QCEA: Around Europe No.#278 December 2005

Faced with the conflicts present in the world today and the often belligerent responses that world leaders choose to take, those of us committed to peaceful and nonviolent solutions can frequently feel isolated and powerless. Voices calling for peace and reconciliation are seldom heard in the mainstream, drowned out by the calls for revenge and retribution. Sharing knowledge and supporting each other in our work is essential.

In October 2005, as a Programme Assistant with the Quaker Council for European Affairs, I had one such opportunity to join like-minded individuals and explore my own concern for peace by attending the ‘Called to be Peacemakers’ gathering in the UK.

This gathering for young people, organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), gave us the opportunity to explore Christian peacemaking and issues around war and armed conflict. The event took place as part of the ‘Called to be Peacemakers’ initiative organised by FOR to help individuals and Church communities in the UK to reflect on issues of peace, conflict and war.

Along with learning about the Christian inspiration for peacemaking, we studied concrete examples
of nonviolence achieving real change in the world. We addressed contemporary challenges facing us, such as the Iraq War.

We had the opportunity to hear from Milan Rai, who spoke on behalf of Voices in the Wilderness UK (www.voicesuk.org), which campaigns against the policies of the US/UK governments on Iraq, and were asked to consider what action could be taken to deal with the problems in Iraq today.

There was also space for us to get to know each other and share our experiences of working for peace. Some participants came as newcomers to the ideas and work of peace; others had experience of working in conflict zones such as Israel/Palestine.

Reflecting on what motivates us to work towards peace in the world today and having an opportunity to meet others who shared similar concerns was both challenging and rewarding.
For more information about the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and being ‘Called to be Peacemakers’ please visit: www.for.org.uk

Robin Bloomfield

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Peace Book Launch at European Parliament

QCEA and Westmoreland General Meeting organised the successful launch of a new book on peace at the European Parliament on 20 October. Over 100 people, including Parliamentary staff and MEPs, peace campaigners, and NGO delegates attended the launch of ‘Preparing for Peace: By Asking the Experts to Analyse War’. All present were offered a free copy of the book.

Is war successful in achieving its aims? Over the course of a 5-year project, politicians, soldiers, diplomats, campaigners, and scientific, legal, and poltical experts explored this question. Their findings support the conclusion that war is obsolete, and they add to our convicton that modern and courageous thinking provide far better methods for transforming conflict. QCEA would like to thank the office of UK MEP Gary Titley for hosting this event. To find out more about Westmoreland General Meeting’s ‘Preparing for Peace initiative’, please visit: www.preparingforpeace.org

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Ziviler Friedensdienst auf der Weltbühne

(An English translation of this article will appear in the next Around Europe)

Auf Anregung von Kofi Annan, dem Generalsekretär der Vereinten Nationen, startete das European Center for Conflict Prevention in den Niederlanden eine weltweite Kampagne mit dem Titel Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC). Sie führte seit dem Frühjahr 2004 in 15 Regional-Konferenzen Nichtregierungsorganisationen der Friedens- und Menschenrechtsbewegung in allen Teilen der Welt zusammen. Ziel war neben der Vernetzung untereinander und der gegenseitigen Abstimmung über die Inhalte einer globalen Friedenspolitik vor allem die Erarbeitung von regionalen Action Agendas. Diese bildeten die Grundlage für eine Global Action Agenda, die unter dem Titel „People Building Peace“¹ im Juli 2005 bei einer weltweiten Konferenz am Sitz der Vereinten Nationen in New York dem Generalsekretär und der Weltöffentlichkeit übergeben wurde.

Mitglieder der Religiösen Gesellschaft der Freunde (Quäker) waren - oft eingebunden in andere Organisationen – mitverantwortlich an der Vorbereitung und Durchführung der Kampagne beteiligt. Sie trugen aus ihrer Arbeit zu dem Forderungskatalog an die weltweite Zivilgesellschaft einerseits und die Mächtigen auf allen nationalen und internationalen Ebenen andererseits bei. Während die noch junge Nonviolent Peaceforce durch ein herausgehobenes Beispiel aus ihrem Modellprojekt in Sri Lanka Beachtung fand, wurde die Forderung nach zivilen Friedensdiensten² wiederholt in dem Abschlußdokument vorgebracht. Dies ist u.a zurückzuführen auf die positiven Erfahrungen des Zivilen Friedensdienstes in Deutschland, an der auch FREUNDE der deutschen Jahresversammlung aktiv beteiligt sind. Bereits auf der ersten GPPAC-Regionalkonferenz in Dublin fand dies als Modell einer „public-privat partnership“ weite Beachtung und daher mehrfach Eingang in die Action Agenda. Das European Network for Civil Peace Services, in dem inzwischen 34 Organisationen aus mehr als 20 europäischen Ländern zusammenarbeiten, hat in dem GPPAC Prozess zusätzlich unterstützend in Hinsicht auf die Forderung nach Civil Peace Services weltweit gewirkt.

In dem New Yorker Abschlußdokument werden Friedensdienste als Instrument der Solidarität und schützenden Begleitung für gefährdete Menschen in Konfliktregionen gesehen. Sie können zur Unterstützung friedensbereiter Kräfte beitragen, aber auch auf Grund ihres Einblicks in die konkrete Situation Empfehlungen an Politiker geben. Im Sinne von „Rapid Response“ reagieren sie schnell und unbürokratisch, unterstützen durch basisbetonte Arbeit offizielle Friedensmissionen und erleichtern die Rückkehr von Flüchtlingen in Krisengebiete. Friedensdienste können genderorientierte Arbeit leisten und durch ihren unparteiischen Status Brücken schlagen zwischen verschiedenen Ethnien und Kulturen. Sie tragen zur Prävention von Krieg und Gewalt in Krisengebieten bei und unterstützen den aufbau zivilgesellschaftlicher Strukturen.

