Towards a World Without Violence

Come to Barcelona, June 23-27, 2004 to participate in a major international conference
organised by the International Peace Bureau and Fundacio per la Pau
For information and to register:
http://www.peacedialogue2004.org
http://www.ipb.org

Yesterday the "Forum 2004", a gigantic 5 months rally of cultures,
culture, politics, civil society movements for social change opened
with grandiose ceremony in Barcelona. Barcelona displays its vanguard
tradition, its color and style, inviting the world for an event of unique,
unparallelled proportions (See: http://www.barcelona2004.org).

The the main peace event during the "Forum 2004" is organised by IPB
and Fundacio per la Pau, and starts only six weeks from now (23-27 June).
If you wish to come, it is time to register and book transport + lodgings.

We hope to see you there. Below is some basic information. For more on
registration,the 100 events and 200 participating presenters (Arundhati
Roy, Michael Renner, Vandana Shiva ....

The program of "Towards a World without Violence" will cover the whole
wide range of issues and approaches, Iraq, terrorism, Israel-Palestine,
Africa, Basque situation, military spending - and the remedies, peace
education, peace culture, conflict resolution, mediation, disarmament,
nuclear ..... through panels, lectures, discussions, films, dance ....
You will have one problem - to choose between all the offers.

Colin Archer
IPB Secretary-General

Fredrik S. Heffermehl
IPB Vice President

Towards a World without violence: A dialogue for people who want peace

From June 23rd to June 27th, 2004, Fundació per la Pau, the International Peace Bureau, and the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona 2004, will jointly host a Dialogue, or an interactive conference, entitled, Towards a World without Violence, a place for all people, organisations, and movements working for a peaceful world.

Towards a World without violence
Violence, in different ways and at different levels, is evident throughout the world, and the same injustices that lead to violence today will lead to violence tomorrow if we don't change our ways.

To build a world without violence is a huge challengeŠbut it is possible. It has to be a priority of governments, of social movements and of the people. Towards a World without Violence will gather ideas and proposals to make a world without violence possible.

More than 100 sessions and 200 presenters during 5 days!
Through seminars, round tables, workshops, and theatre presentations, Fundació per la Pau and IPB plan to create an interactive and stimulating arena to discuss and share ideas about these vital issues at local, national, regional, and global levels.

Each day will focus on one of the 5 key themes and through more than 25 different activities per day, we will examine and debate underlying and surrounding issues, and how we can make a difference!

Five key themes
Wednesday 23
1. The prevention and nonviolent resolution of armed conflicts
Moving from an analysis of the causes and contexts of conflicts to an exploration of nonviolent approaches to control and transformation. The experience of those pursuing peace in violent contexts will play a central role in this process.

Thursday 24
2. The economy and preparation for war
Wars don't just happen: there are a series of factors that facilitate military conflict (including the arms trade and the influence of the military industry). The advocates of peace must be aware of these factors and know how to respond to them.

Friday 25
3. Disarmament
Light arms, weapons o mass destruction, antipersonnel mines... All perpetuate the same insecurity. An ambitious agenda needs to be developed to monitor, reduce and eliminate these threats.

Saturday 26
4. Extending peace education programs throughout the world
All institutions involved in generating values (including schools, nonformal education and the media) have crucial role play overcoming the culture of violence and establishing a peace culture.

Sunday 27
5. The concept of human security
Wich concept of security and as defined by which set of priorities? How do such choices contribute to shaping oru world? Moving from military defense towards human security.

More information and registration:
http://www.peacedialogue2004.org
Norway: phone 2297 9889
**************************************************
* Fredrik S. HEFFERMEHL *
* N. Juels g. 28 A, N-0272 Oslo, Norway *
* Phone +47-2244 8003 (fax: +47-2244 7616) *
* E-mail: fredpax@online.no *
* NFR: www.nowar.no or IPB: www.ipb.org *
* Hon. President, Norwegian Peace Alliance *
* Vice President, International Peace Bureau *
* Vice Pres., I Assn. Lawyers Ag. Nuclear Arms *
* International Free Vanunu Committee *
**************************************************

Check out the new "Peace is Possible" website: On people, power and
peacemaking - in 12 languages! Click:
http://www.peaceispossible.info
" ...contains more undiscovered history than I have read for a long time
... bringing to light a hitherto unofficial and unheeded part of modern history."
(Niels Jacob Harbitz in "Klassekampen", Oslo).