Posted: April 26 2005,10:14 |
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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? |
Yes. We have seen progress
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Over emphasis on culture of violence to resolve social problems
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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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Peace People, Ireland, Report on the UN Culture of Peace
1) International Peace Councillors
30
members of the International Peace Council visited N.Ireland from 15-21
June this year. The members were from the Buddhist, Christian, Muslim,
Hindu and Jewish faiths whose aim is to help build bridges between
people of different faiths and cultures. They came at the invitation of
Mairead Corrigan Maguire of the Peace People to promote the message of
peace through compassion and non-violence (physical, verbal, symbolic).
They were in the North to listen and dialogue with local community
groups, and with church and political leaders.
As part of their
Outreach Programme two Peace Councillors came to Newry on 18 June at
the invitation of Newry & Mourne Council; Professor Sallie King,
Head of Philosophy and Religion at James Madison University USA, and
Professor Chung Hyun Kyung, Professor of Ecumenics and Christianity at
Union Theol. Seminary New York. Colin Moffett, Council Equality
Officer, arranged a morning tour of South Armagh for the two
Councillors. They met first with Pat McGinn and a group of young people
in Crossmaglen, who are doing an accredited course studying and
learning about how to appreciate and understand difference and
diversity. Then it was on to Newtownhamilton to meet William
Fraser and members of FAIR victims support group and hear their
concerns.
After lunch in the Arts Centre, Newry, Colin Moffett
chaired a Seminar at which over 60 people were present. The topic under
discussion was " Northern Ireland’s divided society - the need for a
shared vision?"
The panel of speakers were - Rev Michael Barry
(Presbyterian Church), Kevin Cassidy (Peace People), William Fraser
(FAIR), Kevin Mulgrew (Republican ex-prisoners group) and Claire
Treanor (organiser of an anti-war protest in Newry). There was lively
debate from the floor. The Peace Councillors ended the session by
saying how much they appreciated hearing the stories from all sides.
The seminar had given an opportunity to try and look into the future
where communities can live together. Professor Chung said, " A
peace process is a very slow process, it is never like a rabbit
running, it is always like a turtle moving slowly."
2 Mairead
Corrigan Maguire, Peace People President and Nobel Peace Laureate’s
work to promote a greater awareness of UN Resolution 53/25travels and
talks to promote the UN Decade of Peace.
a) Mairead was official
Speaker at the World Summit of Nobel Laureates. She delivered the
address at 4th Summit in Nov 2003, ‘Ethical Policies-The Right
Things to do’. Also delivered the address at 5th World Summit, in Rome Nov 2004 advocating an international world culture of peace
b)
Travelled to India in January 2005 to address an international
Conference at Santrhigiri Ashram, in Kerela, S. India attended by
Indian Prime Minister and former President of India, Dr K.R. Narayan.
She appealed to the Indian Government to sign the Nuclear Non
Proliferation treaty and make friends with Pakistan. She
expressed the hope that during this decade of UN culture of peace
and non violence for the children of the world that India would
choose to walk in the spirit of Gandhi by taking the steps towards
nuclear disarmament for the 21st Century
c) Mordechai Vanunu, Israel’s nuclear whistle-blower. Mairead
nominated Vanunu for the Nobel Peace Prize in Jerusalem on 19 Dec 2004.
She was in Israel on 23 April 2004 with Peace People delegation to
welcome Vanunu out of prison after serving 18 years for disclosing
Israel’s nuclear secrets. She led another delegation to Israel 16-23
April 2005 to again support Vanunu’s call for freedom to leave Israel.
This was after renewed restrictions on his freedom of speech and
movement was imposed on him for another by the Israeli government
d)
Mairead has also travelled to USA on many occasions to speak at Peace
events. She travelled to Chicago in 2004 to speak at the trial of
the Boeing 7. This was a group who held a protest in the lobby of
Boeing’s Headquarters in Chicago in 2003 prior to the Iraq War. They
choose to have a trial and their lawyer requested her presence at the
trial to speak on their defence.
3 "New Releases" a schools
initiative in 2002/3 of the Peace People in Ireland in partnership with
organisations active in the area of development through education.
Their aim was to combine a range of events that would build together to
promote a greater awareness of UN Resolution 53/25, declaring the
decade of 2001-2010 as the International Decade for a Culture of Peace
and Nonviolence for the Children of the World.
This project
aimed to generate through the insight and experiences of young people
in Ireland New Releases of fresh creative ideas, thinking and vision to
help develop greater learning and understanding of the benefits that
come from a culture where peace and nonviolence are the norm.
Release
can also mean to let go, and while there may be a perception that when
you let go you lose something, the reality is that for most occasions
letting go of negative attitudes, habits, and prejudices produces very
positive results.
The New Releases Project was open to all
Primary & Secondary Schools throughout Ireland. An exhibition and
awards ceremony was held in Belfast in June 2003 to recognise and
feature selected works from each age category. The only
overriding condition was that entries illustrate a clear understanding
of the issues relating to the chosen sub theme and the overall concept
of the UN Declaration 53/25.
Prizes included a trip to the UN
Headquarters in New York for the pupils and teachers of the best three
Year 10 entries. Also for the runners -up in each category there was a
range of audio-visual equipment for their schools.
The Project
was initially launched in Belfast, N. Ireland on 24 Oct 2002 (United
Nations Day) and in Dublin, and the Republic of Ireland on 10 Feb 2003
A
selection of the best submissions was displayed in the Waterfront Hall;
Belfast to coincide with an International Peace Conference planned in
N. Ireland June 2003.
On Thursday 19 June a Schools’ workshop and presentation of prizes took take place in the morning and a concert in the evening.
Peace
People leaving Dublin Airport for Israel to support Mordechai Vanunu on
whom sanctions have been re-imposed. Vanunu is the whistle-blower
who spent almost 18 years in prison in Israel, 11 years and nine months
in solitary confinement. He, like the Peace People, is calling
for a nuclear-free world. They are calling too for his release from Israel. Left to right: Justin Morahan, Kevin Cassidy, Regina O'Callaghan, Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Ann Patterson
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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? |
Help funding of groups
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Peace groups in Ireland
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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)? |
Engaging with local conflicts
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Postal address of organization
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224 Lisburn Road, Belfast N. Ireland
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E-mail address of organization
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info@peacepeople.com
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Website address of organization
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www.peacepeople.com
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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human rights
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Ireland
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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U.K.
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