Engendering's gender perspective on a culture of peace

Breines, Ingeborg. Towards a Women’s Agenda for a Culture of Peace. Paris. UNESCO. 1999.

Marta Ramón Pascual. Journalist.  
Barcelona.

This manual sets out specific initiatives concerning the participation of women in peace, women criticism to the rules of peace, etc.. The second chapter of the first part, entitled  "Engendering's Gender Perspective on a Culture of Peace", tries to explain that only if men and women work together equally in rights we  will overcome the obstacles that prevent us from building a vision of future.

The author is Ingeborg Breines, Director of UNESCO's program "Women and the Culture of Peace”.  This chapter relies on the interdisciplinary project  of the same Organization, "Towards a Culture of Peace" (1998), based on the principles described in the Charter of the United Nations. UNESCO believes that peace must be sustained by democratic participation, good governance and creativity. Education in all its forms is understood as the key to democracy in daily life. According to Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the "culture of peace consists in moving from the logic of force and fear to the force of reason and love”.

The X point of the Letter of Peace addressed  to the UN says “Democracy must take a qualitative leap in order to defend and favour every person´ s opportunity to live in keeping with his or her conscience without ever, of course, curtailing anyone else´s freedom, or causing damage to others or to oneself”.  But what does this  mean, which aspects have to be changed? Furthermore, the point IX suggests: “it is clear that it is impossible to build worldwide peace while in society itself, and even in the family,  there is disdain towards more than half of its members: (children, senior citizens, marginalized groups and, of course, women).  Rather, a full recognition and respect for their dignity and their rights would lead towards favouring peace”. In sum, Breines´s book and the Letter of Peace addressed to the UN agree completly that equality, development and peace are inextricably linked: there can be no lasting peace without development, or sustainable development without full equality between men and women.

Forgiveness is a fresh start

Jankélevitch, Vladimir. Forgiveness. University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Francesc Torralba 
Barcelona. 

One of the most evocative works written during the twentieth century on the virtue of forgiveness is that of the French philosopher and musicologist Vladimir Jankélévitch (1903-1985), published in 1967 under the title Le pardón (Forgiveness, Seix Barral, 1999).

It is not easy to place the thought of this man within the philosophical systems of the last century, because in some ways it does not strictly fit any compartment. He is not a Marxist, nor an existentialist, nor a personalist, nor a structuralist in the orthodox sense of the term. His work is original and suggestive, yet it is not well known and translated in Spain. It has a profound moral mark and contains very appropriate reflections on life practice. It is a remarkable treatise on the virtues and his disquisitions on the vitalism of Bergson and idealism of Schelling, to whom he dedicated his doctoral thesis defended at the Sorbonne.

Forgiveness is a successful work in many senses. It explores the difficulties in the exercise of forgiveness and defines forgiveness as a free gift, an act of will. It proposes a cleansing; a fresh start free from the wounds of history. Forgiveness is, in this sense, therapeutic, hygienic, a cathartic operation that frees the weight of the past and treats the other as a new being. Forgiveness, as understood by Jankélévitch is not an impossibility but neither is it easy to achieve. It is humbling and at the same time, time plays a key role because to forgive an offence in the moment is difficult but given the distance of years, is a more viable path to reconciliation.

The Letter of Peace addressed to the UN has no direct reference to forgiveness but it does describe a series of key steps to restore peace and to make peace with history. Regretting unjust actions committed in the past is a first step. This entails recognising and having the bravery to do this publicly. Forgiveness is included in this process. I can only apologise if all of my heart regrets that which has happened, the wrong that I (or those in the government of an institution who represented me) have caused. Public regret does not guarantee reconciliation, but it is the first step. It also requires compensation as far as possible for the harm caused. Forgiveness is a virtue, it requires the repair work to occur not only on the symbolic level, but also in the ethical, social, economic and psychological realms. To compensate as much as possible for harm caused does not guarantee reconciliation either but is a second crucial step in the purification of the misdeeds of memory.

