January 2022
New Year's Yearnings
Peace on EarthSharing our Stories and Strategies
Peace makes demands of us, because peace is not a passive acceptance
of the status quo. It is a concrete act; a choice; and sometimes, yes, a difficult one.
But, in our fractured, troubled world, it is a vital one. It is the only one.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, 18 December 2021Wondering and yearning:
What would happen if the people you loved the most
lived in slums, refugee camps, war zones...Would it matter? What would change?
KOD
-----------Overview. What are you yearning for in the coming year--for yourself, others, and the world? If you are like us then one area of yearning is for peace on earth. We'll call this peace "shalom"--wholistic wellbeing for all people and the planet--the theme of this Update.
In line with this theme, we feature the recent video message for peace given by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the Basilica of St Francis (Part One---Yearnings from Assisi). We found it both challenging--the usual laundry list of woes that continue to plague our beleaguered world--and inspiring--the earnest summons for all of us to responsibly work for peace and live in peace. We thus encourage you to watch and/or read this message as you reflect upon applications for your life and world in 2022.
In Part Two, we share "stories and strategies" from a variety of people who are working to make the world a better, more peaceful place. We think you will find their stories to be inspirational and informative and point you towards some applications for your life and world in 2022.
We finish this Update with the Peace Prayer attributed to Saint Francis along with some personal reflections on peace and hope influenced by our worldview as followers of Jesus Christ (Part Three). "Peace in 2022? Personally, we are not optimistic. Yet we want to do all we can to see wholistic wellbeing for all people and the planet."
Going Further
Global Integration Updates:
--Global Trends–Perspectives and Priorities from the Sectors (March 2021)
--Stories from the Sectors--Desperate Journeys and More (March 2020)
--Peace Psychology and Sustainable Peace (May 2018)
Warm greetings and a good new year to you,
Kelly and Michèle
MCAresources@gmail.com
Featured Resources
New Year's Yearnings
Peace on Earth
Sharing our Stories and Strategies
As societies become multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multicultural, we need greater investment in inclusivity. Every group in society should feel that their individual identity is respected, while they are also valued members of the community as a whole. Tolerance is not enough. We must learn to respect each other and to love each other.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, 18 December 2021
Image: Panama City. UNDP/Grey Díaz 2020
UNDP Photos of the Year 2020
Wondering and yearning:
What would happen if all major UN-Civil Society meetings
were convened in slums, refugee camps, war zones...
Would it matter? What would change?
KOD
----------
Part One
Peace on Earth
Yearnings from Assisi
"Excellencies, dear brothers and sisters"
Lamp of Peace Ceremony, Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi, Italy
Image: UN Web TV (18 December 2021)
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Message at the ceremony of the Lamp of Peace Ceremony at the Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi, Italy (13 minutes, given virtually). “The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres receives the Lamp of Peace award. This award, given by the Sacred Convent of Assisi, in Italy, aims to honor those working to promote peace and harmony. Recent honorees include the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, the King of Jordan, Abdullah II and the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. The Secretary-General delivers remarks virtually during the ceremony taking place at the Basilica of Saint Francis, in Assisi."
We encourage you to watch and or read this timely message as we head into 2022. Our ongoing yearnings for peace on earth unite us with people of good will around the world. May this be a year for greater shalom: wholistic wellbeing for all people and the planet. We have include a few excerpts below.
--Video of Message HERE
--Text of Message HERE
"Excellencies, dear brothers and sisters,..."
"As a person of faith with a deep appreciation and respect for the mission of Saint Francis, this award and ceremony are especially meaningful. From the start of my mandate as Secretary-General, I made promoting peace my first priority, having seen some of the worst impacts of conflict during my tenure as High Commissioner for Refugees. I launched a surge in diplomacy for peace. And putting greater emphasis on prevention, establishing more rigorous systems and frameworks to analyse risks, reinforce decision-making and support Member States to take action before violence escalates."
"Excellencies, dear brothers and sisters,..."
"But, the struggle for peace is often a Sisyphean task, given the complexity of today’s interlinked conflicts. We live in a world where peace is elusive, and under enormous threat. Many countries and entire regions are suffering from prolonged conflicts, with no end in sight. And in places that have not seen conventional war for decades, peace is routinely undervalued and undermined. This lends even greater importance to moments like this, when we honour peace and reflect on our duty to uphold and promote it."
"Excellencies, dear brothers and sisters,..."
" As Pope Francis said in his encyclical, Fratelli Tutti [3 October 2020], only by walking the path of peace, in solidarity, can we build a better future for all. Because peace can achieve wonders that war never will...let us choose peace. Thank you."
Part Two
Peace on Earth
Sharing Our Stories and Strategies
“You're not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today”
Global Peace Index 2021, Institute for Economics & Peace
1. United Nations—New!
Introducing Storytelling with a Purpose: Civil Society Youth Interview Series. “Storytelling with a Purpose is a civil society youth-led and youth-focused interview series created with the aim of sharing how civil society is taking action to create a sustainable future and as a way to inspire others and benefit our world. The series features pre-recorded stories from youth and youth-led/youth-focused civil society organizations (Action Storytellers) on how they are creating change and solutions to problems that we are facing in society. The purpose of these episodes is to create a bridge to connect with change makers and storytellers of all demographics and share innovative ways to reach a sustainable future which is in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. The interview series also includes information on upcoming conferences and events that occur at the UN as a way to further create an additional link between civil society and international development practitioners (this includes practitioners, organizations, experts, etc.) on a local level.” You can propose an idea for a conversation via the Storytelling With A Purpose Submission Form.
