REPORT FROM THE THIRD GLOBAL SUMMIT FOR MINISTRIES AND DEPARTMENTS OF PEACE, JAPAN, SEPT. 21-26, 2007

Prepared by Saul Arbess and Penny Joy
Delivered on the International Day of Nonviolence and Gandhi’s birthday, Oct. 2, 2007.
This day was also designated the Department of Peace Day in Canada.

The Global Alliance for Ministries and Departments of Peace, the sponsor of the Summit, is calling for structures in all governments and civil society that support a culture of peace, within and between countries, through conflict transformation by peaceful means. At present, the Solomon Islands and Nepal have Ministers of Peace with Costa Rica expected to declare this year. The US has a Bill before Congress to create a Department of Peace and Nonviolence.

This Summit was hosted by JUMP-Japan United for a Ministry of Peace. It was held in Japan to lend the support of the Global Alliance for the retention of Article 9 in the Japanese Constitution, which renounces war as a sovereign right and the threat of the use of force in settling international disputes. Article 9 is now under threat by conservative forces in the DIET(Japanese Parliament).

21 country delegations, representing all 5 continents, were in attendance, with Canada having the third largest delegation, after Japan and the US. Several delegations, mostly from Africa and Iraq, despite full subsidies, were refused visas and could not attend. Saul served as Chair of the Global Alliance, through this Summit.

Over the initial five days of the Summit, held in Kiserazu, in Chiba Prefecture, the Summit heard reports from each country and carried out a series of intensive workshops towards the formation of departments of peace (DoP). Penny and Saul presented a workshop on the proposed responsibilities of a DoP and how it would function in relation to other existing departments. A model of a DoP was developed and circulated to the delegates. At the end of the 5 days, the Alliance issued a communiqué.
The Summit then moved to various cities. In Tokyo we convened a Press Conference at the DIET, attended by seven DIET members, who made statements of support for a DoP in Japan. A public meeting was held in Central Tokyo with a large attendance.

In Kyoto, we convened a meeting at the Ritsumeikan University there and the students agreed to work with our Japanese counterpart for a Ministry of Peace. We also met with Ikuro Anzai, the Director of the Kyoto Museum for World Peace, and toured this impressive museum.

In Hiroshima, now a city of peace, we heard the most inspiring talk by an 89 year old Hibakusha (an A-Bomb survivor), Toshie Une, who spared us no detail of that experience of hell, but ended on an note of peace and reconciliation, and the wish that nuclear weapons never again be used, noting with astonishment that nuclear arsenals still represented a great danger for the annihilation of life. We danced with her and celebrated her indomitable spirit. We paid our respects at the Peace Park, the Memorial Museum and the Hall of Remembrance and were overwhelmed by the exhibits showing the build-up to the bombing and its horrific aftermath.

We participated in a meeting with Hiroshima peace organizations and heard an address from Mayor Akiba, the head of Mayors for Peace calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons in their campaign, Abolition Now.

We return with a renewed sense of commitment and a greater sense of urgency to achieve success in the creation of a DoP in Canada that will have real power in government and adequate resources to meet the challenge of creating a culture of peace at home and abroad.

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Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday – a man whose name is synonymous with theterm Satyagraha, which refers to the strength of love, truth and non-violence.It is very appropriate that this day should also be celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence and be the culminatory day of the ‘12 days of Peace’that began on Sept 21st ‘the International Day of Peace and Global Cease-Fire’. We would also like to see today become recognized as Ministry and Departments of Peace Day….

I believe that the event that was held here on Sept 21 drew a large crowd and was very joyous. We were not able to attend but would like to thank everyone involved in organizing it, from the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative’s Victoria Chapter and the First Metropolitan United Church.

As Saul has been reporting – we were in Japan at the 3rd Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace. Two Gandhian scholars from India attended as well as delegates from Australia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Israel, Italy, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, UK, the USA … and ourselves.

