Currently serving as a minister in exile, Aung Myo Min will receive the award in recognition of his ongoing advocacy for peace and human rights in Myanmar at a ceremony at the University of Sydney. He will deliver a keynote lecture on Myanmar’s current political climate and steps being made to transition to a liberal democracy.

“It’s a great honour to recognise Aung Myo Min with the Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal for Human Rights, for inspiring a generation of pro-democracy advocates in Myanmar,” said Dr Susan Banki, Sydney Peace Foundation board member and Asia-Pacific expert in the University of Sydney’s School of Social and Political Sciences.

“Aung Myo Min’s lifelong work, most often practiced under deeply restrictive conditions, is an example of how hope, courage, and the values of justice can grow out of the most difficult circumstances,” she said.

Aung Myo Min will be awarded the Gold Medal by Professor Rodney Smith, Interim Head of the School of Social and Political Sciences. In his keynote lecture, Minister Aung will detail the current political situation in Myanmar and his role in the National Unity Government (NUG) – which was founded following the February 2021 coup to restore democracy to Myanmar. He will discuss the country’s current military rule and its response of the pro-democracy movement.

During the lecture, Aung Myo Min will expand on his role as an activist and LGBT advocate and will also address how the NUG will integrate human rights principles and standards into its policies and positions.

The Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal is a prestigious acknowledgement of an individual’s tireless commitment to human rights, with previous winners including Nelson Mandela, Midnight Oil and Julian Assange.

Dr Susan Banki will conduct a Q&A with Minister Aung – whom she met when conducting research on the Thailand-Myanmar border – before the medal ceremony.

ABOUT AUNG MYO MIN

Aung Myo Min is the Union Minister for Human Rights in the cabinet of the National Unity Government of Myanmar. Prior to joining the NUG, he was one of Myanmar’s most prominent human rights advocates and a youth leader in the 1988 democracy uprising. Aung Myo Min lived in exile for 23 years and continued working on human rights issues in Myanmar, particularly in relation to marginalised people. He graduated with a Masters’ Degree in human rights from Columbia University, New York, in 1993. He has received eight human rights awards for his outstanding human rights work, including the Schuman Human Rights Award in 2017.

ABOUT THE SYDNEY PEACE FOUNDATION

The Sydney Peace Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation in its 25th year of advocating for peace with justice. The Foundation espouses the principle that achieving true and lasting peace requires moving beyond ending war and violent conflict, and addressing deep injustices and structural inequality through systemic reform.

The University of Sydney is a key partner of the Sydney Peace Foundation, which was established at the University in 1998.

EVENT DETAILS

Is Peace and Democracy Possible in Myanmar?
DATE: Friday 2 June
TIME: 3.30pm – 5pm
LOCATION: Social Sciences Building (A02) Science Road Lecture Theatre 200, Camperdown
Please register for the event here.

—-

Minister Aung is available for interviews with the media. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Sydney Peace Foundation
Melanie Morrison, Co-director
M: 0401 996 451 | E: melanie.morrison@sydney.edu.au

University of Sydney
Tess Gibney, Assistant Media Adviser
M: 0479 173 546 | E: tess.gibney@sydney.edu.au

The post Myanmar peace advocate to receive Gold Medal for Human Rights appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

We were delighted to award the Gold Medal for Human Rights to Midnight Oil on 26 November via a digital event. This award was in recognition of their relentless focus on human rights, and in particular for their environmental activism, their humanity and their drive to promote justice through both their music and their actions.

The event featured a touching musical tribute by Jessica Mauboy, reflections from civil society leaders about the ongoing impact of Midnight Oil, and an impassioned conversation between the band and journalist Stan Grant. The evening demonstrated that Midnight Oil are passionate as ever about climate action and First Nations rights. They continue to occupy an integral role in the advocacy and human rights space in Australia.

If you were unable to make it, you can watch the highlights from the event below.

The post Presentation of Gold Medal for Human Rights to Midnight Oil appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Australian band Midnight Oil will be awarded the gold medal for human rights by the Sydney Peace Foundation for its “commitment to the pursuit of human rights over an extended period … with a powerful, far-reaching impact”.

The gold medal for human rights is being awarded this year in lieu of the foundation’s usual Sydney Peace prize, which involves a public call for nominations, deliberations by a panel and generally takes more than a year to complete. The gold medal is awarded intermittently and the decision to award it is made by the foundation’s executive council.

The medal is awarded in “acknowledgement of an individual’s tireless commitment to human rights”, according to the foundation.

The band was “an Australian human rights trailblazer,” said Archie Law, chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation, in a statement on Wednesday. “This medal is in recognition of that relentless focus, and in particular for their environmental activism, their humanity and their drive to promote justice through both their music and their actions.”

The gold medal has been awarded three times in the last decade: to WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange in 2011; to diplomat, member of the French resistance and concentration camp survivor Stéphane Hessel, posthumously, in 2013; and to Christiana Figueres, former executive secretary of the United Nations framework convention on climate change, earlier this year.

