December 3, 2001

Dear Colin Archer:

Further to our conversation today, I am writing to propose some ideas to the International Peace Bureau.

This proposal is being made using the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century.

As you know, we (the IAEWP) have been actively involved in the co-ordination of several aspects of a strategy to implement a Culture of Peace. Your spokesperson, Federico Mayor has approved our strategy, and we now find it is necessary to address some specific agenda items that we feel are not being appropriately addressed in an organized fashion.

Our program currently supports virtually all of the 50 Agenda items with special focus on 1, 2 and 3, 10, 11 and 12, 34 and 35, 37 and 38, 40 and 50.

Our organization is involved with virtually all aspects of this agenda on a world wide basis. This is what Peace educators do.

In preparing for the launch of our Implementation strategy for a Culture of Peace, we were informed of the recent award won by fellow Torontonian, Peacemaker, and World Citizen Rosalie Bertell. I learned last night at an environmental Presentation that Rosalie had recently won the Sean McBride Award.

Maybe I had heard this before. But I do not think so. This points out a deficiency in the Media Strategy of the Hague Agenda. I did a google search, and found little more on either the Sean Mcbride Award or Rosalie in the context of a Peace agenda. This was an opportunity lost. We had a similar experience in September when our 1% Solution received an award from the World Futures Studies Federation. Another opportunity lost.

Section 40 indicates that we are to utilize media as a proactive tool for Peacebuilding.

It strikes me, that our implementation strategy for a Culture of Peace is developing this database of media, and rather than keep it for our own purposes, we ought to develop a process for utilizing media more effectively for all of the other actors involved with the Hague Peace Agenda.

In this regard, we ask the IPB to consider establishing a Department to supervise this activity, and we will have our program volunteers assist in the compilation of media lists around the world. We have already begun, and have about a half dozen (maybe more) volunteers actively engaged right now. Our lists are being created.

As we accumulate our media list, it would be helpful if all of our peace organizations would forward lists of their media contacts to our central database. The e-mail address of our volunteer co-ordinator is JustinSingh@hotmail.com. Our volunteer network is here to support the network of the Hague Agenda for Peace for the 21st Century.

We believe it would be healthier, and more efficient if we were to develop together this database, and learn together how to use it most effectively.

Our Program for peace is attached with a Budgetary outline.

The Hague appeal for Peace, and the IPB deserve an important role in our activities. We need to know from you what capacity you have to participate in our implementation strategy. http://www.homeplanet.org/copimplementationbook4.ppt

We look forward to an early reply.

Peace

Mitchell Gold
IAEWP