Barcelona Manifesto for Peace
IN FOCUS, 24 Sep 2012
Fundación Carta de la Paz – TRANSCEND Media Service
September 21, 2012 – International Day for Peace
In 1981, the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed the International Day for Peace on September 21st. The will of representatives, when that day was declared, was to commemorate and strengthen the ideals of peaceamong people and nations.
The statement claimed that fire and violence should stop during that day, in every war of the world.
Today, in economic, political and social difficulties, especially in the West, from the Foundation Letter of Peace addressed to the UN, we not only know the direct violence, but also the structural violence that, every day, makes differences between rich and poor bigger and distressing.
For this reason, in full awareness that Peace must be reached by oneself in an inner work, but also between individuals, we want to share with you the Barcelona Manifesto for Peace, which was prepared during the 1st Building Peace Conference in the XXI Century, held in this city in April 2012.
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On the occasion of the First International Congress on Building Peace in the 21st Century held in Barcelona from 23rd-25th April 2012, the organising committee recognises the contributions, presentations, papers and pre-congress preparatory work and offers the following manifesto:
We are conscious of:
- The difficult crossroads for humanity
- The social injustice suffered by millions of human beings
- The intolerance that causes a multitude of victims
- The wars that damage the world
- The fragility of democracy
- The devastation of the environment
- The outrage of many citizens
We declare that:
- Peace is not a gift; it is a value that is constructed daily.
- A human being is capable of doing evil, but also good.
- All people are called to be agents of peace. Pacification of the world depends on everyone. Nobody is exempt from this task.
- Past events have shaped our present.
- We are not responsible for that which occurred in the past. The future is not yet written. It largely depends upon us.
- History is a source of learning. It is our obligation to share it with rigour and maximum objectivity. To remember the past is an obligation.
- We cannot forget the victims of the past. Their suffering challenges us and calls for us to act in an effective and efficient manner to avoid the recurrence of evil.
- The decisions of the present affect contemporaneous but also future generations. We are responsible for building a peaceful, just and fraternal world and we trust in shared talent and the collective strength to achieve it.
- Violence breeds more violence. The true antidote to violence is justice and the exercise of reconciliation.
- Comprehensive, material and spiritual disarmament is the prerequisite for peace.
- Any decision made on the local level will have global effects. Everything is interdependent. A fundamental solidarity exists. We must be conscious of this and promote it.
- Diversity is a necessary asset to protect and to love. Every human being has the right to live in the context of their identity or identities but identities are not closed universes.
- That which unites us, is deeper than that which divides us. We must not lose sight and we must promote universal fraternity.
- Outrage is a sign of hope; but the future requires the free engagement of all.
- Democracy as we know it, has to take a qualitative leap. Transparency and participation must be its basis.
- Peace is the fruit of freedom, equality and solidarity.
Therefore we call on:
- All citizens, to give them the consciousness that everyone is an agent of peace and that peace is the condition for the fulfillment of being human.
- Formal and informal educational institutions, because they have the responsibility to educate for the culture of peace and to promote the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
- Universities and research centres, because together with organised civil society they can seek plausible and intelligent ways of making the world more peaceful.
- Social media sources, because they are the window to the world. Through these, we contemplate reality. They have a great responsibility to present that which occurs with fidelity, rigour and to promote peace.
- Those who govern, because the best way to build the future is to work for the good of those who exist in the present.
Go to Original – cartadelapaz.org
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