“The struggle for peace – and its partner, justice – is universal and has occupied the centre of our music and activism for decades now,” Midnight Oil’s frontman and former Australian politician Peter Garrett said in a statement. “Today, real peace means reaching a lasting settlement with the First Nations people of this country and includes taking immediate action to protect our seriously threatened environment for once and for all.”

The award announcement comes two weeks prior to the release of the band’s new album, The Makarrata Project, which is out on 30 October.

The Makarrata Project was conceived to focus on Indigenous reconciliation and each song is a collaboration with First Nations performers. Collaborators include Jessica Mauboy, Leah Flanagan, Troy Cassar-Daley, Kev Carmody, Sammy Butcher, Frank Yamma, and a posthumous vocal from Gurrumul Yunupingu.

Two tracks have been released from the album so far, including Gadigal Land featuring Dan Sultan, Joel Davison, Kaleena Briggs and Bunna Lawrie, and First Nation featuring Jessica Mauboy and Tasman Keith.

The final track on the album is a reading of the Uluru Statement From The Heart by high-profile Indigenous people including Stan Grant, Ursula Yovich, Pat Anderson and Adam Goodes. Some proceeds from the album will be donated to organisations in support of the Uluru Statement, the band has said, and Sony Music Entertainment Australia has pledged to match the artists’ contribution.

The band will officially receive the gold medal at a livestreamed event on 26 November, at which band members Peter Garrett, Martin Rotsey, Jim Moginie and Rob Hirst will join Stan Grant in conversation.

Get your tickets: http://tix.yt/midnight-oil-gold-medal

The post Midnight Oil win Sydney Peace Foundation’s gold medal for human rights appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Here are some of our favorite snaps from the event, courtesy of our photographer Robin Walton who photographed this event pro bono in support of the Foundation. An audio recording of the event is available below, and all photos are available online here

The post Presentation of the Gold Medal for Human Rights to Christiana Figueres appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

December 12, 2019: Scott Morrison was having a so-so day. He had faced international criticism of the Government’s response to climate change. Bushfires were raging up and down the coast of NSW, and Sydney had been smothered in smoke for days on end.

He got up that day and felt the need to assure voters he really did understand that there was a link between the bushfires and climate change. This was, of course, after some earlier dog-whistling comments that suggested that there was no such link. Nothing to see here. Also, now is not the time. Thanks PM. Nothing a good trip to Hawaii couldn’t fix.

December 12, 2015: 195 nations came to a consensus about how best to tackle climate change and cinched the Paris Climate Agreement. Scott was the Treasurer, serving Malcolm Turnbull as Australia’s still quite new PM. Malcolm announced Australia’s willingness to join the Paris Agreement with aplomb, highlighting the great challenge facing humanity, a challenge that would be met head-on by human ingenuity and invention.

At a global level, the Paris deal was welcomed. There was ambition laid out in these new global plans. There was also a fair amount of hard-negotiated pragmatism. We had a commitment to limit global warming to under 2-degrees Celsius, coming at least close to the 1.5-degree limit that is expected to avoid catastrophic environmental changes. We had days and nights – over years, not weeks – of departmental advisers and UN officials crafting a document that courageously worked out the specifics of this commitment. The result: a final, smiling, hand-shaking photo of leaders in agreement. And a global plan to address climate change.

At the Sydney Peace Foundation, we’re all feeling more than a bit nostalgic for a time when there was positive energy from political leaders – founded on international collaboration and hard-won negotiation – on climate action. Actually, much more than a bit nostalgic. We’re desperate.

All around the globe, the climate crisis is happening right now. And it is an affront to human rights, peace and justice.

The connection between climate crisis and human rights violations is clear. Environmental degradation and water stress lead to hunger, famine, loss of livelihoods, displacement, and irregular migration. These connections are already impacting lives in the Pacific, Middle East, Libya, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The IDMC says that since 2008, an average of 26.4 million people per year have been displaced from their homes by disasters brought on by natural hazards. This is the equivalent to one person being displaced every second.

Savio Carvalho, Amnesty International’s Senior Advisor on International Development and Human Rights, draws the line directly:

Unless emissions are reduced significantly, around 600 million people are likely to experience drought and famine as a result of climate change…the right to life, health, food, water and housing are already under threat.

Climate change is also transforming the security landscape. In 2019, for the first time, the Global Peace Index identified climate change as a considerable threat to global peace in the next decade. This is because the impacts of climate change wear away the capacity of states to prevent conflict. Erratic weather patterns and extreme weather events cause resource scarcity and render land inhabitable, intensifying inequality and conflict.

Where there is lower capacity for states to respond, adapt to and recover from climate-induced disasters, marginalization and local grievances intensify. Climate change disproportionately impacts economic development in conflict-affected countries that depend on agriculture for their prosperity.

