“The importance of building a Culture of Peace for a Sustainable Future”

by H.E. Ambassador Carlos Garcia, Founder & CEO CG Global Consultant

New York, 13 November 2014

Bearing in mind that the desire for peace is universally recognized and also has been expressed and illustrated throughout history, documents and activities shown that peace is deeply rooted in the human culture.

Peace as a human need and aspiration means not only a decrease in all types of violence: direct, structural and cultural, but the indispensable condition for conflict can be transformed creatively and nonviolently. So we contribute to the building of peace, to the extent that we are able to transform conflicts into cooperation, positively and creatively, recognizing opponents and using the method of dialogue.

In this regard, it is noteworthy that peace is multidimensional and therefore requires not only efforts to achieve disarmament but also to achieve true human development, to strengthen respect for human rights, to resolve conflicts and curb environmental degradation, among others.

As we all are aware of the creation of a culture of peace, dialogue among civilizations and Humane Sustainable Cities are intertwine processes that presupposes above all a general effort to change mindsets and attitudes with the aim of promoting peace. It means transforming conflicts and prevent them, to prevent them beget violence and to actively restore peace and confidence of our citizens and between states and civilizations.

Assuming the practice of values and attitudes that promote peace is a personal decision in the first instance, but that makes more sense when expressed collectively. The willingness to talk, share, be supportive, listen to what others have to say, accept the ideas of others but not this agree with them, be understanding and tolerant, must arise from within the people as part of a reflection staff on how to become a builder and peacemaker and later extended to the collective memory of our peoples and civilizations.

At present, the human right to live in peace is the cornerstone of all other rights. As a human right, peace is everyone's construction.

Therefore contribute to the construction of a new vision of peace by developing a culture of peace, dialogue among civilizations and Humane Sustainable Cities, are processes based on the universal values of democracy, respect for life, liberty, justice, solidarity, tolerance, human rights and equality between men and women, are one of the most important tasks and challenges of our time.

It is everyone's responsibility, therefore, to realize the common fate of humanity, so as to promote  and putting into practice common policies to ensure justice in the relations of human beings to each other, as in a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, and the various states together.

Consequently, peace building is now more important than ever, through science, culture, education, communication and solidarity, in order to effectively address the threats of exclusion, discrimination, intolerance and violence that defies cohesion of society and inevitably lead to armed conflict.

Since the founding of the United Nations, in June 26, 1945, in San Francisco, the firm resolve of Member States and Peoples of this organization to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, has been confronted by a series of armed conflicts in various degrees and for various other reasons have hit the consciousness of humanity and have thwarted the aspirations and hopes of millions of human beings to live in peace and harmony together.

The international situation in the early years of the new millennium seems to bring gloomy predictions about the globalized expectations of millions of human beings, that despite the indisputable and significant advances in communication technologies gives the impression that there is no room for dialogue and understanding between peoples and governments anymore. So, as of the XXI century a new paradox has emerged and says that according to Member States conflicts could be resolved only by a strong dose of political will and awareness and renewed creation of a "culture of peace" not only for future generations but also for present generations as well. This should be a conscious effort among peoples and civilizations to promote respect for cultural diversity and advance the dialogue for peace and peaceful coexistence.

This inalienable right of peoples, strengthened by the daily actions of governments, the private sector and civil society organizations could be the beginning of a long and ruinous but necessary and indispensable way to build the foundations of a new international architecture based on full respect for life, the ending of violence and promotion and practice of non-violence through education, dialogue and international cooperation.

A full respect for the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of States and non-intervention in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any State, in accordance with the United Nations Charter and international law are principles of our organization that still valid today.

There are many tasks to complete, the time is approaching a tipping point in the deterioration of several unresolved conflicts, the suffering of millions of human beings because of poverty, hunger, illiteracy, lack of medical care and attention timely, social injustice, violence, lack of freedom and the weakness of truly democratic institutions are major obstacles to be overcome as soon as possible or it may be significant factors in the destruction of our civilization

We agree however to recognize that this effort must go global to achieve a "critical mass" that would make the necessary changes and adjustments in the scale of individual and collective values oriented towards building a true culture of peace and honest dialogue among civilizations.

