II. Towards a UN People’s Assembly
- report on a Forum questionnaire

It was in his 1997 Report to the General Assembly that the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, made the recommendation that a people’s millennium assembly should accompany a Millennium General Assembly, both focusing on “preparing the UN to meet the major challenges and needs of the world community in the 21st Century.”

This original suggestion, although undergoing various changes and modifications, stood the test of time and will now take place 22-26 may 2000 under the name “People’s Millennium Form”. It has also inspired people to arrange socalled peoples assemblies in various regions of the world, such as for instance the pilot people’s assembly in San Francisco, June 1998, which resulted in the Millennium People’s Assembly Network (MPAN), and the First Global Peoples Assembly in Samoa, 2-8 April 2000.

While the Millennium Forum aims to create an organisational structure through which NGO’s and civil society can offer their proposals and contribute to discussions on UN matters, the MPAN and the Global Peoples Assembly will be seeking general agreement on a Global Peoples' Assembly Charter and Bylaws which will serve as the beginning of a continuing process of amendment and change as people from around the world join the assembly.

The New Zealand Forum for UN Renewal (an entity within the United Nations Association of NZ) has repeatedly states its main aims as being to help develop close working relationships between central government, local government and civil society with a view to this concept also being reflected within a reformed UN. This definition builds on the basic idea of the World Federation of UNA’s (WFUNA) which, already in 1948, state that it was to be a peoples movement devoted entirely to the support of the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and that the image of the world Federation and all its member UNAs should be seen as a “human bridge” between the UN System, the national governments and their country’s people. But this human bridge, allowing a two-way free-flow of communication between the UN and the world’s participation. As Erskine Childers, former senior UN official and WFUNA President, said shortly before his untimely death:
“It is we who have to carry the governments with us; because at the end of the day it is governments that will have to agree on any democracy-achieving modifications of the present UN”.

So when Kofi Annan made his appeal to the world’s peoples to help the UN in shaping our common future, the Forum responded by formulating a questionnaire which asked New Zealand people to offer their opinions and thoughts on:
 - what they believed to be the major challenges/needs (locally, nationally, globally, and for future generations), and suggest some possible solutions (same categories).

This questionnaire was distributed as far and wide as our resources allowed and with the kind help of TEARAWAY Yough Magazine, the questionnaire reached secondary schools throughout the country. The returned responses cover most parts of New Zealand and reflect a wide variety of society: from MPs to NGOs (NCW, PPSEAWA, UNA, Caritas and others), ethnic groups and students.

The answers were divided into two groups: adults and youths and a short summary together with a copy of the entire text was sent to the Millennium Forum Secretariat by e-mail and airmail.

It is difficult to do real justice to this material in a resume. Much care and though had gone into the answers to the questions. Global issues, such as security, poverty, development, environment, health etc and their solutions were, generally speaking, approached from a community perspective.

One of the clear messages, shared by adults and youths alike regarding local/national challenges and needs, was the loss of the sense of community. Many reasons for this were offered: unemployment and poverty (leading to poor diet/health); the “disempowerment of local communities” and the emphasis on a “cult of the individual at the expense of the common good”; “you cannot have community and rampant economic individualism”. Violence, whether family, street or gang related, criminality (burglaries, drugs, violation of privacy and rape) were seen as splitting communities apart. To this sad picture were added different kinds of ethnic tensions and open conflict/hostilities.

However, the suggestions as to how these problems might be solved were bountiful and constructive, emphasising the need to promote the idea of a cooperative society, good neighbourliness (Youth: accept people for who they are, not what they are; people should be friendly; teach us to respect people as individual; don’t hold grudges, “better education for future generations might help”). There should be more focus within local/national government on developing and facilitating ways of expressing unity and friendships between all people in New Zealand. There were several elaborations on this theme, for instance: “To develop and commit to a sense of direction is more positive than a base line of human rights, more proactive in working towards goals of peace and economic equity”. And from the depth of the human heart came: “I want my grandchildren to be body and soul; not half-body and no soul.” Kia Ora”.

Some, especially youths, thought criminals would be punished more severely. Others suggested that family support, cultural appropriate anger management, and different kinds of active and positive community assistance could help: “Individuals feeling good about themselves. . . less likely to inflict harm on others”.

