Mayor
of Hiroshima Visits European Parliament
As
part of the Mayors for Peace Campaign, Mr Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima
and founder of the Mayors for Peace network, visited the European
Parliament on Wednesday 19 January. In the morning Mr Akiba addressed
the Foreign Affairs Committee on the need for the world to turn
away from the nuclear threat.
This
is a highly topical issue. The 7th Review Conference of the Treaty
on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) takes place in
May 2005. The NPT is a key international treaty for preventing the
proliferation of nuclear weapons and to further the goal of nuclear
disarmament. The NPT is currently under threat because the Nuclear
Weapon States, (Britain, France, USA, China and Russia) who signed
the Treaty, have failed to effectively pursue nuclear non-proliferation
and disarmament. In addition, states who have not signed the NPT
have also undertaken nuclear activities. Israel, India and Pakistan
have developed nuclear weapons capabilities and are not interested
in joining, while North Korea has withdrawn from the NPT. All EU
Member States have signed the NPT (including Britain and France
with their nuclear weapons capabilities) and as the Mayor noted
in his speech; “Europe has an historic role to play in leading
humanity toward a nuclear-weapon-free future”.
After
speaking at the Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Akiba met with representatives
from European peace groups to discuss their plans for action leading
up to the Review Conference in May. This was followed by lunch for
Mr Akiba’s delegation, hosted by the Co- Presidents of the
Intergroup for Peace Initiatives, (a forum for MEPs to discuss and
debate peace issues), Tobias Pflüger (GUE - Germany) and Caroline
Lucas (Greens - EFA - UK).
After
lunch Mr Akiba’s delegation attended a hearing in the Foreign
Affairs and Defence Committees of both the House of Representatives
and Senate in the Belgian Parliament. Mr Akiba then returned to
the European Parliament for a reception hosted by the Intergroup
for Peace Initiatives which was attended by MEPs and representatives
of European peace groups.
The Mayor’s delegation then departed for Antwerp and the day’s
events concluded with a panel between MEPs and European peace groups
working on Nuclear Disarmament. Key issues raised were the next
steps that would need to be taken by the European Parliament to
move the issue of nuclear abolition forward.
More
information on the Mayors for Peace Campaign and how to take action
on the NPT
Robin
Bloomfield
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New
Programme Assistant at QCEA
My
name is Robin Bloomfield and I am one of the QCEA Programme Assistants
for 2005.
I have spent the last year doing a voluntary internship with Peaceworkers
UK, a British charity promoting civilian responses to violent conflict.
I found the internship to be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Before that, I did an undergraduate degree in Peace Studies at the
University of Bradford, pursuing my interest in the areas of international
politics and conflict resolution.
While
at University I was also actively working on issues of concern to
me . I was a member of the People & Planet Student Group in
Bradford as President in 2002 & Treasurer in 2003. While I was
with the group its biggest success was getting the university to
switch to green electricity and our Students Union to boycott Esso.
These
interests and concerns also led me to attend the Geneva Quaker UN
Summer School in 2002 and the QCEA Study Tour in 2003. Both were
positive experiences and a great opportunity to meet other people
with similar interests. My experience of the QCEA Study Tour directly
led me to apply for the post of Programme Assistant.
While
I come from a Quaker background, I have only recently begun to explore
what it means for me to be a Quaker. I hope that the year at QCEA
will help me explore Quakerism at the European level.
I also
have some experience with websites. I recently designed and built
a website for the Atomic Mirror (www.atomicmirror.org), a small
NGO using the creative arts to reveal the consequences of the nuclear
age. I hope that my knowledge of websites is one of the skills I
can bring to the role of Programme Assistant.
I am
looking forward to the next year in Brussels and having the opportunity
to contribute to the valuable and important work of QCEA.
Robin
Bloomfield
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Mayors
for Peace: a 20:20 Vision
The Mayors
for Peace Emergency Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons is enrolling mayors
across the globe to come to the 2005 NPT Review Conference. The Mayors
for Peace Campaign has proposed that negotiations begin in 2005 and
conclude by 2010 for a treaty to eliminate nuclear weapons, with global
nuclear disarmament implemented no later than 2020. Is
your Mayor a ‘Mayor for Peace’?
To
find out how to get your Mayor to join the Mayors for Peace campaign
visit: www.abolitionnow.org/mayors.html.
Learn
more about Europe & the NPT
Following
on from the visit of the Mayor of Hiroshima QCEA has added a new
section to its website titled ‘Europe and the NPT’.
To learn more about the current challenges facing the NPT visit:
www.quaker.org/qcea/npt/index.htm.
Join
the ‘Abolition Now!’ Campaign
To
find out 10 things you can do to support the call for nuclear abolition
visit: www.abolitionnow.org/tenthings.html.
For
a full report on the visit of the Mayor of Hiroshima to Brussels
please visit www.abolition2000europe.org/m4pBrussels.php.
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Peace
Making in the Middle East
News
bulletins on TV and radio and newspapers are full of stories of horror,
violence, oppression and suffering. These stories are true and important
and we, who live in relative safety, need to hear them. But
these stories are only one part of the situation. There are people,
on all sides of the conflict, who try to work together, people to
people, to build peace. There are not so many of them. They do not
represent a majority of their population. But they make an immensely
valuable contribution to the potential for peace in a part of the
world where peace seems so elusive.
