INTERNATIONAL DAY : Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery

The International Day of

Remembrance of the

Victims of Slavery

and the Transatlantic Slave Trade

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 62/122 that established the Outreach Programme on the transatlantic slave trade and slavery, also designated 25 March as the annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The Day is observed with ceremonies and activities at United Nations Headquarters in New York and at United Nations offices around the world.

The Ark of Return is a powerful reminder of the tragic legacy of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade.

An initiative of the Caribbean Community and the African Union, it serves as an opportunity for reflection on the more than 18 million men, women and children that were enslaved and transported in harsh conditions to the Americas.

Years ago, I visited Goree Island in Senegal, which was the largest slave-trading centre on the African coast from the 15th to the 19th century.

I saw the small spaces, imagining the crowded rooms where the enslaved persons were packed.

I will never forget the feeling of sorrow and distress thinking on those who went through that very small door overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. A point of no return.

The Ark of Return, as Goree Island, seeks to remind us of the brutality of slavery and the slave trade.

Slavery was not only a dreadful individual ordeal, but a cultural trauma whereby a group of people were subjected to such inhuman pain and torture that it dehumanized their existence, their group identity, values, feelings, and their cultural worldview.

The theme of the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade this year is

“Stories of Courage: Resistance to Slavery and Unity against Racism”.

It is important to learn from history and listen to the stories of those who were stolen from their homeland, children who were snatched away from their families, daughters who were raped, sons who were sold, fathers who were emasculated and mothers who were tortured till they dropped dead.

We must discuss the legacy of slavery, especially in the marginalization of persons of African descent, who are still denied justice and equality. We must stand in solidarity, united against these inequalities. This dark chapter of our history should never be whitewashed.

Let us raise our voices as we continue to fight against racism and prejudice around the world.

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#UN #PREJUDICE #HWPL #IPYG #IWPG #PEACE #WARP_OFFICE #AFRICAN

DPCW_1038:Institutional Peace to Counteract the Threats of Global Conflicts is Examined

In the present era where the safety of individual lives is constantly threatened by widespread conflicts, peacebuilding is currently demanded to develop into a system that promotes the values, norms, and culture of peace for all countries, communities and, individuals, based on the shared principles of coexistence and interdependence of the global community.

'HWPL's 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW)' was held online on 14 March 2022 with over 5,000 participants, under the theme, Institutionalizing Peace: Building a Legal Foundation for Sustainable Peace.

An UN-affiliated NGO Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), has endorsed combined efforts of governments and civil society efforts that lead to the institutionalization of peace in each society. Its DPCW proclaimed in 2016 has provided a guide to citizen-led peace advocacy, in line with international organizations including the UN, the African Union (AU), and the EU that have stressed normative guidance as a standard for substantial conflict resolution with the participation of women and youth.

 

As for the need to "build a legal foundation for sustainable peace," Dr. Kamal Hossain, the President of International Law Association (ILA) Bangladesh Branch said, "The precondition for achieving peace is securing peoples’ inalienable rights, which include equality before the law, equal protection of the law, non-discrimination, freedom to associate, freedom to assemble, and freedom to express."

In addition, Ms. Anna Cervenakova, a member of HWPL International Law Peace Committee, mentioned "In the world’s ongoing crisis, governments question themselves, what kind of action would be the best action to take in order to overcome the emergency crisis. 

The need for human development, by overcoming the public health emergency, climate change, economic decline, restrictions on human rights, brings us to the point of how these burdens are solved by the institutions of the governments.

Much of the burdens of the work is, therefore, on the side of the governments, so it is important what are the priorities in their institutional agenda."

As one of the speakers, Prof. Rommel Santos Diaz of international law at the Universidad INCE said that government offices including the Senate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Attorney General’s Office in the Dominican Republic have been working with NGOs for the purpose of the “state’s decision-making for public policies on citizen security and human rights” based on the DPCW.

Responding to prevalent threats from religious conflicts, Imam Moulana Shafiek Nolan in Westridge of South Africa expressed,

 "(T)he DPCW emphasises the importance of peace between religions and the cessation of religious conflict. The monthly scripture dialogue hosted by HWPL particularly aims to create a platform to break down misunderstandings of religious scripture and practices, mirroring the values expressed in the DPCW."

Chairman Man Hee Lee of HWPL said that wars and conflicts continue to occur since “wars can be triggered if it is allegedly necessary according to the current international law, which is why this cannot put an end to war.” He highlighted that all members of the global village need to be united as one as “messengers of peace” to “certainly create a thing (international law for peace) that can bring about peace.”