There are so many wonderful quotes from Gandhi … referring to his struggle in India , he said…

“It may be long before the law of love will be recognised in international affairs. The machineries of government stand between and hide the hearts of one people from those of another ……

and he also said

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it – always”

But perhaps the most familiar one is

“We must be the change we wish to see ….”

I am going to share a few snapshots from Japan to illustrate the power and expression of love and creativity and change that was evident to me through the 3rd Summit ….

Zoughbi Alzoughbi a Palestinian who runs a Conflict resolution centre in Bethlehem called Wi’am , (which means Cordial Relations in Arabic), struggled through the interminable Israeli checkpoint delays to reach Japan. He collaborates with Gershon Baskin, an Israeli who writes a weekly article in the Jerusalem Post (and describes himself as a ‘token lefty’ for that right wing Israeli newspaper). Gershon published from Japan. His article, in part read…
Every single government ministry should devise a plan to build peace with its counterpart. The Ministries of Peace on both sides would serve as a coordinating body for the advancement of all of the peace-building activities that would be launched. The Ministries of Peace would serve as a clearing house of knowledge, research, evaluation and collective know-how in the advancement of peace.
The Ministries of Peace would also play a significant role in advancing a public peace process bringing the reality of peace into every Israeli and Palestinian home and school. A major effort to build peace from the bottom-up based on people-to-people contacts, supported by the two governments and the international community would help to make the agreements tangible and substantive to Israeli and Palestinian citizens.
Together onstage in Tokyo Zoughbi and Gershon read the communiqué that came from the 3rd Summit.
From the Philippines, Franklyn Quitano from the Philippine government, collaborated with ‘Ike’ a leader of a rebel group in Mindanao. One of the most moving times was experiencing them being led, through a non-violent communication process, to a deep level of understanding and appreciation of the work they were undertaking together to bring peace in that troubled area .
Despite several delegates from Central Africa having been refused visas to attend (a similar experience that we went through here last year), a pan African department of Peace initiative was formed at the Summit with two women from S. Africa, Karen Barensche and Jacqueline Kolbe, along with Francoise Munyurangabo, an MP from Rwanda of Hutu and Tutsi parentage, and Jean de Dieu Basabose from the Shalom Centre for Africa in Rwanda with Otto Odongo an MP from Uganda and Peter Lukwiya a peace activist also from Uganda who was with us in Victoria last year. Their inspiration to collaborate in a network across Africa forming Departments of Peace, excited us all.
Jahangir Piara from Pakistan had trouble obtaining a visa for Japan and arrived late but was welcomed in Urdu by Suman Aggarwal and Sri Vasudevan from India .
Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Nepal, the US and a variety of wonderful workers, supporters and friends from Japan, all worked and played together. We traveled in a hectic 28 person gang laden with many suitcases through the chaos of Tokyo station and on and off the bullet trains which allow only 90secs for passengers to leave and enter. We didn’t lose anyone, nobody lost their temper tho’ Prema from Ottawa lost her Rail pass and Jean de Dieu’s luggage never did catch up with him … a quality of acceptance, appreciation and compassion prevailed –
My final image, as you saw on the slides, is of 6’4” Otto dancing with 4’6” Toshie the 89 year old survivor of Hiroshima who had reduced us to tears and infused us with wonder as she demonstrated the plants that had kept them alive through that dreadful time, and touched us profoundly with her advice to forgive and build and not to be a part of further destruction.
This work is about conflict transformation, not conflict resolution – there will never be resolution, there will always be conflict – but conflict can be creative – but conflict transformation by peaceful means – without violence, that a whole new step in evolution and Creating Ministries and Departments of Peace is a move towards resolution on a governmental level… ….. and, as Gandhi said about creating new initiatives
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

I believe we are on the way to winning.

Submitted by Saul Arbess and Penny Joy of the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative.
In addition to ourselves, Prema Raddagolda, of our Ottawa Chapter, and Tara Yip-Bannicq, representing Canadian youth, comprised the Canadian delegation.