Linda Dunkel blogs from the 8th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates - Part III

This is a call to action we simply must answer, each in our own way.

On Saturday, we met for the morning only, to conclude the proceedings and deliver the  [4]Charter for a World Without Violence, which is the output of this 8th World Summit.

My husband Tony and I had front row seats in a very small room, and were able to interact easily with the Nobel Laureates and others. On the platform in front of us were Betty Williams, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Mohammed Yunus, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Kerry Kennedy, and Bob Geldolf. This was an impressive array, to say the least.

Each speaker delivered a five-minute set of closing remarks; then we participated in a press conference about the Charter. Here are a few highlights:

Sir Bob Geldolf, who had been asked on behalf of this group to report out on the G-8's progress, delivered a sobering report. He said that it has been a "flop," and that promises have not been kept. He asked compelling questions as to why all of us, as citizens of this world, allow politicians to get away with this kind of behavior.

He noted the need for Europe and Africa to establish a different kind of dialogue. He also pointed out to the Italians that, counter to their generous culture and caring nature, they were the least generous of all EU countries in aiding Africa. He used this opportunity, in Rome, to urge a different approach and expressed his sincere hope that Mayor Veltroni would support him.

In a very exciting prospect, he announced his newest direct action project, a Facebook for Peace to be launched in September of 2008. It is now being called the "Peace Channel" and will consist of an online TV website which will contain videos about peace and conflict issues with a range of interactive features. Rune Hersvik, from the independent media and human rights organization based in Stavanger, Norway, said "We believe that a comprehensive web TV Peace Channel could make a real difference to global relations. It would act as a bridge between different regions and cultures, enabling people to argue less, and communicate more." We know the power of great ideas and human ethics and this transparent tool could indeed revolutionize the global community's conversation.

Betty Williams spoke of the plight of the world's children and of the possibilities of a world where children are nurtured, well-educated and given their rightful opportunity to develop into healthy, upstanding citizens of the world. She gave the example of a direct action project that WCCCI is sponsoring, to develop the first City of Peace for Children in Basilicata, Italy.

Following were remarks from HHDL, who delighted the audience with his humor, humility, and wisdom. He began by saying, "nothing much to say…" Then, he talked about the power of each individual and of starting where we are in the world, to build zones of peace and help them spread organically. He dismissed critics and continued to build on his key themes of "the need for execution and action" along with the theme of "optimism to defeat apathy."

He was followed by President Gorbachev who, in his role as chair of this Conference, strongly spoke of the key themes of the Charter for a World Without Violence. He acknowledged its significance and encouraged everyone to promote it in all ways possible.

Mohammed Yunis spoke of the power of vision as evidenced by Grameen Bank. He referenced the 100,000 beggars now who are also sales persons in Bangladesh. He noted that this system is based on trust, without lawyers and all the conventional approaches of financial institutions. He focused on Millennium Goals and relayed the tremendous progress of Bangladesh in being on track toward its goals, although much of the rest of the world is lagging behind. In a stirring call to action, he called for the time when "we’ll have poverty museums" as we would wipe out poverty on the planet.

Quoting Margaret Mead, Kerry Kennedy said we would have to show how a small group of committed citizens could indeed change the world. She focused on the failures of our political, business, sports and financial institutions. Her conclusions were that we, as individual citizens, must take the steps now, as individuals, to change the world. This theme was echoed by others as well.

Finally, Jonathan Granoff, President of The Global Security Institute and a representative of the International Peace Bureau, delivered a short talk on The Axis of Responsibility. This axis focuses on three questions that he believes we should make sure our political leaders answer:
1. What are your plans to address crushing poverty?
2. What are your plans to protect the environment?
3. What are your plans to eliminate nuclear weapons?

This is a call to action we simply must answer, each in our own way.

My best,
Linda