By: Hannah Hadikin (VOW Co-Chair)
It is a time in the world when citizens have lost trust in their governments. A time when none of the leaders in the whole Western world have’ Building World Peace and Not Guns’ on their agendas. A time when more money is spent on militarization than on investments in a culture of peace. A time when the unthinkable is vocalized, “A world war is looming in the background”. Recently, a comment following a video on this topic caught my eye: “being stuck in the back of a car with a reckless driver, helplessly feeling impending doom and can’t do a darn thing about it.” It’s not easy to thrust aside emotions, anxiety, hopelessness, fear, sadness, and remain immune to the intensity of feelings.
Sources of calmness include turning to the reliable, ever growing global peace movement. A powerful movement dedicated to creating a peaceful and just world. In advance of the upcoming International Day of Peace, September 21st, the Walking Together for Peace Initiative was organized jointly with the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace (VOW) and the Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF).
The 200km peace walk from Pugwash to Halifax, Nova Scotia, September 8th – 21st, the International Day of Peace. Walk4Peace focused on three critical goals: Urging Canada to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, show leadership for disarmament by advocating for a nonviolent economy, and fostering a culture of peace.
The walk is hosted by Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace and supported by partner groups including Science for Peace, Jai Jagat, Pugwash Canada, International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada, PeaceQuest, the International Gandhian Institute for Nonviolence and Peace Canada, Reverse the Trend, the International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons and more. https://vowpeace.org/walkingtogether4peace
The peace walk draws inspiration from the Pugwash Conference of 1957 where, for the first time in humanity’s history, scientists agreed on dismantling nuclear weapons at the height of the Cold War. Participants in this 2024 peace walk include: 4 Gandhian Peace walkers from India, a Buddhist monk from Japan, VOW and WILPF members- including VOW’s National Coordinator. Truly an intergenerational and intercultural team!
In 2017, Setsuko Thurlow accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, together with ICAN, for their work to bring to life the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. 93 countries have signed the treaty, and 70 have ratified, but Canada is not among those countries.
Several cities across Canada have organized local peace walks in solidarity, the first in the Waterloo Region, Ontario calling for:
• An end to the Genocide in Gaza, enact a two-way arms embargo against Israel and demand a ceasefire now!
• An end the War in Ukraine, stop sending weapons and support peace negotiations.
• Investments in a culture of peace and a green economy not war and militarism.
Together, let’s amplify our voices for peace and disarmament!
Nuclear weapons programmes divert public funds from health care, education, disaster relief and other vital services. The nuclear-armed countries spend more than $173,000 per minute on their nuclear bombs, over $90 billion each year. Meanwhile, the companies producing these weapons of mass destruction and their investors make billions in profit each year. On September 16 to 22, 2024 people all around the world are coming together with one clear message: “No Money for Nuclear Weapons!” www.womenagainstnato.org
Long standing peace activist, Tamara Lorincz will be representing Canadian Voice of Women at the Eurasian Women’s Forum, BRIC Women’s Meeting and the Zone of Peace Conference taking place in St. Petersburg, Russia in September. The Eurasian Women’s Forum and BRIC Women’s Meeting will be held from September 18-20 and the Zone of Peace Conference will take place from September 21-22 for International Day of Peace. One of the main themes of the Eurasian Women’s Forum is “Women in shaping a new agenda for peace and trust.” For more information and schedule: https://2024.eawf.ru/en/
Summit of the Future: Actions Days is being convened by the United Nations Secretary-General this month, at the UN Headquarters. Invited are representatives from Member States, civil society, private sector, academia, local and regional authorities, youth. The Action Days will provide an opportunity for broad engagement and inclusion. These stakeholders have all played a key role in shaping the Pact for the Future and will be critical to its implementation.
“Action Days are an opportunity to elevate the voice of youth in the multilateral system. Youth are key participants in efforts to secure breakthroughs in global cooperation. Youth challenge conventional thinking, hold leaders to account and are focused on generations that come after us. Youth stand to lose the most if global leaders fail to fulfil their promises. The day will be convened under the theme of “#YouthLead for the Future: We believe in the promise of a better world for all”. https://www.un.org/en/summit-of-the-future/action-days
Most exciting is the the new generation of leadership! Youth are in all of our communities and perhaps our feelings of uncertainties and worries can be become calmer, fear can be lessened, when we invite them to walk with us to create global harmony and be part of a transformative journey. We can weave the connections between peace and climate change. We can collectively join the movement for peace and disarmament, create a ripple effect of peace and nonviolence across the world and Walk4Peace.