In this context, the political will of states coupled to individual attitude change is necessary to achieve that purpose.

The United Nations is expected to play a key role in this process, not only as a reflection of the collective will of governments, but also as a voice for the voiceless, for it is necessary to perform structural and institutional changes to enable it achieve the expectations and hopes of the people. The United Nations is therefore destined to renew themselves and of humanization lead efforts in this new millennium.

I am convinced that this strategic task remains valid and precisely for the devastating consequences caused by armed conflict, human suffering and needless loss of thousands of lives of men, women, children and elderly, it is essential not to give-up in this endeavor.

Peace, as we have often recognized, it is not just the absence of conflict, but requires a positive, dynamic participatory process where dialogue is encouraged and conflicts are solved in a spirit of understanding and international cooperation.

Salvadorans are faithful witnesses that peace is only possible when we travel down this road. Honest dialogue, the political will of the parties, the urgent need to invest scarce resources in development tasks are just the minimum conditions and to advance on the path of national reconstruction and reconciliation requirements.

I also recognize the vital role of education, especially in the field of human rights, in the construction and consolidation of a culture of peace and the deepening of efforts to advance the dialogue among civilizations, laying the structural foundation for a truly alliance of civilizations and a Humane Sustainable Cities.

Cities Thrive on the Energy of Their People - South-South News

Cities Thrive on the Energy of Their People - South-South News

Round table to commemorate the "World Cities Day", October 31, 2014

Round table to commemorate the "World Cities Day", to be held on October 31, 2014
by H.E. Ambassador Carlos Garcia, Director of United Nations Relations, Enviro Board Corporation
www.enviroboard.com


By its resolution 68/239, the United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 31 October of every year, beginning in 2014, as "World Cities Day", and invited Member States, the United Nations system, in particular UN-Habitat, relevant international organizations, civil society and all other relevant stakeholders to observe and raise awareness of the Day.

"World Cities Day" is expected to greatly promote the international community's interest in global urbanization and increase cooperation among countries in meeting opportunities and challenges in urbanization and contribute to urban sustainable development around the world.

In this regard, the Permanent Missions to the United Nations of Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan, together with Enviro Board Corporation and several other stakeholders from civil society, academia and private sector are joining as co-sponsors of this event, to be held on October 31, 2014 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Conference Room 8 and later a reception will follow from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at South Delegate's Dining Room, 4th Fl at the United Nations.

The theme of this round table is "The New Urban Agenda of the United Nations towards the building of a Human Sustainable Cities".

It's important to recall that at the twenty-seventh session of the High-level Committee on Programmes of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), held in Santiago de Chile on 17 and 18 March 2014, UN-Habitat proposed the introduction of an agenda item on "A new United Nations urban agenda". Following positive feedback, a working group was established in early July 2014 and began its work.

On the basis of the report of that working group, it is expected that the High-level Committee on Programmes will prepare draft policy recommendations on a new United Nations urban agenda for preliminary consideration by CEB in November 2014. It is also envisaged that, after approval by the Board, the final recommendations will be submitted to the Habitat III Preparatory Committee in December 2015 as the formal input of the United Nations system organizations to the preparatory process.

In my view, this early discussion among different stakeholders on the "New Urban Agenda of the United Nations towards the building of a Human Sustainable Cities", even before CEB agreed on the preliminar draft policy recommendations, it's a clear indication that this is a real issue for the international community beyond formal discussions among CEB.

The seventh session of the World Urban Forum, convened by UN-Habitat, was highly successful, in terms of relevance, outcomes and participation. It was attended by more than 22, 000 persons from more than 140 countries, gathered together to seek ways of promoting inclusive urban development in all parts of the world. The spirit and main recommendations of the Forum were captured in the Medellin Declaration, the key outcome document of the session.

This extraordinary meeting set the platform to participants at the World Urban Forum to acknowledged that, when equity is an integral part of the development agenda, the deep structural problems and challenges of cities can be better addressed. Equity is both a moral obligation and a central element of social justice, and becomes part of transformative change.

