| Posted: April 14 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? |
When
one looks at the Dutch government, one does not see much progress.
Still almost no money is spent on NGO’s who work for peace. The
priority of the Dutch government policy concerning the financing of the
NGO-sector is on poverty-reduction. A noble priority of course, but
unfortunately it excludes in almost all situations, the financing of
organisations that work specifically on peace, like with peace
education, conflict reciliations programmes, etc. The support for such
organisations is much needed too and beneficial.
Also there is
still no legal possibility in Dutch society to refuse to pay tax for
the department of defense (military), which means everybody is being
made indirectly responsible for the threat, preperation and possible
use of state violence and armed force. As organisation we would really
see a law in function that allows individuals to choose to have their
tax spent on everything except on the military.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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There
are many good ideas and instruments to handle conflict in a non-violent
way. Also in post-conflict areas much can be done through non-violent,
civil means. Still these kind of initiatives receive too less support,
especially financial support is lacking. Therefore they have less
impact than they could have. Too frequently governments seize to
military resources to settle conflicts and invest too little in
diplomatic and civil instruments, such as development aid, especially
to organisations in countries with conflict which support law
enforcement, peacebuilding, human rights, etc. Governments must put
their words for peace into action and make the decade of peace a
success.
Another obstacle, is the lacking of a legal
possibility so now people cannot choose for their tax money not to go
to defence. Currently there is no possibility for the freedom of choice
in this matter with as result that every taxpayer is made indirectly
responsible for the threat, possibly and preparation of state violence.
Even when one has insuperable conscience objections against this, one
cannot refuse no tax intend to this. As Euros for Peace we find this
onacceptabel.
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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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Euros
for Peace has worked from 1999 up to 2002, on a massive public campaign
for non-violent peace. In 2001, to this end 20.00 brochures were
spread. In the campaign during four years 40,000 brochures have been
spread; 820 answer-cards were received. A large part of Euros for Peace
sympathisants have played an active role in the further disclosure of
the campaign.
In 2001, Euros for Peace was involved in the
establishment and start phase of the ‘platform against the new war’
which organised among other things, two large events in that year as a
response to the attacks of 11 September against a further escalation of
violence.
Also Euros for Peace did the secretariat for the
‘foundation citizen peace teams the Netherlands’ (BVTN) who integrated
into another organisation in 2002. This organisation strived for
setting up training for exchange of Dutch volunteers to conflict areas.
In 2003, Euros for Peace started with the development of new
plans and further elaboration of its own objective. As a result of this
process, Euro for peace carried out the ‘Clean Handprint’ in 2004. The
`Clean Hand print’ is a simple and fun questionnaire that make people
aware of the influence which they can (possible) exercise on conflicts
and peace. Euros for peace offer with this questionaire, ideas to
people how they can contribute to the realisation of more peace. The
‘Handprint’ is a combination of the V-biljet and the ‘Global
footprint’. Euros for peace developed the V-biljet in 1992, an
alternative tax form that calculated how much you contributed to the
defence policy of the Dutch government.
In 2005, Euros for peace
works at the project `Ministry of Peace’. Within the framework of the
campaign of several civil society organisations to the ` Global
action agenda (GAA) for the Prevention or Armed conflict’ on the public
agenda in the Netherlands, Euros for peace organises with UNOY
Peacebuilders in this project workshops to involve young people at
conflict prevention and the GAA. The results of the workshops are
spread by means of inspirational messages on cards. In the Autumn the
project will continue by means of a young people thinking tank which
will develop the topic further and a will make a link to the Earth
charter.
Beside these activities, Euros for peace has worked
throughouth the past years for a legal possibility so that people can
choose that their tax money to be spent on defence or not. She does
this by means of the bill ‘conscience objections military destination
tax money’ (GMBB) that was renewed by Euros for Peace in 2003. Euros
for peace lobbys to get the bill adopted in the Dutch parliament. To
this end she started a petition in 2004.
Euros for peace is
part of the international movement for War Tax resistance. At
this moment there is absolutely no legal possibility somewhere in the
world of preventing that you tax money is used to buy weapons and
soldiers to train in use of violence. In this way we are all accessary
to arms trafficking, threat of military violence and the maintenance of
a military apparatus which is trained in handling and uses of violence.
In
the previous years, Euros for Peace published its newsletter with which
she informed its supporters concerning developments within peace and
violence. Since 2004 Euros for Peace also informs people through their
website.
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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? |
We
would like to see that de UN and its memberstates would allocate
substantially more means to non-violent alternatives for
conflictprevention. Not only the words are needed, but really the
political action to give weight to the words. Like with the Millenium
Development Goals member states have set themselves. They should not
only state they are important, but in general take more action on it.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Lid van/member of: (for understanding, an English translation is given behind each group)
·Landelijk Beraad Vredesorganisaties (National Council of Peace-organisations)
·Platform tegen De Nieuwe Oorlog (Platform against the New War, esp. Irak and Afganistan)
·Proces tegen de staat inzake kernwapens (Lawsuit against the state in the case of nuclear arms in the Netherlands)
·Platform voor een Cultuur van Vrede en Geweldloosheid (Platform for a Culture of Peace)
Actief betroken bij:
·Global Action Agenda on the Prevention of Violent Conflict
·Manifestatie Earth Charter
Contacten Internationaal
Lid van:
·Conscience and Peace Tax International
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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)? |
On
our website, one can read an up to date overview of our plans for the
coming time. Our site has an English part to it. See:
www.eurosvoorvrede.nl.
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Postal address of organization
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Obrechtstraat 43, 3572 EC Utrecht
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E-mail address of organization
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info@eurosvoorvrede.nl
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Website address of organization
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www.eurosvoorvrede.nl
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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education for peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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international security and peace
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Netherlands
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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