An overwhelming number of young people express the need to feel more accepted and cared for by the community and wanted alcohol and drug-free - and safe – places of entertainment (nightclubs, amusement parks/centres etc), seeing this as a solution to problems such as boredom, street gangs, drugs, graffiti and crime.

Local and national ethnic and racial conflicts, and what to do about them were also discusses: we need to sort out “Treaty of Waitangi issues and make the country a place of goodwill for all races”; we must alert people to an increasing awareness that “sovereignty resides in the local community at all levels”. We need “to encourage greater understanding and friendship between the people of NZ and peoples in other countries, especially those in Asia”. One youth expressed it like this: “have a fair agreement between Maoris and other New Zealanders and get rid of racism because of our multi-cultural society. Get rid of poverty, racism and prevent civil and world wars”. Another young person’s advice was: “Tell people to get over the past.”

The issue of human rights ranked high in all responses: governments should abide by all human rights; they should be made into law, and we should all respect the rights of others. Such rights often included the rights to a good and healthy environment, which again frequently led to pointing out the need for taking responsibility for one’s actions and caring for the environment; recycling should be compulsory, plant (and hug!) trees, ban genetic engineering and the use of CFCs, organic farming, use public transport and local products (buy local and buy NZ made products). “Government must ensure all development is sustainable whether public or private. Education on environmental issues crucial”; “All nations to think not only for the present, but look ahead in planning to avoid unemployment and poverty”.

Peace – and the lack thereof – was constantly linked and inter-woven with the issues of justice, inequity, poverty, racism, ethnic cleansing and all kinds of bullying (whether personal or national); “World peace and world care for environment develop from small scale care and education”. Greed must be addressed, and mean-spirited economic strategies abandoned; expose multinationals, stop exploitation; absolve third world debt; get rid of nuclear weapons (Youth: “Dispose of them in a safe manner to minimise harm to the future of mankind”; “think of more peaceful ways of settling conflicts”; “Stop wars – everything nowadays is all talk and no action. It’s depressing”; and “Governments could stop fighting among themselves and get down to real business and not put something aside when it gets too hard”).

Greater awareness of the potential of the UN for peace was mentioned in several responses: “Wider understanding and application of the UN Charter and the various human rights declarations and conventions. Teach them in schools”; the UN should be well funded and have more credibility. “Support the UN from local levels up”.

It would be safe to say that the plea for broader and wider, deeper and fuller and altogether better education was somehow included in almost all the responses received. Education should be life long and free for young people up to university level, and student loans should be interest free. Education was seen as essential for meeting and overcoming both present and future challenges and for the building of a new civilisation; education should be more informative, less competitive. Among Youth responses were: “encourage people and tell them they can make a difference. Invest in education”; “Kids to be brought up to know what’s right and wrong but still experiment”; and proves “a better sense of knowledge about the world and what goes on it it”. As another wise young person put it: “...having an educated population benefits the country.”

The importance of spiritual values, goodwill and active kindness was often emphasised, and the building of a culture of peace, locally, nationally and globally was also mentioned in several responses. Some said new Zealand should be leading the way by setting a good example.

There is so much more that could be shared from this material, so full of thoughtful comments and good and constructive suggestions. Even so, I hope that this account has provided ample evidence of the beauty and quality and the potential power of heart and spirit of goodwill, not only of the people who took time to fill out this questionnaire but also of the communities they belong to. With such richness of human resources can we not be confident that in the not too distant future we, the peoples of the world, will succeed in fulfiling the vision of the UN Charter “to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”?

Gita Brooke, Co-convener, April 2000

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III. The State of the World’s Children

This UNICEP Report 2000 acknowledges that many good advances have been made regarding the state of the children in the world today: millions of them have grown healthier, been better nourished and had greater access to education than ever before. Lives have been saved and suffering prevented; polio is almost eradicated and measles has been reduced by 85%.

But “despite the progress made on many of the goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children, the decade of the 1990 was one of undeclared war on women, adolescents and children as poverty, conflict, chronic social instability and preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS threatened their human rights and sabotaged their development”.

