175 Peace Action Proposals

More than 230 participants participated in The Peace Foundation’s ‘Action for Peace’ conference held at AUT Auckland during the weekend of 19th-20th Sept 2015.

Dr John Hinchcliff addressing the audience at 'Action for Peace' conference

The Conference was organised to seek a comprehensive range of suggestions for actions that could make a difference in fostering a more peaceful future.

Support for the Conference came from the Rt. Hon. John Key and three former Prime Ministers: the Rt Hon. Helen Clark, Geoffrey Palmer and Jim Bolger.

175 wide ranging action proposals emerged. This meant a successful outcome.

Eleven sessions were designed for presenters to provide a context and suggestions for action. Everyone present was encouraged to submit their action proposals.

Dr John Hinchcliff, President of the Peace Foundation, stated: “Many participants expressed a sense of urgency about the dangerous situation we face. Some new high technological developments are as dangerous as nuclear weapons. The range of action proposals was impressive. These, and a list of supporters will be passed to groups already engaged in the issue, or seek to promote them within our Peace Foundation resources. We welcome new participants to help us more successfully proceed with our responsibility.”

More than 65 speakers presented their concerns and answers at the conference. They included peace activists, politicians, ecologists, Rotarians, academics, social workers, psychologists, high tech weaponry critics, workers for our youth, United Nations experts, Maori, educators and representatives from the religions. The speakers and facilitators’ ages ranged from 12 to 85.

The conference participants experienced the Australasian premiere: ‘The Man Who Saved the World’. This remarkable feature documents a true story about a Russian colonel Stanislav Petrov who, in 1983, refused to follow protocols and saved the world from a totally disastrous nuclear warfare. This movie could be the tipping point causing people to recognise the awful fragility of human survival.

Christopher Le Breton, in closing the Conference explained that: “Wars with devastating social and environmental consequences could easily be precipitated, for example, by the inability to access energy. But acting to enable everyone to obtain sufficient solar energy could solve a crisis that could cause significant destruction. We must change the paradigm to understand how we are all profoundly connected with each other and find practical ways to create a world that is at peace.”

The Peace Foundation and the conference organising committee plan to follow up with the participants and share the action proposals, both nationally and internationally, thereby exploring ways to strengthen world peace.

More information here: http://action4peaceww100.co.nz/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Action4PeaceWW100?fref=ts

ENDS

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