 Geri Andrews writes about this year's 75th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This year is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 217A in Paris on 10th December 1948. Article 1 lays out the philosophy on which it is based: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards each other in the spirit of brotherhood”. In the aftermath of the 1st and 2nd World Wars it was felt that a framework had to be constructed to counter anything of such horror ever happening again. Representatives from different legal and cultural backgrounds from all regions of the world worked together on the original draft. The document has 30 articles and is seen as the basis for the current and future progress of human rights, forming a legal framework for the peaceful and prosperous co-existence of everyone on Earth. Eleanor Roosevelt served as the 1st chair of the UN Commission of Human Rights, overseeing the drafting of the document itself. She said, “Where do, after all, universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home – so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighbourhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm or office where he works. Such are the places where every man, woman and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerned citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the wider world.” Her words underline the importance of day to day personal interactions, and that through these people can recognise our shared humanity.  Eleanor Roosevelt and the UDHR Article 26 states everyone has a right to education. “Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.”
There is sometimes a tendency to culturally glorify historical conflicts and conquests for the purposes of national identity, and the memory of the suffering and destruction caused is inevitably lessened by the passage of time. Peace Education is of such importance. It shows how rewarding and fulfilling it is to know and experience the qualities of being human, such as appreciation, understanding, compassion and contentment. It helps give children and young people a voice and a choice. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a historic document which outlines the rights and freedoms to which all people are entitled. It has been accepted by nearly every state, has been translated into 500 languages and is a catalyst for improving human rights protection for women, disabled people and First Nation peoples. Although it does not afford the same rights to other animals on earth as to human beings, as people continue to grow in knowledge of their place within the natural world, this relationship will surely be considered. The Global Peace Education Network recently hosted a celebration of its 75th anniversary.
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 In keeping with the occasion and spirit of Peace Day, we asked our creative writer Geri Andrews to reflect on Peace Partners’ collaborative work, the essential activities that put the Partners into Peace Partners! Peace Partners networks with other like-minded organisations with the similar purpose of cultivating and promoting a culture of peace. Current partners include: The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF), Celebrate Life, Mayors for Peace, Bedrock Books, and Peace Cast TV, as well as others too. Working together, we can offer each other support, connection, collaboration and understanding. Peace Partners is a member of the Global Peace Education Network, and is a signatory to the European-wide Pledge to Peace.  TPRF is the primary partner of Peace Partners. Founded in 2001 it seeks to advance Peace, Dignity and Prosperity by addressing fundamental human needs and does this through the flagship schemes of the Peace Education Programme and Food for People, as well as cooperating with other agencies on Humanitarian Appeals such as the effects of the war in Ukraine. As a non-profit organisation based in the US, it is funded by donors from more than 50 countries. Governance agencies Guide Star and Charity Navigator give TPRF the highest ratings for transparency, fiscal responsibility, results and management. Although many people in the UK make direct donations to TPRF in the US, there are also those who do this via Peace Partners. By combining all these small donors into a number of large donations in response to each Appeal, Peace Partners becomes eligible as a large donor for TPRF Matching Schemes, where much bigger donors are able to Match our donations, thereby doubling them to an agreed limit. In 2022/23, grants were provided to The Peace Education Programme (PEP) in HM Leeds Prison for the printing of materials used by participants in their workshops. All PEP workshops are free with voluntary attendance. On July 26th Prem Rawat visited the prison to meet and talk with the inmates who are participating on the course. A full account of Peace Partners current support for PEP can be found here (link forthcoming). In Walton Prison, Queensland, Australia, the participants of the Peace Education Programme watched the course 26 times. At their invitation, Mr Rawat went to see them and they asked him, “Is there any more?”, to which he told them about his online PEAK - Peace Education And Knowledge - course. Since its inception, the Peace Education Programme has seen strong annual growth year on year and, as of July 2023, has been attended by 330,000 participants worldwide. Its value as a teaching tool to inspire and empower those people who have been traumatised, disenfranchised or written off in society, as well as in education and community facilities, is showing itself to be more and more effective. As people engage with the Programme and benefit from discovering their latent humanity and inner resources in a positive and fulfilling way, the message that peace is possible for each and every one of us is finding increasing acceptance. Food for People continues to help people through the facilities in Nepal, India and Ghana. It is a great success because it allows people, who had little or no means to support themselves, regain some agency in their lives. By providing nutritious food which is grown, prepared and cooked locally, the community themselves can determine how to use their own resources for their needs as best as they possibly can. Between 2018 and 2022 there has been an increase from 479,000 to 700,000 meals served annually. This has led to increased school involvement for the children and has also helped them improve their academic performance. The knock-on-effect to the local community is to enable people to earn more money for their families as the burden of not having enough food is eased. To date, a total of 5,600,000 meals have been served by Food for People.  The partnership with Celebrate Life is very exciting, helping bring the film ‘Power to Change’ to various towns and cities to promote PEP. It has been screened on the Isle of Wight, in Truro Cornwall, also in London, Manchester, Belfast and Dublin, and other screenings are pending. Following the screening in Manchester, a senior project manager for Power 2 asked for a taster. This was arranged for her whole team with the result that they would like to complete the whole 10 sessions. In collaboration with Gallery on Wheels, Celebrate Life has recently released six short, animated films. ‘The Journey Home’ and ‘The Bird Who Wants To Fly’ are on YouTube and are charming stories for adults and children alike.  Mayors for Peace conducts various initiatives under three objectives:
In May this year, Manchester Mayors for Peace and the UK/Ireland Nuclear Free local Authorities wrote a letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to urge him to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and Peace Memorial Park, and also meet with the hibakusha (atomic bomb survivors) when he visited the city for the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on 19th May, and asked that at the summit he should recommit the UK to the obligations that it made as an early signatory to the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to work “in good faith” for nuclear disarmament. Peace Partners is active in promoting the adoption of membership of Mayors for Peace and the Pledge to Peace (see below) by UK local authorities.  PeaceCast.tv, is making peace visible, connecting people in organisations, corporations, cultural groups, artists and musicians who may never have thought about their activities, or the work they do, in the context of Peace. The purpose of PeaceCast has always been to reflect and showcase peoples’ efforts worldwide in many fields of human endeavour, to make a better world. By identifying video content that can be shown in the context of Peace Day, and asking the maker’s permission, is an inspiring way of developing relationships to work together for Peace. Peace Partners has collaborated with PeaceCast.tv for a number of years, and this year is helping curate a video playlist from England as well as promoting their annual webcast.  Bedrock Books is a voluntary project providing books and support for reading groups on positive themes such as peace, self-worth, self-understanding and more. Peace Partners was able to help raise almost £7,000 for their recent Book Project 23 Appeal for Hear Yourself by Prem Rawat, and over £5,000 was raised to donate books to hospices, prisons, drug and rehabilitation centres and other social impact organisations. Anyone who enjoys reading and loves peace is encouraged to start a reading group in their local library or community centre!
Volunteers in Peace Partners continue to work together for peace, in peace and with peace, to inspire and be inspired by the efforts of everyone who actively works to make peace a living reality for all. As signatories to the Pledge to Peace Declaration in the early days of the charity Peace Partners actively strives to be part of a culture of peace that reflects this vision. |
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