Activity proposal for area 5 (Europe in the Mediterranean and in the World)

Session 1: The Syrian conflict and its challenges for peace movements: promoting a ceasefire, pursuing just peace, empowering reconciliation

Saturday, Nov 10, h 9:00-13:00

Session 2: Strategies of peace movements towards Sarajevo 2014: building European Peace Services, acting for Disarmament

Saturday, Nov 10, h 14:00-18:00

Organizers:


From Italy - Un ponte per..., IPRI-Rete Corpi Civili di Pace, Guerra&Pace, ARCI, Associazione per la pace, Centro Studi Difesa Civile, Tavola della Pace e della Cooperazione (Valdera), Fucina della Nonviolenza, SiAmo Vicenza, MIR Vicenza


From France - Initiatives Pour un Autre Monde (IPAM)


From Croazia - Agenzia per la Democrazia Locale di Verteneglio/Lokalna  Demokracjia Agencjia - BrtoniglaFrom Bosnia Herz. - Nansn Dialogue Centre Sarajevo
International - International Peace Bureau (repr.by IALANA), War Resisters International (repr. by Movimento Nonviolento)

Session 1: The Syrian conflict and its challenges for peace movements: promoting a ceasefire, pursuing just peace, empowering reconciliation

Description: In 2002 at the European Social Forum we discussed how to mobilize against the invasion of Iraq. We wanted to prevent a war based on lies that would not bring democracy but death and a new authoritarian government for the Iraqi people. Ten years after, we wish world powers had listened to our cry. Today Syria has a comparable importance for the anti-war movement, but political interests behind factions are hard to read. It is difficult to understand what European social movements can do to support Syrian people, refugees and civil society who dare to imagine a nonviolent path towards democracy, and a real perspective for reconciliation. We all agree that:

-      an immediate ceasefire is needed to prevent further bloodshed and de-escalate the civil war; the great majority of the population wants peace
-      no international support should be given to armed factions, on either side, to prevent the “Iraqization” of Syria; the “bill” of external powers will be presented later to Syrian people and produce long-term instability
-      the actual Syrian regime must be overcome and a process of State reform should be built by Syrian people, in all of its parts, according to the legitimate requests of the 2011 uprising
-      freedom of expression and information must be guaranteed
-      all religious and ethnic groups must be protected, with special attention to refugees and minorities, in partnership with civil society of neighboring countries, where conflict risks to spread
-      collective actions must be taken to push European institutions and governments to advocate for a just peace, instead of external armed interventions or support to armed factions
-      European civil society needs to empower noviolent actors within Syria, to foster the above-mentioned goals and to achieve a real democracy based on transitional justice.

We intend to discuss openly and respectfully on the analysis of the situation, with the following objectives:
-       programming common intitiatives in different European countries, possibly in coordination with Syrian people
-       spreading information on unarmed third ways, led by Syrian people, to run the struggle and potentially overcome the crisis that led to a civil war
-       establishing a constant line of dialogue between European and Syrian civil societies, at least until Sarajevo peace event in 2014

Facilitators:
-      Martina Pignatti Morano (Un ponte per...)
-      Florent Schaeffer (IPAM)

Methodology:

The first two hours will be dedicated to the analysis of the context, conflict, local actors and local needs. We will also assess what European civil society and NGOs have already done recently on/in Syria, with emphasis on the nonviolent approach.The last two hours will be dedicated to discussion of proposals on joint action and development of joint strategies to build peace in Syria.

Within the World Social Forum space, within branches of IFOR (International Fellowship of Reconciliation) and peace organizations of the Balkans, plans are being made for a Sarajevo Peace Event in 2014: either a World Social Forum on Peace, or another broad event on security policies in Europe. A working titles, referring to the centenary of the episode that made World War I start, could be: "From a World of War and Violence to a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence 1914 – 2014". Local (Bosnian) and regional (ex-Yugoslavian) organizations have a strong role in all stages of planning and implementation of the event. In Firenze we are going to share ideas for shaping this event on specific issues, evaluating the possibility to join forces. We will discuss how to use the two-years horizon that separates us from the event to reach concrete results in several fields:

• building European Peace Services

• promoting Disarmament in Europe

• changing Peace and Security Policies of the European Union

In particular, we aim at:

-      sharing the state of the art in each European state for the promotion of civil peace corps/services/interventions, and the information on different projects being implemented in the Balkans and Meddle East

-      drafting a common strategy for the promotion of European peace services in 2013-2014, and eventual implementation of pilot projects towards Sarajevo 2014, even regarding Syria

-      sharing the proposal of an international Center for Conflict Prevention and Training of Civil Peace Corps in Vicenza, Italy, on the territory subtracted to the US Base “Dal Molin”Speakers (in no particular order):

-       Reiner Braun (IALANA and International Peace Bureau)-       Ljuljjeta Goranci Brkic (Nansn Dialogue Centre Sarajevo)

-       Bernard Dreano (European Citizens’ Assembly)

-       Florent Schaeffer (IPAM)

-       Alberto L’Abate (Fucina della Nonviolenza)

-       Gianmarco Pisa (IPRI-ReteCCP)

-       Martina Pignatti Morano (Un ponte per…)

-       Giorgio Beretta (Rete Italiana Disarmo)

Facilitators:

-       Alessandro Capuzzo (Tavola della Pace del Friuli Venezia Giulia)

-       Ljuljjeta Goranci Brkic (Nansen Dialogue Center)

Methodology:

the Sarajevo events will be discussed in the first two hours, the strategic plans related to European peace services and security policies in the last two hours.

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