News Archive LAST UPDATE  July 7, 2008
July 7-9 2008 G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Peace Boat is undertaking a range of activities relating to the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, which starts on 7 July 2008. 4 members of staff have travelled to Hokkaido for this purpose. We will be transmitting information from Sapporo and the Summit’s official International Media Centre (IMC), sharing the messages of peace and disarmament, and sharing the results of this May’s Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War.

NEW! A blog has been set up to introduce these activities, as well as Peace Boat statements and analysis relating to the developments of both the G8 and related civil society activities. We are also preparing live
online broadcasting from the IMC. We look forward to interacting with you and sharing what is happening on the ground in Hokkaido with the world through this site! >>g8peaceboat.wordpress.com
In order to strengthen our collective voice, Japan-based NGOs striving towards a sustainable society and working to address as diverse issues as the environment, peace, human rights, global poverty and development, have come together under the broad banner of the 2008 Japan G8 Summit NGO Forum (www.g8ngoforum.org/english) Within this platform, Peace Boat is serving as secretariat of the Peace and Human Rights Unit.
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The Peace and Human Rights Unit is calling for a world order based on the principles of non-violence and human rights. The unit works on issues such as nuclear weapons abolition, disarmament and arms control, global economics, conflict prevention, peace building, "counter-terrorism" measures, gender, indigenous peoples' rights, immigration, regional security issues and promotion of civic activities. The causes and effects of such issues are global and, as such, require global solutions. The G8 Summit must produce effective solutions, incorporating the responsibilities that correspond to their influence in global politics and economy. Through our cross-national collaboration towards social equity and civic participation, NGOs have nurtured perspectives independent from those of the government. It is with those perspectives and knowledge that we make policy recommendations.
Peace Boat will be collaborating to hold two workshops during the People's Summit (Alternative Summit), which will be held in Sapporo from July 6-8, 2008. The details are as follows:

Global Article 9 Conference to Abolish War
 Co-Sponsored by Peace Boat and the Global Article 9 Campaign
19:00-21:00, July 7, 2008
Sapporo L Plaza 2F Environment Study Room, Hokkaido

We All Want to Live in Peace!
 G8 NGO Forum Peace and Human Rights Unit Workshop
10:00-13:00, July 8, 2008
Sapporo Convention Hall
A further activity of the NGO Forum is the "Tanzaku Action - 1 million wishes" campaign. Tanzaku are pieces of paper upon which wishes are written, and tied to bamboo trees for the Japanese festival Tanabata, which coincides with the G8 Summit. The Toyako Summit is a golden opportunity for the Governments of Japan to exercise its responsibilities for the world along with the other G8 countries.. We hope that the Government of Japan and the other G8 countries do not only seek their best interests but also make a strong commitment to tackling global issues and announce concrete actions for building a sustainable and peaceful world. Please join us and take part in the Toyako Tanzaku Action as your own step towards changing the world. You can add your own Tanzaku message here. (www.g8ngoforum.org/tanzaku/)

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