world peace essay in tamil language

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world peace essay in tamil language

தமிழ் உலக அமைதி கட்டுரை

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world peace essay

உலக அமைதி கட்டுரை

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கட்டுரை காற்று மாசுபாடு தமிழ் மொழியில்

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தமிழ் மொழியில் batmiten என்ற கட்டுரை

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தமிழ் மொழியில் வாசிப்பது பற்றிய கட்டுரை

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சுற்றுச்சூழல் மாசுபாடு பற்றிய கட்டுரை தமிழ் மொழியில்

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தமிழ் மொழியில் அணு ஆற்றல் பற்றிய கட்டுரை

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விலங்குகளைப் பற்றிய கட்டுரை தமிழ் மொழியில் மார்கோர் ஆடு

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தமிழ் மொழியில் மற்றும் நீக்க valarpom mazlai peruvom கட்டுரை

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தமிழ் மொழியில் தமிழ் இட்டதிற்க்கு உள்ள indraya kalvi murai கட்டுரை மட்டுமே

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தமிழ் மொழி கட்டுரைகளில் காடு மற்றும் காட்டு விலங்குகள்

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nattu valarchiyil manavargalin pangu in tamil language for essays

கட்டுரைகள் தமிழ் மொழியில் nattu valarchiyil manavargalin பாங்கு

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May Peace Prevail On Earth International

Join The World Wide Network of Peace Makers

The power of the Message, May Peace Prevail On Earth , lies in its capacity to bring people of various cultures, faith traditions and political ideals together as one united global heart and mind.  May Peace Prevail On Earth , allows us to sincerely focus on our mutual desire to serve, create and manifest true peace on earth while transcending our differences and celebrating our common humanity. 

The May Peace Prevail On Earth movement is a grassroots global movement to inspire, and re-awaken the inherent consciousness of love, peace and harmony which exists in everyone of us. It is a movement to bring inner peace of mind and to foster peace in the world at large.

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Sustainable Southeast Community Coalition plants three Peace Poles, Portland, Oregon, USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 28, 2023.

February 28, 2023 Art & Placemaking projectIn partnership with Hawthorne Boule Harvard Business Association, neighborhood associations and United Nations Portland Chapter, S2C2 has helped steward local Peace Pole installations featuring 17 languages. We’re working to add more languages now including a new Peace Pole in solidarity with the Ukrainian community and additional installations in SE….

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Rotary Peace Pole placed in the atrium at Hermiston HS, Hermiston – Oregon – USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 20, 2023.

February 20, 2023 This is the picture of the Peace Pole at Hermiston High School, located at 600 S 1st Street, Hermiston, Oregon.  There is a reflection from a window as the Peace Pole has been placed in an atrium that makes it visible. Submitted to us by:Larry StroberRotary Assistant Governor 2017-2020Director, Rotary Peace Pole ProjectVice…

Steele Lane School Peace Pole Dedication, Santa Rosa California — USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 17, 2023.

February 17, 2023

Heartfelt Sound Bath Meditation at The World Peace Sanctuary, Wassaic, NY – USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 14, 2023.

February 14, 2023 Cristina Reyes-Schleifer led the group into a ‘heartful’ meditation by implementing the principles from the Heart Math Institute. At the Heart Math Institute the mission is to help awaken – and activate – the heart of humanity. They strive to help people of all ages and backgrounds connect with their heart’s intuitive day-to-day…

Inspired by Love – Peace Pole in Santa Ana, California – USA

February 14, 2023 As the parents of three kids, we are conscious of news and media companies’ constant effort to put sensational content out in print, television, and internet. I’m sure this is the best way for them to get viewers that becomes revenue through advertising. Hate, violence, racism, sex, and fear seem to be…

Rotary shares ‘Peace Pole’ project with Tehachipi City Council, Kern County, California – USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 12, 2023.

Feb 12, 2023 Tehachapi will soon have a “Peace Pole,” thanks to a project initiated by Rotary of Tehachapi. President-elect Paul Kaminski presented information about the organization’s worldwide efforts toward peace during the Feb. 6 meeting of the Tehachapi City Council. As part of those efforts, he said, the organization is working with the city…

Rotary Action Group for Peace – Peace Pole Project – USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 10, 2023.

February 10, 2022 Rotary Action Group for Peace and the Rotary Clubs of Hawai’i work together to plant Peace Poles on the beautiful Island of Hawaii. Check out all the locations:Current Peace Pole Locations in Hawaii 2022 # Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport (2 PP)73-200 Kupipi Street Kailua Kona, HI # Innovations Public Charter School75-5815…

Rotarians unveil new Peace Pole at Panaewa Zoo in Hilo, Hawaii – USA

By may peace prevail on earth | february 9, 2023.

February 9, 2023 Rotarians and community-minded citizens gathered recently to reveal the newest Rotary Club Peace Pole located at the Panaewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens in Hilo, Hawaii.

First Rotary Peace Pole planted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

By may peace prevail on earth | january 31, 2023.

January- 2023 Dear Rotary Clubs of Blackheath, Taree and E-Club of Greater Sydney and Peter Clapinski, invaluable Rotary Peace Pole plaque producer!  Bonjour (good day) from Africa! Our RAWCS/HandUp Congo team have completed our three-week training and project evaluation mission and are beginning to head homeward.  I thank the team of Dr Etwell Mari (Perth WA), Dr Grace Maano (Taree NSW), Dr Rebecca…

Peace Pole planted in Berchtersweiler – Germany

By may peace prevail on earth | january 22, 2023.

I am sharing the news about a nice wintery Peace Pole planting that took place in the village of Berchtersweiler, Germany, where many villagers participated. The Peace Pole is located 5 kilometers (approximately 3 miles) from Lake Constanz. The lake is situated where Germany, Switzerland, and Austria meet. I was told there is a bench…

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• > Journals
• > Ethics & International Affairs
• > Volume 34 Issue 1
• > World Peace Is Local Peace

Article contents

World peace is local peace.