The report speaks about a “poverty trap” as poverty continues to grow and “as globalisation proceeds along its inherently asymmetrical course”, widening the gap between haves and have-nots. Although the exact number is not known, millions of young boys and girls are endangered by their sale and trafficking, debt bondage, serfdom, forced or compulsory labour, forced or compulsory recruitment into armed conflict, prostitution, pornography or by production and trafficking of drugs.

Under the heading, “AIDS: A deathly, deadly silence,” UNICEF reports that each day 8,500 children and young people are infected with HIV. UNAIDS (UN Programme on HIV/AIDS) estimates that by the end of 2000 the number of orphaned children by AIDS will be 13 million. It is feared that the Sub-Saharan epidemic is repeating itself in South Asia, and it is tragic that there is no indication that the resources needed to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS will be forthcoming. Says the report: “If the national funds for poverty reduction this decade have been a disgrace, the outlays to fight the global HIV/AIDS pandemic are outrageous”.

So for all the gains made there has, according to the report, nevertheless been a sad lack of leadership – “a lack of vision, an absence of courage, a passive neglect.”

However, there are hopeful signs of changes ahead. Government bodies and civil groups, UN organisations and non-governmental organisations, philanthropies and responsible corporate citizens – as well as children and adolescents themselves – have formed alliances to redress the present state of affairs.

Representatives from these various groups and organisations will gather in an extraordinary meeting in 2001 that will be linked to a Special Session of the UN General Assembly. Together they will form a grand global coalition, committed to meeting the goals of the 1990 World Summit For Children. “They will begin the 21st century with a new vision and a new commitment, clear and passionate about what needs to be done – for all women and children - before the first decade of the new millennium ends.”

UNICEF Headquarters, UNICEF HOUSE, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA. UNICEF website: www.unicef.org

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The UN Security Council decided (in 1993) to establish six “safe areas” in Bosnia to be guarded by the UN Protection Force, who collected the weapons from the Muslims of the city in spite of the Serb forces’ refusal to withdraw from their positions around Srebenica. The result was the slaughter of 7,000 Muslims within these socalled safe areas.

“Through error, misjudgment, and an inability to recognise the scope of the evil confronting us, we failed to do our part to save the people of Srebrenica”, says Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Looking in detail into the many different actions, lack of action, policies and decisions and their contribution to the failure in preventing this tragedy, the report concludes that “the cardinal lesson is that a deliberate and systematic attempt to terrorise, expel or murder an entire people must be met with all necessary means, and with the political will to carry the policy through to its logical conclusion.”

There is an “institutional ideology of impartiality”, says the report, and also a “pervasive ambivalence” within the UN regarding the use of force in the pursuit of peace, which contributes to the difficulty of the UN member states reaching firm and unanimous agreements on what actions should be taken in such situations. The report also points to “the gap between mandates and means” and the inadequacy of symbolic deterrence in the face of systematic violence.

Rwanda
An inquiry panel, headed by former Swedish Prime Minister, Ingvar Carlsson, and commissioned by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to look into UN actions during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, came to the conclusion that the failure to stop the genocide was “shared by the UN as a whole, including the Secretariat, the Security Council and UN member states.”

In the preparation so their report the panel which, apart from Ingvar Carlsson consisted of Hun Sung-Joo, former Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea and retired Lieutenant-General of Nigeria, Rufus Kupolati, interviewed over a hundred witnesses and had full access to all UN records.

One of the most glaring failures in Rwanda, according to the report, was the decision to reduce the peacekeeping force after the slaughter had begun. The Assistance Mission to Rwanda, established by the Security Council in 1993 to monitor the peace agreement between the Rwandan Government and the Tutsi-led Rwandese Patriotic Front had been “deliberately weakened” when the massacres began.

The UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who at the time was UN’s Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping, concedes that while there was a UN force in Rwanda at the time “it was neither mandated nor equipped for the kind of forceful action which would have been needed to prevent or halt the genocide”. Kofi Annan went on to say: “On behalf of the United Nations, I acknowledge this failure and express my deep remorse.”

Mr. Carlsson points out the “serious gap between the mandate and the political realities of Rwanda and between the mandate and the resources dedicated to it”, and maintains that the UN Assistance Mission to Rwanda was a victim to the Security Council’s and member states’ lack of political will.