On February 28, HWPL issued a statement on Russia's invasion of Ukraine that includes refugee protection and global youth solidarity against war and is delivering it to 192 countries. The DPCW presents principles of peace to be promoted by the international society such as prohibiting the use of force, fostering religious freedom, and civic participation to spread a culture of peace. It highlights that sustainable peace can be achieved through all members of the global society by identifying not only nation-states but also international organizations and all citizens as the main actors in building peace.

For the full text of the DPCW or Statement Regarding Russia and Ukraine, you may visit : www.hwpl.kr

Sourced by: http://newsday.ge/new/index.php/en/component/k2/item/41455-peace

 

#HWPL #DPCW_1038 #WARP_OFFICE #RUSSIA #UKRAINE #PEACE

HWPL's 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War

ABOUT

HWPL’s 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) will be held online on 14 March 2022. At this year’s commemoration, under the theme, Institutionalizing Peace: Building a Legal Foundation for Sustainable Peace, HWPL spotlights institutionalization as a foundation to make peace take root and develop.

Since the proclamation of the DPCW, the citizen-led peace project Legislate Peace captured HWPL’s efforts to expand and strengthen the global alliance for peace. Its efforts include initiatives to sew peace into the social fabric as a universally shared culture and norm. While working toward the universalization of peace values, there have been discussions regarding the need to institutionalize peace. Delving into the topic, HWPL sets out to draw the blueprint for peace as an institution, which will serve as the cornerstone for the era of peace.

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HWPL's 6th Annual Commemoration of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War

Institutionalizing Peace: Building a Legal Foundation for Sustainable Peace

· Date : Mar. 14th, 2022. 8:00 PM(GMT+9)

· Replay : https://bit.ly/6thDPCW_EN

· Homepage : https://bit.ly/en6th314DPCW

 

#HWPL #DPCW #6thAnniversary_314DPCW #EndWar #Peace #NoWar #LeeManHee

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2. Background

International organizations such as the UN, the African Union (AU), and the EU have recently stressed normative guidance as a standard to set the course for substantial conflict resolution and peace. Notably, it is recommended that women and youth participate in discussions on peace so that the concerns of the citizens afflicted by conflict are not overlooked. The IGOs also underscore the constructive intervention of NGOs that can contribute their expertise and experience for peace issues, the inclusion of human rights policies, and the democratic process in implementing peace-related policies.

The UN and the AU have recognized the importance of ensuring inclusivity in peacebuilding and post-conflict reconstruction by ensuring the participation of women and youth, with the aim of achieving sustainable peace. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) emphasized the importance of international efforts to select a discussion channel that includes the UN, nation-states, and all other stakeholders with the goal of resolving national crises of widespread conflict and establishing sustainable peace and democracy. More specifically, the EU started the Global Europe thematic programme on Peace, Stability and Conflict Prevention to enhance peace and safety capabilities of conflict-stricken regions. The diverse participation of actors, their cooperation, solidarity, and harmony for peace form a comprehensive approach to conflict resolution and prevention, which shows an evolutionary process that stimulates the institutional reinforcement for systemic peacebuilding through a normative framework.

Based on the DPCW, participation in peace activities and peace coalitions from around the world illustrate the collective will of the global citizens for peace. In this regard, the global alliance for peace activities led by HWPL fully aligns with the recommendations of the international community, including the UN.

At the same time, it also leaves the challenge of institutionalization that establishes peace as a system, the norm, and custom through cooperation with countries and organizations that reflect the citizens’ collective will to let peace take root in nations and regions. In other words, in the process of establishing peace as the law applicable to all individuals and a social consensus, the key is the development of the institution, a mechanism that will shed the light of peace on everyone fairly and generously.

It also points to the need for efforts to strengthen and complement current international law and efforts in societies to internalize the institution of peace through democratic and legal processes, all of which must go hand in hand at the international, national, and local levels. The international community is the collective action that involves all stakeholders with the capability and potential for fulfilling sustainable peace. Such collective action is founded on the collective spirit and collective will of citizens. Since the DPCW was proclaimed in 2016, HWPL has been forging a citizens’ alliance for peace under the title, Legislate Peace, as part of its efforts for the institutionalization of peace and international law for peace.

 

3. Content and Outcome

Proclaimed on 14 March 2016 at 3:14 p.m., the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) proposes ten articles and 38 clauses that embody principles that strengthen the foundation for the prevention and resolution of the globally rampant conflicts. Violent conflicts today are traced back to sources beyond state boundaries, and the most frequent types are conflicts caused by non-state actors. This means the threat to individual lives, social stability, national constitution, and even the security of human society has become more common and personalized. Therefore, DPCW from Articles 1 to 7 reaffirms the conventional international law and norms for peace order that run current in the international community, including friendly relations, use of force, conflict resolution by international law. At the same time, it proposes actions such as repurposing weapons and related facilities to instruments and equipment that serve the daily lives of citizens and obligating nation-states to request and accept the international courts’ rulings based on international law, an innovative approach to complement the current international legal system.