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2020

Today we live in a world where the majority of wars are no longer interstate, a development that over the last few decades has often left the international community, in particular the United Nations as it was originally conceived, ill equipped to respond. The nimble action required for contemporary conflict resolution and peacebuilding now primarily lies in the hands of local actors and states, sometimes supported by international actors. But it is not always clear who these local actors are or what they need in order to achieve sustainable peace. As part of the roundtable “World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It),” this essay looks in more detail at what we mean by “local” in conflict-affected contexts and asks how local is local enough when resolving conflicts and building peace. It identifies tensions and concerns such as the need for the international community to have a well-defined and easily identified “local agenda” when, in reality, there are often several competing local agendas. The essay presents the Everyday Peace Indicators project as a vehicle that can be used to help communicate these local needs to international actors, and argues for the importance of understanding people's perceived realities in addition to, if not more than, their actual realities when trying to understand peace and conflict trends. In order to do this, we need to more effectively problematize peacebuilding for positive conflict disruption.

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1 John F. Kennedy, “Address to the United Nations General Assembly,” September 20, 1963, www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/united-nations-19630920 .

2 Bellamy , Alex J. , World Peace (And How We Can Achieve It ) ( Oxford : Oxford University Press , 2019 ), p. 93 Google Scholar .

3 Article 1, Charter of the United Nations, ch. 1.

4 Richmond , Oliver P. , “ De-Romanticising the Local, De-Mystifying the International: Hybridity in Timor Leste and the Solomon Islands ,” Pacific Review 24 , no. 1 (March 2011 ), pp. 115 –36 CrossRef Google Scholar , quote at p. 117.

5 Cobb , Sara B. , Speaking of Violence: The Politics and Poetics of Narrative Dynamics in Conflict Resolution ( Oxford : Oxford University Press , 2013 ) CrossRef Google Scholar .

6 Scheper-Hughes , Nancy and Bourgois , Philipe I. , eds., Violence in War and Peace: An Anthology , vol. 5 ( Oxford : Blackwell , 2004 ), p. 21 Google Scholar .

7 For more information, visit the project website for Everyday Peace Indicators at everydaypeaceindicators.org . This project has been funded since its inception in 2012 by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

8 The name of the project is “Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Project (SCORE) Collaborative Analysis of Reconciliation Dynamics tool (CARD).” EPI is conducting this project in collaboration with the United States Institute of Peace and USAID (the United States Agency for International Development).

9 Indicators are from EPI's SCORE CARD project and have been left in the original translation from Sinhala without additional editing in order to remain as close to the original meanings as possible. These unpublished indicators were compiled in Sri Lanka in 2018.

11 “Sustainable Development Goal 16,” Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform, sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg16 .

12 Durkheim , Émile , The Division of Labor in Society ( New York : Simon and Schuster , 2014 ) Google Scholar .

13 Pamina Firchow and Eliza Urwin, “What Afghan Women (and Men) Really Want: Access to Employment and Education Are Local Priorities. Here's How the West Can Work with the Taliban to Ensure Those Rights,” Foreign Policy , May 9, 2019, foreignpolicy.com/2019/05/09/what-afghan-women-and-men-really-want/ .

14 See Michael Barnett, Hunjoon Kim, Madalene O'Donnell, and Laura Sitea, “Peacebuilding: What Is in a Name?,”  Global Governance  13, no. 1 (January 2007), p. 35. See also Randazzo , Elisa , “ The Paradoxes of the ‘Everyday’: Scrutinising the Local Turn in Peace Building ,” Third World Quarterly 37 , no. 8 (January 2016 ), pp. 1351 –70 CrossRef Google Scholar .

15 Firchow , Pamina , Reclaiming Everyday Peace: Local Voices in Measurement and Evaluation after War ( Cambridge, U.K. : Cambridge University Press , 2018 ), ch. 1 CrossRef Google Scholar .

16 For more on conflict disruption, see Roger Mac Ginty's book Everyday Peace: How So-Called Ordinary People Can Disrupt Violent Conflict (Oxford: Oxford University Press, forthcoming), ch. 7.

17 Firchow, Reclaiming Everyday Peace .

18 Firchow , Pamina and Ginty , Roger Mac , “ Measuring Peace: Comparability, Commensurability, and Complementarity Using Bottom-Up Indicators ,” International Studies Review 19 , no. 1 (March 2017 ), pp. 6 – 27 CrossRef Google Scholar .

19 Bellamy, World Peace, p. 89.

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• Volume 34, Issue 1
• Pamina Firchow
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0892679420000088

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Prayers for Peace

First celebrated in 1982, The International Day of Peace is a United Nations-sanctioned observance on September 21 is dedicated to world peace, specifically the absence of war and violence.

Click here for Prayers for Peace in the Middle East

Prayer for the Decade of Nonviolence

A prayer for peace, a prayer for world peace, 1978, prayer for serenity.

• For Courage to do Justice

Prayer for Peace in the Middle East

Prayer for a world where hope seems dim, buddhist prayer for peace, baha'i prayer for peace, christian prayer for peace.

• Hindu Prayer for Peace

Jainist Prayer for Peace

Jewish prayer for peace, muslim prayer for peace, native african prayer for peace, native american prayer for peace, shinto prayer for peace.

• Sikh Prayer for Peace

Sufi Prayer for Peace

Zoroastrian prayer for peace, micah 4:1-5.

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We Are One With You

Prayer of st. francis, prayer for peace, prayer for justice and peace, litany of peace, god of peace, everlasting peace, a hindu peace prayer.

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On This Day....

