Thanks to Ann Jordan, a Servas active member, we got this report: The Hague Appeal for Peace International Civil Society Conference May 11-15, 1999

This historic occasion marking the centenary of the first Hague Peace conference in 1899 was the largest mainly civil society gathering to discuss world peace. 600 organizations and almost 10,000 people from 40 different countries came to participate in the Hague Appeal for Peace ( HAP ) process and to support the launch of ,’The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century’. This Agenda has emerged from an intensive process of consultation among the 72 members of the HAP organizing and coordinating committees alongside hundreds of civil society organizations and citizens who consider the Agenda to represent the most important challenges facing humankind as it approaches a new millennium. Its four main strands concern root causes of war,( e.g. poverty, racism,) international human rights law, violent conflict prevention and transformation, disarmament and human security.

The conference with its two main slogans, Peace is a Human Right and Time to Abolish War, contained a very clear overall message which was the urgent need to promote a ‘culture of peace’ in our societies. This involves peace and human rights education at all levels and in all areas of life; to inform and encourage people that peace is worth working for and that everybody can do something towards this aim. The conference programme which included a vast array of seminars, workshops, fringe meetings, two plenaries and many lively cultural events, highlighted two major convictions: that there is no peace without justice and a respect of human rights; that conflict is healthy and ever-present but the issue is about preventing violent responses by using other means.

Attending this conference has further fuelled my long-held belief that there are, given sufficient will, socially and economically viable alternatives to war and armed conflict. The widely-held view regarding the inevitability of war as a consequence of its long-term history, can be justifiably challenged.

It was tremendously heartening to find out what can and does work in achieving sustainable peace and to be made even more aware of the scale, diversity and determination of successful peace, justice and human rights efforts which have achieved peaceful and sustainable resolutions non-violently. The vast majority of these world-wide efforts by ordinary people working effectively ‘behind the scenes’ are given scant or no attention by main media reporting which generally prefers to focus on the sensationalism of war. They need to be widely recognized, supported, especially in the early stages, and all positive aspects built upon and used as models for others in other conflict zones.

I have undertaken to write and disseminate this report in the hope that it will make a contribution to the development of the HAP process by reaching out to those who feel strongly about peace but need persuading that collectively citizens’ actions can and do make a difference. The following are selected highlights of the main sessions I attended.

The opening ceremony had a host of eminent speakers from a range of areas within civil society, governments and intergovernmental organizations, each presenting their hopes for a new century full of peace rather than continual war as in this century. Much was made of the power of ordinary people in bringing about peaceful solutions with such statements as, ‘ordinary people doing extraordinary efforts (mainly women) in conflict zones’, ‘the will and pressure of the common people brought warring factions round the peace talks table’, peace was not found through war but through dialogue and mediation’. Desmond Tutu claimed categorically that we have the capacity to endwar. The panel speakers in the strand, ‘Conflict Prevention and Transformation’ presented statements of fact, what further needs to be done and positive ways forward: - neighbouring groups getting together and ‘building bridges’ towards positive peace; timely responses, responding to ‘early warnings’; sharing information among local communities as well as governments (‘ownership’); supporting peace agreements within a social and economic framework; multi- disciplinary network; interracial reconciliation. A professional violinist gave a moving performance to give credence to his belief that, ‘art is a creative force for peace’ and proposed, ‘Who daresgentleness?’

In the strand, ‘Disarmament & Human Security’, a wide range of speakers presented information on:- global allied action gradually finding ways to avoid war; collective and sustained leadership; non- proliferation and eventual abolition of nuclear weapons. I was particularly impressed with one speaker who claimed that we need to turn to political, economic and diplomatic means rather than military ones, and that it should be written into every country’s constitution never to have or begin a war. Another speaker claimed that the real challenge relates to the widening gap between rich and poor emphasizing that the struggle for peace has to be linked to the struggle for justice. One speaker discussing the challenge to those in power and their, ‘smart weapons, dumb policies’, concluded with a quote from Martin Luther King, “War as a way of settling differences is not just.

In conclusion a UN spokesperson outlined a number of key issues then called for disarmament (global norms) to be institutionalized at every level, adding that we must take up the cause of peace and persist undaunted.