How will states the world over deal with this challenge in a just manner, at a time when the world continues to get hotter? Australia’s most recent experience with bushfires suggests that we – even as one of the wealthiest countries on the planet – are decidedly not ready. As past Sydney Peace Prize Winner Naomi Klein has said:

Make no mistake about it, it’s not just about things getting hotter and wetter, it’s about things getting a lot meaner and uglier.

So: there can be no choice. We must act now to curb climate change. We – and most importantly our political leaders – must act with the speed and drive of knowing that climate action is the most pressing peace work of our time.

The Sydney Peace Foundation will focus exclusively on this core challenge to global peace and justice in 2020.

Christiana Figueres is one woman who has risen to the task. It was her leadership of the UN climate body the UNFCCC way back in 2015 that saw a global climate deal become a reality. Her profound commitment to the principle of peace enabled her to effectively negotiate a deal with multiple nations harbouring a multiplicity of interests.

Today, she and her organisation Global Optimism remind us that we need to maintain both the outrage that leaders are failing to act, and the optimism to believe that change really is possible. Because

Outrage without optimism leads to defeatism, and optimism without outrage leads to unacceptably incremental approaches. Instead, they should be forged into effective action.

Action like the current call for a national Climate Act in Australia, that is gaining traction and would mandate a positive and transparent response to this challenge.

Today we will award the Gold Medal for Human Rights to Christiana Figueres, for forging the Paris Agreement and her ongoing global leadership, and for maintaining the pressure and the belief that change can happen. Christiana Figueres shows us that when it comes to the climate crisis, peace is possible.

Written by Susan Biggs, Dr Susan Banki, and Joy Kyriacou. Susan Biggs is Executive Director, Joy Kyriacou and Dr Susan Banki serve on the Governing Council of the Sydney Peace Foundation

The post Climate action is the most pressing peace work of our time appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Her task was to bring the leaders of 195 countries together to negotiate a binding agreement to stop the world warming beyond 2 degrees celsius – no easy task after the disastrous failure of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit.

In an interview with Hack‘s Avani Dias about her new book, she hit out at the Australian Government’s response to the bushfire disaster.

“I am deeply pained by the attitude of the current Australian Government, that still after the worst disaster that has ever hit the planet, the bushfires in Australia, that this government is still denying climate change and denying the fact that there is a lot that Australia can and should be doing,” Figueres said.

Australia at the coalface of climate change

A common argument against Australia doing more to reduce emissions and transition away from fossil fuels is that as a country, Australia is only responsible for around 1.3 per cent of global carbon emissions.

Figueres also criticised that defence, saying Australia is at the frontline of climate change.

“I see it the following way: we now know because of the consequences of the bushfires, that Australia is actually one of the most vulnerable countries to unmitigated climate change,” she told Hack.

“We also know Australia cannot single-handedly solve the problem.”

Labor has recommitted to its 2019 election policy of zero net emissions by 2050, saying Australia should pull its weight.

“Seventy-three countries, including the UK, Canada, France and Germany, many with conservative governments, have already adopted it as their goal. Australia should too,” Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said on Friday.

Mr Albanese said the Morrison Government had been “complacent” about the risk of climate change, even as bushfires tore through the country.

Emissions Reduction Minister Angus Taylor told RN Breakfast on Monday that the Australian Government would not follow Labor’s net zero emissions, as the plan was “uncosted and unfunded“.

Mr Taylor was reticent to give an emissions target beyond 2030 ahead of the global climate meetings in Glasgow in November.

“We said by November we’ll have a long-term strategy with technology as a centrepiece… That work is going on.”

Minister Taylor’s office responded to Hack’s request for comment by citing a quote from Scott Morrison’s National Statement to the United Nations General Assembly: “Australia is doing our bit on climate change and we reject any suggestion to the contrary.”

Christiana Figueres called on the Morrison Government to lead by example when it comes to cutting carbon emissions and averting runaway global warming.

“Australia needs all other countries to help in solving what is a global problem, not a national problem. If Australia doesn’t put a firm foot forward, it stands in no position to actually ask all other countries to also put their best foot forward.”

Australia depends on the best efforts being put forward by all countries, but for that, Australia has to do the same.

However, Figueres acknowledged every country is falling short of what she regards as necessary to stop the world warming beyond 2 degrees.

“No one is doing enough. Frankly, we should all be moving much faster than we are.”

Carryover targets criticised

When it comes to meeting our Paris commitments, the Federal Government has kept open the option of using a “loophole” to reach the 2030 target of reducing emissions by 26-28 per cent on 2005 levels.

It’s often referred to as carryover credits – put simply, Australia’s record on the previous Kyoto Treaty targets would be used as credit that’s deducted from our Paris goal.

Christiana Figueres said that undermined the purpose of the Paris Agreement.

“I think it’s very dangerous to act as though this were a game of cards. This is not a game, we cannot play with emissions or emissions reductions of the past,” she said.

