C E B O . org

Posted 10:53 PM by Mary

January 4, 2004

H.E. Kofi Annan
Secretary General, United Nations

Dear Mr. Secretary General,

We members of CEBO, the Council of Ethics Based NGO Organizations associated with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations, applaud your courage! We appreciate your leadership in upholding the principles of the United Nations Charter as you continue to work in best interest of all the Peoples of Earth, especially those who are powerless.

Mr. Secretary General, the United Nations would now be considered truly heroic on the world stage if it would take responsibility for the tragic mess created in Iraq by the United States’ unjustified pre-emptive war. This is the perfect time for the UN to assume and assert authority, on behalf of the peaceful Nations of the World, taking the initiative to mobilize massive and truly multinational Peacekeeping Forces into Iraq.

It is said that the structure of the United Nations has prevented the use of executive power, even when it has been desperately needed, as was the case in Rwanda. As the Responsibility to Protect document points out, The UN Security Council was never equipped to handle executive type action, and, as the G77 Nations readily acknowledge, is still inequitably power balanced and subject to distorted perceptions and pressures. However, nations fearful of losing sovereignty may have lately come to realize their individual as well as collective interests may be best served with preemptive peace-keeping actions authorized by strong executive UN power.

We all applaud your acceptance of the Brahimi report. We agree that there should be an adequate and quickly dispatchable United Nations Standing Peacekeeping Force (UNSPF); that it should have its very own protective units; that it should be well-trained in true peace-building and peace-keeping methodologies; and that it should be under the single jurisdiction of the Secretariat, with adequate funding in order to be effective. Further, that such peace-keeping forces should never be withdrawn until all criteria have been met for the establishment of democratic governance, not merely cessation of hostilities and preparations for elections. Such a force should truly work in behalf of the people.

Implementing the move to create a permanent United Nations Standing Peacekeeping Force, building on the lessons learned in these fifty some years, is a challenging but rewarding task. Please retain your courage in the face of criticism from those who fear their sovereignty is in jeopardy. This is a necessary and life - affirming move to benefit those who need the protection of a strong UN.

In addition to the above recommendation for a UN Standing Peacekeeping Force, (UNSPF) we would also like to propose a new global program: a United Nations sponsored Civilian Peacekeeping Corps (UNCPF). This group would build on the existing humanitarian actions of existing NGOS and CSOS by adding a human rights based dimension to peace and conflict monitoring, peace building initiatives, consensus building, political capacity raising, and other peacekeeping initiatives. Participants would need extensive training, and the possibility of creating a post-secondary curriculum or certification in such could be a project the United Nations University might undertake.

It is apparent that many military units assigned to pinch-hit as peacekeepers are trained as warriors and not as peace-builders, and are thus not effective in true peace-building initiatives. Highly motivated individuals especially youth the world over, would certainly volunteer by the thousands right now if you asked them to assist the work of the United Nations in the positive, pro-active pursuit of peace-building, instead of war-building. We ask you to create such an entity. We suggest that the United Nations Standing Peacekeeping Force (UNSPF) would also function as security for a Civilian Peacekeeping Corps. (UNCPF) In this way, the efforts of both entities would complement and not compete.

You have gained the admiration and support of Nations and citizens of the world with your insightful, inspiring statements. We are appreciative of your leadership and wish you continued courage to take the lead in the matters at hand.

Sincerely

Beth Lamont, American Humanist Association
Margaretha Jones, International Humanist and Ethical Union
Mary Beaty, American Humanist Association
Martha Gallahue, National Service Conference, American Ethical Union
for

CEBO.org, the Council of Ethics-Based Organizations in Association with the Department of Public Information at the United Nations, New York.

Posted 10:49 PM by Mary

ETHICS-NEWS VOL 1 #5 June 2003

Dec 10, Human Rights Day, was not a day of rejoicing.
There is still great sorrow at the loss of Sergio Vierra de Mello of Brazil, the late High Commissioner for Human Rights. His inspiring example is reflected in the UN prizes for courageous response to the continuing violation of human rights worldwide.
These awards, which are given every five years, were presented in the large General Assembly Hall. One particularly notable recipient was the Mano River Women's Peace Network, representing the kind of regional cooperation and
fearless involvement in human rights issues which receives little attention in the international press. This network from the civil war torn countries of Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, was established in 2000. Working at the grass roots
level as advocates for refugees and children, they have initiated projects for the demobilization of child soldiers and their reintegration into communities. They have brought the heads of state of their three countries back to the negotiating table, an extraordinary achievement. They have served as delegate, mediator and signatory to the Liberian peace talks in August 2003.

Among other prizes are the award for the work of Eniqueta de Carlotta, of Argentina, who organized grandmothers in response to the forced disappearance of hundreds of children following the military coup in Argentina in 1976.
Ms Shulamith Koenig of the USA has founded the Peoples' Movement for Human Rights Education, working towards the goal of creating a human rights culture in more than 60 countries. They are training 500 young community leaders in 30 cities strengthening human rights and democracy.For more details on these and other prizewinners see
www.un.org.

At another meeting, Bertrand Ramcharan, Acting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaks of the distress and anguish that human rights are grossly violated throughout the world because of poverty, conflict, terrorism, violence,
prejudice and bad governance.

He particularly wished to call attention to the great suffering caused by poverty. More than a billion people live in desperate circumstances, with economic and social rights still an illusion. Many can barely survive, and many will
not live to the age of 55. He maintained that the struggle against poverty must remain at the forefront of the human rights movement. Another devastating violation of human rights is terrorism which kills, maims and terrifies.

Among the many events of Human Rights Day was a Values Caucus meeting. Their simple and highly effective program was a round-the-room reading aloud of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and a sharing of thoughts and
experiences. To quote from several of its articles which could be a manifesto for humanists:

The people of the United Nations have in the charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women.

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for them and their family's health and wellbeing, including education and medical care.
Everyone has duties to the community where alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. It is interesting to note that the words "person" and the phrase "equal rights of men and women" came about because of
intensive lobbying by women at the founding of the UN when the charter was formulated. We could call these women "The Founding Mothers."

On Dec 10, fifty human rights organizations launched the US Human Rights Network dedicated to raising awareness about international human rights standards. In particular they focus on the increasing failure of the US to endorse human
rights and to practise them. In the guise of combating terrorism , civil rights are being violated.For more information and the possibility of action see ushrnet.org.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, "without concerned citizens' action to uphold (universal rights) close to home we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."
-- Sylvain and Phyllis Ehrenfeld IHEU Representatives to the UN and the AEU's Nat'l Service Conference