They
don’t get much exposure in the world’s press. Theirs
are quiet stories of individuals taking a first step. It is important
to hear their story.
The
‘Practising Peace’ website, an initiative of Norwich
Quakers and Norwich and District Peace Council, is one source of
information about these initiatives. It can be found at http://www.practisingpeace.org/practisingpeace/index.html?all#list.
The
site gives information about a whole range of organisations. There
are the Mosaic communities, Multinational Housing Cooperatives in
Israel that are working to establish integrated communities. They
undertake work with groups of young people so that they can be part
of the development process and feel ownership of the projects.
There
is ACRI, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. Today, ACRI
is Israel’s largest and leading human rights organization,
and the only body to address the full range of human rights: from
the right to liberty through freedom of information; from the right
to education through freedom of expression. ACRI works to protect
the right of diverse individuals and sectors of society including
men and women, religious and secular, Jews and Arabs, those on the
political right and left, new immigrants and veteran citizens, unemployed
people, and foreign workers.
There
is the Sulha Peace Project. Sulha is an indigenous, middle-eastern
way of reconciliation. Their goal is to rebuild trust among neighbours,
Arabs and Jews, heart to heart, as a grassroots contribution to
peace in Israel. In these excruciating and critical times, they
feel there is a need for a safe place to hear and appreciate each
other's stories, hopes, fears, traditions and cultures beyond a
specific political agenda. The Sulha Way is an approach to peacemaking
based on heart level reconciliation between the Children of Abraham
who are rooted to a land on which they need to coexist. It "melts
the ice" allowing participants to reconnect and feel safe to
engage in, without fear, healthy, honest relationships. Their gatherings
are also rich in food, dance, music, dialogue circles and sacred
ritual from Arab and Jewish traditions. It is creating a rapidly
growing grassroots movement and attracting a broad cross-section
of society including: Muslims, Christians, Jews, Druze, Bedouin,
academics, peacemakers, spiritual activists, children, artists,
professionals, elders, clergy, educators, secular and religious.
In the last 4 years the Sulha has grown from 150 to over 4000 participants.
These
are just a few examples. In all, the website lists nearly 30 initiatives
or organizations including women’s groups, youth groups, groups
supporting this grass roots peace process from abroad (for example
summer camps for Israeli and Palestinian youth in the US) and much
more.
In
January, QCEA had the privilege of hosting a member of the Jerusalem
Peacemakers and the Sulha Project, Rabbi Eliyahu McLean. We arranged
meetings for him with relevant staff in the European Commission
and the Council Secretariat and both meetings were useful and positive.
We will continue to offer this approach to promoting these initiatives
to him and to others because we believe that this is one of the
seeds of hope on which a Middle East peace process could be built.
It would then be a process owned by the people from both sides,
a peace process which takes account of the very different viewpoints
of different groups on both sides and which would therefore have
the potential for lasting the course.
We encourage Friends and others to become familiar with these initiatives,
to support them, to give them publicity wherever possible and to
hold them in the light, particularly at this crucial time for peace
in the Middle East.
Martina
Weitsch
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News in Brief
UN
Report on Threats, Challenges and Change A
High-level Panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to
propose ways of strengthening international security has officially
announced its recommendations, urging the adoption of new, far-reaching
ground rules to help the world face new and evolving threats in
the 21st century, and to strengthen the United Nations.
The
Secretary-General has given his support to the Panel’s proposals
stating "The report offers the United Nations a unique opportunity
to refashion and renew our institutions".
The
Report of the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change,
entitled ‘A More Secure World: Our Shared Responsibility’,
is available online at: www.un.org/secureworld/.
Plenary
Conference of International NGOs at the Council of Europe
The
2005 Plenary Conference took place on 25 January in the Palais de
l’Europe in Strasbourg and was attended by Liz Scurfield.
There was a record attendance from the 374 international NGOs (INGOs)
enjoying participatory status. They adopted their General Declaration
for the 3rd Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government
(16-17 May 2005 in Warsaw) as well as new Rules of Procedure.
Liz
introduced QCEA’s draft resolution on the right of conscientious
objection to the payment of taxes for military purposes at the meeting
of the INGOs’ Human Rights Grouping on 26 January. It was
agreed that a full discussion on the subject would be held at its
next meeting in April.
Also
on 25 January, a memorial stone was unveiled on the forecourt of
the Council of Europe to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the
liberation of Auschwitz.
New
Post at QCEA
QCEA
is looking for one young person (age 21–30) to work as Programme
Assistant from September 2005. This new post has been made possible
through the generous support of German Yearly Meeting of the Religious
Society of Friends (Quakers). More information and an application
pack are available at: http://www.quaker.org/qcea/pa.htm
or by contacting the QCEA office.
Website
Redevelopment
Over
the next year QCEA is planning to redevelop its website. We would
like to hear from you, the users of the site, and your opinions
on what you like about the site, what you would like to see on the
site and any other thoughts you have on it. Please e-mail your comments
to: rbloomfield@qcea.org
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