“It’s not about looking back and beginning to get credit where credit is not due, this is about looking into the future.”

However, she acknowledged the challenges facing Australia’s coal industry as the world transitions away from fossil fuels.

“It is definitely a complicated issue, I’m not going to underestimate how you transition those jobs out of coal into the present and the future.”

We cannot shy away from a challenge by simply admiring the problem.

Since leaving as the chief UN climate diplomat, Figueres founded the Global Optimism group, and has co-authored a new book, The Future We Choose, which focuses on what can be achieved if climate change is addressed in the coming decade.

She said there are many reasons to be optimistic about what’s in store.

“Yes we are facing the most important challenge that humanity has ever faced, but we have everything that it takes to address climate change! We have the technologies, we have the finance, we know what the policies are, we absolutely have all the tools in our hands.”

“Right now we’re holding the pen of history in our hands, it’s up to us to write what the history or humanity and of this planet will be.”

The post World’s top climate negotiator condemns Australian response to climate change appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Now Figueres and her strategic advisor, former Buddhist monk Tom Rivett-Carnac, have penned a book that shepherds climate activism from changing mental states to changing the world.

“Throughout our lives we have found that what we do and how we do it is largely determined by how we think,” Figueres told me via email. “While there is never a guarantee of success at any challenge, the chances of success are predicated on our attitude toward that very challenge….

“It is a lesson we learned as we prepared the Paris Agreement, and is a valuable guide for the urgent challenge we are facing this decade.”

In “The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis,” published today by Alfred A. Knopf, the authors recommend a mindset for climate activism that rests on three attitudes: radical optimism, endless abundance and radical regeneration.

Radical optimism echoes an organization the authors formed, Global Optimism, to combat pessimism and denialism. Endless abundance is the sense that there are resources enough for all, to combat competitiveness and tribalism. Radical regeneration means caring for both nature and oneself, to combat exploitation and burnout.

Then the authors get to action.

“We have discussed the mindset everyone needs to cultivate in order to meet the global challenge of the climate crisis, but on its own, this is not enough,” they write. “For change to become transformational, our change in mindset must manifest in our actions.”

“While there is never a guarantee of success at any challenge, the chances of success are predicated on our attitude toward that very challenge….

Many of the recommended actions also occur in the mind, at least initially, constituting a transformation in priorities. In a chapter titled “Doing What Is Necessary,” Figueres and Rivett-Carnac propose these ten actions:

1 Let Go Of The Old World

First, the authors propose that we honour the past—for example, it’s okay to acknowledge that fossil fuels have improved quality of life, for some—and then let the past go. Let the change come that is necessary to transform the world. That means not only pragmatic change like allowing offshore wind development but, they say, psychological change like resisting the urge to engage in tribalism and the illusion of certainty.

2 Face Your Grief…

but hold a vision of the future. The world under climate change will not resemble the world many us knew in our youth. “We cannot hide from the grief that flows from the loss of biodiversity and the impoverished lives of future generations,” the authors write. They advise readers to face this grief, rather than turn away from it—an approach that borrows from their Buddhist influences—and then to embrace an optimist vision of the future. “A compelling vision is like a hook in the future. It connects you to the pockets of possibility that are emerging and helps you pull them into the present.”

3 Defend The Truth

Here the authors defend objective science and warn readers not to give in to pseudoscience. But they also urge readers not to vilify those who embrace denialism. “If you reach them, it will be because you sincerely listened to them and strove to understand their concerns. By giving care, love, and attention to every individual, we can counter the forces pulling us apart.”

4 See Yourself As A Citizen…

not as a consumer. Here the authors depart from the usual approach of urging people to stop buying stuff. Instead, they focus on the psychology behind consumption. “Much of what we buy,” they say, “is designed to enhance our sense of identity.” Instead, they say, envision a good life that does not depend on material goods.

5 Move Beyond Fossil Fuels

As pragmatic as this action sounds, the authors depict fossil-fuel reliance as an attachment—an attachment to the past. “Only when this mindset is challenged can we migrate our thinking, finances, and infrastructure to the new energies.”

6 Reforest The Earth

Here the authors urge the most pragmatic actions: plant trees, let natural areas go wild, eat less meat and dairy, boycott products that contribute to deforestation. They mention palm oil in an example but not pork, beef or chicken—major products that drive deforestation. Instead they stay positive, emphasizing the benefits of a plant-based diet. “The future we must choose will require us to pay more attention to our bond with nature.”

7 Invest In A Clean Economy

Here the authors mean much more than putting money into wind and solar. They mean moving beyond a model of economic growth that rewards extraction and pollution, toward “a clean economy that operates in harmony with nature, repurposes used resources as much as possible, minimizes waste, and actively replenishes depleted resources.”