Mend a quarrel Search out a forgotten friend Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust Write a love letter Share some treasures Give a soft answer Encourage youth 

Manifest your loyalty in a word or deed Keep a promise Find the time Forego a grudge Forgive an enemy Listen Apologize if you were wrong

Try to understand Flout envy Examine your demands on others Think first of someone else Appreciate, be kind, be gentle Laugh a little more. Deserve confidence

Take up arms against malice Decry complacency Express your gratitude Worship your God Gladden the heart of a child Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth

Speak your love Speak it again Speak it still again Speak it still once again....

~ Author Unknown

Lord,  Lead us from death to life, From falsehood to truth. Lead us from despair to hope,  from fear to trust.  Let peace fill our hearts, our world and our universe. Let us dream together, pray together and work together,  To build one world of peace and justice for all.

Author unknown - it is thought to be either an adaptation of a Hindu prayer or of a hymn. The first time that it was known to be publicly spoken was by Mother Teresa in 1981.

I bow to the sacred in all creation. May my sprit fill the world with beauty and wonder. May my mind seek truth with humility and openness. May my heart forgive without limit. May my love for friend, enemy, and outcast be without measure. May my needs be few and my living simple. May my actions bear witness to the suffereing of others.  May my hands never harm a living being. May my steps stay on the journey of justice. May my tongue speak for those who are poor without fear of the powerful. May my prayers rise with patient discontent until no child is hungry. May my life's work be a passion for peace and nonviolence. May my soul rejoice in the present moment. May my imagination overcome death and despair with new possiblilty. And may I risk reputation, comfort, and security to bring this hope to the children.

- Mary Lou Kownacki, OSB

We are moulded, each one of us, in the image of God, and within our souls there is a fingerprint none can erase. We pray for those who have no regard for anyone but self, who put no value on human life. For nations and individuals who abuse and kill. We are not called to be judge or jury, but we are called to be agents of change, and if the butterfly that flaps its wings should be our attitude to others then so be it, Lord, and may the hurricane this generates somewhere within the world reach into the hearts and souls of those for whom we pray, and reveal to them how precious are those for whom they have no love, and how precious are they who now bring tears to the eyes of God.

- John Birch

As found on:  https://www.faithandworship.com/prayers_peace.htm

We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding on to what we believe to be right.

May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred.

We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men or women to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.

Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all men and women were created.

- Author Unknown, Offered by Beth Amyot

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O God, grant me serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference; living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next.

- Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

For Courage to Do Justice

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others Open my ears that I may hear their cries; Open my heart so that they need not be without succor; Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich. Show me where love and hope and faith are needed, And use me to bring them to those places. And so open my eyes and my ears That I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee.

- Alan Paton, South Africa, United Methodist Hymnal #456

God of mercy and compassion, of grace and reconciliation, pour your power upon all your children in the Middle East: Jews, Muslims and Christians, Palestinians and Israelis. Let hatred be turned into love, fear to trust, despair to hope, oppression to freedom, occupation to liberation, that violent encounters may be replaced by loving embraces, and peace and justice could be experienced by all.

- Reverend Said Ailabouni

Dear God, the world seems so dark and foreboding. Where are the signs of hope? What are you calling us to do? Wars, uprisings, displacements, hunger, poverty, and disease continue to claim victims by the millions around the world each year. Our ears do not want to hear their stories and our eyes do not want to see their plight because the suffering and destruction is so massive and cruel. In our hearts and minds there is a desire to help somehow, but the crisis seem so overwhelming that we shake our heads in dismay and we wonder what the point is for us even to attempt to be witnesses for healing and hope in this hellish morass. We beg with the song writer to open our eyes that we may see glimpses of truth you have for us. Help us to follow the path of Jesus, the Suffering Servant. Give us the courage to be willing to walk the path of depression and pain with the victims of injustice here at home as well as abroad. Help us to seek ways to light candles of hope, however small, through our words, our deeds, and our prayers, to encourage our sisters and brothers to hold onto the faith in spite of the pain and suffering they are facing. And help those of us who are among the fortunate ones, who have enough bread to eat, good health, and who live in relative peace, to open our heart to learn from our sisters and brothers who are living lives of grace and forgiveness in the horrid circumstances which surround them. O God, help us to light one candle rather than to curse the darkness. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who knows what being a light in this dark world is all about.

- Larry Kehler, Mennonite Central Committee, Canada, 2009

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind quickly be freed from their illnesses.

May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.

May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.

May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses--the children, the aged, the unprotected--be guarded by beneficent celestials, and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

- Author Unknown

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

- Baha'u'llah

Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be known as the Children of God. But I say to you that hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from those who take away your cloak, do not withhold your coat as well. Give to everyone who begs from you, and of those who take away your goods, do not ask for them again. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Hindu Prayers for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real. Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead us from death to immortality. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all. Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to us. And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace come to me also.

Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones. The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma. Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me. Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity. Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world. Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage. "Do not injure any living being." This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life. A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one; but no weapon can, however, be superior to non-violence and love.

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High. And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation- neither shall they learn war any more. And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other. If the enemy incline towards peace, do thou also incline towards peace, and trust in God, for the Lord is the one that heareth and knoweth all things. And the servants of God, Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address them, we say "PEACE."

Almighty God, the Great Thumb we cannot evade to tie any knot, the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees, the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the footprints of an antelope on a rock mass here on Earth. You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call. You are the cornerstone of peace.

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors, I raise my pipe to you. To your messengers the four winds, and to Mother Earth who provides for your children. Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect, and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind. Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.

Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe, are all our brothers and sisters. Why are there constant troubles in this world? Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us? I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains.

Sikh Prayers for Peace

God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear: that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living. Know that we attain God when we love, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.

O Almighty Sun, whose light clears away all clouds, We take refuge in you. Guide of all people, God of all deities, Lord of all angels, We pray you to dispel the mists of illusion from the hearts of the nations And lift their lives by your all-sufficient power, Your ever shining light, your everlasting life, Your heavenly joy and your perfect peace.

