david In CPNN this month, we ask the question “What is the relation between peasant movements for food sovereignty and the global movement for a culture of peace?” Here is my own response to the question. It is based on the many articles in CPNN this month about the global movement of peasants for food sovereignty. Yes, they … Read more
This month’s CPNN bulletin refers to CPNN articles on the anti-austerity movements in Greece, Spain, Germany, Ireland, France and Canada, with reference to the fact that for many years already South American governments have rejected the austerity imposed by international financial institutions. We have posed the following question with regard to these articles: “Movements against government … Read more
Over the years at CPNN we have seen the global movement for a culture of peace developing in thousands of articles about initiatives throughout the world. Looking over these initiatives, we can see that women are usually in the lead, and in any case, they are involved as essential players. This month’s bulletin illustrates this clearly. Initiatives … Read more
The following is excerpted from the talk I gave at the recent symposium on Tourism and Peace (See this month’s CPNN bulletin). Tourism is an enormous enterprise with enormous resources, and it needs a culture of peace. Tourism is the first industry to suffer when there is violence. And it has a great potential to … Read more
This month’s CPNN bulletin carries remarks by indigenous peoples who are guarding their environment against the destruction brought by our modern civilization: From Brazil: “We indigenous peoples have shown that we will never allow our lands to be recolonized, invaded or destroyed, even if that means sacrificing our own lives.” From Canada: “We have one Earth, … Read more
First, Truth Commissions are important because they break the secrecy of the state which is one of the key defenses of the culture of war. This month, as described in the CPNN bulletin, there are several examples of this. The US government, and in particular its CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) has kept secret the details of … Read more
Imagine ! … …if we could apply in Europe and North America initiatives such as those described from Africa such as the contributions of Nelson Mandela, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, the Gacaca in Rwanda, etc…. Imagine ! … …that networks of mass media, radio and television, devoted to the culture of … Read more
This month’s CPNN bulletin shows that initiatives for a culture of peace are taking place in most regions of the world. As discussed in previous blogs, Latin America and Africa are in the leadership, although this may be difficult for the North to accept . The Arab States took two steps forward with the “Arab Spring”, although the turnaround in Egypt moved them one step back. … Read more
When we drafted the Declaration and Programme of Action for a Culture of Peace at UNESCO in 1998, adopted by the UN General Assembly a year later as Resolution a/53/243, we envisaged that progress towards a culture of peace could be achieved through the following: – Partnerships between and among the various actors [including civil … Read more
The CPNN bulletins for August 1 and September 1 illustrate how history is moving dialectically. Two opposing tendencies exist and interact simultaneously, the culture of war and the culture of peace. At the same time the culture of war advances towards self-destruction, the culture of peace is slowly growing. While the commercial media drowns us with news about the culture … Read more