8 Use Technology Responsibly

Artificial intelligence has the potential to solve problems that have so far remained intractable, the authors argue, such as any attempt to shift from an extractive economy to a circular one. But that will happen only—they say—if AI is used responsibly. “If we make it through the climate crisis and arrive on the other side with humanity and the planet intact, it will be largely because we have learned to live well with technology.”

9 Build Gender Equality

When women lead, good things happen, the authors say, citing a wealth of studies. “Women often have a leadership style that makes them more open and sensitive to a wide range of views, and they are better at working collaboratively, with a longer-term perspective. These traits are essential to responding to the climate crisis.”

10 Engage In Politics

The authors are not just talking about voting. Mentioning Greta Thunberg, Extinction Rebellion, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, Figuera and Rivett-Carnac urge civil disobedience.

“Civil disobedience is not only a moral choice, it is also the most powerful way of shaping world politics.”

The post 10 Things You Can Do About Climate Change, According To The Shepherds Of The Paris Agreement appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

The effects of climate change represent the single biggest threat to peace with justice.

The Sydney Peace Foundation has chosen to honor the leadership of Christiana Figueres with the presentation of the 2020 Gold Medal for Human Rights because of her collaboration and influencing skills, her persistence in ensuring a global agreement on limiting climate warming (the Paris Agreement), her relentless drive to ensure we don’t sleepwalk into an environmental nightmare by keeping our outrage alive, and importantly for the reminder that we must be optimistic and hopeful about the possibility of a much better world.

‘We must spark the imagination and the creativity that comes with understanding that we have this incredible agency to create something completely different. Whatever we hold as being possible, and whatever values and principles we live by, determine the actions that we take. Whatever we hold to be near and dear to us is what we’re willing to work toward. And so to shift from doom and gloom to a positive, optimistic, constructive attitude is very important because it is what gets us up in the morning and says “yes, we can do this, we’re going to work together on that”, rather than pulling the blanket over our head and saying “it’s all too difficult”. So that change in attitude inside ourselves is critical’.

Ms Figueres is a Costa Rican citizen and was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change from 2010-2016. During her tenure at the UNFCCC she brought together governments, corporations and activists, financial institutions and NGOs to jointly deliver the historic Paris Agreement on climate change, in which 195 sovereign nations agreed on a collaborative path forward to limit future global warming to well below 2C. For this achievement Ms. Figueres has been credited with forging a new brand of collaborative diplomacy.

Ms. Figueres is a founding partner of Global Optimism Ltd., a purpose driven enterprise focused on social and environmental change. She is currently the Convener of Mission 2020, Vice-Chair of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, World Bank Climate Leader, ACCIONA Board Member, WRI Board Member, Fellow of Conservation International, and Advisory Board member of Formula E, Unilever and ENI.

Christiana Figueres has co-authored a book called The Future We Choose, Surviving the Climate Crisis and is in Australia in March to promote it.

The Foundation is delighted that Ms Figueres has agreed to accept the Gold Medal, which will be awarded during her upcoming visit to Sydney.

The post Climate Champion Christiana Figueres to be awarded Gold Medal for Human Rights appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

We join South Africans everywhere in celebrating the visionary yet humble man who displayed great wisdom, courage and compassion in leading his country in the difficult transition from apartheid through a process of dialogue and reconciliation to a united and democratic ‘rainbow nation’.

In September 2000, Dr Mandela was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by The University of Sydney in recognition of his leadership in the struggle for peace and justice in South Africa, and he visited the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS) for a special award ceremony organised by the Sydney Peace Foundation.

Nelson Mandela presented Dr Stella Cornelius, founder of the Conflict Resolution Network, and Dr Faith Bandler, campaigner for indigenous rights in Australia, with certificates for their dedication and achievements in conflict resolution and education, and the then Director of CPACS and the Sydney Peace Foundation, Professor Stuart Rees, presented Nelson Mandela with a Wallabies rugby shirt as a gift to remember his visit to Australia!

The following article appeared in the October 2000 issue of CPACS newsletter, PeaceWrites:

Nelson Mandela Visits our Centre

On 4^th September, Nelson Mandela came among us! For an hour we were enthralled by his noble presence, his words of encouragement, his wisdom and message of hope. In an impromptu discussion on reconciliation, he drew upon a life-time’s experience dedicated to the attainment of peace with justice.

“Reconciliation” he told us, means to “ensure that we eliminate tension in society” in order to “create an environment where people appreciate the gifts and talents of each other.” There is a need to “forget the past – we are not very responsible for the past but we are responsible for the present and the future.”

For a special sixty minutes he made the Centre his home, and us his friends. Since his visit, our work has taken on a new energy, a sense of commitment and optimism that we are on the right track, however long and winding the path.