This is precisely the reason why we chose the theme for this round table "The new urban agenda of the United Nations towards the building of a Human Sustainable Cities". We, at Enviro Board Corporation, are fully convenced that technical and environmental solutions for housing should not been disconnected with the needs of vulnerable groups. So, as other stakeholders may like to bring their own perspective on this regard, I can see how we are building a bridge between two worlds that has been separated in the past by an old dilema: urban development versus rural development.

Hopefully not this time at Habitat III, where Equity has been identify as a key component of sustainable development. But more than that, several other agencies, funds and programs are working on the ground on this issue for quite a lot time. I can think of ECLAC and its trilogy of Time for Equality: Closing Gaps, Opening Trails (2010, Brasilia); Structural Change for Equality: An Integrated Approach to Development (2012, San Salvador); and Compacts for Equality: Towards a Sustainable Future (2014, Lima).

In the document presented in Lima, ECLAC proposed to discuss two major challenges to development in Latin America and the Caribbean today: to achieve greater equality and to make development sustainable for future generations.

On the other hand, its important to highlight that the framework of the post-2015 development agenda was identified as an opportunity to reaffirm the universal relevance of well-planned and well-managed cities as real drivers for change.

A working group on Habitat III, established by the World Urban Campaign Steering Committee in September 2012, met in April and September 2013 to reflect on past conferences, initiate a strategy and draft a position on the "City we need" as a contribution to the conference. The consensus document on the "City we need" was launched in New York in March 2014 by key partners, including the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg, in collaboration with the Ford Foundation.

Finally, this upcoming round table to commemorate the "World Cities Day" would be a very good opportunity for Member States, United Nations system, civil society, academia and private sector to exchange view points on how to built a strong connection and promote a real dialogue among infrastructure and human being.


Mesa redonda para conmemorar el "Día Mundial de las Ciudades", el 31 de octubre 2014 
por S.E. Embajador Carlos García, Director de Relaciones con las Naciones Unidas, Enviro Board Corporation.
www.enviroboard.com


En su resolución 68/239, la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas decidió designar el 31 de octubre de cada año, a partir de 2014, como el "Día Mundial de las Ciudades", e invitó a los Estados Miembros, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, en particular las Naciones Unidas-Hábitat, internacional pertinente organizaciones, la sociedad civil y todas las demás partes interesadas pertinentes para observar y dar a conocer el día.

Se espera que "el Día Mundial de las Ciudades" promueva en gran medida el interés de la comunidad internacional en la urbanización global y aumentar la cooperación entre los países en el cumplimiento de las oportunidades y los desafíos de la urbanización y contribuir al desarrollo sostenible urbano en todo el mundo.

En este sentido, las Misiones Permanentes ante las Naciones Unidas de Sri Lanka y Kazajstán, junto con Enviro Board Corporation y otras partes interesadas de la sociedad civil, la academia y el sector privado se están uniendo como co-patrocinadores de este evento, que se celebrará el 31 de octubre , 2014 3:00-6:00 p.m. en la Sala de Conferencias 8 y más tarde una recepción seguirá de las 6:30-8:30 p.m. al Comedor Sur de Delegados del 4 piso, en las Naciones Unidas.

El tema de esta mesa redonda es "La Nueva Agenda Urbana de las Naciones Unidas hacia la construcción de Ciudades Humanas Sostenibles".

Es importante recordar que en el vigésimo séptimo período de sesiones del Comité de Alto Nivel sobre Programas de la Junta de los jefes ejecutivos del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para la Coordinación (JJE), que se celebró en Santiago de Chile el 17 y 18 de marzo de 2014, ONU-Hábitat propuso la introducción de un tema del programa sobre "una nueva agenda urbana de las Naciones Unidas". A raíz de la retroalimentación positiva, un grupo de trabajo se estableció a principios de julio de 2014 y comenzó su trabajo.

Sobre la base del informe de ese grupo de trabajo, se espera que el Comité de Alto Nivel sobre Programas preparará proyecto de recomendaciones de políticas sobre una nueva agenda urbana de las Naciones Unidas para su examen preliminar por la Junta en noviembre de 2014. También se prevé que, después de la aprobación por la Junta, se presentará las recomendaciones finales al Comité Preparatorio de Hábitat III en diciembre de 2015, la entrada formal de las organizaciones del sistema de las Naciones Unidas para el proceso preparatorio.

