Geneva Peace Week 2021 “From seeds to systems of peace: Weathering today’s challenges”

Dear Colleagues,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the eighth edition of Geneva Peace Week that will take place online from 1 to 5 November 2021. The Week is jointly organized by the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG), the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. The theme of this year’s Geneva Peace Week is: “From seeds to systems of peace: Weathering today’s challenges.”

Geneva Peace Week 2021 (GPW21) aims to galvanize leadership, build trust and contribute to transforming international cooperation. Over five days, Geneva Peace Week will be the umbrella for 30 Online Workshops and a Digital Series (podcasts and videos), brought together by over 100 partner organizations.

Topics for discussions will include:

Creating a climate for collaboration: Ways forward for environment, climate change, and peace
Moving beyond securitization: What risks (and new horizons) for peacebuilding?
Harnessing the digital sphere for peace
Confronting inequalities and advancing inclusion, peace, and SDG16

The full programme of Geneva Peace Week is available at genevapeaceweek.ch and attendees must register to participate. We would also like to invite you to three main sessions which will take place in-person (Maison de la Paix) and online:

The Opening Ceremony on 1 November at 4:00 p.m.
The Kofi Annan Geneva Peace Address on 4 November at 6:00 p.m.
The Closing Ceremony on 5 November at 1:30 p.m.

Geneva Peace Week provides a common framework for peace-related workshops for which the respective organizers retain full ownership. Please note that Geneva Peace Week events do not necessarily reflect the views of UNOG, the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform or the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. We encourage you to share information widely and look forward to welcoming you and your colleagues to Geneva Peace Week 2021.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit congocsd.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.

International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace

The International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was established on 12 December, 2018 through resolution A/RES/73/127 and was first observed on April 24, 2019.

Preserving the values of multilateralism and international cooperation, which underpin the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, is fundamental to promote and support the three pillars of the UN – peace and security, development and human rights.

The international norms and rules-based system that have steered nations through seven decades must rise to meet the mounting challenges of protectionism and isolationism. Global issues such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, humanitarian and migratory crises are cross-cutting, implicating the values and interests of nations and necessitate collective attention and action. Technological advancement has also impacted the political and socio-economic landscape and inter-state relations.

As emphasized in the resolution, the International Day is a reaffirmation of the UN Charter and its principles of resolving disputes among countries through peaceful means. It acknowledges the use of multilateral decision-making and diplomacy in achieving peaceful resolutions to conflicts among nations.

To learn more about how we commemorate this observance and read the UN Secretary-General’s comments on it, click here: un.org/en/observances/Multilateralism-for-Peace-day.

________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bobbinassar@gmail.com or bknotts@uua.org.

21st session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights invites you to

The twenty-first session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development 17 – 21 May 2021, 11:00-13:00 and 15:00-17:00 Geneva time zone, a fully virtual meeting

At this session, the Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development will continue to review progress made in the implementation of the right to development. It will hold an interactive dialogue with the Chair of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development and the Special Rapporteur on the right to development and consider contributions made by States and stakeholders to the implementation of the right to development. The Working Group will also commence the elaboration of a draft legally binding instrument on the right to development.

All participants are required to register using the registration form: https://indico.un.org/event/33569/

The registration will remain open until 17:00 Geneva time, Friday, 21 May 2021. A link to join the virtual meeting will be sent to those who registered through the system, together with information on how to join the meeting platform and how to register for the list of speakers. Please note that the link is unique to each registered participant and cannot be shared. The link will be sent few hours before the start of the session. Delegations are reminded to submit copies of their statements prior to delivery to r2d@ohchr.org. NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC can participate as observers.

Background

The Working Group was established in 1998 with a mandate to: (a) monitor and review progress in the promotion and implementation of the right to development; (b) review reports and other information submitted by States, United Nations agencies, other relevant international and non-governmental organizations; and (c) present a sessional report to the Human Rights Council on its deliberations.

________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-NY, please visit ngocsd-ny.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Financing for Development, please visit ngosonffd.org.

Peace Agenda 2045: Abolish Nuclear Weapons and War

We cordially invite you to attend Peace Agenda 2045: Abolish War and Nuclear Weapons, a plenary session of the PyeongChang Peace Forum 2021.

