International Peace Day – From Armed Conflict to a Culture of Peace

Image: SI Bangalore poster competition – Peace Day 2013 – St Euphrasia school

"On this International Day of Peace, let us pledge to teach our children the value of tolerance and mutual respect. Let us invest in the schools and teachers that will build a fair and inclusive world that embraces diversity. Let us fight for peace and defend it with all our might."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

With more than 100,000 people killed and over 6 million displaced in Syria, the tragic effects of armed conflict are all too evident. As International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21^st September, this article explores the effects of armed conflict on women and girls, while also highlighting their role as peace makers.

The UN theme for this year’s Peace Day is “Educate for Peace”, so we also examine the role of individuals in preventing conflict and promoting a culture of peace through education, and celebrate the work being done by Soroptimists worldwide in this area.

Women and Armed Conflict – Victims and Peace Makers

Nearly 90 per cent of current war casualties are civilians, the majority of whom are women and children. Although entire communities suffer in armed conflict, women and girls are particularly affected because of social vulnerablity. Gender-based and sexual violence such as rape, forced marriage, forced impregnation, forced abortion, torture, trafficking, sexual slavery and the intentional spread of STDs are weapons of warfare integral to many of today’s conflicts.

Moreover, in conflict-affected girls are at particular risk of missing out on education; enrolment rates in secondary schools are nearly one-third lower in conflict-affected countries compared with other developing countries, with girls most likely to lose out (UNESCO, 2011: EFA Global Monitoring Report The Hidden Crisis: Armed conflict and education).

However, women are not solely victims of conflict; they also play an important role in protecting life and promoting peace. Soroptimist International is committed to the equal inclusion of women in all peacemaking activities and the maintaining of that peace.

UNIFIL Malaysian women peacekeepers in Lebanon UNPhoto Pasqual Gorriz

Image: UNIFIL Malaysian women peacekeepers in Lebanon (UN Photo/Pasqual Gorriz)

Women are active around the world in the peace movement at the grassroots level, cultivating peace within their communities. Read more about some examples of Soroptimist projects to support women peace makers in this SoroptiVoice blog: From De-Miners In Lao to Peace Builders In Burundi: Educating And Empowering Women For Peace

But on an international level, there is still a disturbing absence of women at the peace negotiating table. In 2000, ground-breaking UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, focussed attention on the disproportionate impact of conflict on women, and called for women’s engagement in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Soroptimist International supports the full implementation of Resolution 1325.

Read more in this SoroptiVoice blog from July 2013: Soroptimists as Peacemakers and Gender-Justice

Educate for Peace: Building a Culture of Peace

SI Bangalore Peace Day project at BBMP (Government ) School

“Conflict and violence is blighting the lives of millions of women and girls around the world. War is causing unimaginable suffering in Syria. Domestic abuse, sexual assaults and other forms of gender-violence are still rife in homes and communities in every nation. On International Day of Peace, let’s take up the UN’s call to “educate for peace”. Let’s continue to work to promote a genuine understanding of justice, dignity and equality as well as non-violent forms of conflict resolution in our families, schools and communities, as well as on a national and international level.”

Soroptimist International Programme Director, Hilary Ratcliffe

Building a peaceful society is not simply about an absence of war. That was the key message to emerge from the United Nations High Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, attended by SI’s UN Reps in New York on 6 September.

Everyone can make a contribution in building a culture of peace, defined by the UN as “a set of values, attitudes, traditions and modes of behavior and ways of life based on:……respect for life, ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and cooperation”.

For International Peace Day 2013, SI Bangalore and SI South Kolkata in India organised poster and essay competitions at local schools to help promote an understanding of peace and non-violence. SI Moreton North Inc.(Australia) and SI Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) linked up on the day via skype.

"We talked about the
importance of understanding cultures and values, conflict resolution and the need
to bring people together, to listen to each other’s concerns and to find
peaceful pathways to ensure prosperity is shared equally amongst the local
villages. We talked about the benefits of sharing a meal and really listening
to each other with an open heart and an open mind", explains Chris Knight of SI Moreton North Inc. The club also hosted a guest speaker, Sarah Cowley of the International Peace Day Alliance.

Soroptimist Action for Peace

Many Soroptimist federations, unions and clubs worldwide carry out projects throughout the year to promote tolerance, understanding and conflict resolution.

Soroptimist International of Europe presents a biennial Peace Prize to honour remarkable achievements to promote peace. In 2013, the prize was awarded to Silvana Arbia, an Italian judge who played a key role in delivering justice and peace in Rwanda with the International Criminal Tribunal.
SIE also sponsors the Kigali Peace Marathon, set up by a Soroptimist from Luxembourg in 2005 to promote unity, understanding and tolerance, bringing together competitors from Rwanda and abroad.
SI Tønsberg (Norway) help to build bridges between women from different countries by running classes in Norwegian language and culture for asylum seekers. The programme has enabled women from 39 countries to build friendships and integrate more easily into life in the town.
SI Rakiraki (Fiji) held workshops and a poster competition at a local high school to promote tolerance and harmony

SI Bingley (UK) helped to train a group of children aged 9-10 to become peace makers in 157 schools, helping them to develop the skills to challenge unfair treatment and promote mutual respect.
In SI of Niigata-Hamanasu (Japan), helped to promote international exchanges, encouraging families to host visitors from China to encourage goodwill and understanding across national boundaries.