En mi punto de vista, esta discusión temprana entre las diferentes partes interesadas en la "Nueva Agenda Urbana de las Naciones Unidas en materia de construcción de Ciudades Humanas Sostenibles", incluso antes de que la Junta acordó el proyecto de recomendaciones de preliminar de política, es una clara indicación de que se trata de una verdadera problemática para la comunidad internacional más allá de las discusiones formales entre CEB.

El séptimo período de sesiones del Foro Urbano Mundial, convocada por ONU-Hábitat, tuvo un gran éxito, en términos de relevancia, los resultados y la participación. A ella asistieron más de 22, 000 personas procedentes de más de 140 países, se reunieron para buscar la manera de promover el desarrollo urbano inclusivo en todas las partes del mundo. El espíritu y las principales recomendaciones del Foro fueron capturados en la Declaración de Medellín, el documento de resultado clave de la sesión.

Esta reunión extraordinaria establece la plataforma para los participantes en el Foro Urbano Mundial a reconocer que, cuando la equidad es una parte integral de la agenda de desarrollo, los profundos problemas estructurales y desafíos de las ciudades pueden ser mejor atendidos. La equidad es una obligación moral y un elemento central de la justicia social, y se convierte en parte de un cambio transformador.

Esta es precisamente la razón por la que elegimos el tema de esta mesa redonda "La nueva agenda urbana de las Naciones Unidas hacia la construcción de Ciudades Humanas Sostenibles". Nosotros, en Enviro Board Corporation, estamos plenamente convencidos que las soluciones técnicas y ambientales para la vivienda no deberían estar desconectadas con las necesidades de los grupos vulnerables. Así que, como otros actores interesados pueden traer su propio punto de vista en este sentido, puedo ver cómo estamos construyendo un puente entre dos mundos que se han separado en el pasado por un viejo dilema: el desarrollo urbano en comparación con el desarrollo rural.

Esperemos que esta vez no en Hábitat III, donde la equidad ha sido identificada como un componente clave del desarrollo sostenible. Pero más que eso, varios otros organismos, fondos y programas están trabajando sobre el terreno en este tema durante bastante tiempo. Al respecto, puedo pensar en la CEPAL y su trilogía de la hora de la igualdad: brechas por cerrar (2010, Brasilia); Cambio estructural para la igualdad: Una visión integrada del desarrollo (2012, San Salvador); Compactos para la igualdad: Hacia un Futuro Sostenible (2014, Lima).

En el documento presentado en Lima, la CEPAL propuso discutir dos grandes retos para el desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe hoy: como lograr una mayor igualdad y lograr el desarrollo sostenible para las generaciones futuras.

Por otro lado, es importante resaltar que se identificó el marco de la agenda de desarrollo post-2015 como una oportunidad para reafirmar la relevancia universal de ciudades bien planificadas y bien administradas como verdaderos impulsores del cambio.

Un grupo de trabajo sobre Hábitat III, establecido por el Comité Directivo de la Campaña Urbana Mundial en septiembre de 2012, se reunió en abril y septiembre de 2013 para reflexionar sobre conferencias pasadas, iniciar una estrategia y elaborar una posición en la "Ciudad que necesitamos", como una contribución a la conferencia. El documento de consenso sobre la "Ciudad que necesitamos" fue lanzado en Nueva York en marzo de 2014 los socios clave, entre ellos el enviado especial del Secretario General de las Naciones Unidas para las Ciudades y el Cambio Climático, Michael Bloomberg, en colaboración con la Fundación Ford.

Por último, esta próxima mesa redonda para conmemorar el "Día Mundial Ciudades" sería una muy buena oportunidad para que los Estados Miembros, el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, la sociedad civil, la academia y el sector privado puedan intercambiar puntos de vista sobre la manera de construir una relación fuerte y promover un verdadero diálogo entre la infraestructura y el ser humano.

Enviro Board Latin America