House of Commons hosts Summit for Departments of Peace
Departments of Peace
John McDonnell MP hosted the first International meeting of the movement for Departments of Peace in government, at the House of Commons, from 18th to 20th October 2005.
The object of the movement is to establish the objects of conflict resolution through peaceful means, not as a panacea but as a real alternative throughout society to the conflict based systems and culture which we presently experience as the norm, whether, ranging from war, through positional commercial disputes to community conflict and domestic violence.
Though idealistic, the movement has practical ideas, real support and high ambitions. A Ministry or Department of Peace would have a central respsonsiblity for co-ordinating, establishing and supporting conflict resolution systems, projects and initiatives throughout society and would provide a balance to the established structures in government.
Pie in the sky?
U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich does not think so. He has the support of 60 other members of Congress for a bill which would estalbish Department of Peace in the U.S. - and support is growing. John McDonnell, MP supports the idea. At the summit, he described articulately why there is such an urgent need for departments and ministries of peace in order for government to provide an infrastructure -- an institutional space -- for dialogue on peaceful resolution of conflict to take place. It is what the western world most needs now. It is what the whole world most needs now. Kai Brand-Jacobsen from Transcend in Romania, said that conflict resolution and conflict transformation represented an idea whose time has come and likened the present situation to the time when it began to be recognised that healthcare and medical practice was an area that could benefit from organisation, training and professional standards, as well as government support and ministerial responsibility. Other speakers included Yumi Kikuchi from Japan, Paul van Tongeren from the Netherlands, and Jo Berry, whose father (a former Tory MP) was killed by terrorists 21 years ago in the Brighton bombing at the Tory Party Conference. Jo bravely explained how she had dealt with her father's murder by getting to know the man who killed her father and trying to understand what led him to do it.
For more information visit the Peace Alliance website.
