The Manifesto 2000 Pledge
Add YOUR Signature
Canadian Characteristics in Keeping with the Manifesto
Activities that You Can Do with the Manifesto

The United Nations has declared the year 2000 – International Year for a Culture of Peace (IYCP). The goal of this year is to mobilize public opinion so as to accelerate the transition from a culture of war and violence to a culture of peace and non-violence. Remarkable scientific, technological and communication progress occurred in the century that lies behind us. Sadly, this century was also marked by appalling acts of genocide and violence. Therefore, let us make a new start by signing Manifesto 2000 and responding to the challenge of the century before us.

The Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence was written by the Nobel Prize Peace Laureates, in order to create a sense of responsibility starting on a personal level; it is not an appeal or petition addressed to a higher authority. It is the responsibility of each and every individual to put into practice the values, attitudes and forms of behaviour which inspire the culture of peace. Everyone can contribute to this aim within their family, their area, their town, their region and their country by promoting non-violence, tolerance, dialogue, reconciliation, justice and solidarity on a daily basis.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’ s (UNESCO) goal is to present 100 million signatures to the United Nations General Assembly meeting at the turn of the millennium in September 2000. Sign the Manifesto 2000 and contribute towards the establishment of a Culture of Peace.

As of April 2002, there were over 75 million signatories. The Manifesto remains open for signatures.
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The Manifesto 2000 Pledge

Recognising my share of responsibility for the future of humanity, especially for today's children and those of future generations, I pledge - in my daily life, in my family, my work, my community, my country and my region - to:

1. “Respect all life.” Respect the life and dignity of each human being without discrimination and prejudice.

2. “Reject violence.” Practice active non-violence, rejecting violence in all its forms: physical, sexual, psychological, economical and social, in particular towards the most deprived and vulnerable such as children and adolescents.

3. “Share with others.” Share my time and material resources in a spirit of generosity to put an end to exclusion, injustice and political and economic oppression.

4. “Listen to understand.” Defend freedom of expression and cultural diversity, giving preference always to dialogue and listening without engaging in fanaticism, defamation and the rejection of others.

5. “Preserve the planet.” Promote consumer behaviour that is responsible and development practices that respect all forms of life and preserve the balance of nature on the planet.

6. “Rediscover solidarity.” Contribute to the development of my community, with the full participation of women and respect for democratic principles, in order to create together new forms of solidarity.

These six priorities show us that the culture of peace spirals outward, that it is a way of doing things that propagates to all levels. It begins within oneself and the home, spreads out to the community, then on to the regional, national and international levels. Cultivating peace is like cultivating plants in that they both take root and grow.

Why add YOUR signature to Manifesto 2000?

Because the year 2000 must be a new beginning for us all, an opportunity to transform – all together – the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence;

Because this transformation demands the participation of each and everyone of us, and must give young people and future generations values that can inspire them to shape a world of dignity and harmony, a world of justice, solidarity, liberty and prosperity for all;

Because the culture of peace can underpin sustainable development, environmental protection and the personal well-being of each person;

Because I am aware of my share of responsibility for the future of humanity, in particular of the children of tomorrow…

YOU can join the International Movement for the Culture of Peace and Non-Violence! Take me there >>

Canadian Characteristics In Keeping with the Manifesto

1. Respect All Life

As Canadians, we can be proud of our cultural diversity. Our country’s multicultural policies have contributed to the building of a society in which everyone can find their place, whatever their sex, ethnic origin, religion or language.

Nonetheless, the conflicts arising from these differences are still too numerous. Intercultural relations are complex and very fragile. Women, homosexuals and other groups are still discriminated against in daily life and the work place. According to Statistics Canada, one million Canadian women are physically abused each year1. What can we do together to make racism and sexism a thing of the past in Canada? How can we develop and, above all, share with our friends, family and colleagues, the tools needed to peacefully resolve our conflicts?

2. Reject Violence

Due to our parliamentary and judicial systems, violence is no longer an acceptable way of settling our differences. There are now alternative courses of action. Nonetheless, turning to the courts should be our last option. Would it not be better to learn to settle our differences without having to use violence or the judicial system? Living in a society entails knowing how to live with others and how to express and settle our differences peacefully. Sadly, violence is present in our families, schools, streets, roads, sports and.... in our daily lives. The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics reported that in 1997, 18% of youth (aged 12-18) were charged with violent offences, although youth represent only 10% of the population. Eighteen percent of physical assaults reported to police were against children, and 20% of those assaults were carried out by a family member. Sixty percent of reported sexual assaults were carried out against children, one-third of them perpetrated by a family member2 Choosing violence to settle our differences means choosing the easy way out. We do have other options though, such as dialogue, mediation or withdrawal. Taking time to withdraw so as to calmly think through a problem makes it easier to settle differences amicably. Envisaging these options would give us other alternatives for the resolution of conflicts than the use of physical, verbal and psychological abuse. Non-violence is essential if we want to live in a society which cultivates peace.