The reports 14 recommendations emphasised the importance of peacekeeping and urged that the Security Council and troop-contributing countries “be prepared to act to prevent acts of genocide or gross violations of human rights wherever they may take place.” The report also recommends improved communication and cooperation between the UN Secretariat, the Security Council and with “outside actors”, such as the non-governmental organisations.

Mr. Carlsson expressed the hope that the forthcoming Millennium Summit would realise the importance of peacekeeping and that the UN would be enabled to carry out is peacekeeping duties in the future.

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In 1998 Denis resigned this position because he believed and I quote:

“I have been instructed to implement a policy that satisfies the definition of genocide, a deliberate policy that has effectively killed well over a million individuals – children and adults. We are in the process of destroying an entire society”.

Strong words indeed. We note here that the term Genocide has to contain the intent to kill and it is related to racial murder, an intent to wipe out a whole race. Denis quoted a statement from Madeline Albright to justify his position that genocide was being committed. Ms Albright is purported to have stated, when it was pointed out to her that children were dying in their thousands, that it was “worth it”. Denis maintained that as it was consciously known that the policy of sanctions was wiping out thousands of lives and was still being continued, then this policy fits the definition of genocide. It is not known by this writer in what context Ms Alright made this statement. Its use and quotation is very emotive.

Denis Halliday has lived and worked in Iraq whilst working for the UN and is devastated at the destruction of the Iraqi society and people, a society he states had tremendous economic, social and cultural development - indeed a society where women held University Doctorates and degrees and were encouraged to participate in betterment. Denis does point out however that civil and political rights were not fostered and Saddam Hussein was quite ruthless in his suppression of these. This in itself raises within us deep questionings. Not the least of these is the old debate between civil political rights versus economic, social and cultural rights. One of the participants in the gathering raised the question to Denis and we quote:

“Did Denis ever believe that equal emphasis to both these rights would ever eventuate within the UN and its member states, and if so when?”

It is pointed out that the two successors to this position have also resigned stating very similar reasons. Denis firmly states that the Iraqi sanctions have not worked and should be lifted. He commended the position of the New Zealand Government who through the Foreign Minister Phil Goff announced its intention to support the lifting of current sanctions against Iraq and look at what he termed “smart sanctions’ being put into effect. This naturally posits the question: “What are smart sanctions?”.

Smart sanctions are sanctions that are aimed at the ruling elite, ie. Saddam Hussein and the top echelon of Iraqi society. This part of Iraqi society has been little touched by the imposed sanctions. It is the poor, the innocent and the vulnerable who have been punished. The instruments of war like depleted Uranium shells alone are causing havoc with the health of people. Denis maintains that the arms manufacture of the west and the governments who sanction such manufacture are guilty of genocide and as such of crimes against humanity. He pointed out the trial of Pinochet and suggested that the western leaders of the world imposing and maintaining these sanctions plus ‘creating a theatre of war’ should also be tried for crimes against humanity.

Denis Halliday also stated state Saddam Hussein made a “mistake” in attacking Kuwait. We have to ask ourselves here if such an attack could be referred to as a mistake and if so why couldn’t the same description be applied to the whole scenario. Saddam Hussein is a man who in an interview on television publicly proclaimed Adolf Hitler as his idol when a child, and called upon all of Islam to join him in a “jihad” – the Muslim equivalent of the Christian crusades. Sure as we, humanity, move on in our evolution and growth we can no longer describe any such actions as a mistake, no matter who is the perpetrator.

Two NZ Herald articles, diametrically opposed to each other, highlight our seeming dilemma: how do we determine the real from the unreal. One article and editorial speaking out on the NZ Government’s call for the lifting of sanctions and the new smarter imposed mission. Both quote statistics - the editorial speaking of 500 children a month dying and the other quoting the official figure as almost four thousand a month. The editorial and the report on Denis Halliday gives differing reasons for the plight of the Iraqi people. The editorial takes up the UN Human Rights Commission position, which lays the situation at the door of the Iraqi Regime. This article also points out that no matter how smart the new sanctions are, one of which will be the banning of the supply of arms with a stricter monitoring, that aggressors will always find a source of arms. The report quoting Denis Halliday’s position blames the western powers and points out that the sanctions have not worked with Saddam still in power and indeed have even diverted his peoples’ attention from their wretched state. It is impossible to quote the whole articles and this writer has endeavoured to present both sides of the coin. We need to view this whole situation with as much honesty and impersonality as we can, hence the previous comment on how do we determine the real from the unreal.