Die Regierungen und internationale Stellen werden aufgefordert, zivile Friedensdienste stärker politisch und finanziell zu fördern und deren Arbeit mit Friedensbemühungen auf anderen Ebenen zu verknüpfen. Die Global Action Agenda fordert geeignetes Training, Fallstudien zur Einsatzvorbereitung und nachträgliche Evaluation für derartige Dienste. Sie nimmt damit Forderungen auf, die auch von den Trägern des Zivilen Friedensdienstes in Deutschland gestellt und bereits weitgehend umgesetzt werden.³

Helga Tempel, Mitglied der Deutschen JV
1 Dies ist auch der Titel eines zeitgleich erschienenen Sammelbandes von „Successful Stories of Civil Society“, zu beziehen u.a. über www.rienner.com
2 Weitere Informationen über zivile Friedensdienste sind an folgenden Webaddressen zu finden: European Center for Conflict Prevention www.conflict-prevention.net, European Network for Civil Peace Services www.en-cps.org, Nonviolent Peaceforce www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org, forumZiviler Friedensdienst www.forumZFD.de/
3 Relevante Zitate bezüglich der zivilen Friedensdiensten finden Sie in der Global Action Agenda auf Seiten 7, 11, 12, 22, und 23. Den Text dieser Global Action Agenda finden sie an der folgenden Webaddresse: www.global-conference.net

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BRIAN STAPLETON 1922 - 2005

Brian Stapleton, who died last month, was an inspired choice as QCEA's first Representative in 1979. Brian brought to QCEA wide experience in Europe and Africa and a vision of a Europe much broader than that of the then nine Member States of the European Economic Community.

It was this vision which led Brian to contacts with Friends in Eastern Europe, to discussions with NATO staff and - most importantly for the ongoing work of QCEA - to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, where he immediately applied for QCEA to have NGO consultative status, and where he was met by cries of "And WHERE have you Quakers been?"

Europe has changed and QCEA has grown since Brian and his wife Pat left Brussels in 1983, but the structure he established is still very much in place. His work in Adult Education and Training led him to develop the concept of the Study Tour and to institute the Programme Assistant posts, which have provided opportunities for postgraduate service and training for nearly 50 young people. Both the Study Tour and the Programme Assistant opportunities continue.

As a Conscientious Objector during World War II, he realised the continuing importance of this concern in continental Europe, where conscription was then still very much the norm, and he worked closely with the Council of Europe on this. The Peace Tax was also of concern to Brian, and QCEA published a report on this prepared by Fiona MacKenzie.

Brian left enough ideas on file when he left Brussels to keep QCEA busy for many years to come.
Brian has been accused of having a fragmented career, but in fact his guiding principle was always to set up an organisation and then work himself out of a job. In universities and at the Pan-African Institute, in Cameroon and Nigeria, he set up departments and then meticulously trained his successors to take his place.

These African experiences, especially in Cameroon, were of supreme importance to his working principles and were particularly important, in that they gave him experience of both French and British ex-colonial situations and working methods.

In Brussels, a different exercise, he and Pat involved Friends from many fields and from various Meetings, including the present Belgium and Luxembourg Monthly Meeting, in QCEA's expanding programmes. Egil Hovdenak from Norway on Development questions and Irene Jacoby (Britain Yearly Meeting) and Hamsa Eichler (Austria) on race relations helped introduce the work of QCEA to their Yearly Meetings, as did many others.

Brian's energy and his sense of humour were boundless. They kept him on course through three years at Avenue de la Brabançonne and the move to Square Ambiorix, and they followed him to Provence, where he and Pat enjoyed the country they both loved and which many of their friends have discovered through them.
They made Quaker House, first in Avenue de la Brabançonne and then in Square Ambiorix, the open and welcoming Quaker space it still is today.

Elisabeth Baker

A Memorial Meeting will be held in Quaker House on Saturday, 21st January 2006 at 3:00 p.m.

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News in Brief

QCEA Study Tour
22-30 April 2006: Belgium and Luxembourg

Interested in Europe and the EU?
The QCEA Study Tour brings citizens of Europe closer to the European Institutions that both represent them and directly affect their lives.

Our April 2006 Study Tour promises eight days of learning and interactive discussions about peace and security, human rights, and economic justice. Through visits to European Institutions in Brussels and Luxembourg and meetings with MEPs and NGOs, you can become a more informed citizen. Come and join us and see how QCEA works to promote a Quaker vision of Europe.

Applications are now available on the QCEA web site at: www.quaker.org/qcea/studytour

IPRA Conference
29 June - 3 July 2006: Calgary, Canada
Patterns of Conflict, Paths to Peace
The International Peace Research Association (IPRA) will hold its 21st biennial conference, ‘Patterns of Conflict, Paths to Peace’, at the end of June 2006 in Calgary, Canada. Founded in 1964, IPRA works to promote peace research and peace education. IPRA’s biennial conference is a major international event, including approximately 90 panel sessions and involving participants from more than 50 countries.

Full details are available from the Conference website at: www.ipra2006.com
More information on the IPRA can be found at: www.ipraweb.org

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