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Special Report |
LAST UPDATE September 10, 2005
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| July 10, 2005 |
Dublin, Ireland: Press Conference – Peace Boat’s Role in the GPPAC Conference |
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| The press conference took place near Grafton Street, Dublin. |
In the immediate aftermath of the July 7 bombings in London, Peace Boat organized a press conference in Dublin, Ireland to express its deepest condolences to the people of nearby London, UK. Peace Boat was on its way to New York for the historical GPPAC (Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict) conference from July 19 to 21 to help present the Global Action Agenda—endorsed by more than 300 civil society organizations around the world—to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. The Global Action Agenda is comprised of non-violent conflict-prevention mechanisms, including the pacifism principle of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution, which renounces war and the rights of maintaining a military. |
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| Peace Boat’s press conference at the Mercer Hotel. |
During the press conference, Ms. Rika Watanabe, a Peace Boat representative for the GPPAC Northeast Asia Secretariat, outlined the 22-year-old history of Peace Boat and its programmes, from Global University to GPPAC. This conference is an important step for Peace Boat in its efforts to be more involved in international issues, including the campaign to support Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution as a crucial tool towards peace. In this regard, not only will Peace Boat represent the Northeast Asian chapter of GPPAC, but will also invite 700 to 800 members from GPPAC to a reception on the ship. |
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| On behalf of Peace Boat, Ms. Rika Watanabe opens the press conference. |
Mr. Izutaro Managi, a professor at Sapporo Gakuin University and a representative of GPPAC Japan, briefly explained GPPAC’s purpose. Following UN Secretary General Kofi Annan’s request, NGOs organized an international conference on conflict prevention to present its Global Action Agenda—a cohesive agenda of non-violence—based on 15 regional plans. GPPAC is a unique channel in which grassroots NGOs can deliver their message to civil society as well as to governmental agencies. |
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| Professor Managi introduced the GPPAC conference agenda. |
Mr. Sean O’Boyle, International Programme Coordinator of the Glencree Conflict Resolution Centre, clarified the Western European action agenda which was proposed last year in Dublin. The Western European action agenda reflects a “multi-faceted approach to resolve conflict” with non-violent measures. It advocates dialogue between governments, NGOs and civil society organizations, and focuses on ways governmental policy can address structures that produce and generate conflicts. Thus, NGOs can propose non-violent methods of reconciliation. Lastly, the Western European action agenda highlights peace education as a way to engender a culture of peace. Furthermore, it aims to spread knowledge of conflict prevention and conflict transformation into the mainstream population as a whole. |
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| Mr. O’Boyle represents an NGO from Ireland. |
The Northeast Asian action agenda, formulated in February 2005 in Tokyo, was presented by Professor Managi. The Northeast Asian GPPAC committee, headed by Peace Boat, is comprised of various NGOs and civil society organizations from Shanghai, Beijng, Nanjing, Seoul, Vladivostok, Taipei, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The action agenda embraces Article 9 of Japan’s Constitution as a guiding principle for issues such as denuclearization, demilitarization, gender justice, and sustainable economy. Professor Managi emphasized the importance of Article 9 as a “real function for conflict prevention in this region”. Japan has been able to maintain relations with its neighbors precisely because Article 9 promises Japan will never become a military state again. However, tensions between Japan and its neighbors have flared in light of recent efforts to revise or abolish Article 9. The Northeast Asian action agenda establishes a means of security through non-violent peaceful means rather than military force. As such, Article 9 has important significance not only for Japan but for the world. |
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| Final words from the press conference. |
On behalf of Peace Boat, Ms. Watanabe closed the press conference by expressing the organization’s deepest condolences to the families and victims of the bombings in London, and added “Peace Boat is against any kind of indiscriminate terrorist attacks for any reason and any place, and considers it illegal and immoral; Peace Boat reiterates there is no difference in importance or significance between the lives of Baghdad civilians and the lives of those in London, henceforth civil society must focus on issues in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Palestine with the same magnitude that is placed on the bombings in London; and lastly, Peace Boat firmly appeals its commitment to build peace only through peaceful means by resolving conflicts/wars with non-violent approaches.”
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