The Social and Ecological Paths to Peace webinar 7 October 2023

Link to the program
https://folkochfred.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/20231007_webinar-a.pdf
Links to the sessions:

The webinar came timely for movements trying to find new ways for
international cooperation in a time with growing emphasis on
miltarization as solution to both domestic and foreign policy issues.
It moved the discussion about the future of Europe in todays world to
the East. Especially highlighted the Nagorno-Karabakh the need to look
on wider conflict issues than only Ukraine, something that has been
drastically underlined by the recent escalation of the militarized
asymmetric conflict between Israel and Palestine/Gaza. In Ukraine nor
in Southern Caucasus or the Israeli-Palestine conflict is other
solutions then further militarization or ethnic cleansing in sight.

The webinar brought up the discussion concerning constructive
solutions to the underlying tensions between different national
interest. Positive results in the Nordic countries after WWI was put
forward. The population in Schleswig/Slesvig could chose what country
to belong to in a referendum. The Southern part voted for Germany and
the Northern for Denmark becoming Sönderjylland, both with effective
language rights and als some political rights, at least in Germany.
The population of Åland did not get this possibility as the great
majrty wanted to be art f Sweden. But they became a demilitarized zone
and did get very extensive autonomy and language rights. There is a
need to address this kind of solutions also for the former Soviet zone
with numerous conflicts lie in Estonia and Latvia were parts of the
Russian speaking populations has not been given citizenship,
Transnistria, Eastern Ukraine and Crimea, South Ossetia and Nagorno
Karabach. This is also an issue for Kurdistan, Palestine and other
places.

The issue to simultaneously address repression in both the East and
the West might also be a way to unite movements ending an era of
double standards and lack of solidarity between movements addressing
oppression everywhere. The universalistic argument for supporting
those who refuse to carry arms whether they are Russians, Belarusians
or Ukrainians is strong in itself. In a time when many say the only
road to peace os arms like NATO head Stoltenberg the call for support
to all conscientious objectors is as necessary as ever. But our
solidarity also includes those who oppose the war like Boris
Kagarlitsky with a clear socio-economical viewpoint criticizing
oligarchs in both Russia and the West. In this way the war on Ukraine
des not only became an ssue of security policy but also an issue of
the future of mankind. Kagarlitsky combines a resistance against
Russia war on Ukraine with a clear understanding of the climate issue
as paramount for humanity. It is possible to oppose the Russian war
while at the same time address the issue of how Western and Russian
oligarchs tries to solve the ecological crisis facing humanity by
letting the toiling masses, poor countries in the South and in the
case of the Western oligarchs also Russia.

As a way to have a broader constructive agenda is the issue of
disarmament for eco-social transition getting more momentum. Maybe in
its more weaker form as universal disarmament but still combining
peace, social and environmental concerns. Building on earlier
cooperation at for instance the virtual World Social Forum 2021
between IPB, No to NATO network, Prague Spring 2 network, Friends of
the Earth Sweden, the Gandhian Network Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,
Amazonian Social Forum and others the webinar was successful in
bringing together new actors. Not only Sean Conner from IPB but also
Dorothy Guerrero from the global Demand Climate Justice network
participated as well as Matěj Stropnický, a Green and social activist
from Czechia. So did György Droppa, social environmentalist from
Hungary, a leader f the Save Danube movement in the 1980s which
mobilized the largest environmental protests in all of the CEE
countries and today continues the struggle against 27 battery
factories to be set up in Hungary. The housing and feminist activist
Enikö Vincze and Attac Hungary and WILPF activists Vera Zalka
addressed the cital social concerns in CEE countries.

The webinar was organized on short notice to be part of the action
week for peace in Ukraine. Hopefully it can inspire further
collaboration between different movements for a common cause to oppose
militarization and repression and find ways for starting disarmament
för welfare and envrinmental protection.

Tord Björk
15 October 2023

Webinar 7 October CEST 10:30 – 17:00
during the Action week 30 September – 8 October for Peace in Ukraine

10:30
Universal Disarmament for a Socio-Ecological Transition*
Leo Gabriel, IC WSF
Aram Amirbekian, independent journalist, Yerevan, Armenia
Igor Gotlib, St Petersburg, Russia
Sean Conner, IPB

12:00
Stop repression in the East and the West
Oksana Chelysheva, Russian political refugee and human rights activist
Yurii Sheliazhenko, Ukrainian pacifist movement
Aleksej Sachnin, left wing Russian political refugee

13:00 Lunch

14:00

The Climate Movement and social and peace challenge
Dorothy Guerrero, Global Justice Now
Tord Björk, Friends of the Earth Sweden
Matěj Stropnický, Green and socal activist, Czechia
Take Back the Future and Action week for social and climate justice, Sweden tbc

15:00

Social struggles in Central and Eastern Europe and environmental and
peace challenges
Enikő Vincze, feminist and housing activist, Romania
Vera Zalka, Attac Hungary
György Droppa, social environmentalist, Hungary

16:00
Next steps:
WSF in Nepal 2024
World Assembly for Struggles and resistance of WSF including declaration process
Mesoamerican, CEE and other assemblies towards WSF
Global Tapestry of Alternatives and Adelante towards WSF and beyond
European Common Space for Alternatives
Take Back the Future and Fridays for Future
Global Climate Justice Campaigns
Food Sovereignty and Via Campesina initiatives
CADTM and IMF and World Bank counterconferences
International Peoples Assembly
No to NATO gathering in Rome
Global Campaign on military spending etc
discussion

17:00 end

*The organizers had asked Andriy Movchan, Ukrainian left activist to
participate and got the impression that he said yes. But the
abstained.

Following up its participation in the Vienna International Conference
on Peace in the Ukraine (June 10th and 11th, 2023) the “Prague Spring
II Network against far right extremism and populism” founded in 2010
in the framework of the European Social Forum has organized this
webinar in order to promote a Universal Disarmament and a political
solution to all military conflicts and particularly the war in the
Ukraine.

Applying this orientation to our present-day reality of multiple and
multipolar crises we could design an action program around our claims
for: UNIVERSAL DISARMAMENT FOR A SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION
highlighting the needs for a radical reform of the existing structures
of the so called “Nation States”.  This convergence will also be
considered as a contribution to the Assembly of movements of the World
Social Forum which is going to take place in February 2024 in Nepal.

Tord Björk

email: , skype: tordbjork, tel: +46 (0)722 15 16 90
address: Kyrkängsbacken 8, 14135 Huddinge, Sweden