Applications for 2011 Peace Scholarships open on Human Rights Day

10 December 2010

Please note: the formatted printable edition of this message is available at http://www.peacescholar.org.nz

Applications for White Poppy Peace Scholarships for research during the 2011 academic year opened today, Human Rights Day, on the sixty-second anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).

The Peace Scholarships comprise at least two grants that are awarded each year to assist students at any tertiary education institution in Aotearoa New Zealand with research into the impacts of militarism, militarisation and warfare; alternatives to militarism, militarisation and warfare; or collective non-violent responses to state violence. Information about how to apply for and support the Peace Scholarships is included below.

From this year, applications for the Peace Scholarships will open on Human Rights Day to draw attention to the link between militarism and human rights. While the link between armed conflict and gross violations of human rights is obvious, the link between militarism and human rights is perhaps less well known.

The UN was established in 1945 to “save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights and in the dignity and worth of the human person, and for member states to live together in peace with one another as good neighbours. [1] As one way to progress these worthy goals, the UDHR was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948 in recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. [2]

Yet sixty-two years later, the vision of the UN Charter and the UDHR has not yet been realised, in part because of the dominance of the ideology of militarism - "the policy of maintaining a military organisation in aggressive preparedness for war" [3] - which has a negative impact on the enjoyment of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights around the world.

One way this can be readily illustrated is by looking at the prioritisation of military expenditure over social spending. Last year global military expenditure was more than $1,531 billion (US), an average of around $4.2 billion a day. By way of contrast, an average of twenty nine thousand children under the age of five die every day from mainly preventable causes – lack of access to adequate food, clean water and basic medicines. That is one of the prices paid, the collateral damage that is seldom talked about, for maintaining armed forces in a state of combat readiness around the world.

Among the other harmful effects of militarism is the acceptance of the belief that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict, an acceptance that seldom occurs in other aspects of daily life, and the way this actively prevents the exploration of other ways of resolving conflict. Militarism is what keeps the global cycle of violence going round and round in a downwards spiral.

The purpose of the Peace Scholarships is to increase understanding of the role of New Zealand governments (past and present) in the global cycle of violence; of the impacts of militarism, militarisation and warfare here and overseas; and of alternative ways of resolving conflict.

* About the Peace Scholarships

The Peace Scholarships comprise at least two grants that are awarded each year to assist with research into:
• the impacts of militarism, militarisation and warfare;
• alternatives to militarism, militarisation and warfare; or
• collective non-violent responses to state violence.
The Peace Scholarships are for students at any tertiary education institution in Aotearoa New Zealand. Each grant is a minimum of $1,000 - one is for a Maori or Moriori student, with the other/s open to any student with New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency.

The Peace Scholarships are entirely funded by donations, including those collected during the White Poppies for Peace Annual Appeal (17 to 24 April). The number and amount of the grants awarded annually is determined by the amount raised during each year.

The Peace Scholarships were launched by Professor Cynthia Enloe in Wellington on 30 October 2009. The inaugural Peace Scholarships for research during 2010 were awarded in April 2010 to Ryan Bodman and Marianne Bevan.

Ryan completed his dissertation for a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts in the Department of History at the University of Auckland in October 2010. The dissertation is about the Passive Resisters Union, the organisation established in early 1912 to peacefully resist compulsory military conscription, and is now available on the White Poppy Peace Scholarship web site.

Marianne is completing a Master of Development Studies at Victoria University, Wellington. Her research is titled 'A Gendered Approach to Police Reform: Addressing Masculinities in Policing Projects in Timor-Leste' and will be completed in April 2011.

* How to apply for a Peace Scholarship

Guidelines for applicants are available at http://www.peacescholar.org.nz and the application form is available on request from email peacescholarship@ymail.com The deadline for applications for Peace Scholarships to assist with research in the 2011 academic year is Friday, 11 February 2011.

* How you can support the Peace Scholarships

There are two ways you can support the Peace Scholarships - by making a donation, or by helping to collect donations for white poppies, an international symbol of remembrance for all the casualties of war and of peace. Your generosity will help to promote peace by directly supporting research into militarism, militarisation and warfare.

To make a donation by cheque, please use the form at www.converge.org.nz/pma/poppiesform.pdf or if you would prefer to make a donation by direct credit or internet banking, please email White Poppy Peace Scholarships peacescholarship@ymail.com and we will provide the details for you. A tax credit receipt is sent for all donations.

To support the Peace Scholarships by collecting donations for white poppies:
• if you can assist with the White Poppies for Peace Annual Appeal, 17 to 24 April, please fill in and return the form at http://www.converge.org.nz/pma/poppiesform.pdf or email White Poppies for Peace whitepoppies@ymail.com
• if you would like to have white poppies available at your peace event at any time during the year, please email whitepoppies@ymail.com with your request.
Thank you.

References:

[1] Charter of the United Nations, Preamble
[2] Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Preamble
[3] Collins English Dictionary, William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd, 1986, 2nd edition

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