In the session, ‘Women Lead the Way to Peace’ , female speakers from countries including Ireland, Uruguay, Hawaii, Israel, Sudan, Korea, Croatia, Palestine, presented a wide range of on-going effective women-led peace projects.

For example, women involved in community groups decision-making, others involved at national policy level, women training others in active non-violence, literacy projects. The chairperson appealed for a widening of the network with more support and solidarity for these projects to help maintain the achievements and overall feeling ofoptimism. My next session also focused on the admirable struggle for peace and justice by an oppressed group, i.e. unrepresented peoples. (6 billion people still colonized ). The focus was on non-violent approaches between them and their states and I felt humbled to listen to a world-wide range of representatives such as, Nobel Laureate Jose- Ramos Horta (East Timor) who were all, despite long-term oppression, promoting reconciliation and cooperation rather than revenge and further bloodshed. Their international coalition is striving to further consistent dialogue and active collaboration with the international peace movement in order to achieve their aims. Mainly, to get states to ‘come to the table ‘ to maintain a process of dialogue (slow careful process ) and negotiate unresolved issues. The inalienable right to life, peace and non-violent self-determination should be respected and supported by the UN. If achieved it would be a contribution to conflict transformation by allowing a plurality of solutions and diversity of idea ‘Working with Decision Makers’ discussion was both thought-provoking and practical.

British MP, D. Chaytor, (Bury N.) provided clear advice and ideas on how to communicate effectively and influence those in power. Crucially, industry and institutions including military, churches, academics must be approached as well as government and civil service. There is need for coherence and unanimity of argument and collective responsibility among campaign groups with campaigners having realistic and achievable goals and addressing logic and economics in their arguments. Also, understand the parliamentary process, use MPs to drive force through, campaign for freedom of information. The closing ceremony featured another vast array of speakers including Kofi Annan (UN), Queen Noor of Jordan, Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands, as well as a number of ambassadors, diplomats, scientists, fund directors and leaders of HAP organizing committee.

Kofi Annan referring to the range of wars and human rights violations in the world since the signing of the UN Charter 1948 added, “Don’t despair, don’t be discouraged or give up”. After a loud applause he spoke about truth and reconciliation rather than absolute justice, maintaining that to insist on the latter only perpetuates conflict, although we must end the culture of impugnity for war criminals. Maj Britt Theorin (EU) spoke passionately about the need for political solutions to political problems, for the UN to gain its rightful role, and for respect of international law. Queen Noor, like many others, called for collective action, education and training in ‘building bridges, building peace’

During the rest of this 3 hour plenary many other issues were raised by the other speakers all of whom have endorsed and are committed to the implementation of the Hague Agenda. Reference was made to the successful landmines ban, the ban on small arms proliferation and peace accords gained by mediation and democratic principles. Major concerns were aired such as violations against women, greedy multinationals peddling death with sales of deadly chemicals, child soldiers, ecological diversity & security, colonization, and the urgent need to abolish nuclear weapons.. Finally, Cora Weiss, HAP President, spoke about the ongoing aim of the process as, ‘a new approach in which citizen advocates, progressive governments and official agencies will, with necessary moral imagination and courage, work together for common goals.’ The conference ended on a high noteof optimism.

In conclusion I should like to say that, far from the erroneous image of peace-workers as woolly-minded, ‘touchy-feely’, ill-conceived idealists who are floating about talking about love and peace without any real grasp of the realities of life, this conference was a huge manifestation of a wide range of hard-working, clear-sighted, divergent thinking, humanitarian people from many walks of life and fields of work including law, medicine, science, who came in solidarity to debate hard issues and deliver logical, rational arguments. Working for peace is not an easy option but as Kofi Annan, when calling for diplomacy, concluded, “Don’t miss the chance of peace for the misery of war.

Ann Jordan May 1999

Conference editions of the Hague Agenda can be obtained from:
The Hague Appeal, 11 Venetia Rd., London, N4 1EJ. Phone/Fax: 0181 347 61662.
For updated version and/or further details
visit Internet website, http://www.haguepeace.org
Ann Jordan May 1999