2011 progress report to the Global Alliance for
Ministries and Departments of Peace

GA Contact Person: Anne Creter
Contact Email: Annecrets@aol.com

GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR MINISTRIES AND DEPARTMENTS OF PEACE (GA) UNITED NATIONS LIAISON – NEW YORK 2011 STATUS REPORT
By Anne Creter — UN NGO Rep. Operation Peace Through Unity
August 5, 2011

The idea of pursuing a UN Ministry & Department of Peace Resolution began in ‘06 at the 2nd GA Summit in Canada. A draft Resolution was presented at the ‘07 Japan Summit to a small GA UN Working Group. Once back in NY, the Culture of Peace Working Group (CoP WG) of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns – New York (CSVGC-NY) collaborated with former UN Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury on this effort. He suggested polishing the draft document before engaging Ambassadors in dialogues for sponsorship. At the ’09 GA Summit, an enhanced draft was presented (attached) and a plan to build strategic GA alliances and partnerships was developed to move the Resolution project forward. The following actions were identified to strengthen GA presence at the UN: attend relevant international conferences; develop relationships with UN Ambassadors, with Universities and with in-country UN governmental contacts, as well as leaders in international peace.

Since the Costa Rica Summit, there has been movement in most of the above actions at UN Headquarters to advance Ministries and Department of Peace. Yet it has been slow and circuitous, due to obstacles which became more apparent as our GA work within the UN NGO community progressed. The good news is that soon after Costa Rica, the GA UN Liaison function was strengthened with the addition of Oliver Rizzi Carlson as Liaison in Geneva, to supplement my Liaison role in NY. Oliver joined Geneva’s counterpart to our CSVGC-NY and now co-chairs their new CoP WG. Since the CSVGC-NY CoP WG had solely led GA UN efforts up until then, this new Geneva-NY connection created a promising GA-UN synergy. The sad news is this budding synergy was weakened when in June, 2011 we (Iris Spellings and I, both representing Operation Peace Through Unity) decided to resign co-chairing the CoP WG-NY. It is not known yet what (if any) viable alternative NGO Culture of Peace group may solidify in its place. Promising though is a new, expansive Culture of Peace NGO coalition now emerging, which may become a more effective vehicle for GA work to advance at the UN. Another good sign is that “peace infrastructure” type language is actually being heard spoken for the first time now in some UN circles!

The draft UN Resolution project presented at the last Summit to an enthusiastic audience hit roadblocks once back in NY. The resistance within our own NGO Committee was baffling and counter-productive. We hypothesized it was due to how little we all (NGOs, Ambassadors and ourselves alike) understood at the time of the Culture of Peace Declaration and Programme of Action (the underlying, generic concept out of which the “governmental peace infrastructures” concept emanates). Thus, before such GA UN dialogues could begin, the prior need seemed to be to facilitate deeper understanding of the UN Culture of Peace Resolution itself — its power and authority. So our focus became the CoP Resolution … and how it relates to the concept of “governmental peace infrastructures.”

Right after Costa Rica, during CSVGC-NY’s fall ’09 Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns, we conducted a Culture of Peace survey at the UN, with questions about peace infrastructures. Later, we presented a Culture of Peace / Peace Infrastructure power point to CSVGC-NY which highlighted the Global Alliance. We co-convened a workshop with the Canadian Department of Peace at the 2010 International Conference for a Nuclear-Free World in NY entitled: Disarmament Through Governmental Infrastructures for a Culture of Peace. And as the 2010 Culture of Peace Decade was ending, we sought help from the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) to encourage DPI NGO’s to participate in the Ten-Year Culture of Peace Civil Society World Report (co-authored by Oliver in Geneva). Plus, we conducted an enlivening, heartfelt program at the UN entitled “Empowering Youth to Cultivate the Culture of Peace” (featuring Oliver as a panelist) at last fall’s Week of Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns. Finally, we learned more about the actual process involved in putting together the annual Culture of Peace Resolution, which goes before the General Assembly each year for passage.

Yet even after all this foundational Culture of Peace groundwork has been laid, controversy still exists about us engaging in “governmental peace infrastructure” dialogues with Ambassador, due to the sensitive political nature of UN culture. It seems our biggest accomplishment has been in getting clarity on this Catch-22 – which is partly why we stepped aside co-leading the CoP WG. We operate more freely now, under the direct auspices of our own NGO, Operation Peace Through Unity (headed by GA member Gita Brooke in New Zealand) which eliminates much needless UN bureaucracy. We also participate in the new aforementioned Culture of Peace coalition. We have so far been able to carry on our GA work now in a more productive and peaceful way.

In conclusion, GA progress has been made at the UN since the last Summit. We presented at an international conference and have advanced relationships with Ambassadors and peace leaders. We conducted various UN events to raise CoP / peace infrastructure awareness and have several possible higher-profile ones now in the works. From our recent GA CoP Resolution experience, we suggest it may be more prudent now to attempt to have “governmental peace infrastructure” language added to this year’s amended CoP Resolution, rather than pursue a full-fledged Resolution (?). What needs emphasis at this year’s Summit is to encourage delegates, once they get home, to develop GA in-country UN government contacts with their state departments — as well as with their local United Nations Associations. If we could coordinate these efforts, it would no doubt augment our work at the UN.

I regret not being able to join you in Africa and am grateful Oliver will be there to carry on, along with Dr. Anele Heiges (a big GA supporter who brings a wealth of UN experience). May you have an inspirational, productive GA Summit and may the UN work you do there carry the GA to new heights! I will be with you in spirit.