In addition, in Articles 8 to 10, the DPCW suggests an evolved approach to peaceful resolution in response to evolved conflicts. It covers engaging cooperation, solidarity, and unity across IGOs, nation-states, and the citizens’ that form these actors to deal with non-state actors emerging as growing causes of conflict. Articles 8 to 10 highlight the peace mechanism in response to new types of conflict. They include giving penalizing roles to punish entities that destroy social order by inflicting violence or human rights abuse under the name of religious belief or ethnical identity and thereby threaten international stability and establishing and spreading a culture of peace through activities to promote peace and build solidarity among peace organizations, education that foster mutual respect and understanding, and ensuring freedom of the press to reflect diverse voices across societies.

The spirit of the DPCW recognizes citizens as the main actor of peacebuilding and points to a transition from the rule of power to the governing by law for harmony, fairness, and justice. In this regard, this year’s commemoration of the DPCW will view international law, religion, education, and the youth in light of the prospect of setting legal foundations to institutionalize peace and present cases from numerous social arenas.

Furthermore, by charting the direction for future civic peace campaigns, the event will contribute to devising concrete plans to form cooperative public-private relations toward peace as a core value shared by all countries and societies.

 

French Language Day March 20

On March 20, the UN celebrates French Language Day.

United Nations Language Days were introduced  in 2010  to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.

 

The UN celebrates six “Language Days” every year, dedicated to the six official languages ​​of the United Nations, which are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. 

 

These days are an opportunity to make the international community aware of the history, culture and use of each of these languages.

 

The date of French Language Day was chosen symbolically with reference to March 20, 1970, which marked the creation of the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), which became the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) .

 

Multilingualism, more fundamental than ever

To emerge from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better, it will be necessary to continue to adopt an approach mobilizing all components of societies, all public authorities and the whole world in a spirit of compassion and solidarity. . An essential factor in harmonious communication between peoples, multilingualism is more than ever of particular importance for the United Nations because it promotes tolerance and ensures the effective participation of all in the Organization's work process.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical presence was drastically reduced at United Nations Headquarters and other conference centers around the world, the language, translation and interpretation services of the Department of the General Assembly and conference management quickly adapted their working methods and never ceased to assume their essential role as guarantors of multilingualism. French language learning and courses at the UN have continued, remotely.

 

All content produced and distributed in French by the teams of the Global Communication Departmentbased in the four corners of the world have been maintained, doubling in efficiency and precision in the face of an overabundance of information, sometimes false or misleading.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has also caused the most severe disruption in history to global education systems, keeping more than 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries out of school at the height of the crisis. crisis, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The immediate effects of the pandemic have also been disastrous on the lives of young people (18-29) in terms of employment, education, mental well-being, rights and social activism, according to the International Organization of Labor (ILO).

 

According to the Observatory of the French language , there are 132 million learners of and in French in the world. Among 300 million French speakers on the five continents, the vast majority in many countries are under 30 years old.

 

"The Francophonie of the future"

March 20 is recognized by the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) as the International Day of La Francophonie. The United Nations cooperates regularly with the OIF and its Member States in the spirit of the provisions of the  resolutions on cooperation with the OIF  adopted periodically by the General Assembly. In 2022, the OIF wishes to register the celebrations of the International Day of La Francophonie under the theme "La Francophonie of the future" .

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#UN #FUTURE #FRENCH #HWPL #PEACE #IWPG #WARP_OFFICE

#NO_WAR #IPYG #DPCW_1038

International Day of Happiness 20 March

Happiness is a fundamental human goal.

 The United Nations General Assembly recognizes this goal and calls for

“a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all peoples” .

What is the International Day of Happiness?

It’s a day to be happy, of course! Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness as a way to recognise the importance of happiness in the lives of people around the world. In 2015, the UN launched the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which seek to end poverty, reduce inequality, and protect our planet – three key aspects that lead to well-being and happiness.

The United Nations invites each person of any age, plus every classroom, business and government to join in celebration of the International Day of Happiness.

 

☞Background

 

The General Assembly of the United Nations in its resolution 66/281 of 12 July 2012 proclaimed 20 March the International Day of Happiness, recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives.

It also recognized the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.

The resolution was initiated by Bhutan, a country which recognized the value of national happiness over national income since the early 1970s and famously adopted the goal of Gross National Happiness over Gross National Product. It also hosted a High Level Meeting on "Happiness and Well-Being: Defining a New Economic Paradigm" during the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.

