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AWC
World News************************************************************
BRINGING
WAR AND ORGANIZED
VIOLENCE TO AN END
The Failure
of Global Empire and Birth
of Global Community
University
of San Francisco - August 2-5, 2005
An International Conference
Sponsored by
Association of World Citizens (AWC)
International Association
of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP)
Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL)
THE SAN
FRANCISCO PEACE CONFERENCE
A BIG SUCCESS
Bringing War and Organized
Violence to an End
AWC 2005 Conference Speeches
(stay tuned for updates...)
This was the theme of the AWC
international peace conference held at the University of San
Francisco from August 2-5, 2005. Cosponsors for this conference
that was also the 30th anniversary of AWC, were the International
Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) and Federation
of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL).
OPENING DAY, AUGUST
2
Douglas Mattern opening
Conference ( Enlargement
)Douglas Mattern, President of
AWC and Conference Chairperson opened the meeting with the only
negative report of the entire 4-day meeting. Over 60 delegates
from several countries in Africa were denied travel visas by
the U.S. State Department. Moreover, many were harassed and insulted
when applying for the visa. AWC will file an official complaint
for this inexcusable behavior by U.S. consulates.
After the chairman's opening
remarks, other greetings were given by the following: Professor
Mike Whitty, IAEWP Father Stephen Privett S.J., President of
the University of San Francisco Susan Zipp, Citizens for a United
Peoples Assembly Dr. Hong Tao Tze, President of FOWPAL and Vice
Chairman of the conference. Nina Mirani, representing the United
Nations Young General Assembly Bill McCarthy, President of Unity
Foundation and conference production manager and Eddie Gale,
AWC Ambassador of Music.
KEYNOTE SPEECHES
The first keynote speech was
by Mel Hurtig from Canada and the author of the terrific book
RUSHING TO ARMAGEDDON. Mr. Hurtig's speech was very informative
and passionate in condemning nuclear weapons. Click
on Conference Speeches to read the speech.
The second keynote speech was
by Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International
Chapel in Atlanta George and curator for Morehouse College. Dr.
Carter gave a very inspiring address that will soon be available
on the Conference Speeches page.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
PROGRAM
After breaking for lunch the
afternoon began with cultural entertainment. Dr. Waheed Siddiqee
of AWC and a former noted engineer in Silicon Valley, performed
beautiful Easterm music on the Sitar.
This was followed by an entertaining
Haka Dance performed by All Islanders Gathering as One. The cultural
performances concluded with spectacular and a very colorful performance
by the Tai Ji Men from Taiwan under the direction of Dr. Hong
Tao Tze.
THE PEACE BELL
Dr. Lawrence Carter,
Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International ChapelOpening day concluded with the
ceremony of ringing the Peace Bell that came from Taiwan for
this conference. The Peace Bell has traveled the world and it
has been rung by presidents, governors, mayors, UN officials,
parliamentarians, and noted peace activists.
After the bell ringing ceremony,
a special World Citizen Award was presented to Dr. Hong by Douglas
Mattern. This was followed by the Lifelong Achievement Award
for Love and Peace presented to Douglas Mattern by Dr. Hong Tao
Tze.
Day one concluded with an evening
program of peace and antiwar videos.
DAY TWO, AUGUST 3
The morning program included
two panel discussions. The topic of the first panel was United
Nations Reform and Peoples Parliament. The panel was comprised
of Professor Mike Whitty, Susan Zipp, Ingrid Schittich (AWC branch
director for Germany), Dr. Hong Tao Tze, and Fred Duperrault
for S.F. Peoples Assembly serving as moderator. The panelists
were all well prepared with a wealth of information to be discussed
by all conference delegates at the workshop the following day.
To read these speeches click on Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...).
Panel Discussion on the
War Industry ( Enlargement
)The topic of the second panel
was on Nuclear Disarmament and the War Industry. The panelists
were Dr. Charles
Mercieca (President of IAEWP), Carl Casebolt from AWC Professor Brian Foley
of IAEWP, Professor Stephen Zunes of IAEWP and Douglas Mattern
from AWC. Like the first panel, a great amount of information
and ideas were presented for discussion in the workshop the following
day. To read these speeches
click on Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...).
After breaking for lunch. Professor
Stephen Zunes of IAEWP, and a professor at the University of
San Francisco, gave a very insightful speech on the Middle East
that was followed by an extensive question and answer period.