Dr Mandela engaged directly with members, students and friends of CPACS and the SPF during his visit to the Mackie Building. Mingling in the Posters for Peace Gallery was accompanied by the opportunity for each of us individually to approach Dr Mandela with our questions during a special session in Seminar Room 114. As a PhD student and volunteer with CPACS at the time, I was privileged to participate and discuss briefly with Dr Mandela my research on the challenges of justice, reconciliation and peacebuilding after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

This poem by Stuart Rees, published in the October 2000 issue of PeaceWrites, was inspired by Nelson Mandela’s visit to the Centre:

Nelson in September

The build-up was like waiting for a bride
To give the cue for all to stand and gaze
At groom already married to ideals,
A handsome suitor armed with selfless deeds,
Like laughter at the shirt he’s asked to wear
In stripes of Africa’s opposing team,
So Gandhi-like he teaches you and me
To shower with love each polar enemy.
A sonnet is too short to catch this man
Of sunlight on the global seas of grey
Whose poverty condemns and disempowers
The millions who would lift and be inspired
By being here to breathe, to learn, to see
This beacon light for all humanity.

It seems appropriate to celebrate the poet and statesman, Nelson Mandela, in this way as we mourn his passing at the age of 95, reflecting on a life so well lived. An inspiration to us all!

By Dr Wendy Lambourne, Acting Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies. 7 December, 2013.

The post Memories of Mandela – A Life Well Lived appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

As the leader for a democratic South Africa and as an inspiration for civil rights activists around the globe, Nelson Mandela possessed the stamina and courage needed to overcome numerous adversities. These included escape from an arranged marriage, being outlawed and going underground, several trials, 27 years in prison, the isolation from his family and, on release, the responsibility to rectify the economic and social consequences of decades of apartheid.

Like any chieftain at ease with himself, he did not need to be assertive to convey authority. His human touch shone through humility and a self-deprecating humour. His charisma came from a certain majesty, as if showing that he had no need to remind anyone, himself included, of his status. In 2000, when he came to Sydney University’s Centre for Peace & Conflict Studies and honoured two of Australia’s most significant human rights campaigners, Indigenous leader Faith Bandler and Conflict Resolution founder Stella Cornelius, he explained, with a twinkle in his eye, that he had been Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s assistant, not the other way around.

Nelson Mandela was born in July 1918 in rural Transkei. At the age of nine, on the death of his father, he moved to the royal Thembu household to be groomed for high office, probably as counsellor to a chief. In that context he developed his interest in African history, realised the white man’s injustices and confronted, as he did throughout his life, the contradiction between respect for traditions and the realisation that black Africans needed power to govern themselves.

On leaving his rural home for Johannesburg he enrolled in a law degree at the largely white University of Witwatersrand. With his brilliant friend Oliver Tambo he set up a legal practice to provide free or low cost counsel to black Africans. In 1942 he joined the anti-apartheid movement.

Three particular sources convey the essence of Mandela’s values and vision: the speeches at his various trials, the solidarity cemented with fellow prisoners on Robben Island and his role in South Africa’s non-violent transition to democracy.

Attorney in the Courts

On reading the record of his speeches at his various trials in the early 1960s I witnessed a leader’s qualities:  courtesy combined with combativeness, dignity with defiance.

When Mandela and his co-defendants were charged with treason – for which he was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment – he explained his objective to campaign for a democratic society in which all people lived in harmony and enjoyed equal opportunities. “That”, he said, “is an ideal I hope to live for and to achieve. But if need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

In an earlier trial, when he was charged with organising a strike, Mandela was asked what he meant by equality before the law. He explained: “In its proper meaning, equality before the law means the right to participate in the making of laws by which one is governed.” He added, “I consider myself neither morally nor legally obliged to obey laws made by a parliament in which I am not represented.”

The Prison Years

In prison on Robben Island Mandela and his fellow political prisoners practiced their Gandhi-like non-violence, self-discipline, civility to warders and to one another. In his autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, he recalls, “We believed that hostility was self-defeating, that all men, even warders were capable of change.”  In my conversation with him he explained that, “In prison we realised we had two options. We could argue only with our emotions, but that way lay bitterness and recrimination. Or we could argue with our head with a view to working out ways to seek justice for everyone.”

In prison his courageous stand on principle contributed to his reputation as a leader and friend. When, in 1985, he refused President F W Botha’s offer of release from prison on the condition that he would give up his advocacy of armed struggle against apartheid, he replied, “Prisoners cannot enter into contracts. Only free men can negotiate.”

In the Bantu language, the term ubuntu refers to the interconnectedness of human beings, the notion that no human being exists in isolation, that qualities of humour and generosity derive from reciprocity in relationships and not from individuality. In this ubuntu spirit, Nelson Mandela would have considered it incorrect if any tribute was paid to him without reference to the key roles played in struggles against apartheid and for justice by his close comrades, such as Oliver Tambo, Winnie Mandela, his children, Archbishop Tutu and his third wife Graca Machel.

The First Democratic President

In 1993 Nelson Mandela and South African President F W de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to dismantle the country’s apartheid system. In 1994, Mandela was inaugurated as South Africa’s first black President.

