"We
Will Spare No Effort" A Civil Society Call to Action for the Five Year
Review of the Millennium Summit and the Millennium Development Goals,
June 2005
II. Freedom from Fear
I’ve been in the anti-war movement for 40
years – and now I see that the MDGs and the possibilities of getting
rid of nuclear weapons are one and the same.
-- Judy Lerner, Peacelinks
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The
Secretary-General’s call to reduce the prevalence of violent conflict
and
terrorism in his report was roundly supported by civil society. Many felt strongly that the proposed
Peacebuilding Commission is an essential step forward, yet called for
an expanded
role and mandate to increase its potential effectiveness.
Most importantly, NGOs urged Heads of
State to recognize the intrinsic links between development, peace and
security.
Civil
Society’s Vision of Security
With
respect to disarmament, there should be a quid pro quo of how much
developing countries spend on arms buildup in relation to how much they
spend on development.
-- Roma Stigervy, CONGO Committee on Sustainable
Development
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- NGOs affirmed that conflict and
insecurity present direct challenges to development and human rights.
- It was noted that simply increasing
the material wealth of people does not necessarily provide freedom from
fear or prevent conflict. Avoiding the
marginalization and isolation of people in a society allows for
stronger collective bonds and a shared identity.
- There was a strong call for
governments to consider the disparity between military
expenditures and financing for development. Many
in civil society felt that direct linkages and targets between military
expenditures and development spending should be made.
- The need for statistics to compare the
military budgets of developing countries and what they are receiving in
official development assistance was recognized by NGOs.
Reducing
the Risk and Prevalence of War
- Strong support was expressed for the
Secretary-General’s call for a Peacebuilding Commission and
Peacebuilding Support Office. Some NGOs
thought that the Commission should have a larger role than that
proposed by the Secretary-General. It should serve to help avert
conflicts, and not just address post-conflict situations.
- NGOs rallied behind current efforts
such as the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict and
called for Heads of State to adopt Millennium Peace and Security Goals,
similar to the MDGs, that could be adopted either at or before the
Millennium+5 Summit.
- Civil society called on member states
to acknowledge the crucial role civil society plays in the prevention
and resolution of armed conflict.
Many in GPPAC are interested in the call
for the Peacebuilding Commission. This should have an expanded role,
including a preventative role, not only a post-conflict role.
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- NGOs called on governments to
cooperate with civil society and use education as a tool to promote
disarmament at the national level.
- There was a call for governments and
civil society to mobilize youth to campaign for peace and disarmament.
- The importance of Security Council
Resolution 1325 on the role of women in peacebuilding and post-conflict
reconstruction of democratic institutions was reiterated. NGOs called
on member states to implement it.
Eliminating
the Tools of War
As
you know our country is suffering from war, and because of this we have
been deprived of rights,
like citizenship certificates, land ownership, and education.
-- Om Gurung, Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities
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- NGOs called for the Secretary-General
and member states to go beyond arms control and start talking about
real disarmament at the Summit.
- Many felt that the issue of nuclear
non-proliferation must not overshadow the need for
controls of conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. They agreed with the Secretary-General’s
assertion that “progress in both disarmament and non-proliferation is
essential and neither should be held hostage to the other.”
- NGOs continue to recognize the dangers
from existing nuclear weapons and support the United Nations efforts to
halt their further spread. Some called for
the nuclear powers to take their weapons off hair-trigger alert and for
a verification system to be established.
- NGOs agreed with the
Secretary-General’s concerns on transnational terrorism and called on
all countries with any kind of nuclear materials to take preventative
steps to safeguard against their acquisition by terrorists.