12 Actions for a More Peaceful 2013 (please add your own suggestions)

Dear PCDN Colleagues

I wanted to put together a list of 12 possible recommendations to help make the world more peaceful and encourage others to contribute their own lists as we move into 2013. Please also consider Paying What You Can to Support the Work of PCDN. For more info click on the Support Link.

1) Examine how to create more peace in your personal life - If we do not have some degree of peace in our own internal lives, there is the question of how effective we can be in helping to build peace in our organizations, communities, societies and the world. There is no recipe for building peace, but there are many options that people have explored such as mediation, yoga, exercise, writing, reflecting, building community and more. Some key resources here are: Peace Revolution, Beliefnet.com, The Fetzer Institute, Charity Focus and The Daily Good.

2) Advocate for a Change in Global Priorities- There is a desperate need to change global spending and priorities. The global community spends more than 1.6 trillion USD per year on security, 129 billion USD on global development, less then 10 billion on UN Peacekeeping operations, and less then 4 billion USD on peacebuilding and conflict resolution activities. Until this mismatch of funding and need is changed, building sustainable peace will be remain difficult. In addition a challenge in conflict prevention is that often policymakers, NGO professionals, academics and others may have information about the potentially negative direction of conflicts. However, translating this information to effective policy changes often requires extensive advocacy campaigns by individuals, NGOs, religious groups and the larger civil society. Advocacy can mean anything from writing a legislature, talking with policymakers, taking direct action and more. For some useful examples of Advocacy Approaches see the International Crisis Group, Women Thrive Worldwide and the Genocide Intervention Network.

3) Share your experiences and hopes for peace, as well as frustrations around conflict - This site is intended as an open resource where people can share both their success stories of helping to address conflicts around the world, and also ask questions/inquiry about ways to improve practice. If you have a particular success story, please share it with others. If you have questions/challenges that you would like input on please feel free to post it on this site in a forum discussion or blog and of course on other social networking sites.

4) Read Positive Peace Media News in the World - Despite the many hardships in the world, there are countless organizations that are reporting and supporting positive social change and reporting on innovative work taking place every day. Some key resources include Peace Direct, the Daily Good, Good, and Dowser. Also see the PCDN guide to key media resources in peacebuilding

5) Support Organizations working to effect change in the world - There are thousands of dynamic organizations around the world working to address conflict, build community, foster economic development and more. There are many ways you can support organizations such as contributing financially, volunteering, and more. I do not want to endorse specific organizations, but some resources that can be helpful in identifying opportunities include the Alliance for Peacebuilding, Interaction, GuideStar, Global Giving, among others.

6) Mainstream a Conflict Sensitive Approach into your organization/company - Many organizations and companies around the world are beginning to look at how they can integrate a conflict sensitive approach (see the work of International Alert) throughout their external and internal operations. This means examining how an organization's internal hiring, procurement and other policies, as well as the external interactions and services can help to potentially reduce conflicts.

7) Get Additional Training/Education - There are many different paths to pursuing a career in international conflict and related fields. If you feel like you might benefit from additional training there are many academic options, professional training programs, summer institutes and more that can help provide additional training and skills. See the Guide to Training on the Network or the Guide to Academic Programs.

8) Join an Existing Network - There are many academic and professional networking organizations that exist around the world that focus on conflict related issues. In the United States, the Association for Conflict Resolution is a network of practitioners, the Alliance for Peacebuilding is a network of organizations, the Peace and Justice Studies Association is a network of academics and activists, the International Conflict Management Association has an annual conference. Also see the Guide to Key Network Organizations.

9) Engage in Productive Dialogue with Others - One of the keys of addressing conflicts is building understanding and connections between people with diverse perspectives. There are many organizations working on facilitating and engaging communities in dialogue, conversation and discussion. Find an organization in your community, or start your own process. Some great resources in this area include Masterpeace, Sustained Campus Dialogue Network, Public Conversations Project , the Kettering Foundation, and the World Cafe.

10) Foster Sustainable Economic Development - One of the key ingredients in building peace in post-conflict societies is to help create sustainable economic opportunities for communities. This can be done through a variety of means, international development, social entreprenuership, socially responsible investing, lobbying for changes to foreign assistance programs and more.

11) Engage in a Social Change Career - Find a way to move into a career that provides more meaning in service of others. See PCDN's Career Resource Guides.

12) Build Community in your Own Life - There are many ways to build community in your own personal and professional circles. If you don't know your neighbors, invite them over for a party or gathering, start a new group to gather people around a common interest, look for exiting volunteer opportunities (see www.volunteerweb.org), contribute time and resources for helping others, etc.

Please feel free to add your own suggestions and lists for a more peaceful 2013.

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Comment by Zeru Fantaw on December 20, 2011 at 3:07am: in order to bring lasting peace in the world we live in the democratic and civilized nation should support the people rather than the dictators of Africa.

Hence, ANY FOREIGN AID TO AFRICA OR DEVELOPING NATIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON HOW THE EXISTING GOVERNMENT IS RESPECTING HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOM OF PEOPLE TO SPEAK, WRITE AND VOTE FOR THE PARTY THEY WANT TO CHOOSE. if the western really want to see peaceful Africa they have to follow the above principles that could bring lasting peace for the nation that are suffering a lot.