Denis also states that his work at the United Nations proved to him that the UN is controlled by the U.S.A. and is rendered impotent regarding its true and stated purpose for its creation in 1945 because of this control. We point out that Denis Halliday is motivated by a deep abiding love for humanity, recognising the enormity of the challenges before us and acknowledging them in regard to Saddam Hussein and the problem this leader of a people posits to us all. Denis states that it is a peoples of the world who need to see what issues face us and that we the peoples of the world need to establish a new agenda for our relationship with each other.

In his millennium report tot he General Assembly, “We the Peoples - The role of the United Nations in the 21st Century”, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is offering us, the peoples of the world, a greater say and participation in the decision making process of the UN. This presents us with a wonderful opportunity for the love and wisdom of humanity to influence the proceedings of the United Nations General Assembly. What do you think?

Vivienne Honeybun, UNANZ Northern Branch Forum for Renewal Liaison Officer, c/o AGUS, PO Box 5925, Wellesley St., Auckland 1, New Zealand.

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The above is the title chosen by the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for his millennium report to the UN General Assembly. In presenting this report with its plan of action to the assembly, described as “the most comprehensive presentation of the UN’s mission in its 55 year history”, Kofi Annan urges all member states to make globalisation work for all people. He described “globalisation” as the one word which encapsulates all the changes we are living through, and stresses that

“No shift in the way we think or act can be more critical than this: we must put people at the centre of everything we do.”

In the report these “global issues” are grouped under three headings, each of which is referred to as a “fundamental human freedom”: freedom from want; freedom from fear, and the freedom of future generations to sustain their lives on this planet.

Freedom from Want:

In this address to the General Assembly Kofi Annan asks: “How can we call human being free and equal in dignity when over a billion of them are struggling to survive on less than a dollar a day, without safe drinking water, and when half o all humanity lacks adequate sanitation”? The combination of extreme poverty with extreme inequality is an affront to our common humanity.

To reduce extreme poverty by half through the world before 2015, several priority areas have been identified:

• achieving sustained growth;
• generating opportunities for the young;
• promoting health and combating HIV/AIDS;
• upgrading the slums;
• including Africa;
• building digital bridges;
• demonstrating global solidarity.

• Prevention. The best way to prevent all kinds of conflict is to promote healthy and balanced economic development, human rights, minority rights and representation of all groups. Illicit transfer of weapons, money or natural resources must be “forced into the limelight”;
• Protecting the vulnerable. Gross violations of international and human rights law must not go unpunished
• Addressing the dilemma of intervention. National sovereignty must not be used as a shield for those who want only violate the rights and lives of fellow human beings;
• Strengthening peace operations. A special high-level panel has been established by the Secretary-General to review and make recommendations on all aspects of peace operations;
• Targeting sanctions. Future sanctions should be “smarter” and targeted better;
• Pursuing arms reduction. Re-commitment by all member states to the reduction of all arms, nuclear arms in particular.

After detailing the multiple threats of climate change, water shortages, soil erosion and destruction of forests, fisheries and biodiversity, he concludes by calling for a “New Ethic of Stewardships” and a system of “Green Accounting” to ensure that environmental costs and benefits are integrated into economic policies.

Speaking on the renewing of the United Nations the Secretary-General reminds the UN member states that the UN matters to the world in general only to the extent that it can make useful contributions to solving the problems outlined in his report. Otherwise “the United Nations will have little or no role to play in the 21st century”. The UN’s influence is derived not from power but from the values it represents; its role in helping to set and sustain global norms; its ability to stimulate global concern and action; and the trust inspired by its practical work to improve people’s lives.

Kofi Annan stresses that the strengthening of the United Nations depends on governments and their willingness to work with others: the private sector, non-governmental organisations and multilateral agencies, to find consensus solutions. Furthermore, new technologies, information technology in particular, need to be pursued.

