Tag: united-nations

Pursuing Peace

For people of various beliefs this season carries a singular message: peace on earth, goodwill to all. For many the lip service ends with the season and we are left in a swirl of hopelessness and indecision. Yet before our time here, and I imagine long after we’re gone, there have been persistent and passionate voices that have stood and will stand for humanity and peace. They inspire us with wisdom borne of effort, and paths forged by determination and choice. 

We honor the memory of these people and stand on the shoulders of the countless nameless whose work towards peace lives on in us. We seldom realize the torch is being passed.  And, we the living are the bearers of that torch, if we accept it and as we understand it.

The 1948, United Nations Declaration of Human Rights was an achievement of great significance as it was drafted and ratified by people from different cultures and countries. It was the first time a universally recognized understanding of the rights of humankind was proclaimed. Say what you will about the UN, but this effort to inspire and uplift all of us has been the cornerstone of over 70 human rights treaties. This in a world seemingly hell bent on self-destruction.

So, in this moment as we begin to look to the new year with apprehension and hope, it is incumbent upon us to consider where we stand as torchbearers of peace.

Have we understood and accepted peace in our own lives? Surely, we cannot establish peace around us if we remain in turmoil and confusion.

Most recently an esteemed member of the Global Peace Education Network passed on. Federico Mayor Zaragoza‘s words to all people of peace echo on, “We cannot remain silent anymore”. “Do not be a spectator”, he warned.

Now, it’s up to us to answer that request in any and every way we can.

Call for a United Nations 
Global Peace Education Day

Please read our petition and add your name if you share our goal for a UN day of peace education.Since peace is central to the mission of the United Nations, we are urging the General Assembly to declare an official UN Global Peace Education Day. The United Nations has more than 150 international days for different humanitarian themes, but there is no day dedicated solely to the theme of Peace Education

Weary of War

The United States will again hinder the course of international justice and challenge universal standards of morality. Biden has denounced the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials and Hamas leaders. 

Since its inception, the International Criminal Court has strived to establish rules of engagement for war and peace – a monumental undertaking given the diversity of thought that exists in the world.  Driven by a desire for human dignity to prevail, the court seeks to create a system of justice that would offer solace to victims and direct the course of human interactions towards peace.

The United States is a non-member of the ICC, and has supported the International Court when the Court has sought to employ justice against its foes, but has balked when the same Court has attempted to enact jurisdiction over the United States or its allies. Perhaps it’s time we evaluate our relationship to power and militarism and attempt peace keeping through diplomacy.  

The United Nation’s effort to establish peace among nations is repeatedly hindered by the United States. We’re often the first to veto efforts to rein in aggression. This we have seen throughout Israel’s inhuman assault on Gaza. Even our allies are turning toward peacebuilding and away from supporting arms sales to Israel.

And in a major turn of events, Norway, Ireland and Spain have begun to recognize the statehood of Palestine. As the three countries united in this action, they expressed it as a step towards peace – for both sides of the conflict. 

Many of us are weary of the normalization of war and the devastation of human life and the environment. Polls are bearing this out. 

Those fearing Biden will lose the election would do well to push him towards peace. 

Countries that recognize the statehood of Palestine.