Experts from around the world will discuss concrete approaches and effective campaigns to abolish war and eliminate nuclear weapons, key objectives of the United Nations, with the aim of achieving these no later than 2045, the 100th anniversary of the UN. Click here to register for the session.

Speakers:

Hon Ms Maria Fernanda Espinosa (Ecuador), President of the 73rd UN General Assembly. Member of the World Future Council. Former Ecuador Foreign Minister and Defence Minister.
Hon Gareth Evans (Australia). Chair, Asia Pacific Leadership Network on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament. Former Foreign Minister.
Hon Mr Saber Chowdhury MP (Bangladesh), Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. PNND Co-President
Hon Ms Jaejung Lee MP, (Korea). PNND Member.
Mr Roberto Zamora (Costa Rica), Board Member of International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms.
Ms Leah Bolger (USA). President of World Beyond War. Former Naval Commander and former President of Veterans for Peace.
Ms Vanda Proskova (Czech Republic), Vice-Chair of PagueVision Institute for Sustainable Security. Co-convenor of Youth Fusion.

Background and Objectives
Armed conflict and nuclear weapons violate peoples’ Right to Life, consume trillions of dollars every year, impact significantly on the climate and impede sustainable development. The United Nations was established in 1945 with the primary goal to ‘save succeeding generations from the scourge of war’. The UN Charter prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations and provides a range of mechanisms for resolving conflicts and achieving security without recourse to war. In addition, the very first resolution of the UN General Assembly, adopted by consensus, establishes the goal of the elimination of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. This session will explore how these objectives of the UN can be achieved, at least by 2045 the 100th anniversary of the UN.

Event flyer:
Click here for the event flyer

Session organizers
Basel Peace Office, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, Pax Christi Korea, World Beyond War, World Future Council and Youth Fusion

___________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Disarmament, Peace, and Security, please visit ngocdps.wordpress.com. For more information on the NGO Committee on Human Rights, please email the co-chairs at bknotts@uua.org or bobbinassar@gmail.com.

[regional launch] Education for Sustainable Development for 2030 Roadmap: Africa

UNESCO has published Education for Sustainable Development: A roadmap which provides guidance for Member States and other stakeholders for the implementation of the new global framework ‘Education for Sustainable Development: Towards achieving the SDGs’ (ESD for 2030). Learn more here.

UNESCO is organizing regional online launch events of the ESD for 2030 Roadmap to discuss implementation at the local level. Register for your local session:

Asia and the Pacific: Thursday 19 November 8:00 – 9:15 UTC+1
Latin America and the Caribbean: Friday 20 November 15:00 – 16:15 UTC+1
Arab region: Tuesday 24 November 15:00 – 16:15 UTC+1
Africa: Thursday 26 November 12:30 – 14:00 UTC+1 (Paris time) register here
Europe and North America: Tuesday 1 December 15:00 – 16:15 UTC+1 (Paris time) register here

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on Education, Learning, and Literacy, please visit facebook.com/NGOCELLatUN. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-Vienna, please visit ngocsdvienna.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development-New York, please visit ngocsd-ny.org.

[UN Observance] International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People

Every year on November 29, the United Nations commemorates the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. To learn why, and how you can participate, please visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/international-day-of-solidarity-with-the-palestinian-people.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, please visit facebook.com/NGOCoRIP. For more information on the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns, please visit csvgc-ny.org. For more information on the Decolonization Alliance, please email Pres. Bautista at lbautista@umcjustice.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on Social Development, please visit ngosocdev.org.

Progress Towards Gender Equality: A Data and Policy Dialogue

As we mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration to advance women’s rights, new data from the UN Secretary-General’s report The World’s Women 2020: Trends and Statistics show that hard-earned gains in gender equality are being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. UN DESA is holding a global data and policy online dialogue to discuss how much the world has risen to fulfill the strategic objectives of the Beijing Platform for Action and address policy actions needed to build a New Social Contract and improve equality for all.

Register here by Nov. 23: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_66PQaqQpTy-uraC-tJziIw

__________________________________________________________________________________________

CoNGO Notes: For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Geneva, please visit ngocsw-geneva.ch. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-New York, please visit ngocsw.org. For more information on the NGO Committee on the Status of Women-Vienna, please visit ngocswvienna.org.

international cooperation