The Secretary-General’s report will be considered by a special Millennium Summit on 6-8 September 2000, a rare meeting of Heads of State and Government, scheduled on the eve of the first General Assembly of the new millennium. Kofi Annan lists six shared values, reflecting the spirit of the UN Charter, which are of particular relevance to the new century: Freedom, Equity and Solidarity; Tolerance; Non-Violence; Respect for Nature; and Shared Responsibility. He urges the Millennium Summit to adopt a series of resolutions, drawn from the body of the report, as an earnest of its will to act on those values.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan ends his address to the General Assembly with the plea: “Let us never forget that our Organisation was founded in the name of “We, the Peoples” – the words I have chosen as the title of my Report. We are at the service of the world’s peoples, and we must listen to them. They are telling us that our past achievements are not enough. They are telling us we must do more, and do it better.”

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LAW – The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, is organising an international conference in Jerusalem from 5-7 June, entitled: Culture, Community and Jerusalem: Strategies to protect and Promote Human Rights in Palestine.

The aim of this conference is to provide an opportunity for local as well as international activists, academics, and parliamentarians “to help the Palestinian residents of Jerusalem”.

LAW has also published a report “The Right to Work: Economic Rights Under Military Occupation”. This report examines “Palestinian workers from a socio-economic context, wherein the conditions that have forced migratory labour and economic dependence, and the conditions that have affected Palestinian development.”

Contact: LAW, PO Box 20873, Jerusalem. Fax (972-2)583-3317, Email: law@lawsociety.org, website: www.lawsociety.org

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The Avoka Methodists Girls’ College at Faleula, Apia, on the edge of the sparkling Pacific Ocean, was the setting for the first Global People’s Assembly held in April 2000. People from Tonga, many parts of USA, Switzerland, new Zealand, Australia, Denmark, China, The Netherlands, plus many Samoans, gathered to affirm their belief that the people of the world must have a stronger, more positive voice at the United Nations, and to declare their vision for a peaceful world in the new millennium.

The meeting was co-chaired by United Nations Association Samoa President: the Honourable Le Tagaloa Pita, and Rhyl, Lady Jansen, President of the New Zealand UNA. There was a warm atmosphere of congeniality and hope as people shared their visions of peace, and many international friendships were forged during the meeting.

This was a truly South Pacific conference where business sessions began and ended with prayer or meditation, and where the social programmes always included song and dance and laughter. We were reminded that the Samoan State is founded on God, and the strong influence of the Church was evident in all the speeches and contributions to discussion by the Samoan delegates. There are a great many churches in Samoa, Catholic and Protestant: their leaders command dutiful respect from the parishioners.

During the Conference addresses were given by visitors from India, China, and the USA, as well as by local Samoan dignitaries. Topics were wide-ranging within the context of the theme: “Make Peace, Stop Wars”, and emphasis was always on the value of an eventual Global People’s Assembly which would adequately reflect the views and concerns of the peoples of the world. Thus ‘we the peoples’ would really have some participation in global governance.

Dr. Maur from India spoke strongly against the obscenity of wide-spread arms dealing: the US President, he said, in June will approve the spending of 20 billion US dollars for proceeding with the modern equivalent of ‘star wars’. India is increasing its military budget by 28%, and has 16 nuclear bombs. he questioned, Who are selling arms, who are buying them? The earth belongs to the PEOPLE, not to governments, and it is our task at this meeting to bring about a change which will give the people power in governance, and in implementing the rule of law.

A UNA representative from China, Mr. Wang Wanhai, spoke about economic development in his country, and said that the average standard of living, including housing, has increased greatly in recent times. He stressed that Chinese people would learn from other countries but not necessarily copy their practice. Above all, the Chinese wanted PEACE, in which to consolidate their growth.

We heard encouraging messages from Nelson Mandela, from M. Degasses, UN Resident Coordinator in Samoa, and from Dr. Robert Muller, Honorary President of the First Global People’s Assembly and chancellor of the UN University of Peace, Coast Ria. A memorable address was given by Dr. Aiono Le Tagaloa, the first Samoan Director of Education, who spoke about her “armamentarium for peace’. Quoting Socrates: The beginning of wisdom is to know yourself, she urged each of us to be a knowledgeable searcher for peace. She told us of the importance of women in Samoan society as makers of economic wealth and as peacemakers. One of the main ingredients of the ‘armamentarium’ is alofa or love, which is as important as knowledge or wisdom in the search for peace.

