March for peace Perugia Assisi 1999

Forum

The third Assembly of the UN of the Peoples and the Perugia-Assisi March for Peace are the final events of ten days of activities, meetings, conferences and debates concerning the engagement for peace, justice and international democracy. The most noteworthy of these events are the international forums that have taken place in ten Italian towns.

"Peace Prospects for Sudan. Rebirth of a Civil Society?"
Milan, September 17/ 18
This Forum was promoted by the campaign "Sudan, un popolo senza diritti" ("Sudan a people without rights"), which is conducted in its turn by a group of Italian organisations, NGOs and press outlets (including Pax Christi, Acli, Amani, Arci, Caritas, Cesvi, Cuore Amico, Mani Tese, Nigrizia) that are engaged in solidarity programmes with the peoples of Southern countries, especially in Africa. During this meeting, the organisations highlighted the role of Sudan civil society in their struggle for peace and respect of human rights for their suffering country.

"Local Autonomy and Civil Society Confront the Kurdish Issue"
Ancona, September 18/ 19
This Forum was organised in co-operation with Arci Nazionale, ICS, Associazione AZAD. Husnu Ondul (President of the Association for Human Rights in Turkey) and Fabio Evangelisti, an observer from the European Council Assembly at the Ocalan Trial both took part in the proceedings.

"Water for Everyone - a Global Contract for Water"
Bologna, 21 September
This Forum presented the Lisbon Group report called "Manifesto of water for a global contract", a document containing reflections intended to awake the public to the need to enforce the right of everyone to have drinkable water. This document should pave the way for practical action to find effective ways to address this fundamental need for million of men and women in the world.

"All the Children in the World"
Genoa, 22 September
In the belief that the international community should no longer tolerate the tragic situation of many children-soldiers, six international NGOs (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the international federation "Terre des Hommes", the International "Save the Children" Fund, the Jesuit Service for Refugees and the Quaker Office at the United Nations in Geneva) got together, in June 1998, and launched a Coalition to stop the recruitment of children-soldiers. During this Forum in Genoa, the Coalition officially presented its international campaign for the approval of an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to forbid the recruitment of children as soldiers in all armed forces and military groups, both governmental and non-governmental.

"The Year 2000 and the Jubilee: a New, Debt-Free Start"
Rome, September 21/ 22
Facing the issue of indebtedness in developing countries, which endangers the life of million of men and women, we are confronted with the tragic problems of democracy and North-South relationships. The extraordinary engagement of the global civil society, which has found its expression in the International Jubilee 2000 Campaign, has shown its willingness to put the issue of indebtedness to the fore on the world leaders agenda. The G7 had to admit that the present activities are insufficient and start to share the arguments of the civil society: now it's time to insist on setting the year 2000, the year of the Jubilee, as the date to cancel indebtedness and make a new start.

"Civil and Social Management in the South (Right to Work)"
Modena, 21 September
This Forum analysed the issue of microcredit, successfully used as a way to promote human development against the marginalisation of poor city areas. Different representatives of the ethical finance sector analysed the financial tools that allow a better management of human resources and of territory than traditional credit and saving policies.

"From South to South: Economic Proposals for Human Development"
Foggia, 22 September
One of the most interesting subjects of this Forum was undoubtedly the activity of social organisations in areas characterised by difficult social situations. The subject was tackled from two different perspectives, with direct testimonies from the South of Italy and Southern countries.

"Who's Having Fun with Your Money? Tobin Tax and International Speculations"
Florence, 21 September
This Florence Forum discussed the social and economic effects of financial speculations, with direct testimonies about the situation in Mexico and microcredit activity in Chiapas. The enforcement of a "Tobin Tax" on financial operations was launched to address the problem of market and speculation system drift. International activities in support of Tobin's proposal were also illustrated.

"Cities against Poverty- Policies against Social Exclusion: Experiences in Comparison"
Perugia, 22 September
This Forum dealt with the issue of poverty in both its local and international dimensions, thanks to the contribution of Mr Giorgio Di Pietro, co-ordinator of the Umbria Regional Observation Board on Poverty; Mr Mohand Cherifi (UNDP, Geneva), co-ordinator of the World Coalition of Cities Against Poverty and Ms Anne Marie Llizin, an independent expert about extreme poverty at the UN Commission of Human Rights.

"Towards a Civil Society Conference on Peace, Democracy and Co-operation in the Balkans"
Ancona, September 21-22
After the agreement on Kosovo, four years after the Dayton treaty, the Ancona Forum dealt with the issue of security in the Balkans, in view of a European integration where cultural and social co-operation, including co-operation between different universities, will play a key role. A broad range of subjects was discussed, including the enforcement of human rights and rights of citizenship, the organisation of democracy, the role of the independent media and the problems connected to freedom of information, opportunities offered by non-governmental organisations and by the civil society.

"All the Human Rights for All"
Trento, September 21/ 22
The subtitle for this Forum was "Utopia or political project" and it presented the experiences of many Italian and international activists engaged in the protection of human rights. Participants included: Mr Daniele Scaglione, the secretary of the Italian branch of Amnesty International and several foreign guests, including Laurien Ntezimana, a non-clerical theologian and director of the Theological Animation Service in Butare (Rwanda), Mr Brian Burton from Greenpeace Pacific (Papua New Guinea) and Father Humerto Dorigatti, from the Mission Josefina Tena di Napo (Ecuador).

(These texts were translated from Italian by Sabrina Fusari)