Episode 1. A conversation with Aya Chebbi, Former African Union Envoy on Youth, Founder and Chair of NalaFem. “In our inaugural interview, we had the honour and pleasure to interview Ms. Aya Chebbi...Her inspiring story spans generations, the entire African continent, and the world. Aya shares with us her deepest aspirations and goals to engage youth and ensure they have access to decision-making platforms, such as the African Union and the United Nations. In her own words, “you're not the leaders of tomorrow, you are the leaders of today” Introducing the notion of intergenerational co-leadership, Aya highlights collaboration as the backbone of sustainable development...Honoring generations of strong leadership in Africa...Aya agreed with the wise words of Nelson Mandela who said “It always seems impossible until it's done. “”
Remembering 2021—Reflecting on 2022:
A World Ablaze, Captured by AP Photographers in 2021
2. United Nations—Ongoing Action Stories—Share your stories!
--Civil Society Gender Equality Stories (18 stories). “Everyday around the world, civil society takes action for gender equality. Stories of positive impact provide hope for the future. In a world where COVID-19 has exacerbated existing gender inequality, recovery must be a gender-responsive. This is why the United Nations now calls for civil society organizations to share your Stories on Gender Equality. UN Department of Global Communications will highlight the achievements of civil society on gender equality through social media posts and on our website*. We know your actions will inspire others. Working together, we can make a difference.”
See also: Civil Society Climate Action Stories (40 stories)
Global Peace Index 2021, Institute for Economics & Peace
3. Global Geneva Magazine—Breaking In Series. “As part of its Breaking In series, Global Geneva is placing a special emphasis on young people involved with international internships or volunteer work. By sharing their experiences, contributing youth writers can help inspire others of their generation to become more engaged.”
Examples:
--Letter from Rwanda: A privileged engagement
--Letter from Nicaragua: Volunteering to help –but also to learn
--Letter from Cong--Conflict zones, sexual vilonce, pragmatism etc.
--Internships: My experience with a human rights foundation
Remembering 2021—Reflecting on 2022:
The Year of Living Dangerously—When Crises Collide UNDP 2021
4. Stories of Kindness and Peace during COVID-19. Lawrence Gerstein, Ball State University. “For the 80th through 82th consecutive weeks [now in December 2021], the Center for Peace & Conflict Studies has compiled a list of acts of kindness and peace. The initiative began as a response to COVID-19 and the racism pandemic but has broadened to include any act of compassion or service to others. Please share these stories. If you have stories of positive acts people/organizations are taking and you would like to share them, please email them to Brandon Miller at peacecenter@bsu.edu. All the stories starting from week 1 are available online. Additionally, you can follow the Peace Center on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) at bsu4peace.”
Examples:
--Coder and Entrepreneur from Zimbabwe Launches Program to Teach Coding to Children Throughout Africa
--93-Year-Old Donates Private Island in Quebec to Nature Conservancy of Canada
--Nonprofit Protects At-Risk Tenants in Lebanon from Illegal Eviction
--A Women’s Collective in El Salvador are Fighting to Protect Vulnerable Residents and the Environment from a Massive Urban Development Project
Remembering 2021—Reflecting on 2022:
2021 Year in Review—100 Global Images with short descriptions, Getty Images
5. Awake at Night Podcasts. Interviews by Melissa Fleming, United Nations' Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications. Season 4--Episode 10: I Refuse to Give Up (17 December 2021). "What does it take to be a United Nations worker in some of the world’s most difficult and dangerous locations? How are health workers, humanitarians, human rights advocates and peacekeepers working to protect people and helping them to thrive? Stationed in remote locations and witness to suffering and atrocities, how are they coping themselves? To find out, Melissa Fleming meets them.”
Remembering 2021—Reflecting on 2022:
2021 Year In Review—The Inequality Pandemic in 11 charts, World Bank
Part Three
Peace On Earth
Yearnings for Pax Dei
"Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace"
Assisi, Italy looking towards the Basilica of Saint Francis
"I [Kelly] was recently in Assisi, Italy. It was the weekend that John XXIII and John Paul II were canonized (26-27 April 2014). Assisi was thronging with people from what seemed like everywhere. Wall to wall humanity. Coming, perhaps for the most part, like me, to somehow connect with the life of a beloved saint who is so well-known for peace: Francis--Giovanni di Pietro di Bernadone (1181/82—1226).
As I joined the masses of people flocking through the ascending and descending medieval, stone streets, I was profoundly struck by how much we all yearn for inner peace. How much we yearn to live and work in settings of peace. And for the most part, how we yearn to be peace-makers and to know our Maker of peace.
Pax Dei
The Peace Prayer of Saint Francis, although commonly attributed to Francis, first appeared anonymously in its present form in the French publication La Clochette in 1912. Regardless of the source, it is one of the most beloved, and recited prayers of all time. (Prayer of Saint Francis, Wikipedia)
Click HERE for the sung version by John Michael Talbot:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, harmony;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."
Pax Dei—Living in Peace 15 (conclusion)
Peace Prayers, CORE Member Care (17 May 2014)
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Final Thoughts
Peace in 2022? We hope so! Personally though we are not optimistic. Yet we want to do all we can to see wholistic wellbeing for all people and the planet. Francis' peace prayer above certainly points us in the right direction!
Our yearnings for peace are very much influenced by our worldview as followers of Jesus Christ and our commitment as world citizens. Essentially we value being co-workers with God and fellow humans of good will as we seek greater peace on earth.
Ultimately as people of hope, we yearn for something far more radical than any set of sustainable development goals could ever achieve: the Blessed Hope, the merciful intervention of God, yet again in human history, in order to restore all things in Christ. Pax Dei--ad majorem Dei gloriam.
