TURNING SWORDS INTO PLOUGHSHARES  MOBILIZING PARLIAMENTARIANS AND CIVIC LEADERS TO IMPLEMENT THE CULTURE OF PEACE AND SDG'S Through Legislation

Council of Europe, Strasbourg / October 3, 2019

2019 High Level Roundtable at Council of Europe, Strasbour

Side Event COE Plenary

Co Chairs: Senator Antonio Gutierrez-Limones bo and former MP Jordi Xucla (Spain)
Room 6/ Council of Europe
October 3, 2019 / 1:00 pm

The High Level Roundtable Forum will be held as a follow up to the PACE Written Declaration No 688 Doc. 14938 issued June 28, 2019 calling on the Assembly to support the initiative of the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics as a strategic partner to promote implementation of the U.N. resolutions on the culture of peace and SDG's through national legislation in COE and UN member states for mandatory education on the culture of peace and SDG's as a means to prevent violence and terrorism. This follows the 2016, 2018 and 2019 High Level Meetings of Parliamentarians at the United Nations, the Rome Declaration of March 2019, ( Senate of Italian Parliament)  the Isaiah Declaration issued May 7 at the United Nations Headquarters, and the Paris Declaration issued at the Senate in Paris (May 21,2019)...

The ‘United Nations’ Headquarters faces the Isaiah Wall inscribed across from the main building. The quote from the prophet Isaiah was chosen as the founding motto for the world’s foremost organization for international peace. In his eternal thought, the day is mentioned when no nation will wage war against another nation, and when swords - the instruments of war - will be transformed into plowshares - the instruments for providing man’s sustenance. Goal 16 of the SDG's  " Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development"….is the pre condition for the accomplishment of all the other goals set forth in the SDG's. Education for the culture of peace (based on UN Resolutions on the Culture of Peace, COE Doc. 13407 (29.1.2014)/ written declaration No. 562, and in accordance with the COE White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue and the European Cultural Convention of 1954) and the U.N. SDG's is the basis for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

Further to  "Written declaration No. 562 | Doc. 13407 | 29 January 2014" signed by members of the Council of Europe plenary, the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics has expanded the Levant Initiative for Global Peace to promote mandatory education for the culture of peace and SDG's  as a security issue which constitutes the first line of defense to combat violent extremism, racism, xenophobia, hate speech and anti-Semitism and terrorism. The Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics with its partners including the World Academy of Arts and Sciences is launching a major initiative to create a global steering committee of parliamentarians, religious, education  and cultural representatives to lead the efforts to harness cultural and religious ethics to promote legislation and social action to implement these goals.

IPCGE and WAAS at the COUNCIL OF EUROPE – Plenary Session Side Event - October 3, 2019

On October 3, 2019, the Inter Parliamentary Coaltion for Global Ethics with the participation of President Emil Constantinescu and Dr. Alberto Zucconi representing WAAS and the World University Consortium, held "The High Level Roundtable Forum" at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg as a follow up to the PACE (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe) Written Declaration No 688 Doc. 14938 issued June 28, 2019. The written declaration called on the Council of Europe Assembly to support the initiative of the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics as a strategic partner to promote implementation of the U.N. resolutions on the culture of peace and SDG's through national legislation in COE and UN member states for mandatory education on the culture of peace and SDG's as a means to prevent violence and terrorism.

Education for the culture of peace (based on UN Resolutions on the Culture of Peace, COE Doc. 13407 (29.1.2014)/ written declaration No. 562, and in accordance with the COE White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue and the European Cultural Convention of 1954) and the U.N. SDG's is the basis for promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

Further to  "Written declaration No. 562 | Doc. 13407 | 29 January 2014" signed by members of the Council of Europe plenary, the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics has expanded the Levant Initiative for Global Peace to promote mandatory education for the culture of peace and SDG's  as a security issue which constitutes the first line of defense to combat violent extremism, racism, xenophobia, hate speech and anti-Semitism and terrorism. The Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics with its partners including the World Academy of Arts and Sciences is launching a major initiative to create a global steering committee of parliamentarians, religious, education  and cultural representatives to lead the efforts to harness cultural and religious ethics to promote legislation and social action to implement these goals.

Agenda: The Chairman of the High level Roundtable was Senator Antonio Gutierrez-Limones bo ,Chairman of the COE Foreign Affairs Committee who was instrumental in hosting the COE plenary session side event.

The first session focused on "The Call for National Legislation to Implement the Culture of Peace and SDG's to Combat Violent Extremism" and featured

Introduction: Shoshana Bekerman, Director, IPCGE

Keynote Speakers:

• President Emil Constantinescu, former President of Romania
• H.E. Hon. Haidara Aichata Cisse (Deputy Speaker Pan African Parliament)/ Parliament of Mali
• H.E. Jean Max Rakotomamonjy (former Speaker Madagascar Parliament)

The second session focused on "The Role of Educators, Religious and Civic Leaders" Key Note Speakers:

• Dr. Alberto Zucconi, World Academy of Arts and Sciences, World University Consortium
• Rev. Esther Ambibola Ajayi, founder Esther Ajayi Foundation

Speakers :

• Mr. David Abraham (President, ADHIE Association de Desarrollo Humanitario Intercultural y Economico)
• Attorney Nadeem Ammar , founder, OHR Druze Association for the Culture of Peace
• Dr. Jing Qu, liaison officer - European office of the World Cultural Exchange Association

The roundtable was preceded by a private meeting with the President of the Council of Europe H.E. Liliane Maury Pasquier to further solidify the development of strategic partnership between the Inter Parliamentary Coalition for Global Ethics, WAAS, WUC and the Council of Europe. With the participation of the Deputy Speaker of the Pan African Parliament in this event, it was agreed to follow up with the goal of striving to expand the strategic partnership to include the Pan African Parliament.