The programme of the Conference included actions such as the parade of the flags of 190 countries carried by Samoan children centred round a giant global ball, on which subsequently many people wrote their names in the appropriate countries. And there was a planting of a Peace Pole in the school garden, also a commemorative plaque, and at night lively entertainment by local youth groups, the selection of “Miss and Mr Peace Messenger’, and a graceful ceremony, The Art of Giving, when our hosts laid many gifts on flax mats for the appreciative guest participants.

Workshops convened intermittently throughout the Conference on topics ranging from Non-Violent Decision-Making to the European Parliament and the Global Peoples Assembly and Revision of the UN Charter – 25 workshops in all. Resolutions from these discussion groups were to be sent to the appropriate UN agency and to the Millennium Forum to take place in New York in May 2000.

Many delegates had been working for some years on the concept of a Global People’s Assembly, which was seen as a long-term goal prepared for in the meantime by the holding of local and regional assemblies. To give Structure to this objective the proponents of the idea had drawn up a draft Charter, in fact two versions; long and short, and these were worked on in a workshop and in informal meetings during the conference. The end result was a very short draft ‘Charter-in-Development’, which was agreed to at the final Plenary Session to acclamation. It was emphasised, however, that the text was only the beginning of the process, and the definitive Charter would be the result of further alteration, amendment and/or addition during the following two years. At the 2nd Global People’s Assembly, probably to be held in India in 2002, the final GPA Charter would be adopted.
Laurie Salas, Vice-President World Federation of United Nations Associations

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The Editorial of December 1999 issue of NGO Reported recognises the numbing effect that many statistical figures can have on the human mind, especially when the numbers become overwhelmingly large. For instance casualty numbers, whether from conflicts of war or famine, tend somehow – by the very size of them – to lose touch with their humanity. Another difficulty that we, the general public, can experience, is hot to read, interpret and understand what these particular statistical data might be telling us, and where exactly they fit into the overall picture.

Therefore one of the major challenges for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is, according to the editorial, “to translate cold numbers into warm bodies, each of whom is to be cherished and protected.”

NGOs have made an attempt to shrink the world into a village of one hundred people, which statistically reflect some specifics about the world we live in on a scale that will help us understand it better:  “some anonymous compiler has taken computer data, reduced the world to a village of precisely one hundred people (keeping all ratios the same) and has come up with the following statistics”. Conceded that the figures may not be 100% precise, they are nevertheless giving us a reasonable accurate picture, which tells us that this village of one hundred people would consist of:

57 Asians and 21 Europeans, 14 from the Western hemisphere (north and south) and 8 Africans;

52 of these would be female and 48 would be male;

70 would be non-Christian and 30 would be Christian;

6 people would possess 59% of the entire wealth;

80 would live in substandard housing, 70 would be unable to read and 50 would suffer from some form of malnutrition;

Only one of the hundred would have a college education and only one would own a computer.

When two men, each of fine intellect and of wide social experience, engage in a series of dialogues where they discuss wide-ranging issues in depth, the outcome as set down in book form is bound to be fascinating and inspiring.

Johan Galtung, one of the founders of modern peace studies, and Daisaku Ikeda, President of Soka Gakkai International, share common interests and ideals broadly centred on peace and the welfare of humankind; the topics they traverse in CHOOSE PEACE – though it was written several years ago - are pertinent for today’s thinkers who struggle with the world’s problems and agonies yet also strive to implement the objectives of the UN declared Year of the Culture of Peace.

I found the book enormously rewarding and commend it to all who are search for a satisfying philosophy to guide their living, and are looking for practical ways of achieving peace on earth.

The diversity of issues covered in the book encompasses: socialism, human rights, Buddhism – “for Buddhism the most precious of all things is the Buddha nature (or Buddha life) inherent in every sentient being” - the death penalty, nuclear technology, “hard and soft’ religions, structural violence, the Japanese constitution, Gorbachev and perestroika, nationalism, the United Nations, and global government.

