SI NEWS 2005 en ServasPeace
From SI Exco News
Peace & related UN activities
How this report was written
Dozens of people reported on Servas Peace activities in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the South Pacific, including Peace Secretaries, Area Coordinators and Servas Representatives to the UN. About 40 individual Servas hosts provided personal views on Servas and Peace, offering to attend meetings on Peace at the UN and at World Summits.
Beneath the surface of this summary lives a great diversity of Servas contributions to Peace. We cannot describe the hopes, fears, joy and passion for Peace which volunteers expressed. Separate papers have been compiled, with detailed information from national Servas representatives, several Peace Secretaries, many Servas hosts, and Servas UN delegates to the UN at Vienna, Geneva & New York.
Discussion:
Not everything is complete. We heard at the World Tourism Summit that Servas could contribute to more peaceful global development through tourism by adopting an Eco-tourism Code, to help limit damage of tourism to nature and communities. And globally Servas would benefit from local links to UNDP.
We have also been told (e.g. by Oxfam and by United Nations Association) that Servas could facilitate the work of millions of others, if Servas could be made more visible and more receptive to travellers who serve Peace-seeking charities, e.g. Servas to deliberately encourage international and local volunteers of reputable Peacebuilders, including workers for the relief of poverty, getting them to join Servas as qualified travellers, and make use of the Servas system.
There is a lot of Peace activity in Servas, but it is often not being internally disseminated and shared among hosts, travellers and interviewers. The core activity of Servas, as home-hosting, hospitality network could be strengthened, by informing/educating Servas area coordinators, interviewers, hosts and travellers on Peace goals and actions. But apart from the outstanding website established by US Servas, and the references on the Servas South Africa website, communications appear rather incomplete, with many gaps. Possibly Servas Net and the SI Servas.org web-page have been under-utilized, as have teleconferencing and presentations at Servas meetings. Some Peace Secretaries are active; several are isolated. Some countries report no Peace activity.
Through its delegates Servas comes in close contact with the community of thousands of voluntary sector Civil Society groups and networks who observe and participate in discussions of Peace and Peaceful Development at the UN. In addition to our regular delegates to the Human Rights Commission at Austria and to UNO at Geneva and US Servas at the Department of Public Information at the UN in New York -- since the last General Assembly, Servas has participated in several Global Summits and at other UN briefing meetings.
Gary Seale,y, Canada
NB: International Day of Peace 21 Sept 05
Peace Activities
There are many Peace Activities around the world. This set were sent as of possible interest to Servas members. Some are activities that occurred in 2004, others are ongoing projects. Find out more on the following website. Hague Appeal for Peace www.haguepeace.org.
ARGENTINA
Educating Cities Latin America (ECLA), have been busy with a series of colorful conferences and programs in promoting peace education. Children's Day in Argentina will be celebrated through the "Give Peace a Chance" Program, launching a new edition of Peace Cards for the public transport in Rosario.
COLOMBIA
In the Week For The Peace The Schools of Peace Project will coordinate a meeting for 1000 teachers from schools of Bogota, to discuss different methods and strategies to impart the `Lecture in Schools,' a program linking school life with peace education. The teachers will present the Human Rights Lecture, approved by Bogota's Council, and to be implemented in all schools of the Capital. Parents will discuss ways they can be integrated into the Human Rights Lecture learning program in schools."
INDIA
The Magsaysay Award for Peace and International Understanding for 2004 was awarded to Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas of India who shares this award with his counterpart from Pakistan Mr. I. A. Rehman, Director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
PERU
The Hague Appeal for Peace, the UN Department for Disarmament Affairs Peace and Disarmament Education Project's Culture of Peace Team, prepares educational proposals to assure that sustainable high quality work is carried out with the different actors of the scholastic community. Education modules and programs have been formulated to equip teachers, students and youth with techniques to promote a culture of peace in Peru.
The International Day of Peace (IDP) provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date. Use the International Day of Peace annually to highlight the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non- Violence for the Children of the World, 2001 to 2010. For more information and ways you can contribute to this day visit http://www.wethepeoples.org/intl_day_peace.php
GHANA
A peace rally was held, bringing together school children, the ruling government, the press, and foreign diplomats. As part of the program, an International Symposium was held with the theme: "Africa's Peace Process, The Role of the International Community."
AUSTRIA
Invitation to Study Peace and Conflict Resolution European University Center for Peace Studies (EPU) Stadtschlaining, Austria Spring and Fall terms 2005