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world: that understanding triumph over ignorance, that generosity triumph over indifference, that trust triumph over contempt, and that truth triumph over falsehood.

In days to come the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, and many nations shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that God may teach us God's ways and that we may walk in God's paths." For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. God shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken. For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.

Baha'i Prayer for Humanity

O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household.

In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.

O God! Thou art kind to all. Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.

O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.

O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of humanity.

O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement Thou, O God, our hearts together.

O Thou kind God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.

Thou are the Mighty and Powerful. Thou are the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all humanity.

- Abu'l-Baha

O God, we are one with you. You have made us one with you. You have taught us that if we are open to one another, you dwell in us. Help us to preserve this openness and to fight for it with all our hearts. Help us to realize that there can be no understanding where there is mutual rejection.

O God, in accepting one another wholeheartedly, fully, completely, we accept you, and we thank you, and we adore you, and we love you with our whole being, because our being is your being, our spirit is rooted in your spirit. Fill us then with love, and let us be bound together with love as we go our diverse ways, united in this one spirit which makes you present in the world, and which makes you witness to the ultimate reality that is love. Love has overcome. Love is victorious.

- Thomas Merton (1915-1968)

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace; Where there is hated, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is discord, harmony; Where there is error, truth; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; And where there is sadness, joy. O Divine Master, Grant that I may no so much seek To be consoled as to console; To be understood as to understand; To be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; And it is in dying hat we are born into eternal life.

- St. Francis of Assisi

O God, Creator of the universe, who extends your paternal concern over every creature and guides the events of history to goals of salvation, we acknowledge your Fatherly love when you break the resistance of mankind and, in a world torn by strife and discord, you make us ready for reconciliation. Renew for us the wonders of your MERCY; send forth your Spirit hat He may work in the intimacy of our hearts, that enemies may begin to dialogue, that adversaries may shake hands and peoples may encounter one another in harmony. May all commit themselves to the sincere search for true peace which will extinguish all arguments, for charity which overcomes hatred, for pardon which disarms revenge.

- Pope John Paul II

Eternal Father, You created us in Your own image and likeness, but sin has warped the minds of men and throughout the world there is much injustice and much carelessness of the rights of other people and personal responsibility.

Lord when You are excluded from the hearts and consciences of men, the inevitable result is that people suffer and Lord, there is much injustice and corruption taking place in our world today, not only in the lives of individuals but also in the corridors of power and the council rooms of many nations.

We pray Lord that You will right all the wrongs that are taking place in our world and vindicate those that are being treated unjustly. Keep us Father from trying to take matters into our own hands for vengeance is your and You will repay - but Lord in your grace and mercy we pray that you would give justice and peace to all those that have been cruelly and unfairly treated by their fellow man and may injustice and carelessness that they have had to endure be the means to draw them into Your saving arms of grace - we ask this in the precious name of the Lord, Jesus.

One     God, so many people are in pain.

All       Teach us the way to peace.

One     When people around us don't agree and think differently,

All       Teach us to listen and try to understand.

One     When we see people getting hurt,

All       Teach us to speak up.

One     When we see people treated poorly because of their skin color, or language, or religious belief,

All       Teach us to be an example of love and acceptance.

One     When we see war and conflict,

All       Teach us how to make a difference and seek peace.

One     When we see pain,

All       Teach us to bring healing,

One     When we feel confused and afraid,

All       Remind us to talk to our friends, our family and to you.

One     In our lives, our neighborhoods and the world,

All       Teach us to pray and teach us the way of peace.

- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

- Romans 12:9-21

Finally, sisters and brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worth of praise, think about these things.

Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen. Then the God of peace will be with you.

- Paul's Letter to the Phillipians 4:8-9

O God! O our master! You are eternal life and everlasting peace by Your essence and attributes. The everlasting peace is from You and it returns to you. O our Sustainer! Grant us the life of true peace and usher us into the abode of peace. O Glorious and Bounteous One! You are blessed and sublime.

I desire neither earthly kingdom, nor even freedom from birth and death.

I desire only the deliverance from grief of all those afflicted by misery.

Oh Lord, lead us from the unreal to the real; from darkness to light; from death to immortality.

May there be peace in celestial regions.

May there be peace on earth.

May the waters be appeasing.

May herbs be wholesome and may trees and plants brings peace to all.

May al beneficent brings peace to us. May your wisdom spread peace all through the world.

May all things be a source of peace to all and to me. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

- M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence

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COMPASS Manual for Human Rights Education with Young people

Peace and violence.

Violence: concepts and examples

What is violence.

Violence is a complex concept. Violence is often understood as the use or threat of force that can result in injury, harm, deprivation or even death. It may be physical, verbal or psychological. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines violence as "intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation". 1 This definition emphasises intentionality, and broadens the concept to include acts resulting from power relationships.

8 million light weapons are produced each year. 2 bullets are produced each year for every person on the planet. 2 out of 3 people killed by armed violence die in countries "at peace". 10 people are injured for every person killed by armed violence. Estimates from www.controlarms.org

An expanded understanding of violence includes not only direct "behavioural" violence, but also structural violence, which is often unconscious. Structural violence results from unjust and inequitable social and economic structures and manifesting itself in for example, poverty and deprivation of all kinds.

Forms of violence can be categorised in many ways. One such classification includes:

• direct violence, e.g. physical or behavioural violence such as war, bullying, domestic violence, exclusion or torture
• structural violence, e.g. poverty and deprivation of basic resources and access to rights; oppressive systems that enslave, intimidate, and abuse dissenters as well as the poor, powerless and marginalised
• cultural violence, e.g. the devaluing and destruction of particular human identities and ways of life, the violence of sexism, ethnocentrism, racism and colonial ideologies, and other forms of moral exclusion that rationalise aggression, domination, inequity, and oppression.

