With war continuing in Iraq and elsewhere, today represents the UN's International Day of Peace.
The Rhode Island State Council of Churches asked its members to ring their bells for five minutes at noon. A second local event is scheduled for this Sunday, from 3-5 pm, at the Davey Lopes Recreation Center.
Ginny Fox of the Peace Flag Project sent along this info:
The International Day of Peace was mandated by the United Nations in 1981 as a day of global ceasefire and humanity’s first day of peace. The UN had the goal of making peace the center of dialogue in homes, neighborhoods, nations and the global community. By working together to achieve a day of peace, it is hoped that all people can realize that creating a culture of peace is the surest way to make the world a better and safer place for ourselves and our children.
On September 23, the Peace Flag Project will hold its fourth annual commemoration of the International Peace Day at the Davey Lopes Recreation Center Park from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. The Park is located at 227 Dudley Street in Providence. The event is free and open to the public. The event is also sponsored by the Southside Community Land Trust, the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, and the Apeiron Institute.
In July, the Providence City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the establishment of a US Department of Peace. Pam Steager, state coordinator of the effort, sent along this info:
"Providence could directly benefit from programs this Department would develop or disseminate that deal with societal discord like school violence, gang and gun violence," said Councilman Cliff Wood, who introduced the resolution on behalf of the Rhode Island Campaign for a Department of Peace. “The city has already been recognized for some of our initiatives in this regard, including our community policing efforts, the work of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, and our increase in after school programs and summer jobs for city youth. It makes sense that we take a leadership role in increasing both the breadth and capacity of these kinds of efforts.”
Domestically, the Department will develop policies and allocate resources to effectively reduce the levels of domestic and gang violence, child abuse and various other forms of societal discord. Statistics reveal that each year, medical expenses from domestic violence alone total at least $3 to $5 billion and businesses forfeit another $100 million in lost wages, sick leave, absenteeism and non-productivity.
Internationally, the Department of Peace and Nonviolence will advise the President and Congress on the most sophisticated techniques and innovative ideas regarding peace building among nations. It would also research and analyze the root causes of war and other forms of violence to help prevent conflicts from escalating out of control in the first place. A Peace Academy, on par with the Military Service Academies, would train civilian peacekeepers and the military in the latest nonviolent conflict resolution strategies and approaches.
“According to the National Priorities Project, Providence taxpayers have spent over $188,000,000 so far on the War in Iraq,” said Pam Steager, state coordinator for the RI Campaign, which is affiliated with The Peace Alliance, a non-partisan, non-profit organization leading the effort to establish a U.S. Department of Peace and Nonviolence. “Local communities are where the effects of the realigned federal budget priorities are felt the most. City and town council members, as well as our state legislators, are having to make the difficult decisions about what to cut where from state and local budgets in reaction. We have to start asking ourselves about the current federal funding priorities that affect us all in so many ways, and establish the infrastructure needed to support best practices in violence prevention and peace building.”
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