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Culture of Peace –
dealing with the causes of war
- Educate for peace, human rights and democracy
- Counter the adverse effects of globalisation
- Advance the sustainable and equitable use of environmental resources
- Eradicate colonialism and neo-colonialism
- Eliminate racial, ethnic, religious and gender intolerance
- Promote gender justice
- Protect and respect children and youth
- Promote international democracy and just global governance
- Proclaim active non-violence
- Eliminate communal violence at the local level
- Enlist world religions in transforming the culture of violence into a culture of peace and justice
Root cause - Culture of violence Alternative - Educate for Peace, Human Rights and Democracy
In order to combat the culture of violence that pervades our society, the coming generation deserves a radically different education - one that does not glorify war but educates for peace and nonviolence and international cooperation.
People need to be empowered at all levels with the peacemaking skills of mediation, conflict transformation, consensus-building and non-violent social change.
- Peace education needs to be made compulsory at all levels of the education system.
- Education ministries need to systematically implement peace education initiatives at local and national levels.
- Development assistance agencies need to promote peace education as a component of their teacher training and materials production.
Global Campaign for Peace Education
A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other. Such learning can only be achieved with systematic education for peace.
The Hague Appeal for Peace conference will launch a call and a campaign to support the United Nations Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the Children of the World and to introduce peace and human rights education into all educational institutions, including medical and law schools. The campaign will be conducted through a global network of education associations and regional, national and local task forces of citizens and educators.
Root cause – Adverse effects of globalisation Alternative - Counter the Adverse Effects of Globalisation
Economic globalisation has marginalized broad sections of the world's population, further widening the gap between rich and poor. We need to create a just global economy with special emphasis on:
- An international campaign among local, national, international and intergovernmental organizations promoting respect for labor rights.
- Democratic reform of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and other international financial institutions.
- Regulation of the international financial system. Accountability of multinational corporations, including proposals for the granting of international charters and their revocation in cases of gross abuse and for abiding by international marketing codes and standards.
- Financing economic development from new sources, such as modest levies on international transfers of arms or funds (the Tobin tax).
- Expanding the G8 to G16 or creating an economic or environmental security council to include countries from the developing world.
- Cancellation of the crushing debts of the world's poorest countries and the odious debts inherited by democratic governments from the previous corrupt, undemocratic governments they have replaced.
- Recognition and implementation of economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, child rights and women's rights.
Root cause - Unsustainable and un-equitable use of environmental resources Alternative - Advance the Sustainable and Equitable Use of Environmental Resources
As stated in the 1998 United Nations Development Program Human Development Report, "The world's dominant consumers are overwhelmingly concentrated among the well-off - but the environmental damage from the world's consumption falls most severely on the poor."
We support initiatives to:
- Strengthen international environmental law and its implementation by, i.e., promoting the concept of a basic right to a clean and healthy environment.
- Address the problems of overconsumption and misallocation of environmental resources.
- Consider the increasingly serious problem of the inequitable allocation of water.
- Support the campaigns to save the world's forests and species (including the human kind) from environmental degradation.
- End the military destruction of the environment and in particular, the militarisation of indigenous lands.
- Identify alternative approaches to sustainable development.
Root cause - Colonialism and Neo-colonialism Alternative - Eradicate Colonialism and Neo-colonialism
Indigenous and unrepresented peoples are suffering from the suppression of their right to self-determination, ethnic and cultural genocide, the violation of their cultural, language and religious freedoms, and the militarisation and nuclearisation of their lives, lands and waters.
We endorse:
- The efforts of colonised peoples towards the exercise of their right to self-determination.
- The eradication of colonization, as stated under numerous international agreements including the "Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples" and the "Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples".
- The maintenance of the UN Decolonization Committee, until all non-self governing territories have implemented their right to self-determination and independence.
- The establishment of a permanent forum for indigenous peoples within the United Nations.
- An end to the dumping of the industrialized countries' toxic materials in developing countries.
- Closing down foreign military bases.
Root cause - Racial, Ethnic, Religious and Gender Intolerance Alternative - Eliminate Racial, Ethnic, Religious and Gender Intolerance
Ethnic, religious and racial intolerance and nationalism are among the principal sources of modern armed conflict.
We support:
- Efforts to eliminate the political manipulation of racial, ethnic, religious and gender differences for political and economic purposes.
- The implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
- Preparations for the United Nations World Conference on Racism and Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance (2001).
- The inclusion of hate crimes in the world's judicial systems.
- Education and legislation designed to overcome homophobia.
- The promotion of affirmative action until the consequences of past discrimination have been redressed.
Root cause - Gender injustice Alternative - Promote Gender Justice
The costs of the machismo that still pervades most societies are high for men whose choices are limited by this standard, and for women who experience continual violence both in war and in peace.
We support:
- The active participation of women in significant numbers in all decision and policy-making forums.
- Efforts to recognize and engage the capacities of women as peace-makers.
- The implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
- The redefinition of distorted gender roles that perpetuate violence.
Root cause – Lack of Protection and Respect for Children and Youth Alternative - Protect and Respect Children and Youth
Children and youth continue to be exploited and victimized, particularly in violent conflict situations where harming children has become not only a consequence, but frequently a strategy of war.
We support initiatives to:
- Ensure the universal adoption and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child including the elimination of child labor and the use of child soldiers.
- Ensure humanitarian assistance and protection to children in situations of armed conflict.
- Rehabilitate and reintegrate children who have been exposed and traumatized by violent conflict.
- Recognize the role of children and youth as peacemakers by including young people in peace-building.
Root cause – Lack of International Democracy and Just Global Governance Alternative - Promote International Democracy and Just Global Governance
The promotion of democracy at all levels of society is a prerequisite for replacing the rule of force with the rule of law. Establishing more representative and democratic decision-making processes, is a prerequisite to achieving limited, accountable regional and global governance with binding, enforceable, and equitable legislative mechanisms.
We endorse:
- The reform and democratization of the United Nations, including democratic strengthening of the General Assembly and extending consultative rights to civil society representatives, non-governmental organisations and parliamentarians at all levels of the UN.
- The promotion of regional institutions to advance peace through adherence to international law.
- The modification of the weighted voting formulas utilise by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) to protect the interests of small nations.
- The recommendations of the Commission on Global Governance, including the participation of civil society in global governance.
- The reform of the United Nations Security Council to make its composition more representative and its decision-making process more transparent.
Root cause – Violence and warfare are inherent in human nature Alternative - Proclaim Active Non-Violence
It is commonly assumed but has never been proved that violence and warfare are inherent in human nature. In fact, many traditions and examples show that active non-violence is an effective way to achieve social change.
We support:
- Replacing the glorification of militarism with models of active non-violence.
- A campaign to eliminate, or at least reduce, violence in the media and in everyday language.
- Activities surrounding the United Nations Year for the Culture of Peace (2000) and Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001-2010).
Root cause – Local Community Violence Alternative - Eliminate Communal Violence at the Local Level
Violence in local communities paves the way for conflicts at national and international levels.
We support initiatives to:
- Reintegrate into society the young people and some of their elders who have been marginalized, often as a result of limited economic opportunities, and whose marginalisation has led them into violent behavior.
- Promote local peace initiatives, including gun exchanges, peace camps and conflict resolution training.
Root cause – Religion Alternative - Enlist World Religions in Transforming the Culture of Violence into a Culture of Peace and Justice.
Religions have been a cause of war but also have the potential to enable the development of a culture of peace. They must be engaged to implement paths of peace.
We support:
- Interfaith, inter-religious cooperation in disarmament and global peace work.
- The promotion of religious co-existence and reconciliation.