Question: Are direct, structural and/or cultural violence present in your community? How?

Today's human rights violations are the causes of tomorrow's conflicts. Mary Robinson

Violence in the world

Each year, more than 1.6 million people worldwide lose their lives to violence. For every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. Violence places a massive burden on national economies in health care, law enforcement and lost productivity. World Health Organisation 2

Structural and cultural forms of violence are often deeply impregnated in societies to the point of being perceived as inherent. This type of violence lasts longer, thus eventually having similar consequences as direct violence, or, in some cases, even leading to the oppressed using direct violence as a response. Lower education opportunities in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, limited access to leisure for foreigners, harmful working conditions in certain fields of work, and so on, are acts of structural and cultural violence which have a direct influence on people's access to their rights. Yet these forms of violence are rarely recognised as violations of human rights. What follows are some examples about different forms of violence worldwide. These are not the only ones. More information about the effects of armed conflicts can be found in War and Terrorism and in various other sections of this manual.

Military spending, arms trade and violence 

The production and trade in arms and weapons is undoubtedly one of the greatest threats to peace, not least because of the economic, financial and social dimensions of arms production. The production and export of arms is often encouraged on economic grounds with little con- sideration to the impact on peace and security. World military spending is steadily increasing; in 2014 the world spent an estimated €1776 billion on the military. The database of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute3 shows in 2014 the USA (€610 billion) as the biggest military spender, followed by China (€216 billion) and then three European countries, Russia ($84 billion) the United Kingdom ($60 billion) and France (€62 billion). Europe as a whole spent $386 billion.

Data from the Overseas Development Institute (www.odi.org ) shows that we could deliver free primary and secondary education in all the poor countries around the world for $32 billion per year, this is less than a single week's global military spending.

Question: How much does your country of residence spend on arms production and purchases annually?

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that at least 740,000 women, men, young people and children are killed each year by armed violence; most of those affected live in poverty. The majority of armed killings occur outside of wars, although armed conflicts continue to generate a high number of deaths. Moreover, a huge number of people are injured by armed violence and face long-term suffering because of it. According to Amnesty International, about 60% of human rights violations documented by the organisation have involved the use of small arms and light weapons. 4

Controlling Arms Trade Control Arms is a global civil society alliance campaigning for an international legally-binding treaty that will stop the transfer of arms and ammunition. The campaign emphasises that domestic regulations have failed to adapt to increasing globalisation of the arms trade since different parts of weapons are produced in different places and transferred to other countries to be assembled. Control Arms is calling for a "bulletproof" Arms Trade Treaty that would hold governments accountable for illegal arms transfers. www.controlarms.org

A form of inter-personal violence, bullying is one of the forms of violence that affects young people and is often not considered as a form of violence. Bullying refers to aggressive behaviour which is repeated and intends to hurt someone. It can take the form of physical, psychological or verbal aggression. It can take place in any situation where human beings interact, be it at school, at the workplace or any other social place.  Bullying can be direct, confronting a person face-to-face, or indirect by spreading rumours or harming someone over the Internet, for example. Although it is difficult to have clear statistics, research shows that bullying is an increasing problem. Victims often do not dare to speak out, and it is therefore extremely difficult to identify and support victims of bullying.

Is corporal punishment legitimate?

Corporal punishment is the most widespread form of violence against children and is a violation of their human rights. In the past, some argued that smacking was a harmless form of punishment which enabled parents to educate their children, whereas others considered it a violent form of physical punishment. The Council of Europe campaign Raise Your Hand Against Smacking provoked strong debates in Member States, and took a human rights stand against this practice.

Gender-based violence

More information about gender and gender-based violence, can be found in the section on Gender, in chapter 5, and in the manual Gender Matters, www.coe.int/compass

While male-dominated societies often justify small arms possession through the alleged need to protect vulnerable women, women actually face greater danger of violence when their families and communities are armed. Barbara Frey 6

Gender-based violence is one of the most frequent forms of structural and cultural violence. It is present in every society and its consequences affect virtually all human beings. According to the UNFPA, gender-based violence "both reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromises the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims. It encompasses a wide range of human rights violations, including sexual abuse of children, rape, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and several harmful traditional practices. Any one of these abuses can leave deep psychological scars, damage the health of women and girls in general, including their reproductive and sexual health, and in some instances, results in death" 5 . Gender-based violence does not have to be physical. In fact, young people suffer much verbal violence, especially targeted at LGBT (young) people and girls.

Everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realization of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels. Article 1 of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders

In situations of conflict, women become particularly vulnerable and new forms of violence against women emerge. These can range from mass rape to forced sexual assaults, forced pregnancy, or sexual slavery. The polarisation of gender roles during armed conflicts is increased, women thus being seen as objects of war and territories to be conquered.

Violence Against Human Rights Defenders

Useful information for human rights defenders: www.frontlinedefenders.org/ www.amnesty.org/en/human-rights-defenders www.ohchr.org    http://www.civilrightsdefenders.org

Investigating, reporting human rights violations and educating people about human rights and campaigning for justice can be dangerous work. Human rights defenders are people who individually, or with others, promote and protect human rights through peaceful and non-violent means. Because of their work, human rights defenders can be subjected to different types of violence, including beatings, arbitrary arrest or execution, torture, death threats, harassment and defamation, or restrictions on their freedom of expression, and association.  In 2000, the United Nations established a Special Rapporteur whose main mission is to support implementation of the 1998 Declaration on human rights defenders. The "protection" of human rights defenders includes protecting the defenders themselves and the right to defend human rights. The Special Rapporteur seeks, receives, examines and responds to information on the situation of human rights defenders, promotes the effective implementation of the Declaration and recommends strategies to protect human rights defenders. 7

Question: How free and safe is it to report or denounce human rights abuse and violations in your country?