3. Share with Others

Canada has a solid reputation for the generous aid that it gives poor countries. Aid granted by Canada to developing countries through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is used to uphold good government, democracy and respect for human rights around the world. Nonetheless, in Canada, the difference between the rich and poor is becoming increasingly acute, and the plight of poor children, an ever-more urgent problem. A review of trends over the past 24 years shows that income inequality has worsened among families with children. In 1973, the poorest quintile of families (that is, the poorest 20 per cent of families) earned only 5.3 per cent of all market income (that is, earnings from employment and private investments). By 1996, they received only 2.3 per cent of market income. Moreover, in 1999, compared to 1989, there was 50% more children living in poverty. Poverty and hunger are causes of violence. Nearly 40 per cent of children living in low-income families demonstrate high levels of indirect aggression (such as starting fights with their peers or family members), compared to 29 per cent of children in families with incomes of $30,000 or more. Moreover, few of us can learn on an empty stomach. More than 35 per cent of children in low-income families exhibit delayed vocabulary development, compared to around 10 per cent of children in higher-income families3 Leaving these children in poverty is tantamount to jeopardizing our country’s future. As the Canadian Council on Social Development conclude in their research called Income and Child Well-being: A new perspective on the poverty debate:What the data in our research point to strongly, is that child outcomes and living conditions are associated with a family’s income level, and that any decision we make about where we will set the line on income inequality is going to have an impact on the level of risk that our children face. Consequently, the next time we see a headline stating that “1.5 million children live below the LICO,” we can recognize it as meaning that substantial “poverty of opportunity” exists in Canada and that our concerns about child poverty are indeed justified. It is up to us, as Canadians, to ensure that our wealth is fairly distributed. By sharing our experience and our time, we can help our fellow citizens. By doing volunteer work in hospitals, community boards or schools, we can help our communities grow.

4. Listen to Understand

Canada encourages and supports freedom of expression through its various public institutions. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the National Film Board and Telefilm Canada are three public institutions whose goal is to help Canadians appreciate and better understand their country. Nonetheless, it is in our day to day lives that the expression of and respect for all types of opinions becomes particularly important. Whether it be at home, school, the work place or anywhere else, all ideas can be expressed if they respect others.

5. Preserve the Planet

The environment plays a predominant role in the quality of our lives. Vast forests and fields, tundra, oceans and thousands of lakes and rivers contribute to our health and prosperity. On June 11, 1971, Canada became the second country in the world, after France, to officially appoint an environment minister. Nonetheless, we still have a fair distance to go before we can guarantee our planet’s future. For example, Canada is far from being a world leader in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and acid rain and, especially, improving logging practices. According to the David Suzuki Foundation, Canadians use more energy per capita than the citizens of any other country in the world. In 1995, Canada produced nearly 600 millions tonnes of greenhouse emission per capita. If Canadians continue to consume energy for the next 30 years as we have in the past, greenhouse emissions will go up to 750 megatonnes4. Moreover, the disappearance of the Atlantic cod is a concrete example of the consequences that poor resource management can have. Still, it is as individuals that we can initiate the change towards a more intelligent use of our resources. We can help conserve and improve our environment and quality of life through simple and tangible behaviour, such as getting around town by bicycle or bus instead of by car, by reusing paper or by using your own coffee cup at work or at school. If every Canadian citizen decided to recycle and reuse all the goods we buy, our environmental quality would be greatly improved.

6. Rediscover Solidarity

Canada works hard at creating and maintaining the solidarity among the different groups that compose it. The elimination of both racial and sexual discrimination are two important aspects for which Canadians would like to build new forms of solidarity.

Nonetheless, rediscovering solidarity is not restricted to the elimination of racial and sexual discrimination. Rather, it presupposes that we contribute to the creation of new social ties. This implies an active participation in our community’s well-being by creating connections with other groups than the one to which we belong. For instance, we can support local farmers by buying their products or peasant farmers by buying fair trade products. Fair trade ensures that peasant farmers from other countries are paid fairly. Rediscovering solidarity can also mean including people in our group that we might otherwise have excluded. For example, a community garden might have senior citizens, people who like gardens but do not have any land, street kids who are learning to work together or low-income people who grow vegetables for their own consumption. Rediscovering solidarity requires creativity and open-mindedness. It is a way of relearning how to live together as a community. Canada is certainly on the right road to building a culture of peace, but we still have far to go before such a culture takes root in our country.

	Activities that You Can Do with the Manifesto Here are a few suggestions for activities that you can do with the Manifesto. Manifesto Day: Organize a day based on the Manifesto theme in your community, school or work place. Kiosk: Set up a kiosk around your community dedicated to the Manifesto. Tour for Peace: Organize thematic conferences on the Manifesto. They can be given in schools, libraries and other public places, and can be followed by discussions. Discussion: Organize round table discussions that focus on the Manifesto’s six priorities. Declaration: Declare your town or city a community for peace. A declaration by your mayor would be a good idea. Exhibits: Organize an exhibit around the six Manifesto themes. Contest: Organize a literary or artistic contest based on the six Manifesto themes. Play: Write a play based on the 6 priorities illustrated by the Manifesto and do a tour of schools, summer camps, festivals, etc. School of Peace: Make your school a messenger of peace. Hand it out to students, teachers, support staff and the administration, and invite them all to lunches for peace. Walk, Run, Ride for Peace: Whether it is on foot, bike or otherwise, organize a walk, run or ride for peace. Make six stops related to the Manifesto’s six points, invite speakers and ask passer-by’s to sign the Manifesto.

Footnotes: Statistics Canada, 1993. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 1997 report. Canadian Council on Social Development, Income and Child Well-being: A new perspective on the poverty debate by David P. Ross and Paul Roberts David Suzuki Foundation, Power Shift: Collective Solutions to Global Warming.