World Peace Forum 2006:
The World Still Says 'NO' to War! - Vancouver Initiates and Promotes Peace Around the World!
By Shannon Bundock
“In the face of the invasion and
occupation of Iraq, global anti-war
movements have rallied together on a
scale previously unseen--more and more
people are daily seeking alternatives to
mainstream sources of information, and
peace networks are growing around the
world.”
– From the ‘working vision’ for the
World Peace Forum, released in
November 2004.
In less that one year, anti-war and peace
activists will descend upon the city of
Vancouver for the 2006 World Peace
Forum. The forum is an initiative of
the Peace and Justice Committee of the
Vancouver City Council and was met
with approval by council earlier this
year. This forum is a major initiative
which will run for one week and include
participants and presentations from
leading anti-war activists across the
globe.
The World Peace Forum will be held
on June 21st - 28th 2006, in Vancouver.
Over the week, the forum organizers are
seeking to meet a number of objectives.
These include increasing awareness
and education on issues of peace and
war and connecting activists across the
world through a network of community
organizations. The forum will include
a number of core plenary sessions as
well as concurrent workshops and
seminars touching on various themes
related to war and peace. While the
program has not yet been released, the
organizing committee has posted almost
two dozen themes that will be explored
in June 2006. Themes include: Youth
Against War, Women Against Wars &
Wars Against Women, Impunity and
International Law, Labour and Peace,
and Indigenous Peoples and Peace.
This event is an important step forward
for the Vancouver movement against war
and for peace and justice. An event with
the size and scope of the World Peace
Forum will undoubtedly impact the
anti-war movement in a significant way
through raising awareness and increasing
the involvement of many people.
Action at all levels from grassroots, to
municipal government, to labour unions
cross Canada is important in maintaining
energy and motion against the wars
and occupations that are destroying our
world. It is a feeling of joy and pride to
see the Vancouver City Council Peace
and Justice Committee leading the way
in this important initiative. Fire This
Time will follow this event closely and
will have a special section in every issue
of the newspaper regarding the build up
to the World Peace Forum.
We encourage readers to go to
www.worldpeaceforum.ca for more
information and how to get involved
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