If you look at them [conflicts] and remove the superficial levels of religion and politics, quite often it is a question of trying to access resources, trying to control those resources, and trying to decide how those resources will be shared. Wangari Maathai

The fight for resources

The possession of or control over natural resources such as water, arable land, mineral oil, metals, natural gas, and so on, have often fuelled violent conflicts throughout history. The depletion of certain resources and the shortage of others, such as water or arable land, is expected to become more widespread due to growth of consumption and climate change. This may create more regional or international tensions, potentially leading to violent conflicts.

Question: How is your country part of the competition for scarce resources?

Peace, human security and human rights

War and violence inevitably result in the denial of human rights. Building a culture of human rights is a pre-condition to achieving a state of peace. Sustainable, lasting peace and security can only be attained when all human rights are fulfilled. Building and maintaining a culture of peace is a shared challenge for humankind.

What is peace?

A culture of peace will be achieved when citizens of the world understand global problems, have the skills to resolve conflicts and struggle for justice non-violently, live by international standards of human rights and equity, appreciate cultural diversity, and respect the Earth and each other. Such learning can only be achieved with systematic education for peace. Global Campaign for Peace Education of the Hague Appeal for Peace

FIAN is an international human rights organisation that has advocated for the realisation of the right to food. www.fian.org

The above campaign statement offers a broader understanding of peace: peace means not only the lack of violent conflicts, but also the presence of justice and equity, as well as respect for human rights and for the Earth. Johan Galtung, a recognised Norwegian scholar and researcher, defined two aspects of peace. Negative peace means that there is no war, no violent conflict between states or within states. Positive peace means no war or violent conflict combined with a situation where there is equity, justice and development. The absence of war by itself does not guarantee that people do not suffer psychological violence, repression, injustice and a lack of access to their rights. Therefore, peace cannot be defined only by negative peace.

The concept of peace also has an important cultural dimension. Traditionally, for many people in the "western world", peace is generally understood to be an outside condition., while in other cultures, peace also has to do with inner peace (peace in our minds or hearts). In the Maya tradition, for example, peace refers to the concept of welfare; it is linked to the idea of a perfect balance between the different areas of our lives. Peace, therefore, is to be seen as both internal and external processes which affect us.

Human security

A concept closely related to peace and violence is human security, which recognises the interrelation between violence and deprivation of all kinds. It concerns the protection of individuals and communities from both the direct threat of physical violence and the indirect threats that result from poverty and other forms of social, economic or political inequalities, as well as natural disasters and disease. A country may not be under threat of external attack or internal conflict but still be insecure if, for example, it lacks the capacity to maintain the rule of law, if large populations are displaced by famine or decimated by disease or if its people lack the basic necessities of survival and access to their human rights.

Human security furthers human rights because it addresses situations that gravely threaten human rights and supports the development of systems that give people the building blocks of survival, dignity and essential freedoms: freedom from want, freedom from fear and freedom to take action on one's own behalf. It uses two general strategies to accomplish this: protection and empowerment. Protection shields people from direct dangers, but also seeks to develop norms, processes and institutions that maintain security. Empowerment enables people to develop their potential and become full participants in decision making. Protection and empowerment are mutually reinforcing, and both are required.

Question: How does insecurity affect the young people with whom you work?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the UN in 2015 recognise the important role of security for development. SDG 16, sometimes shortened to “Peace and Justice” is to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. There are 10 targets, for instance 16.1 to reduce all forms of violence, 16.2 end abuse and all forms of violence against and torture of children. The full list of targets is  in the further information section of the activity, “How much do we need?”.

The linkages between SDG 16 and human rights are:

• Right to life, liberty and security of the person [UDHR art. 3; ICCPR arts. 6(1), 9(1);
• ICPED art. 1] including freedom from torture [UDHR art. 5; ICCPR art. 7; CAT art. 2; CRC art. 37(a)]
• Protection of children from all forms of violence, abuse or exploitation [CRC arts. 19, 37(a)), including trafficking (CRC arts. 34-36; CRC–OP1)]
• Right to access to justice and due process [UDHR arts. 8, 10; ICCPR arts. 2(3), 14-15; CEDAW art. 2(c)]
• Right to legal personality [UDHR art. 6; ICCPR art. 16; CRPD art. 12]
• Right to participate in public affairs [UDHR art. 21; ICCPR art. 25]
• Right to access to information [UDHR art. 19; ICCPR art. 19(1)] (www.ohchr.org)

Peace as a human right

Peace is a way of living together so that all members of society can accomplish their human rights. It is as an essential element to the realisation of all human rights. Peace is a product of human rights: the more a society promotes, protects and fulfils the human rights of its people, the greater its chances for curbing violence and resolving conflicts peacefully. However, peace is also increasingly being recognised as a human right itself, as an emerging human right or part of the so-called solidarity rights.

Non-violence is the supreme law of life. Indian proverb

All peoples shall have the right to national and international peace and security. African Charter on Human and People's Rights, Article 23

The connection between international human rights and the right to peace is very strong, notably because the absence of peace leads to so many violations of human rights. The UDHR recognises, for example, the right to security and freedom (Article 3); prohibits torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (Article 5), and calls for an international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in the declaration can be fully realised (Article 28).  The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights prohibits propaganda for war as well as "advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence" (Article 20). The right to peace is also codified in some regional documents such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Asian Human Rights Charter. The creation of the Council of Europe was itself based on the conviction that "the pursuit of peace based upon justice and international co-operation is vital for the preservation of human society and civilisation".

