Politics

Midday Friday October 2nd, pedestrians in downtown Sao Paulo leaving their offices to have lunch were surprised by the breath-taking performance of mountain-climbers Bruno Sellmer and Fábio Cascino, who with the help of their young sons, scaled the façade of the Light Shopping Mall and unfurled a 30-meter banner to launch the World March for Peace and Non-Violence in Sao Paulo.

Among the official ceremonies for Peace Day, and by invitation of the Government of Zambia, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence has been officially announced. During the opening ceremony for the March, the Minister of Information and Communications and the African country’s Representative to the United Nations have publicly joined this inaugural global march.

The State Council for the Awareness and Prevention of Domestic Violence (CEPAVI) will add events to raise awareness about peace and non-violence to those planned for the Bicentennial of Mexican Independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution, to occur in October and November, among other activities for these purposes that the organization will carry out.

Mahatma Gandhi, whose legacy this annual observance celebrates, once observed that “non-violence, to be worth anything, has to work in the face of hostile forces.” In today’s world, we face many hostile forces — multiple and persistent crises that demand a response from leaders and grassroots alike.
Inspired by Gandhi’s life, the UN today works to end violence.

Panama announced it will sign an agreement with the United States before October 30th to establish military naval stations in Bahia Piña and Punta Coca, on the Pacific Coast. Panama is a member of the Mérida initiative, promoted by the US government to combat drug trafficking. The two governments also discussed how to approach the political crisis in Honduras.

The Lebanese Ambassador to Argentina, Hicham Hamdan, highlighted the essential role that the press plays in achieving world peace. He also emphasized the importance of expanding nuclear nonproliferation agreements to all countries. Although the Middle East is deemed a “hot zone”, Hamdan believes that his country has made advances in overcoming violence.

The Obama administration has effectively abandoned a demand that Israel freeze settlement expansion before the resumption of peace talks. President Obama signaled the shift on Tuesday as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Obama urged both sides to “move forward” and enter final-status talks.

In this article, the author analyses some of the factors that establish the “Bolivian Process”, led by President Evo Morales, as a peaceful, non-violent humanist process. A new revolutionary constitution that extends rights to more Bolivian citizens at home and abroad and Morales’ response to conflictive situation corroborate this assessment.

Leading the fight for human rights, Councillor Ítalo Cardoso (PT-SP) declares allegiance to the World March for Peace and Nonviolence. “In my capacity as vice-president of the Human Rights Commission, Chamber of São Paulo, I was among the first to support the March, which I hope, wherever it passes through, finds people from all nations striving for peace and freedom”.

At the Faculty of Political Science at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Complutense University of Madrid), Evo Morales spoke about his political project and explained before professors and students: “I learn from contact with the people, to better serve the people… Governing is simple: it’s a matter of taking initiatives, of listening to proposals.”