Posted: Mar. 22 2005,18:49 |
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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? |
While
progress has and is being made in some areas, it has not been
sufficient to foment large-scale changes at the national level in the
US. European countries are tending to be more vocal in their
calls for peace, while the US has seen its policies dictated by fear
and militarism. There has certainly been progress in the area of
citizen mobilization, particularly around the Iraq war. Mass
movements have been established, and these have spurred a tremendous
increase in online activism and participation around a whole host of
issues. In the nuclear policy arena specifically,
coalition-building and discussions at the global level are moving
forward. Calls for US nuclear policy changes from US -based
disarmament groups have gone largely unanswered, except in the base of
developing low-yield and miniaturized nuclear weapons. In this
area, funding has been successfully stripped up until now, although the
Bush administration continues to seek such funding.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Perhaps
the largest obstacle facing progress in the area of peace and security
has been the fear and militarism wrought by the terrorist attacks of
9/11. A pervasive sense of militarism and unilateralism has
infused US foreign policy to the extent that progress toward
disarmament and other areas of international security have been very
challenging. This has also served to limit the effectiveness of
the UN Security Council in acting on issues relevant to its charter.
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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
Nuclear Age Peace Foundation has undertaken many projects and actions
since 2001 in promoting a culture of peace and nonviolence. Among
these are: 1. Launching and conducting a campaign on charting
a new course for US nuclear policy entitled Turn the Tide
(www.chartinganewcourse.org) 2. Participating as a member of
the Middle Powers Initiative coalition to promote middle power states
and civil society to work together toward a Nuclear Weapons Convention. 3.
Co-sponsoring a project on Moving Beyond Missile Defense with the
International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation
(www.mbmd.org). 4. Publishing a free online monthly
newsletter, The Sunflower, on issues of nuclear policy and related
issues pertaining to global security. 5. Maintaining and
adding to the Nuclear Files web project - a comprehensive site on
issues pertaining to the Nuclear Age (www.nuclearfiles.org). 6.
Hosting an annual Symposium on critical issues of International
Law bringing together policy and academic experts. One of these
symposiums has led to a coalition movement to create a United Nations
Emergency Peace Service to respond to acts of genocide and other crimes
against humanity. 7. Conducting Peace Leadership Trainings for
high school and college students to inspire and empower a new
generation of peace leaders. 8. Launching and conducting our
UC Nuclear Free campaign seeking to divest the Univesity of California
from its role in managing the US nuclear weapons labs
(www.ucnuclearfree.org). 9. Hosting a National Youth
Conference (Aug. 2005) bringing together some 40 young people from
across the US to learn how to be more effective anti-nuclear activists. 10.
Publishing a Nonviolence curriculum for high school educators
entitled "Teaching Peace: A Guide for the Classroom and Everyday Life." 11. Conducting an international peace essay contest for high school students. 12. Conducting an international peace poetry contest for adults and youth. 13. Publishing a Demilitarization Guide for young people. 14. Hosting an annual Sadako Peace Day on the anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 15.
Presenting annually, our Distinguished Peace Leadership Award and
World Citizenship Award to outstanding peace leaders. 16. Hosting our annual Frank K. Kelly Lecture on Humanity's Future. 17.
Publishing a book on missile defense entitled "A Maginot Line in
the Sky: International Perspectives on Ballistic Missile Defense." 18: Publishing an anthology of essays entitled "Hope in a Dark Time." 19. Publishing two books on peace poetry, "The Poetry of Peace" and "Today Is Not a Good Day for War." 20.
Participating in the annual NPT PrepComs as well as 2005's NPT
Review Conference and publishing and disseminating a briefing booklet
at each of these conferences to state delegates on the progress of the
Treaty. 21. Publishing and distributing to members of the US
Congress and all UN missions a briefing booklet on "The Iraq Crisis and
International Law." 22. Publishing and distributing to members
of the US Congress and all UN missions a briefing booklet on
"International Law and the Quest for Security" including issues
relevant to the establishment of the International Criminal Court. 23.
Various speaking engagements, lectures and expert testimony on
issues related to nuclear policy, international law and youth activism
in many parts of the globe.
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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 suggest that the Secretary-General continue to speak out
forcefully against unilateralism, militarism and human rights abuses as
they weaken the international order and prevent the UN from fulfilling
its charter. We would further advise that the UN adopt an
Emergency Peace Service that would allow the Security Council to
quickly dispatch this all-volunteer Service in times of genocide and
other crimes against humanity, particularly when political pressures
make sending UN peacekeepers unlikely in the near-term.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Abolition 2000 Middle Powers Initiative International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility International Network of Engineers and Scientists Against Proliferation Member of International Peace Bureau
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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)? |
We will be opening an office in Washington DC in 2005.
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Postal address of organization
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PMB 121 1187 Coast Village Road, Suite 1 Santa Barbara, CA 93108-2794 USA
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E-mail address of organization
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frontdesk@napf.org
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Website address of organization
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www.wagingpeace.org
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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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United States
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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International
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