The right to peace in UN Human Rights Council "The Human Rights Council … 1.  Reaffirms that the peoples of our planet have a sacred right to peace; 2.  Also reaffirms that the preservation of the right of peoples to peace and the promotion of its implementation constitute a fundamental obliga- tion of all States; 3.  Stresses the importance of peace for the promotion and protection of all human rights for all; 4.  Also stresses that the deep fault line that divides human society between the rich and the poor and the ever-increasing gap between the de- veloped world and the developing world pose a major threat to global prosperity, peace, human rights, security and stability; 5.  Further stresses that peace and security, development and human rights are the pillars of the United Nations system and the foundations for collective security and well-being; …" 11

The opposite of violence isn't non-violence, it's power. When one has moral power, power of conviction, the power to do good, one doesn't need violence. 9 Nelsa Libertad Curbelo 10

Human security is a child who did not die, a disease that did not spread, a job that was not cut, an ethnic tension that did not explode in violence, a dissident who was not silenced. Human security is not a concern with weapons – it is a concern with human life and dignity. Human Development Report, 1994

The Santiago Declaration on the Human Right to Peace, adopted in 2010 by The International Congress on the Human Right to Peace, is one of the most elaborate documents on peace as a human right.  The declaration recognises individuals, groups, peoples and all humankind as holders of the "inalienable right to a just, sustainable and lasting peace" (Art. 1) and "States, individually, jointly or as part of multilateral organisations", as the principal duty holders of the human right to peace". The declaration also calls for the right to education "on and for peace and all other human rights" as a component of the right to peace because "education and socialization for peace is a condition sine qua non for unlearning war and building identities disentangled from violence". The right to human security and the right to live in a safe and healthy environment, "including freedom from fear and from want" are also put forward as elements of "positive peace". Other dimensions of the right to peace are the right to disobedience and conscientious objection, the right to resist and oppose oppression and the right to disarmament. The declaration also devotes a specific article to the rights of victims, including their right to seek justice and a breakdown of the obligations entailed in the human right to peace.

Question: In practice, what does the human right to peace mean for you?

Legitimate (state) violence

Not all violence is illegal or illegitimate. Violent acts are sometimes necessary in order to protect the human rights of other people. I may have to use violence for self-defence; I expect a policeman to use, in extreme cases, some kind of violence to protect me or my family from violence from other people. My human right to security implies that the state and its agents protect me from violence. A human rights framework implies that violent actions by state or public agents is justified (and sometimes required), provided that it is organised and enacted within a human rights framework, including respect for the rights of the victim.

All persons have a right to peace so that they can fully develop all their capacities, physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual, without being the target of any kind of violence. Asian Human Rights Charter, 1998, paragraph 4.1

This raises questions about the primacy of some human rights over others: the right to life is a clear human right, and still in many cases, human beings are being punished violently or killed, as a consequence of their acts. Examples from throughout history illustrate how civil movements have brought about change and better access to people's human rights. However, peaceful movements are often suppressed by violent police or army action. Repressing people's right to freedom of expression and association. The "Arab Spring" movements initiated in 2011 showed how youth in Tunisia, Egypt and other Arab countries gathered and peacefully reclaimed their human rights, but were violently attacked and put into detention by state armed forces, many losing their lives.

Question: When is armed intervention by policy justified?

Starvation is the characteristic of some people not having enough to eat. It is not the characteristic of there not being enough to eat. Amartya Sen

From a human rights perspective, the deprivation of the liberty of a person as a consequence of a criminal offence does not take away their inherent humanity. This is why the measures taken by the state against people who have acted violently against others must not be arbitrary, must respect their inherent dignity, and must protect these persons against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. One of the aims of detention is the social rehabilitation of prisoners.

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. Ghandi

The rule of law and protection of human rights and freedoms are crucial safeguards for an effective and just criminal justice system. Yet, while protecting the innocent 12 , custody and imprisonment are often also, unfortunately, the places where human rights violations appear. According to human rights standards, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, specific rehabilitation mechanisms must be put in place for young offenders, such as "laws, procedures, authorities and institutions specifically applicable to children alleged as, accused of, or recognized as having infringed the penal law" (Art. 40). This, however, is not always the case. According to Penal Reform International, the way authorities deal with young offenders can often lead to long-term physical and psychological ill-health. For example, exposure to violent behaviour in detention and separation from families and community may undermine the idea of rehabilitation and push them further into criminal activities. Based on the UNICEF estimates, today there are more than one million children in detention worldwide.

Question: Can imprisonment be an effective way to rehabilitate and educate children and young people who have committed a criminal offence?

Death penalty

The death penalty is forbidden by the European Convention on Human Rights as well as in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Protocol 1). Outlawing the death penalty does not justify human rights violations. It is also based on the belief that violence cannot be fought with more violence. The outlawing of the death penalty is also a statement about the infallibility of justice: history shows that judicial mistakes are always possible and that there is the risk that the wrong person may be executed. However, the outlawing of the death penalty is also a testament to the belief of the right to life and dignity - and to a fair trial.

Penal Reform International is an international non-governmental organisation working on penal and criminal justice reform worldwide. www.penalreform.org

In 2011, 1,923 people in 63 countries were known to have been sentenced to death and 676 executions were known to have been carried out in 20 countries. However, the 676 figure does not include the perhaps thousands of people that Amnesty International estimates have been executed in China. 13    Belarus is the only country in Europe that in 2012 still carried out executions. According to Amnesty International, prisoners on death row in Belarus are told that they will be executed only minutes before the sentence is carried out. They are executed by a shot to the back of the head. The family members are informed only after execution, and the place of burial is kept in secret.

Young people and a culture of peace

Conflict transformation, reconciliation, peace education, and remembrance are part of the actions that carry the hope for a life free from violence and for a culture of peace. We have to learn from the past and make efforts to avoid the reoccurrence of terrible events against humanity which previous generations lived through. There are still local wars and armed conflicts in some places of the world. It is comforting to know that we are not defenceless and that we have tools to eliminate violence. Young people play an important role in this change.

