Documents Submitted at Meeting
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and Councilors Mayor good evening Im Pip Cornall from 451 Waterline Rd in Ashland and I an Ashland represent Australian and global group to create seeking departments of peace in countries globally Ill be asking Ashland to become a peace city and support the creation of a department of peace in the US and worldwide and Mayor Councilors I want to start by acknowledging all the good work you do for the I know that sometimes city despite your good intentions you are harshly criticized That is the old paradigm method and as we move towards becoming a peace city that way of behaving will diminish If ask most Ashlanders if you they would like to live in a peaceful city who s structure and reflect a clear policies choice to live peacefully my guess is that every single person without exception would say YES and that no one would endorse violence or domination as a standard practice especially when it comes to how they and their loved ones are treated Not surprisingly this reflects our city s history since in a series of City Council declarations over the last we 30 years have proved our support for peace principles Including J Declaring the City of Ashland a NUCLEAR FREE ZONE in 10 1981 82 Ju Endorsing the VALDEZ PRINCIPLES on May 15th 1990 v The August 5th 2003 PEACE DECLARATION by then Mayor Alan 1 r commemorating Hiroshima and on 1 paCSL tlB Nagasaki Days Aug 6th You have received on two occasions May Sept 2006 my emails the council to a encouraging adopt resolution for Ashland to become a peace city and in so doing support the global movement to create departments of peace in countries worldwide I included some draft resolutions that the council could modify and adopt In June 2006 in Canada I attended the international people s summit to create lepartments of peace in countries worldwide The movement to create of a departrhents p iij1cl global netwdtk of peace cities is well underwa y 2E f2fJllJI7 Ja6nas 1 Such a determined and coordinated alliance will not fail and I would like to invite Ashland to come on board In this time of increasing world conflict it is imperative that progressive cities such as Ashland lead others by fully adopting the peace paradigm principles After my short presentation tonight I request this proposal be placed onto the for the next or agenda council meeting and I meet with councilors who are willing to support it What is a Peace City Like can mean Community Policing it many things It is infinite really but initially could be kept simple The original impetus behind Peace City declarations was the United Nations Education Science and Culture Organisation s UNESCO efforts in encouraging local communities around the world to build a culture of peace The United Nations stressed this element in its 2002 Study on Disarmament and Non proliferation Education which stated Municipal leaders working with citizen groups are encouraged to establish peace cities as part ofthe UNESCO Cities for Peace network through for example the creation ofpeace museums peace parks web sites and the production of booklets on peacemakers andpeacemaking Here are a few ideas discuss Ashland Peace Map Handout Mention Conflict mapping A peace city would adopt the resolution in favor of the proposed federal legislation to create a United States Department of Peace and see handout It would support our Senator s and Representative s sponsorship of the proposed federal legislation to create a United States Department of Peace Ashland has already joined the Mayors for Peace network which brings cities in a a together program to achieve nuclear weapons free world The Peace City proposal is much broader than disarmament It would be a collaborative effort between the City Council and Ashlanders to help address 2 the root causes of conflicts and violence in order to enhance peace in the city and to contribute to making the world a more peaceful place in NZ My colleague Wellington sent me information on their peace city We could do plan similar by bringing together all groups and individuals who support peace practice and principles The Wellington Foundation has established a Peace City Committee with representatives from Council of Trade Unions Federation ofEthnic Councils Hokotehi Moriori Trust Make Poverty History National Consultative Committee on Disarmament Nepalese Community New Zealand House of Representatives NZ Multicultural Music NZ Nurses Organisation NZ Sri Lanka Friendship Society Oxfam Parliamentary Network for Nuclear Disarmament Peace Movement Aotearoa Prisoner s Aid and Rehabilitation Service Soka Gakkai International Wellington International Poetry Festival Peace Foundation Wellington Office Wellington Refugee Council Women s International League for Peace and Freedom Wellington Branch Promoting existing activities in Wellington related to peace Wellington is home to a large number of organizations that are engaged in activities related to the development of a culture of peace such as peace groups mediation services 3 conflict resolution trainers servIce groups ethnic education and support groups human rights groups international friendship societies family support services youth groups religious support groups The Council is also involved in activities related to the culture of peace which include Sister City links organizing an annual Race Relations Day maintaining the Peace Flame and Peace Tree in the Botanical Gardens participating in the Mayors for Peace organization displaying ofa Welcome to Wellington capital of nuclear free New Zealand sign near the Airport Peace The City declaration and programme would establish an overall unifying framework that will encourage increased collaboration between events and groups activities and also provide them with much greater public exposure This would be achieved through 3 primary mechanisms New initiatives related to Wellington s culture of peace will benefit from the community resources that the Council already provides like community grants discounted meeting space of listing upcoming community events on the Council s website webpage hosting through the Regional 2020 Communications Trust Mayor or Deputy Mayor level engagement at the openings of events related to peace are possible but should be evaluated on a case by case basis New initiatives related to Wellington s culture ofpeace will benefit from the community resources that the Council already provides like community grants discounted meeting space listing of upcoming community events on the Council s website 4 webpage hosting through the Regional 2020 Communications Trust Mayor or Deputy Mayor level engagement at the openings of events related to are peace possible but should be evaluated on a case by case basis War Journalism Peace Journalism Most of the media that exist in the United States today exhibit characteristics of war media At any given time television channels broadcast or on the following items variations these themes sit com actors who make derisive comments to get a laugh cartoon characters that beat each other up in order to survive until the end of the episode dramas that the uphold stereotype that rapists abductors and serial killers prey on middle class women documentaries which show how only the strongest animals survive athletes who compete to prove that only one can win and news stories that recount endless acts of violence Two of successful examples conflict transformation programs include Ohio s State Wide School Conflict Management Initiative and the practice of Community Conferencing The Ohio initiative reports an improvement in academic achievement a reduction in truancy fewer suspensions and expulsions a decrease in time spent on dealing with discipline fmancial cost savings to schools and an improvement in overall school climate as a result ofintegrating non violent dispute resolution techniques into middle school and high school curriculums The annual cost per student for the conflict management initiative is 12 compared to 231 for suspending a student and 431 for expelling a student Peace Alliance 2006 In areas which suffer from high crime rates there is social change through Community Conferencing a restorative justice method which brings together all the relevant parties In doing so all parties have the chance to express themselves and their needs and can contribute to a solution which meets the needs of all parties The program reports a 60 reduction in recidivism at 10 ofthe cost of current criminal justice and disciplinary practices peace Alliance 2006 5 August 5 2003 City Council Meeting Mayor s Declaration to Commemorate Hiroshima Day August 6th and Nagasaki Day August 7th Every year on August 6 the city of Hiroshima holds a Peace Memorial Ceremony to pray for the peaceful repose of the victims for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for lasting world peace During that ceremony the mayor issues a Peace Declaration directed toward the world at large As long as the need persists Hiroshima s mayor will continue to issue these declarations calling for the elimination of nuclear weapons from the face of the earth This is part of Hiroshima s effort to build a world of genuine and lasting world peace where no population will ever again experience the cruel devastation suffered by Hiroshima and Nagasaki 6 Dear CounciloAIlILj 1M We the undersigned members of DoPeace request that it the following resolution be read aloud and as Public at the accepted Input upcoming council meeting We are requesting that the topic of a resolution be on the for the next passing put agenda council meeting and