Vladimir Jankélévitch suffered persecution and exile, as did many other committed intellectuals in the twentieth century. When writing about forgiveness and its possibilities, he does not offer an ahistorical, frivolous or trivial discourse but he acknowledges the weight of resentments and grudges in the creation of peace. It is well worth reading and listening.

Materials of Peace and Human Rights

Palou Loverdos, Jordi. International Justice, Plunder in War, Human Rights and Multinationals.  Generalitat de Catalunya. Ministry of Home Affairs, Institutional Relations and Participation. Office for the Promotion of Peace and Human Rights Barcelona. 2010.

Letter of Peace addressed to the UN.
Barcelona.

The book by Jordi Palou Loverdos, "International Justice, Plunder in War, Human Rights and Multinationals" was launched. This material integrates the collection "Materials for Peace and Human Rights" which aims to collate working papers with the objective of providing a new and original perspective by publishing research carried out by specialised centres and experts.

The study analyses both old and new forms of armed conflict. It examines the different actors involved in wars and their diverse levels of influence, visible and hidden events, and the significant interests involved in violent episodes. It looks at how all of these elements affect individuals and groups, especially indigenous peoples and their inherent human rights. It also explores the response of international systems and looks at the Spanish national justice system along with the potential of these systems to address the new realities of war.

The study highlights developments in international law and the findings relating to crimes perpetrated directly or indirectly by the actors in the region being studied. The developments derive from official documents of the United Nations as well as research underway in the context of current legal proceedings in the Spanish courts examining principles of universal jurisdiction relating to genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other related crimes, including pillage, the destruction of property and heritage.

The question will be asked of whether national and international justice systems and the idea of international crimes are useful tools for confronting this reality. Proposals will then be offered for how to make the different answers to these questions more effective in practical situations. Last but not least, ways will be studied to more come up with more effective peacebuilding strategies, either by adapting current perspectives or by offering new routes, in order to transform violent conflicts into peaceful or, as a bare minimum, less harmful ones.

The author focuses his work on the influence of natural resources on armed conflicts. He explores the submerged part of a vast iceberg that such armed conflicts present, with non-state actors often dramatically involved in a complex game of chess. This raises the question as to whether national and international systems of justice and whether today’s concepts of international crimes are appropriate tools to address this new reality. It also considers more effective peace-building strategies in the transformation of violent conflict to peaceful, or less harmful ones.

Future Justice

Sykes, Helen. Future Justice. 2010. Future Leaders. Sydney. Australia.

Moo Baulch. 
Sydney, Australia.

Future Justice edited by Helen Sykes is a collection of writings by academics and thinkers about this generation’s responsibility to leave a just and stable legacy for the future.  The theme of the book echoes point IX of the Letter of Peace addressed to the UN when it states: “Progenitors are responsible for giving existence to other beings. Therefore, with the help of society, they should provide their offspring with sufficient support for their entire lives, above all in the inheritance of a more peaceful world for their entire lives.”

The books’ underlying message is the construction of a solid society based on principles of universal human rights, justice and solidarity. The chapters are written by key experts in their fields – a High Court Judge writes about being able to exercise the right to love as a gay man, one of Australia’s most prominent Aboriginal women writes about the concept of sustainability in Indigenous cultures and a professor of philosophy gives her perspective on intergenerational Justice. The essays are articulate, persuasive and offer a new perspective on the right of future generations to inherit a peaceful world.

The latter part of the book is a collection of short pieces of fiction, non-fiction and essays by young writers who entered the Future Readers writing competition. Again the topics include themes as diverse as climate change, violent conflict and old age. They are eloquently written and offer a good range of perspectives on

The book has been published by a Future Justice, a philanthropic initiative specifically designed to educate, inform and inspire. It is a joint initiative of Future Leaders and the  Institute of Legal Studies and is based in Australia. It is committed to economic, social, cultural and environmental advances for the present generation whilst securing and strengthening the life chances of future generations. It takes as its starting point the UNESCO ‘Declaration on the Responsibilities of the Present Generations Towards Future Generations’. This Declaration sets down the core responsibilities, which the present generation should assume. These include:

•    the responsibility to bequeath to future generations an Earth that will not one day be irreversibly damaged by human activity;
•    the responsibility to ensure that future generations may benefit from the richness of the Earth’s ecosystems and, to that end, the present generation should work to ensure sustainable development and the quality and integrity of the environment;
•    the responsibility to underpin and promote the socio-economic development of future generations through the fair and prudent use of available resources, including the nation’s economic, fiscal and budgetary resources;
•    the responsibility to work towards the progressive alleviation of poverty and other forms of economic and social disadvantage;
•    the responsibility to protect and safeguard the nation’s cultural heritage and to transmit that heritage to future generations;
•    the responsibility to provide high quality education as one crucial means of fulfilling everyone’s inherent potential; and
•    the responsibility to preserve and to strengthen peoples human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international law.

As part of strengthening this philosophy and spreading the word, Future Justice provides free electronic access to the entire book through their website! No software or file download is required, you simply have to click on the "read ebook" icons and they will open within a web-based ereader. If you want to read the books on your iphone or ipad navigate to this page www.futureleaders.com.au/ebooks/ using the browser on your device and select the "read ebook" icon. The Future Leaders will be publishing more books in this series – check back and see what they come up with.

Peaceland. A Sustainable World is Possible

Sunny Choi. Peaceland. A Sustainable World is Possible. 2008. New Century Publishing, Bangkok, Thailand.

Moo Baulch. 
Sydney, Australia.

Peaceland is a treatise proposing a bright, new future for the world. It offers a utopian vision for future generations in which people joyfully participate in every aspect of society. Every person’s contribution and place is valued, social responsibility is given the highest priority and positive peace is at the core of everyone’s existence. It is part poem, part guidebook to the future, part framework for peace building. Most significantly it supports several of the key points in the Letter of Peace addressed to the UN.

The book opens in 2012, when the world is crumbling. Natural disasters, environmental destruction, violent conflict and the structures of society that encourage selfish accumulation of wealth have brought mankind and the earth to a critical tipping point. The planet is collapsing. There are mass migrations of populations fleeing the effects of global warming. Greed has brought humanity to the brink of self-destruction.

Humans decide to change the world when they realize that greed is the sole cause of wars, envy, destruction and conflict. They recognize that the only way to a positive future is through peaceful coexistence. This awareness of the fundamental fraternity of existence is what is spoken of in point V of the Letter of Peace. The sense of interconnection between all people and social structures demands that we all think about our impacts on other people around us and on our environment.

Peaceland proposes that radical new social structures are necessary for this change to be effective. The book suggests a social capital model where everyone is equally responsible for their community and industry cares for society and the environment. A basic living wage is paid to every citizen and the people own the means of production. Citizens have free access to quality education, healthcare, transport and public services such as cheap, nutritious food. People are freed from the obligations of unfulfilling, undervalued work and given the freedom to contribute to society using their talents

Social mindedness is valued. To think about others and work and act with them in mind is considered the ultimate virtue. In Peaceland there are no public cars. Everyone travels by bicycle, public transport or walking. All technology and intellectual property is owned by society. There is no competition for resources or to accumulate wealth to buy better things than others because everyone has equal access to a satisfying existence. Material wealth is not the goal. Point VI of the Letter of Peace talks of a similar rejection of old social structures. It also proposes a construction of new structures based on human geographic units.

The final point of the Letter of Peace addressed to UN is synonymous with the message in Peaceland about our responsibility to future generations. Both texts speak of our duty as citizens of the world to ensure that the future will be more peaceful, harmonious and caring place. Peaceland may be a work of fiction but the ideas on which it is based: social capital, social wellbeing, social values and social participation and responsibility are achievable.

Memory as a remedy for evil

Todorov, Tzvetan. Memory as a remedy for evil. Berg Publisher. U.K. 2010. 

Alfredo Fernández. Journalist.
Letter of Peace adressedd to the U.N.

In his book contemporary Bulgarian historian and philosopher Tzvetan Todorov points out that “ our memory of the past become sterile if we use it to build an insurmountable wall between ourselves and evil”. He adds another very interesting statement. “ We are very quick to forget all the bad things we inflict on others in every day life, and yet we hold on to our memories of suffering for a long time".