Only societies based on democracy, the rule of law and human rights can provide sustainable long-term stability and peace. Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

The Council of Europe works to promote social justice, and to avoid the escalation of violent conflicts and prevent wars and terrorist activities. The organisation encourages political leaders and civil society to build and nourish a culture of peace instead of a culture of violence and it raises awareness of the cost of violence, the perspectives of a peaceful future, the importance of democracy and democratic skills, as well as promoting humanism, human dignity, freedom and solidarity.

The Council of Europe's youth sector has over 40 years of experience in working on intercultural learning, conflict transformation and human rights education. The adoption by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe of the White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue "Living Together as Equals in Dignity", confirmed the political relevance of these approaches, and emphasised the need for dialogue between cultures for the development and safeguarding of peaceful societies.

Meet your own prejudice! Instead of talking about it, simply meet it. The Living Library Organiser's Guide 14

The 7th Conference of European Ministers responsible for Youth (Budapest, 2005) was devoted to youth policy responses to violence. In the final declaration, the ministers agreed, amongst others, on the importance of taking stock of all forms of violence and of their impact on people, on the need to develop violence-prevention strategies and to recognise young people as actors in violence prevention, "whilst raising their sense of responsibility and actively promoting their participation and co-operation" in this domain. The declaration also recognises human rights education as containing an essential dimension of violence prevention. The ministerial conference was the culmination of a project against violence in daily life which resulted in various educational instruments and initiatives to prevent and address violence, such as the manual for Living Library organisers.

As peace ambassadors we should become the eyes and ears of the Coun-cil of Europe in our countries and in Europe. Zlata Kharitonova, participant in Youth Peace Ambassadors

The youth sector of the Council of Europe has also initiated and supported youth-led projects addressing conflict and promoting peace education. The Youth Peace Camp has been running since 2004, and brings together young people from different conflicting areas to engage in dialogue on the understanding that they share common values and experiences, often very painful ones. The programme helps youth leaders to recognise and address prejudice, combating aggressive and exclusive forms of nationalism, and implementing intercultural learning and human rights education. For some of the participants this is the first time in their lives that they have talked face-to-face with young people from "the other side". The camp is now held annually at the European Youth Centre and occasionally in member states.

Multiplying peace education After the Youth Peace Camp 2011, six Israeli and Palestinian participants decided to keep meeting on the cease fire or so-called "green line". Every month other young people from both sides join the afternoon meeting, which includes discussions, sharing personal stories and having fun. As a joint group they engage in community work on both sides of the line, each time in a different community on a different side, always in a community affected somehow by the ongoing conflict.

The Youth Peace Ambassadors project, initiated in 2011, engages youth leaders in specific grassroots level peace education projects with young people, aiming at transforming conflict situations in their realities. The project is built on a network of specifically trained young people who strengthen the presence and promote the values of the Council of Europe in conflict-affected areas and communities.

Undoing Hate In the last two years, the streets of Prijepolje, a multicultural town in Serbia, became surrounded by "wrong" graffiti, filled with hate speech towards foreigners and people with different religions (Muslim and Orthodox). Most of the graffiti is written by boys from 2 different hooligan groups. My project brings together 10 boys, aged 14 – 18, from both a hooligan group and ethnic/religious minorities, who will redecorate the town by using graffiti to undo the hate graffiti which was put up in various places. While doing so, a peace-building documentary will be filmed. This project should help to create a strong basis for peace building, mutual understanding and tolerance. Edo Sadikovic, JUMP organisation, Serbia (Youth Peace Ambassador's project)

Networks for peace

The following are some examples to consider the variety, seriousness and creativity of peace builders and human rights defenders.

Combatants for Peace – is a movement which was started jointly by Palestinians and Israelis who have taken an active part in the cycle of violence and now fight for peace.

Search for Common Ground implements conflict-transformation programmes.

Responding to Conflict   provides training for conflict transformation. Inspiring examples of and study notes for conducting training can be found on their website.

The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict is a global network seeking a new international consensus on moving from reaction to prevention of violent conflict.

The United Network of Young Peacebuilders is a network of youth-led organisations working towards establishing peaceful societies.

1 World report on violence and health, WHO 2002, Geneva p 5: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2002/9241545615.pdf 2 www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/en/ 3 Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI):  www.sipri.se 4 http://controlarms.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/killer_facts_en.pdf   5 www.unfpa.org/gender/violence.htm 6 Progress report of Barbara Frey, UN Special Rapporteur, "Prevention of human rights violations committed with small arms and light weapons", UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/2004/37, 21 June 2004, para 50  7 Source: www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/ 8 Evans, A., Resource scarcity, fair shares and development, WWF / Oxfam, Discussion paper, 2011   9 From the film Barrio De Paz 10 Nelsa Libertad Curbelo is a former nun and street gang mediator in Ecuador 11 UN General Asembly, 15 July 2011, Document A/HRC/RES/1/7/16 of the Human Rights Council 12 Based on the UK criminal Justice systems aims, see: http://ybtj.justice.gov.uk/ 13 Amnesty International death penalty statistics 14 Don't judge a book by its cover – the Living Library Organiser's Guide, Abergel R. et al, Council of Europe Publishing, 2005

• Violence: Concepts and examples
• 12 February Red Hand Day
• 21 March International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
• 15 May International Day of Conscientious Objection
• 29 May International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
• 4 June International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
• 26 June United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
• 6 August Hiroshima Day
• 21 September International Day of Peace
• 2 October International Day of Non-Violence
• 10 October World Day Against the Death Penalty
• 24-30 October Disarmament Week
• 9 November International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism
• 11 November International Day of Science and Peace
• 25 November International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
• 2 December International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

World Peace, 10 June 1963

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