Comment by Susmita Barua on December 19, 2011 at 11:00pm: I like all of them. In my own words I like Inner peace through mindfulawareness to be the basis of world peace. Also resolve conflicts through understanding interdependence between self and society, economy and ecology and work for a mindful system change that integrates personal, interpersonal and social, and economic values within our mind. Bridge gaps between model (concepts and idealized constructs) and reality (actual need and field experience). Also like to bring spiritual intelligence in solving long-standing problems.

Peace, joy and happy holidays to all

http://conscious-capitalism.blogspot.com

http://www.seek2know.net

Comment by dewan jalal uddin chowdhury on December 19, 2011 at 8:10pm: I want to add a new point and its social & family values.Whatever we do for establish peace in the world will be meaningless unless we don't give our attention on family and social values.

The 1st identity of a human being is that he/she is a member of a family or society.If he/she does not learn a moral education and values from his/her family and society, he/she never realize the value of peace.As a result we get peace-breaking incident from such a social member.If we look at the most peace breaker persons of the world like Hitler, Saddam, Bush, we discover that all of them were coming from a broken family or from such social environment where the meaning of peace is totally absent.

Comment by Rey Ty on December 19, 2011 at 11:35am: Nice ideas. What about working for the elimination of social injustice, structural constraints, economic inequality, unequal power relationship (rich-poor, women-men, caste system, etc.), control of the few rich corporations/individuals over the world's resources and population.

Comment by Stany Nzobonimpa on December 19, 2011 at 11:30am: Hope. Hoping that Peace is possible and so working on the beliefs.

Comment by GOPI KANTA GHOSH on December 19, 2011 at 10:27am: I would like to add...

Help absolute poor without expecting any return. Remember what you are today is because of society, you must ive back this way and ensure future peace by banishing hunger.

Comment by Peter du Toit on December 19, 2011 at 10:04am: Hug at least one journalist everyday.

Comment by GOPI KANTA GHOSH on December 19, 2011 at 3:04am: good one...I am sharing

Comment by Antonia Zenkevitch on December 18, 2011 at 3:01pm: Brilliant! Love it, including the beginning, looking a peace in our own life, surely the best and often most difficult place to begin? Thank-you, good gift! My addition:

Work on how to nourish peace within and beyond different faith paths

I would add a fundamental re-look at traditions behind the various festivals of lights in a contemporary 'light'. Writing a festive card to local 'occupiers'; i was reminded how fundamental the spreading of warmth and light is to almost every culture in the mid-winter, with colder days to come but longer days promising the return of luminosity and hope. Solstice, Diwali, Channakah, Ed ul-Adha, Christmas, important differences but vital connections interwoven over generations of interchange, adoption, conflict, friendship and the brighter aspects of human nature and community understanding. Interfaith work is potentially really strong at this time.Look closely enough and this community light share and outreach to the world is within so many, if not all, faith and humanist paths. Maybe we should help one another see?

As a Jewess i look forward to lighting the branches of the menorah; symbolizing the tree of life of which we are all part and the command of the great oneness within us and outside us to spread light across the world. For Jews the lighting also reminds us of the re-dedicating of sacred space after an ancient war with Syria and that, despite the fact the olive oil supply was incredibly low we found enough to light the lamps all the days and for all our needs. This miracle of abundance and the oil of peace is a story to be remembered today; a miracle of community and hope. The Green Menorah Covenant looks at this ageless story of finding truer wealth, peace, radiance, hope in a time of limited oil and peace-building in contemporary setting of peak oil, climate change, conflict; it offers support, guidance and a challenge to create changes. See the Shalom Center for more information http://www.theshalomcenter.org/node/1276. It is one of many projects connecting to year round projects. I am also always deeply warmed by other religious communities work at this time including Christian fueled anti-poverty work, their lead in getting fair-trade into the public arena. Festivals of light speak deep within us to our roots as we place the world tree / menorah / Christmas tree in our homes, as we light candles, share food and dreams. So for me i feel it is a time to re-examine our faith; in divinity, humanity, the Earth or all three and to recognize those beliefs and ideals manifest in one another, even and esspecially when that light is a different hue to our own.

Peace in your heart, its the best place to start! Wishing you all, your families and communities, warmth, joy, light, connection, hope :)

Comment by John J. Youngo on May 28, 2011 at 11:43am: Dear All,

The dimensional impact for peaceful and stable life on our beloved Earth, ''need a cross action style'' that individual, group, community and society can undertake as a major for exchange with other, to copy a positive act for the common good towards others is one of the greatest advantages in the process of integrating the globe.

Simply, causing transformation at others may generate better results than any limited dimension which may be taken without any colorful values. Sharing is the meaning of globalization.

I think the most effective system is to know the sources of the knowledge when acting towards any better result from reactional reflection that may lead into a successful understanding of doing actions regarding matters of good life on earth.

Do with all your head, your heart, your hands, your health and your hope, likewise take high consideration in the following:

Truth

Justice

Reconciliation

Libert

Freedom

Just-peace and

Love.

We can change the world into abetter place for women and man to live.

Regards.

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