As COVID-19 Spreads, Global Peacebuilders Call on Governments to Re-Commit to Peace
Over 170 organizations release statement for International Day of Peace
Over 170 international and domestic peacebuilding organizations have issued an urgent call to action for peace. The statement points out that responses to crisis that increase violence, injustice and exclusion will worsen development losses and increase human suffering. A focus on peace, justice and inclusion must be at the heart of the response to COVID-19.
The statement, released at the opening of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, calls on governments and the international community to: mainstream peace in the response to COVID-19; prioritize inclusion in analysis and action; make space for building peace; and reaffirm multilateralism and international norms as a safeguard for the most vulnerable.
“Our hearts go out to those suffering today, in the sober knowledge that this may be a foretaste of the disruptions that may arise in the years to come,” said Andrew Tomlinson, director of the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO). “If we are to meet the challenges of tomorrow, we must recommit to peace today.”
“CSPPS offers its co-signature to this call, ensuring the commitment of our entire membership to not only combat the pandemic, but also the long-term threat it presents to peace worldwide. The response must be holistic. We draw the international community’s attention to the mobilization of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus, and to the need of a response that is at the same time inclusive, nationally led, conflict-sensitive, and focused on prevention and resilience. We also wish to reaffirm our deepest support to all those who have seen their peacebuilding efforts all the more challenged by this pandemic.”
Peter van Sluijs, Coordinator Civil Society Platform for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding (CSPPS)
See the complete statement and signatories here.
