_Section

Every year the United Nations organises this week to coincide with the anniversary of its founding. The aim is to raise awareness among all of the UN’s member states of the danger posed by the arms race, to propagate the need to put an end to it and to foster a better public understanding of the urgent task of disarmament.

CND welcomes the decision by politicians in Plymouth to oppose plans for a nuclear waste factory in the center of their city.
In preparation for a major protest demonstration march on Saturday 31st October, Kate Hudson, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, welcomed the decision of Plymouth Council leader to challenge nuclear dump at Plymouth’s Devonport Dockyard.

The Nobel Peace Prize that U.S. President Barack Obama recently received continues to provoke strong debate. Writers, ambassadors and institutions have opined on the controversial choice. What is certain is that, with this award, it is hoped that Obama makes a contribution to the strengthening of Peace in his country and in the world.

Klaus Wowereit has been honoured with the Principe de Asturias a la Concordia Award, 2009, before an audience at the Teatro Campoamor di Oviedo (Spain), for transforming the capital of Nazi Germany in World War II into the modern, open and tolerant city of today which, amongst other things, will host the Summit of the Nobel Peace Prize.

During a demonstration over the deaths of five people, following a clash with the police, over which the shadow of property speculation looms, marchers intervened in support of the relatives of the victims, who had been surrounded by police. The solidarity the group showed towards them and the words of a Zen monk to the police resolved the situation.

Twenty members of the World March Base Team were received by the Director of the Gorbachev Foundation in Moscow to whom Rafael de la Rubia handed the Manifesto for Peace and Nonviolence. The march spokesperson talked about the importance of the Base Team’s presence in Moscow, where he himself founded the association “World without Wars” in 1994.

Rural and indigenous movements, along with teacher, student and worker organizations declared their rejection of the agreement, which could be signed on 30th October, between the Governments of Panama and the United States to reinstall military bases. The project falls under Plan Colombia, now the Mérida Initiative, designed by the North American Government.

Thanks to the mediation work of Luisa Morgantini, a number of popular Palestinian associations, which had been opposed to the event in celebration of the World March at Wallaje, in Palestinian territory, to which Israeli representatives were invited, opened a dialogue with – and their own homes to – the March delegation, recognising its role as an ambassador of peace.

After several years’ absence, the Belgian anthropologist, Pat Patfoort, an international mediator in the field of the transformation and nonviolent management of conflict, returned to Milan to present her method at the conference, “Building Nonviolence: training in peace and the nonviolent resolution of conflicts,” and the seminar, “Defending oneself without attacking.”

The UN Special Adviser on Sport for Development and Peace, Wilfried Lemke from Germany, proposed holding a football match between Palestinians and Israelis as a way of helping to resolve the long-standing conflict dividing the two peoples. The UN official claims that the sporting event could be held in Ramallah, the Gaza Strip or in Tel Aviv.