Hague Appeal for Peace Conference

THE VISION

We have witnessed the bloodiest, most war-filled century in history. Yet we have also seen the power of people to overcome oppression. By working for human rights, the environment, equality, and sustainable development, we have helped the world make progress toward peace. But we still have a long way to go.

The Hague Appeal for Peace is a global campaign with a vision: to launch a new century of peace. It is led by people, not governments. It leads up to a global conference in The Hague, where people will exchange their best ideas on how to create culture of peace with justice for the 21st century.

WHO ARE WE?

The over sixty groups (non-governmental organizations) serving as the lead organizers invite everyone concerned about our future to join. More than 800 organizations - human rights, environmental, gender, disarmament - already endorse the campaign. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Graca Machel, Jody Williams, Jose Ramos-Horta, the Dalai Lama and others, are also lending their support.

WHAT IS THE HAGUE APPEAL?

The Hague Appeal for Peace is a campaign and conference that seeks to make our vision of sustainable peace real. The four goals are:

1. To strengthen humanitarian and human rights laws and institutions;
2. To advance the prevention, peaceful resolution, and transformation of conflicts;
3. To abolish nuclear weapons and develop disarmament campaigns;
4. To identify the root causes of war, and develop a culture of peace.

In this campaign, we will measure our successes and failures of the last century. We will develop and launch actions to succeed in the future.

THE CONFERENCE

The Place: The Hague, in The Netherlands. We will meet in the Congress Center, with additional activities throughout the city of The Hague.

The Date: The Conference will be held on 11-15 May, 1999.

Registration will be on Tuesday, May 11.

The People: Thousands of citizens will gather together: people from the Global South, Nobel Peace prize winners, youth, people from conflict regions, governmental leaders, and you and your organization.

The Speakers: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Nobel Laureates Archbishop Tutu and Jose Ramos-Horta, Graa Machel, and UNICEF's Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, among others, will be there.

The Program: Opening and closing ceremonies will combine performances and speeches. There will be workshops and roundtable discussions on the four themes. We will have a film festival and photography and art will be displayed. Groups will network with governmental officials. The planned sessions will take place amidst a "Forum", where any group can showcase its programs, hold discussions, and meet.

WHY NOW?

1999 marks a historic moment. We are on the eve of a new century. We must start now to create a culture of peace for the twenty-first century.

1999 marks the 100th anniversary of the First International Peace Conference. 1999 is the final year in the UN Decade of International Law. And in 1999, governments and the International Committee of the Red Cross will meet to review the progress we have made in the last century.

In 1999, through The Hague Appeal for Peace, we will create new partnerships between citizens, governments, and international organizations - the "new diplomacy" - to make progress toward peace.