2021 Webinar for Sustainable Peace Activities

From 17 November to 30 November, HWPL and many countries united for the purpose of sustainable peace development after the pandemic in 2021, proposed peace activities necessary for each country, and discussed development plans for current activities. Amongst various difficulties that arose due to the pandemic, those who met online after a month received sincere comfort and encouragement from one another as they understood each other’s national situation.

1. 2021 Proposal for Sustainable Peace Action (*https://ask.un.org/faq/203718)
During the online meeting, the peace messengers had an opportunity to propose peace activities that could be practiced in each respective country or city during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of them will be introduced at this time.

At a meeting with India, the United States, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Gambia, Comoros, and Sierra Leone, Syed Abdullah Tariq -- the President of the World Organization of Religions and Knowledge -- proposed peace education at an educational institution he operated. Mr. Siju Thomas Daniel, the Founder of the SCEAD foundation, gave a presentation on creating a platform for HWPL peace activities and peace education through global technology utilization.

The meeting with Sudan, Rwanda, South Sudan, East Timor, Myanmar, and Thailand discussed methods to make known the importance of peace to the rest of the world. They presented ideas for various peace projects, such as posting peace interviews of their individual citizens on social media, peace theater performances for conflict zones, peace workshops for community leaders, peace seminars for all societal classes, and national solidarity building seminars for peace. Together, they emphasized the importance of fostering peaceful citizens by spreading a culture of peace.

Ibrahim Yusuk Is’hag, Executive Director for Darfur Organization for Humanitarian and Legal Aid, appealed and stated, “As you know Sudan is the most affected country in Africa by war and conflicts. Sudan is in need of peace building activities. Building peace needs both local and international mechanisms. For the international mechanism, HWPL peace activities should be continued in my country Sudan.”

The meeting with Kenya, Uganda, and Cambodia held a question-and-answer session after conducting an awareness survey regarding human rights. The participants shared their opinions regarding issues related to human rights, sought solutions, and set plans for future activities. Ms. Lyndah Mwaura, the Program Leader for Leona Foundation, stated, “As International NGOs, there is a need for more digitized human rights campaigns and possibly working with the community members in this campaign” and she presented activities centered around human rights that could be approached and worked on by the experts of each section.

Mr. Makau Peter Kithuka, an Advocate for the High Court of Kenya, stated that “during the Covid-19 period, the importance of upholding human rights cannot be overstated. Human rights safeguards under international law should not be subservient to municipal laws. Respect for human rights should be reflected in how States enforce various Covid-19 containment measures i.e. quarantine, lockdowns (cessation of movement into and out of designated areas and curfews). Failure to uphold human rights during Covid-19 is a time bomb with the potential to breach peace as has been witnessed in many African countries. Let us resolve to cooperate with and tap in the expertise of international and local non-governmental organizations in areas of human rights protections during the pandemic.” Mr. Makau Peter Kithukamm proceeded to urge efforts in addressing human rights issues in Africa.

At the meeting with Iraq, Egypt, and Tanzania, five youth group leaders presented an online activity they wanted to work together with HWPL on as a peace policy. The five policies they presented were peace through cultural exchange, peace discussion and content development, two types of online peace activities, peace workshops, and online cultural exchange and communication.

Pakistan and Kosovo, where the seeds of peace education have begun to be sown, planned a vision and direction for peace education. At a meeting of 110 religious leaders from 11 countries including Lithuania, Moldova, Cyprus, Morocco, Poland, and the Ukraine, time was spent to understand activities for the implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) and peace education, which are HWPL’s core projects. Peace projects such as Religious Peace Camps that religious leaders could implement were also planned and discussed.

At a meeting with Germany and France, 27 youth group leaders participated to discuss solutions and safeguards to prevent cyberbullying, one of the elements that threatens peace amongst European youth. The youth group leaders recognized the need for youth-centered activities to directly resolve this issue with empowerment, and plan to conduct a Youth Empowerment Peace Workshop (YEPW) for one year in order to establish a peace work policy.

2. List of HWPL’s “Advances for Sustainable Uninterrupted Peace” Online Conferences In November