Douglas Mattern read a message from H.E. Dr. Clovis Maksoud,
former UN Ambassador for the Arab League that presented an excellent
and concise analysis of the current issue of terrorism. Ambassador
Maksoud was unable to attend the conference due to other commitments
at the United Nations. To read the ambassador's remarks, click
on the Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...).
Day two concluded with various
reports from AWC branches that included an excellent video from
the AWC Taiwan branch. The Taiwan branch report included a tremendous
achievement of getting world citizenship mentioned in the public
school books in Taiwan. Klaus
Schittich from the AWC branch in Germany gave a very upbeat presentation
of present and future activities by the German branch. Presentations
were also made by Rev. Priti Sarman from the AWC branch in Bangladesh,
and by E.P. Menon from India.
Day Two ended with an evening
reception at the Red Victorian Bed and Breakfast Inn, a well-known
San Francisco peace center in the Haight-Ashbury district that
was made famous during the 1960s and still thriving today.
DAY THREE, AUGUST
4
This was a day of extensive dialogue.
The morning workshop was on UN Reform and Peoples Parliament
with Susan Zipp as the chairperson. Susan opened the workshop
by giving every delegate to the conference the chance to present
their views to the full assembly. This was followed by breaking
up into smaller group on specific issues with the purpose of
achieving a program of action.
Getting ready for the group walk across Golden Gate
Bridge
( Enlargement )Shortly after the noon hour,
following the morning workshop, delegates were transported by
bus to San Francisco's world famous Golden Gate Bridge, where
they departed the bus on one end of the bridge and walked across
this famous landmark. The bridge walk proved very popular and
a delight for everyone. Seemingly as an omen for the conference,
the fog lifted about halfway acrossthe bridge to open a vista
of beautiful sunshine and spectacular views. Group photographs
were taken at the beginning and at the end of the walk across
the bridge. A special "thank you" goes to Dr. Hong
Tao Tze for providing the buses for the bridge walk.
After returning to the university
and a late lunch, the second workshop was held on Nuclear Disarmament
and the War Industry. Several presentations with much information
and discussion highlighted this session. The workshop was followed
by a presentation of the Human Manifesto project. The afternoon
concluded with delegates voting on the following proposals coming
out of the workshops.
1. The proposal on the need for
a Peoples Parliament in the United Nations and activities to
achieve this goal was unanimously approved.
2. The resolution calling for
the removal of all U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads from the
present hair-trigger alert was approved by consensus. This is
a joint project by AWC and Friends of the Earth Australia Anti-nuclear
Weapons Campaign under John Hallum. This resolution has been
endorsed by 44 Nobel Laureates, over 300 organizations and parliamentarians,
the European Parliament and the Australian Senate. Activity is
now underway to have this resolution presented in the next session
of the UN General Assembly.
3. The Human Manifesto was approved
as the official document of the conference. This document can
be read by mouse clicking on Human Manifesto on the home page.
The action plan is to distribute the Manifesto, get it introduced
into public schools, and have it published as a full-page ad
in the New York Times.
An evening program on cultural
exchange and wisdom was led by Dr. Hong Tao Tze and the Tai Ji
Men performers.
DAY FOUR, AUGUST 5
The final day of the conference
focused on creating a progressive think tank that provides analysis
on the important issues from a global perspective. The session
began with an excellent talk by Professor Robert J. Fitrakis
from Columbus State Community College. Professor
Fitrakis, who is also a news investigative reporter, presented
a sobering analysis of space based and other high tech weapons
that are being developed by the Pentagon and its industrial partners.
After a productive discussion it was agreed that a top priority
must be stopping the militarization of space before it is too
late.
Professor Mike Whitty & Douglas Mattern discussing Think
Tank ProjectThe discussion then moved to
the Think Tank project noting that very few people in the United
States are aware of plans to militarize space or have information
on new weapons being developed with their taxes. It was agreed
by consensus to proceed with the think tank project with Professor
Fitrakis the key person. The activity will center on writing
and distributing articles on the crucial issues to the news media
and over the Internet. In subsequent discussions after the conference
it was decided the name of the think tank would be Global Issues
Institute. The center for the Internet activity will be in Columbus,
Ohio. The office of the Global Issues Institute is the AWC office
in San Francisco: 55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 224, San Francisco,
CA 94105 Tel: 415 541 9610. An editorial board was established
that includes professor Fitrakis, Professor Mike Whitty, Professor
Brian Foley, Dr. Terrance Paupp, Douglas Mattern and Susan Zip
of AWC.
