violence of war and terrorism is in
this sense the latest point of this process of visual education to
violence.
The Decade needs to create bridges between the world
of non-violent culture on one hand with its message of civilization,
freedom from violence and the unity of human beings, and, on the other
hand, those who work in communications, mass media and production.
A
campaign can be launched within the framework of the Decade for the
Children of the World, which gives input to the education and
transformation of societies themselves. IFOR hopes to cooperate with
UNESCO in the next 5 years in promoting the commitment of artists,
personalities of world of culture and the mass media to a non-violent
culture. Such a commitment to a non-violent culture will favour
dialogue between civilizations and can foster projects for the
cooperation of workers within the cinema, cultural institutions and
organizations of civil society.
IFOR envisages a campaign
to celebrate worldwide the 21 September as International Day for Peace
according to the UN Resolution 55/282, with personalities of the world
of art, sciences, culture, sports, education and intellectuals involved
in an integrated and intersectorial strategy.
The current gap
between approaches to conflict between the vision and experiences of
civil society and the solutions adopted by governments must be
overcome.
|
Postal address of organization
|
Spoorstraat 38 1815BK Alkmaar, The Netherlands
|
E-mail address of organization
|
office@ifor.org
|
Website address of organization
|
www.ifor.org
|
Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
|
Ø
Fostering a culture of peace through education: many of our branches
are involved in peace education. IFOR is about to implement a research
project aiming non-violence education in kindergartens as explained
above. Another project focusing on schools is the creation of a peace
kit that will be distributed in schools to help pupils to establish
school peace groups and gain a better understanding of non-violence.
Having the knowledge, these students would then have the skill-base to
create projects and spread the idea of non-violence to their peers. The
development of school peace clubs is an area with which IFOR groups in
Africa are especially concerned. The IFOR group in Zambia is currently
being funded by IFOR to establish peace clubs in schools in the Copper
Belt region of Zambia.
IFOR also participates in EURED- Education
For Europe as Peace Education, a project on peace education in Europe,
started in the framework of the Decade for a Culture of peace and
Nonviolence for the Children of the World. Their organizational center
is the Klagenfurt University in Austria. EURED developed an in-service
training course for teachers and school consultants (both primary,
secondary and higher education) to help implement peace education in
the schools. IFOR is represented by Janne Poort van Eeden.
This
project has existed since 2002. There will be a total of 4 seminars
followed by a closing conference where the result of 2 years of work
will be presented.
One of their projects in the framework of EURED in the Netherlands is to develop a summer school on Peace Education.
|
Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
|
Ø
Ensure equality between women and men/ Advancing understanding,
tolerance and solidarity: IFOR's Women Peacemakers Program believes
that the empowerment of women through active non-violence promotes
equality. Without women, neither peace nor development can take place.
This program not only helps to ensure equality between men and women
but also helps to foster a Culture of peace through education and
promoting sustainable economic and social development through
empowering women.
Between 2002 and 2004 this programme trained more
than 1300 women from over 40 countries at 24 trainings in nonviolence.
Each person trained then conducted further trainings in their own
regions which trained a further 20,000 women in active non-violence - a
crucial contribution to a culture of Peace.
Ø Advancing
understanding, tolerance and solidarity: IFOR has been promoting a
culture of peace and non-violence since its founding. Every project
initiated by one of IFOR's member organisations contributes to a more
peaceful society.
Wi'am, an IFOR member organisation based in
Bethlehem, is only one of many IFOR members that arranges regular
inter-faith meetings between religious leaders and helps build up trust
and friendship as well as reflection on the things which make for peace
within each faith tradition.
IFOR members in India and Bangladesh are deeply concerned in working to counter inter-communal tension and conflict.
IFOR's
own publications have emphasised inter-religious work and inter-faith
understanding. The most recent issue of the IFOR magazine,
International Reconciliation, focused on Islam, Non-violence and the
Muslim Renaissance. IFOR's series of longer pamphlets called
'Patterns' include an issue which examines non-violence in Islam,
one which looks at non-violence in Christianity and one which has a
comparative reflection on non-violence in the different spiritual
traditions.
|
Highest priority country of action (or international)
|
INTERNATIONAL
|
Second priority country of action (or international)
|
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