 

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#UN #PEACE #BHUTAN #PEACE #HAPPINESS #SMILE #HWPL #DPCW_1038 #IPYG #WARP_OFFICE #IWPG

An International NGO Sends Anti-war Statement to 192 Countries to Restore Peace in Ukraine

An International NGO Sends Anti-war Statement to 192 Countries to Restore Peace in Ukraine

Many parts of the global society is reacting to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine by denouncing Russian President Putin’s decision of devastating attack and occupation of the Ukraine territory.

https://bit.ly/3C9KDgc

In his presidency, Putin used the military power to invade and control foreign territory including South Ossetia, Crimea of Ukraine, and now parts of the north, east and south of Ukraine, which all challenged the global security and stability.

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On 28th, Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a South Korea-based international NGO affiliated with the UN ECOSOC and Seoul Metropolitan Government, made a statement to advocate a global cooperation for peace.

Titled “Statement by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) Regarding Russia and Ukraine”, it demands that Russia withdraw all military to its own territory, international community protect and accommodate refugees, and global youth unite for an anti-war movement and peace.

“Military aggression against a sovereign state cannot be a solution to any problem, and the perils of such war and violent conflict hit innocent citizens the hardest, including women, the youth, and children. … Russia must withdraw its forces back to its country … (and we) request all nations to demonstrate their love for humanity by offering help to refugees.”

 

HWPL has been seeking to construct a global network for peace by building solidarity among leaders and representatives from the field of politics, religion, youth, women and media in the world. Written by 580,000 citizens worldwide, HWPL in 2018 sent out “peace letters” urging the heads of states of 192 countries to demand their participation in cooperation for peace.

On February 26th, the White House announced through a statement that the European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States will cooperate to execute an economic sanction to exclude Russia from the international financial system by removing selected Russian banks from the SWIFT.

Ukrainian forces are currently resisting against the Russian military with effective defense, and anti-war protests and voices in support of Ukraine through social media become more widespread throughout the world.

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Sunrise Online - International NGO Calls for Restoration of Peace in Ukraine

https://bit.ly/3KgOFWM

#NO_WAR #PEACE_WORLD #NO_WEAPON #DPCW_1038 #UN

#IPYG #IWPG #HWPL

DPCW_1038 : Alliance of Religions

 

1. WARP Offices

HWPL’s WARP Office serves as a platform for leaders of varying religions to regularly assemble to promote religious harmony by having comparative discourse on their scriptures and promoting understanding each other’s differences. As of December 2021, there are 268 WARP offices in operation in 129 countries. By participating, the religious leaders are grasping a clear idea of the duty they need to fulfill, finding specific ways to realize peace, and trying to prevent religious conflicts from taking place.
WARP offices are actively contributing to building a peaceful world by resolving disputes that derive from religious misunderstanding and promoting a more in-depth understanding of the standards, teachings, and the notion of peace in each religious text.

2. HWPL Religious Youth Peace Camp

HWPL’s Religious Youth Peace Camp is an initiative with the aim of fostering youth as key players in peacefully resolving conflicts and enhancing their capacity as such by providing an opportunity to have religious and cultural exchange among youth worldwide, including members of youth organizations. Those who take part in the camp experience different cultures and religions, and find ways that religious communities should function in order to establish peace on earth. As of December 2021, the peace camp has been held 48 rounds in 24 countries.
Through various programs, such as those on the history of the world’s religion, experiencing religions other than mine first-hand, and finding means to fundamentally address conflicts with religious causes, the participants are able to widen their perspective on religion.

3. Open Dialogue with Religious Leaders

The Open Dialogue with Religious Leaders has been held regularly for Christian denominations in Korea to promote communication and harmony. Through the dialogue, Christians, who carry the same scripture called the Bible, are able to recognize the differences in biblical interpretation of diverse denominations and better understand each other. Pastors representing different denominations take part as speakers and discuss a particular topic when the dialogue is held, so the audience can hear different interpretations of various denominations in one place. Since the open dialogue first started in January 2018, it has been held 557 times (as of December 2021), and Christian leaders in South Korea are actively engaging in the discussions.

4. MOUs with Religious Organizations

Starting with the signing of the MOU with the Ethiopian Islamic Affairs Supreme Council in 2018, HWPL continued to sign MOUs with religious organizations such as Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle, Korean Buddhism Jogyejong Conference, and more at the 2019 HWPL World Peace Summit. HWPL plans to continue its collaboration and engagement with religious organizations in order to further spread the culture of religious peace in a concerted effort.

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