The conference then concluded
with a joyful performance by the Tai Ji Men that ended with all
delegates singing and dancing (sort of).
THIS WAS A GREAT ENDING
TO A GREAT CONFERENCE
AWC 2005 Conference Speeches
(stay tuned for updates...)
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AWC World News VIOLENCE TO AN END of Global Community Association of World Citizens (AWC) International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL)
A BIG SUCCESS (stay tuned for updates...) This was the theme of the AWC international peace conference held at the University of San Francisco from August 2-5, 2005. Cosponsors for this conference that was also the 30th anniversary of AWC, were the International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) and Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL). Douglas Mattern opening Conference ( Enlargement ) Douglas Mattern, President of AWC and Conference Chairperson opened the meeting with the only negative report of the entire 4-day meeting. Over 60 delegates from several countries in Africa were denied travel visas by the U.S. State Department. Moreover, many were harassed and insulted when applying for the visa. AWC will file an official complaint for this inexcusable behavior by U.S. consulates. After the chairman's opening remarks, other greetings were given by the following: Professor Mike Whitty, IAEWP Father Stephen Privett S.J., President of the University of San Francisco Susan Zipp, Citizens for a United Peoples Assembly Dr. Hong Tao Tze, President of FOWPAL and Vice Chairman of the conference. Nina Mirani, representing the United Nations Young General Assembly Bill McCarthy, President of Unity Foundation and conference production manager and Eddie Gale, AWC Ambassador of Music. The first keynote speech was by Mel Hurtig from Canada and the author of the terrific book RUSHING TO ARMAGEDDON. Mr. Hurtig's speech was very informative and passionate in condemning nuclear weapons. Click on Conference Speeches to read the speech. The second keynote speech was by Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel in Atlanta George and curator for Morehouse College. Dr. Carter gave a very inspiring address that will soon be available on the Conference Speeches page. After breaking for lunch the afternoon began with cultural entertainment. Dr. Waheed Siddiqee of AWC and a former noted engineer in Silicon Valley, performed beautiful Easterm music on the Sitar. This was followed by an entertaining Haka Dance performed by All Islanders Gathering as One. The cultural performances concluded with spectacular and a very colorful performance by the Tai Ji Men from Taiwan under the direction of Dr. Hong Tao Tze. Dr. Lawrence Carter, Dean of the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel Opening day concluded with the ceremony of ringing the Peace Bell that came from Taiwan for this conference. The Peace Bell has traveled the world and it has been rung by presidents, governors, mayors, UN officials, parliamentarians, and noted peace activists. After the bell ringing ceremony, a special World Citizen Award was presented to Dr. Hong by Douglas Mattern. This was followed by the Lifelong Achievement Award for Love and Peace presented to Douglas Mattern by Dr. Hong Tao Tze. Day one concluded with an evening program of peace and antiwar videos. The morning program included two panel discussions. The topic of the first panel was United Nations Reform and Peoples Parliament. The panel was comprised of Professor Mike Whitty, Susan Zipp, Ingrid Schittich (AWC branch director for Germany), Dr. Hong Tao Tze, and Fred Duperrault for S.F. Peoples Assembly serving as moderator. The panelists were all well prepared with a wealth of information to be discussed by all conference delegates at the workshop the following day. To read these speeches click on Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...). Panel Discussion on the War Industry ( Enlargement ) The topic of the second panel was on Nuclear Disarmament and the War Industry. The panelists were Dr. Charles Mercieca (President of IAEWP), Carl Casebolt from AWC Professor Brian Foley of IAEWP, Professor Stephen Zunes of IAEWP and Douglas Mattern from AWC. Like the first panel, a great amount of information and ideas were presented for discussion in the workshop the following day. To read these speeches click on Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...). After breaking for lunch. Professor Stephen Zunes of IAEWP, and a professor at the University of San Francisco, gave a very insightful speech on the Middle East that was followed by an extensive question and answer period. Douglas Mattern read a message from H.E. Dr. Clovis Maksoud, former UN Ambassador for the Arab League that presented an excellent and concise analysis of the current issue of terrorism. Ambassador Maksoud was unable to attend the conference due to other commitments at the United Nations. To read the ambassador's remarks, click on the Conference Speeches (Stay tuned...). Day two concluded with various reports from AWC branches that included an excellent video from the AWC Taiwan