His activities since becoming President were characterised by efforts to heal the wrongs of the past – ensuring the right to vote, striving for social and economic equality, insisting that Aids was a normal illness, that sufferers, such as his son Makgatho, should not be discriminated against.

In spite of the enormous difficulties of post-Mandela South Africa in dealing with poverty, unemployment and housing, this giant figure of history, known affectionately by his clan name Madiba, remains an inimitable political leader, the adored father of a nation, the symbol of civility, a source of hope.

When Mandela fell seriously ill last year, the manager of the Mandela Family Restaurant in Soweto spoke for her community when she said, “He means everything to us.” Interviewed on the same television program, a nine-year-old boy replied with Mandela-like thoughtfulness and gentility, “He is a leader. He is beautiful. I love him.”

---

Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees is the Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation.

This article was first published in New Matilda on 6 December 2013.

– See more at: https://newmatilda.com/2013/12/06/prisoner-who-freed-nation

---

Photo: Stuart Rees greets Nelson Mandela on Arundel St in 2000.
Photo credit: Rose Tracey.

The post The Prisoner Who Freed A Nation appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

“Your work is really wonderful. This is really building the foundation of happy society. So I appreciate.” His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqmHN5tq1Zk[/youtube]

Following the conversation His Holiness said a few more words about the values of human rights, dignity, well-being, nonviolence and compassion, and how promoting these values can help bring about a more peaceful world:

At the close of the conversation, His Holiness blessed a number of people who had made significant contributions to the event:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_iB1VswKAQ[/youtube]

View the full broadcast of “Ethics for a Whole World” : His Holiness in conversation with Andrew West – on ABC Big Ideas http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2013/09/23/3853188.htm

The Sydney Peace Foundation thanks ABC Big Ideas for filming and sharing these beautiful moments.

The post His Holiness commends the Sydney Peace Foundation’s work appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Richard Falk on the Palestinian Struggle

Published 14 October 2013. Watch the full web version here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2013/10/14/3866503.htm

The Dalai Lama in Conversation with Andrew West

Published 23 September 2013. Watch the full web version here: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2013/09/23/3853188.htm

In April, the Sydney Peace Foundation stood up to a controversial decision by University of Sydney management to cancel an event hosting His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Following pressure from the international media, including the Sydney Peace Foundation Chair Stuart Rees appearing on the ABC 7.30 Report, and an online petition signed by over 14,000 people, the University management reversed their decision and agreed to respect their original agreement to host a separate event on University premises. Tickets booked out within hours.

Meanwhile the Sydney Peace Foundation agreed to host a separate more intimate event inviting the Tibetan community, students and their supporters, to the Theatrette at NSW Parliament House.

A Dialogue With Arab Women

NOTE: The above text has been copied and occasionally adapted from summaries on ABC Big Ideas websites.

The post Big Ideas in 2013: Arab Women, Richard Falk & His Holiness the Dalai Lama appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Initiating the interchange with His Holiness was ABC journalist Andrew West, who opened by asking about what has been happening in Tibet, His Holiness replied:

“Over the last 60 years some of the time things have been good, some of the time they have been bad and some of the time, like now, they have been very serious.”

West said he was thinking about the 119 self-immolations that have taken place since 2009. His Holiness responded that it is very sad and that Tibetans have suffered a lot. Now the whole of Tibet is full of fear, reminding him of a group of young Chinese he met in the 1990s who described China as a place where no one could say what they really thought or felt in an atmosphere full of fear and suspicion.

Asked about religion’s role in conflict, His Holiness denied that we can blame religion in terms of doctrine as much as religious institutions. He said religion involves teachings about love, compassion, tolerance and self-discipline; who could object to that? Religious institutions, on the other hand, the world over have not always been free of bias and corruption. About the clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma he said he thought the root of the problem was more economic and political than religious and had been heartened by news of a Buddhist monastery there offering Muslims shelter.

West prompted His Holiness to talk about his latest book, ‘Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World’:

“Look at basic human nature. Our mothers give birth to us and we survive because of the affection she shows us. If she abandons us we die. Because of the affection we receive as infants, we have the potential to show affection to others. However, as we grow up we tend to feel we can look after ourselves and have no need for others’ support and affection. And yet we are social animals, whose very existence and opportunity to live a happy life depends on the rest of our community. In our modern education system we need to find a way to nurture our basic human values.”

Pressed again about religious violence, His Holiness repeated that such conflicts were more often rooted in economic problems, although sometimes narrow-mindedness and outmoded insularity are also to blame. He was asked his view on whether schools should be allowed to teach that one religion is true and others are false. He teasingly replied that if you have a fervent belief in a creator, you have to believe that he created Buddhism and the Buddha along with everything else. On the other hand it would be completely unrealistic for His Holiness to think he could convert all 7 billion human beings to Buddhism, apart from which he always advises people to stick with the religion they were born with.