The comments on, for instance, “the famous Article 9” of the Japanese constitution – which rejects belligerence as a means of dealing with international disagreements – are illuminating: Ikeda attributes the unique economic recovery and growth in Japan to its so-called Peace Constitution, while Galtung, referring to current questioning about Article 9, proposes that the Japanese people should recommend that other states, for instance the United States, should include similar provisions in their own constitution.

On the death penalty, both men oppose this as a punishment: Ikeda noted that the crime-deterrence of the death penalty is widely claimed but remains unproven, while Galtung says he is against it because it legitimises killing. Other thought-provoking observations are the following: all religions must subordinate the institutional to the individual; too great a faith in theories can generate fanaticism and dogmatism that breed arrogant intolerance; the foundation of human rights ought to uphold the preservation of opportunities for self-realisation; they each support the concept of a United Nations “People’s Assembly”; – Galtung suggests a trilateral relationship between a UN General Assembly, UN Peoples Assembly and a UN Corporate Assembly: he thinks on-going dialogue between these three sectors would be of benefit to the world – “the nation-state, capital and civic society must be brought together, because today governments run too much of the show alone.”

CHOOSE PEACE is a powerful and enlightening book which will be enjoyed for its stimulating content, and will function as a reference source (it has a good bibliography and index) for people of enquiring mind who seek a blueprint for a satisfying new world order in the 21st century.

CHOOSE PEACE is available by donation from Soka Gakkai International - New Zealand, 166 Featherston Street, Wellington, New Zealand.
Laurie Salas, March 2000.



XI. Tane Mahuta – a proud Father

A giant 1500 year old kauri tree called Tane Mahuta will soon be the proud father of a millennium kauri plantation, adjacent to the Waipoua Sanctuary in the Northland area of New Zealand. Some of the land for this plantation was bought with the help of a lottery grant and the new forest, planted with thousands of seedlings from Tane Mahuta, will be placed in public ownership, and have convenants placed on its titles to protect the native fauna and flora.

The initiators of this inspirational project hope that future New Zealanders might be helped to understand the importance of “forests as ecosystems rather than just stands of trees”. At a time when the rainforests are at risk, this millennium kauri plantation project will be benefiting future generations everywhere – a generous gift from an old beautiful being - Tane Mahuta.
Source: NZ Press Association.

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The United Nations ‘Days’ & ‘Years’ Meditation Initiative aims to promote human unity and right relationships by encouraging groups and individuals to support United Nations ‘Days’ & ‘Years’ through meditation and prayer.

The initiative provides: meditations for use by groups and individuals in support of UN ‘Days’ & ‘Years’ ; dates and information on each of the UN ‘Days’ and international years, and on ways to participate more fully in both.

The UN designated days/weeks/years/decades now form a well-established global rhythm of service. yet this UN calendar can be much more effective. This realisation inspires the UN ‘Days’ & ‘Years’ Meditation Initiative. For while there is obviously need for more outer work to be done on the issues the UN calendar highlights, there is also equally urgent need for additional work in meditation to uplift and nourish that outer effort.

Today millions of groups and individuals around the world regularly include some form of subjective activity – meditation, prayer, reflection - in their pattern of life. And a significant number of these groups and individuals are motivated by a wish to contribute to the process of human unity. the UN ‘Days’ & ‘Years’ Meditation Initiative encourages these groups and individuals to participate in the UN’s programme of special ‘Days’ and ‘Years’. It would be of inestimable benefit to the world if there was a marked increase in subjective support for these points of concentrated goodwill energy.

Through heart-felt aspiration and focussed reflective though we can invoke, receive and then direct spiritual energies into the consciousness of humanity. Therefore to meditate in support of the UN ‘Days’ and ‘Years’ helps to create a climate of thought receptive to the vision and values of a compassionate and just world order. This world service may be recognised by most but it is nonetheless powerful, aiding servers working in every field of endeavour in the many magical ways that bear the signature of love.

It will be wonderful if you could ‘adopt’ the UN in this way as a contribution to human unity and world renewal. It is our hope that large numbers of groups and individuals who practice meditation and prayer will increasingly choose to include this subjective world service in their regular rhythm of inner work.