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Group Info 

Name: Global Alliance for Ministries & Deparments of Peace
Tagline: Ministry of Peace
Address: .Global
Scope: international

About

The world is at a crossroads.

We have recently ended the most violent century in history and started the new millennium on a similar path. At the same time there is a new consciousness spreading in the world that we, the people, are the stewards of our precious but vulnerable planet; that the planet and its peoples are under threat from the culture of violence and war that is dominant in the world today; and that urgent action must be taken now to reveal and strengthen the countervailing culture of nonviolence and peace that to a large extent already exists.

Our culture is giving form to a strong and spreading awareness of the horror of war. In February 2003 there was an unprecedented demonstration by many millions of people worldwide against the Iraq war. As we look more deeply, we understand that war has its roots in the everyday violence that brutalises people and societies, from the direct violence in our homes, schools, communities, and the world, which causes death and injury to individuals and physical devastation to social and economic infrastructures and to the environment; to the structural violence embedded in our social, economic, and political institutions, which leaves millions marginalised and suffering in poverty; and to the cultural violence enshrined in our attitudes, customs, and even the common metaphors of our daily language.

More and more people are coming to realise that it is only by focusing our energies on tackling all forms of violence, including that to the environment, that the human race will have a viable future. In recent years groups in a number of countries have concluded that this vital work needs to be a central role of government. The USA, the United Kingdom, and Canada started initiatives to have Departments of Peace or Ministries for Peace established that would sit alongside existing government Departments.

These Departments would operate in the realm of foreign affairs as well as at home. Their work abroad would include monitoring the world scene for signs of conflict and taking pre-emptive measures as appropriate in partnership with other nations and world bodies, helping with the nonviolent resolution of conflicts that exist, and assisting with rehabilitation and reconciliation work after the cessation of conflicts. Their work at home would involve fostering a culture of peace at all levels of the community by transforming conflict in the home, the workplace, the school, and in all aspects of government. The vision is of a world in which peace, toleration, and justice prevail, within and between nations. Where all ethnic, racial, and religious differences are welcomed; in which territorial, cultural, and human rights are respected; and in which national and international structures are created to ensure that such rights prevail.

In October 2005 three organisations, the US Peace Alliance, the Canadian Federal Working Group for a Department of Peace, and the UK ministry for peace, organised the first People’s Summit for Departments of Peace in London. This was done to share information and experience within existing groups and also to begin working with those considering setting up similar initiatives in other countries. Forty people from twelve countries attended the two day Summit. These countries were Australia, Canada, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories, Italy, Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom, Jordan, and the United States. Prominent supporters of the conference include UK John McDonnell MP, US Representative Dennis Kucinich and, from Australia, Dr. Arthur Chesterfield-Evans MP and Senator Natasha Stott Despoja.

 

FROM VIOLENT CONFLICT TO SUSTAINABLE PEACE

A GLOBAL SUMMIT ON GOVERNMENT AND CIVIL SOCIETY INFRASTRUCTURES FOR PEACEBUILDING

Executive Summary

Scope:

A Summit of countries recovering from endemic violent conflict, focusing on countries that have instituted infrastructures within government and civil society to manage peace processes, war to peace transition, and post-war recovery, and reconciliation. Participants will include government and civil society representatives from select countries, key international and UN agencies, and several of the world’s leading peacebuilding practitioners. Particular focus will be placed on:

  • national infrastructure and capacity for peace building;
  • war-to-peace transition;
  • enhancing effective cooperation between governments, civil society organizations, and international actors engaged in peacebuilding and recovery.


    The Summit will provide an international forum for governments, civil society organisations, and key peacebuilding agencies to explore best practices and lessons learned in support of peace processes, war to peace transition, and post-war recovery and reconciliation – all essential elements for enhancing human security.

Objectives:

  • Identify Best Practices, Lessons Learned and Establish Priorities for Better Peace Practices – Provide a forum for participants to review and share their country experiences in peacebuilding and conflict transformation, identifying positive and negative lessons learned that can improve peacebuilding engagements in the future, and identify key priorities to strengthen and enhance capacity at the country and regional levels for peacebuilding.
  • Map and Assess Peacebuilding Infrastructure – Assess the infrastructure established by participating governments to implement, facilitate, and support engagement in peacebuilding, war-to-peace transition, and post-war recovery and reconciliation.
  • Enhance Cooperation between Core Sectors and Actors – Enhance government/civil society/international agency/donor/country cooperation in peacebuilding, conflict transformation and post-war recovery, rebuilding and reconciliation.

Summit Agenda:

Through workshops, plenary sessions, and expert presentations, the content covered in the four days of the Summit will include:

  • Presentation and Review of Country Experiences
  • Analysis of Existing Government War-to-Peace Transition Infrastructure
  • Building Effective Government and Civil Society Capacity for Peace
    • Improving Coordination and Cooperation within Governments
    • Enhancing Government and Civil Society Cooperation
    • Creating the Capacity to Move From Reaction to Prevention
    • Addressing the Challenges of Post-War Recovery
  • Review of Donor Support and Engagement in Peace Processes
  • Summary of Lessons Learned and Best Practices in Government Peacebuilding Infrastructure

Key issues that countries potentially face when recovering from conflict will be discussed, including infrastructures for peacebuilding, capacity building, implementing and consolidating peace accords, DDR (disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration of ex-combatants), reconciliation, governance issues, strengthening interaction between governments and civil society, funding. Participants be involved in the preparatory phase in the identification of issues which will then be the focus of working sessions during the Summit.

Outputs:

  • Overview and recommendations of Government Peacebuilding Infrastructures, including core lessons learned, best practices, and proposals for better peace practice.
  • Summit Report, summarising key findings and recommendations by participants.
  • Establishment of a network of participating governments through the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and the Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace in cooperation with the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission.
  • Action Agenda for the establishment and strengthening of peacebuilding infrastructure at the country, regional, global, and local levels.
  • Video Documentary of the Global Summit, its lessons, and its outcomes.

Conveners:

A consortium of:

  • The Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace – supporting national campaigns to establish ministries and departments of peace around the world (www.mfp-dop.org)
  • The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict – a global network of civil society organisations working for conflict prevention and peacebuilding (www.gppac.org)
  • Pathways To Peace – in Consultative Status with the United Nations (ECOSOC) and serving as the International Secretariat of the Culture of Peace Initiative (www.pathwaystopeace.org)
  • The Peace Action, Training, and Research Institute of Romania – empowering active democracy, sustainable development, and peaceful conflict transformation (www.patrir.ro)
  • The Peace Alliance – advocating for legislation that supports a culture of peace, specifically that establishes a United States Department of Peace (www.thepeacealliance.org)
  • TRANSCEND – a peace and development network for conflict transformation by peaceful means (www.transcend.org)

Prospective Participants Being Considered:

  1. Government and civil society representatives of countries with units/offices for war-to-peace transition or post-war recovery: Burundi, East Timor, Fiji, Georgia, Guatemala, Haiti, Liberia, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, and Sri Lanka
  2. Donor and other countries engaged in peace processes and peacebuilding: Canada, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America
  3. Key UN and intergovernmental agencies and donor organisations supporting peace processes: ASEAN, AU, DED, EU, GTZ, OAS, UNDP, UNDPA, UNDESA, UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNPBC, USAID
  4. Select leading international peacebuilding practitioners.

Timing:

Proposed: June/July 2007, a preliminary round of meetings with missions and agencies at the United Nations proposed for March 2007 in order to lay groundwork for the Summit.

Contact:

For more information, please contact summitsecretariat@earthlink.net.