branch. The Taiwan branch report included a tremendous achievement of getting world citizenship mentioned in the public school books in Taiwan. Klaus Schittich from the AWC branch in Germany gave a very upbeat presentation of present and future activities by the German branch. Presentations were also made by Rev. Priti Sarman from the AWC branch in Bangladesh, and by E.P. Menon from India. Day Two ended with an evening reception at the Red Victorian Bed and Breakfast Inn, a well-known San Francisco peace center in the Haight-Ashbury district that was made famous during the 1960s and still thriving today. This was a day of extensive dialogue. The morning workshop was on UN Reform and Peoples Parliament with Susan Zipp as the chairperson. Susan opened the workshop by giving every delegate to the conference the chance to present their views to the full assembly. This was followed by breaking up into smaller group on specific issues with the purpose of achieving a program of action. Getting ready for the group walk across Golden Gate Bridge ( Enlargement ) Shortly after the noon hour, following the morning workshop, delegates were transported by bus to San Francisco's world famous Golden Gate Bridge, where they departed the bus on one end of the bridge and walked across this famous landmark. The bridge walk proved very popular and a delight for everyone. Seemingly as an omen for the conference, the fog lifted about halfway acrossthe bridge to open a vista of beautiful sunshine and spectacular views. Group photographs were taken at the beginning and at the end of the walk across the bridge. A special "thank you" goes to Dr. Hong Tao Tze for providing the buses for the bridge walk. After returning to the university and a late lunch, the second workshop was held on Nuclear Disarmament and the War Industry. Several presentations with much information and discussion highlighted this session. The workshop was followed by a presentation of the Human Manifesto project. The afternoon concluded with delegates voting on the following proposals coming out of the workshops. 1. The proposal on the need for a Peoples Parliament in the United Nations and activities to achieve this goal was unanimously approved. 2. The resolution calling for the removal of all U.S. and Russian nuclear warheads from the present hair-trigger alert was approved by consensus. This is a joint project by AWC and Friends of the Earth Australia Anti-nuclear Weapons Campaign under John Hallum. This resolution has been endorsed by 44 Nobel Laureates, over 300 organizations and parliamentarians, the European Parliament and the Australian Senate. Activity is now underway to have this resolution presented in the next session of the UN General Assembly. 3. The Human Manifesto was approved as the official document of the conference. This document can be read by mouse clicking on Human Manifesto on the home page. The action plan is to distribute the Manifesto, get it introduced into public schools, and have it published as a full-page ad in the New York Times. An evening program on cultural exchange and wisdom was led by Dr. Hong Tao Tze and the Tai Ji Men performers. The final day of the conference focused on creating a progressive think tank that provides analysis on the important issues from a global perspective. The session began with an excellent talk by Professor Robert J. Fitrakis from Columbus State Community College. Professor Fitrakis, who is also a news investigative reporter, presented a sobering analysis of space based and other high tech weapons that are being developed by the Pentagon and its industrial partners. After a productive discussion it was agreed that a top priority must be stopping the militarization of space before it is too late. Professor Mike Whitty & Douglas Mattern discussing Think Tank Project The discussion then moved to the Think Tank project noting that very few people in the United States are aware of plans to militarize space or have information on new weapons being developed with their taxes. It was agreed by consensus to proceed with the think tank project with Professor Fitrakis the key person. The activity will center on writing and distributing articles on the crucial issues to the news media and over the Internet. In subsequent discussions after the conference it was decided the name of the think tank would be Global Issues Institute. The center for the Internet activity will be in Columbus, Ohio. The office of the Global Issues Institute is the AWC office in San Francisco: 55 New Montgomery Street, Suite 224, San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel: 415 541 9610. An editorial board was established that includes professor Fitrakis, Professor Mike Whitty, Professor Brian Foley, Dr. Terrance Paupp, Douglas Mattern and Susan Zip of AWC. The conference then concluded with a joyful performance by the Tai Ji Men that ended with all delegates singing and dancing (sort of). (stay tuned for updates...) Home Page | AWC Goals | AWC Branches | Archives Resolution 2010 | Human Manifesto | AWC History United Nations | AWC Staff | Join Online Today | Worldometers Contact Us |