“The world has become a multi-religious, multi-cultural single entity in which it is better to remain true to your native religion. In Mongolia,” His Holiness said, “I became aware of the proselytising activities of Korean missionaries and when they came to see me I told them that Mongolia is a Buddhist country and it would be better for them not to propagate another faith there.”

Looking to the future, he expressed a hope that coming generations would receive a proper education, one that not only imparts knowledge to the brain, but also nurtures warm-heartedness in individuals. He noted how many leaders are prepared to lie and deceive and that education is the key to correcting this. He said that while faith is one thing, secular ethics should naturally appeal to human intelligence. The human values they represent are the basis on which to build a peaceful more compassionate world.

In his closing remarks, His Holiness noted that both former Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and imprisoned human rights activist Liu Xiaobo have spoken of the need for a freer and more open society in China and it would be good if countries that are free to do so expressed their support.

Professor Stuart Rees acknowledged MP John Kaye’s help in organising the event and thanked His Holiness for taking the time to come. Many friends and well-wishers expressed their warm support for His Holiness as he made his way out of the NSW Parliament House, from where he drove to Sydney airport and boarded a flight to Melbourne.

The article continues to describe the second half of His Holiness’s day, with a public talk to 5800 people in Melbourne. Please click here to read the full article.

This article is written by the Dalai Lama office – published from Melbourne, Australia, 18 June 2013. Catch more news from His Holiness the Dalai Lama here: http://www.dalailama.com/news

In 2002 the Sydney Peace Foundation awarded His Holiness the Dalai Lama a Gold Medal in recognition of his untiring work for human rights, non-violence and world peace.

His Holiness was the second person to receive the Sydney Peace Foundation Gold Medal, following Nelson Mandela in 2000, and to be followed by Daisaku Ikeda in 2009, Julian Assange in 2011, and posthumously to Stephane Hessel in 2013.

This Conversation with His Holiness was filmed by ABC Big Ideas: http://www.abc.net.au/tv/bigideas/stories/2013/09/23/3853188.htm

The post 2002 Gold Medal for Human Rights Recipient The Dalai Lama: Ethics for a Whole World appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

In the Australian Embassy in Paris,  on May 2^nd , the Australian Ambassador to France awarded the Sydney Peace Foundation’s human rights gold medal to the widow of Stephan Hessel, former French resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, co author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and author of the ground breaking, inspirational book, ‘Time for Outrage.’

Originally chosen to receive the 2013 Sydney Peace Prize, Australia’s only international award for peace, Stephan Hessel died on February 27^th. The citation explaining the choice of Hessel acknowledge ‘his life time commitment to human rights even to the point of putting his life on the line.’

Chair of the Sydney Peace Foundation, Professor Stuart Rees describes Hessel as ‘a towering figure of 20^th century resistance.’  ‘ He inspired the  uprising in several Arab countries  and the Occupy Movement’s protest against what Hessel called ‘the international dictatorship of the financial markets.’

Hessel’s values and views challenge governments and citizens all over the world.

Hessel was outraged by governments’ treatment  of  immigrants and the poor, by the destruction of the environment, by the erosion of social welfare but most of all by Israel’s cruelty towards the Palestinians, in the refugee camps, in Gaza and on the West Bank. ‘ Have the Israelis forgotten the human values of Judaism?’, he asked.

The ceremony in Paris on May 2^nd will also acknowledge Madame Christiane Hessel’s work for social justice. Christiane will remind her Australian and French audience of her husband’s enduring human rights legacy and his plea: ‘ To Create is To Resist. To Resist is To Create.’

Photos from 2 May:

The post Media Release: ‘Time for Outrage, Time for Celebration’: Honoring the life of Stephane Hessel appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.

Stéphane Hessel

On 2 May, at the Australian Embassy in Paris, the Sydney Peace Foundation will award a posthumous Gold Medal for Human Rights to Stéphane Hessel for his life-long contribution to building a more peaceful and just society.

Stéphane Hessel, a German born Jew whose family fled to France, became a fighter in the French Resistance where he was captured, tortured and escaped execution by the Nazis. On returning to Paris, Hessel became a diplomat and was a one of twelve members of the committee who drafted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the French Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Hessel promoted non-violent responses to conflict and made many stands against human rights abuses. In 2009 he published the Book “Time For Outrage” which sold 4.5 million copies in 35 countries and is credited with being the catalyst for Occupy Movements around the world.

Stéphane Hessel was originally selected by the Sydney Peace Prize Jury to be the 16^th recipient of the Prize. Sadly, on 6 March 2013, at 95-years old, Hessel passed away quietly in his sleep.

Following an address by Chair Stuart Rees, and a reception hosted by Australian Ambassador to France Ric Wells, the Gold Medal will be presented to Hessel’s widowed wife Madame Christane Hessel-Chabry.

The post In Honour of Outrage appeared first on Sydney Peace Foundation.