And so we may ask ourselves: what can we do to remedy all the wrongs of the past? Very little, if anything at all. “We can, however, take action against criminals, people from the past, in order to ensure that they do not repeat their actions and we can influence people of the future as well”, says Todorov. He adds that public statements that recognise the suffering experienced by old victims can help to sooth the pain, although it cannot bring back the dead.

Point VIII of the Letter of Peace says, “The present representatives of the institutions that have prevailed through History, certainly have no responsibility for actions which took place in the past, since they were not alive then. But, in order to promote peace, these representatives should nevertheless publicly state their regrets for past evils and injustices committed by the institutions throughout History, when it is prudent to do so. In their institutional roles they should try to compensate for the damage caused.”

Todorov refers back to the situation in South Africa in another part of the book. He talks about how the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, presided over by Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, worked on collective memory. The commission’s central objective demonstrated how people who were responsible for violating human rights in South Africa should publically confess their crimes, whilst the victims receive state compensation if their testimonies could be confirmed. This meant a sense of truth and openness could be established, thereby achieving a second objective, forgiveness and the reconciliation of the population, where the white minority accept their responsibility for what happened in the past and the black and mixed race majority aims to overcome their resentment.

Is this an easy thing to do? Of course not. The case explored in the book has been applauded by many countries all over the world, but no one seems prepared to imitate its example. Are we now prepared to compensate others for our own mistakes? How can we do this?

Burma – Women´s Voices for Peace

Thanakha Team. Burma - Women's Voices for Peace. Edited by Thanakha Team. Bangkok. May 2010.

Moo Baulch. 
Sydney, Australia.

Burma – Women´s Voices for Peace is the seventh edition of women´s stories to be published by the Thanakha Team. Thanakha is a collective of women from different regions of Burma and other parts of the world, that exists to gather and publishes women´s stories about the human experience of the conflict in Burma. The stories are short, poignant vignettes demonstrating practical examples of daily peace-building and solidarity. The mere existence of some of the stories represents huge risk to lives; an earlier edition features poems smuggled to the publisher written by female prisoners incarcerated in horrific circumstances. Others are written by those fortunate enough to escape Burma and begin a new life as refugees, dislocated from their families and writing from exile in foreign lands. These stories epitomise the spirit of Burmese women. The defiant, eternal desire for peace is captured in every tale.

The stories are real, moving tales of daily existence – the women use the language of solidarity and peace-building whilst writing from a context of extreme displacement and state-perpetrated violence. Some of the stories have a strong political focus, others are more personal. They tell of amazing acts of courage - often using the simplest, most humble vernacular. What unites the women´s experience in this collection, regardless of ethnic background or political perspective is the humanity, compassion and humour with which these women continue their struggle.

Women have a strong presence in the fight for peace and democracy in Burma. Aung San Suu Kyi is the internationally recognised figurehead on the political stage and this October marks her 15th cumulative year of incarceration. This book represents just one crucial aspect of the work that ALTSEAN-Burma carries out. The organisation has been working with women in and outside Burma to bring about peace by sharing their stories, educating, training and empowering them, building and supporting displaced communities since 1996. ALTSEAN provides the resources for the Thanakha Team and supports women empowerment initiatives in the hope that one day a new generation of Burmese community leaders will have the freedom to participate democratically in their building of their nation.

At this stage the Women´s Voices collection is published in English as well as several ethnic Burmese languages. It is hoped that one day the stories can be translated into other languages so that these important voices can be heard across the world. In the meantime, here´s a translation of the closing poem in the collection – a call for solidarity, courage and hope amidst the violence.



Women´s Hope – Soe Meh

If you have shed tears for the freedom stolen from you
We have wept for the lives we created
Only to die before our eyes

If you show vengeance for all that you´ve been through
We can only aspire for a life that once was ours
To find its way back to its spirit

We are left with nothing but the courage to hope
And we hold on to this as we keep living each day
An inspiration, to gain back our freedom.