 Global Integration UpdatesCommon Ground for the Common Good Be the people we need--Build the world we need
Special News--September 2023
Peace and SecurityStaying Alive in Our Precarious-Perilous-Precious World  “We are a world in pieces.We need to be a world at peace.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres(UN General Assembly, 19 September 2017)
21 September 2023 is International Day of Peace.
The theme is "Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals."------------ Overview
In this Update (#87), we share three sets of resources that deal with the world community's efforts to prevent-resolve armed conflicts and maintain-nurture peace locally through globally. Our interest in these areas are spurred on by current and ongoing geopolitical tensions as well as by growing up in families in which several members (parents, siblings, in-laws) have been involved in international armed conflicts as soldiers and civilians (World War 2, Korea, and Vietnam). - Resource Set 1--The New Agenda for Peace (July 2021) is the latest in a series of Policy Briefs that build upon the UN Secretary-General's Our Common Agenda (2021) and foster discussion and debate in preparation for the Summit of the Future in 2024.
- Resource Set 2--Geneva Peace Week (GPW--30 October-3 November 2023) is a major annual forum (hybrid format with over 100 events) that brings together organizations in Geneva and their international partners to share knowledge and practice related to peace across contexts and disciplines. Watch a short overview of GPW 2022 HERE to launch into this Update's crucial content.
- Resource Set 3--Global Integration Updates over the past five years (2018-2023) have regularly focused on peace and security--building and sustaining peace in our world and dealing with sources and sustainers of violence and conflict.
Peace and security are frequent themes in our Updates and are a reflection of the ongoing struggles--the collective maims and moans--within our precarious, perilous, and precious world. International peace and security are complicated in our complicated world. But they are not impossible wishes. They are not implausible wants. "Consequently, everything that we say and do must bear in mind that behind all of the [current threats to peace and security] is a hope and a desire of the world that some way can be found to settle disputes around the conference table, not on the battlefield." (Dwight Eisenhower, 14 November 1956). “The need for a systemic response to building peace is urgent. Conflict is intensifying in several regions, with conflict-related deaths rising rapidly. The gap between the most and least peaceful countries continues to grow, and although many measures of militarisation have improved over the past fifteen years, the proliferation of cheaper advanced military technologies, increasing geopolitical competition, and an underlying current of political instability in many countries means that a continuing deterioration of global peacefulness seems likely.” Final paragraph in the Executive Summary, Global Peace Index (June 2023).We conclude the Update with some personal reflections on being "people of faith-hope-love" in the Christian tradition who embrace "common ground for the common good." Suggested Applications--Making It Personal - Review the resources below. Are there additional ones that you would recommend for understanding peace and security in our world?
- Probe further into one or more of the resources in this Update. For example, a) read through the Introduction of The New Agenda for Peace (six pages) and the Conclusions (one page); b) look over Geneva Peace Week and note that the program and registration will be available on 25 September (save the date as events can fill up fast!); c) learn more about activities and participating in the International Day of Peace (21 September 2023); and/or d) explore one of the Global Integration Updates that have focused on peace and security.
- Share this Update with your colleagues, organization(s), and network(s). Discuss practical applications for your life and work.
Warm greetings,
Kelly and Michèle   MCAresources@gmail.com
Featured Resources
Peace and Security
Staying Alive Our Precarious-Perilous-Precious World
Statues from France in our living room, flanked by two artillery shells
from the major battle in Verdun, France during World War I.
The shells have been refashioned into pieces of art. "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” Isaiah 2:4
“All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.” UN Charter Article 2.4 ---------- Resource Set 1
The New Agenda for Peace (July 2021)Peace is possible--don't give up! Pray-push-partner-persevere!21 September 2023 is International Day of Peace.
The theme is "Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals." You can read UN Secretary-General António Guterres' opening remarks
at the launch of this agenda on 20 July 2023 HERE The New Agenda for Peace (July 2021) is the latest in a series of Policy Briefs that build upon the UN Secretary-General's Our Common Agenda (2021) and foster discussion and debate in preparation for the Summit of the Future in 2024. Here are excerpts--five orienting paragraphs--from the Introduction and Conclusion.
"The challenges that we face can be addressed only through stronger international cooperation. The Summit of the Future, in 2024, is an opportunity to agree on multilateral solutions for a better tomorrow, strengthening global governance for both present and future generations (General Assembly resolution 76/307). In my capacity as Secretary-General, I have been invited to provide inputs to the preparations for the Summit in the form of action-oriented recommendations, building on the proposals contained in my report entitled “Our Common Agenda” (A/75/982), which was itself a response to the declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations (Assembly resolution 75/1). The present policy brief is one such input. (page 2)
The collective security system that the United Nations embodies has recorded remarkable accomplishments. It has succeeded in preventing a new global conflagration. International cooperation – spanning from sustainable development, disarmament, human rights and women’s empowerment to counter-terrorism and the protection of the environment – has made humanity safer and more prosperous. Peacemaking and peacekeeping have helped to end wars and prevent numerous crises from escalating into full-blown violence. Where wars broke out, collective action by the United Nations often helped shorten their duration and alleviate their worst effects. (page 3)
Nonetheless, peace remains an elusive promise for many around the world. Conflicts continue to wreak destruction, while their causes have become more complex and difficult to resolve. This may make the pursuit of peace appear a hopeless undertaking. However, in reality, it is the political decisions and actions of human beings that can either sustain or crush hopes for peace. War is always a choice: to resort to arms instead of dialogue, coercion instead of negotiation, imposition instead of persuasion. Therein lies our greatest prospect, for if war is a choice, peace can be too. It is time for a recommitment to peace. In the present document, I offer my vision of how we can make that choice. (page 3)
My vision as outlined in the present document is one of hope and optimism. Despite the profound difficulty of the current moment, I expect that Member States will rise to the challenge. During its 78 years of existence, the United Nations has heard, time and again, announcements of its imminent demise or increasing irrelevance. However, overcoming failures and shortcomings, the Organization has not only endured, but remained the nerve centre of the multilateral system. (page 33)
We must, however, be clear-eyed about the magnitude of the problems before us. What is at stake is not the future of the United Nations, but of our nations and humanity. The possibility of global devastation, whether from nuclear weapons, climate change, diseases or war, or even technology run amok, is tangible and increasing. Member States will need to find new ways of working together despite the increasing mistrust that has permeated international relations." (page 33)  Page 15 from A New Agenda for Peace
The text describes these 12 action points in more detail and with examples.
Note--In order to better understand the purpose and propositions of this new Policy Brief on peace, it is really helpful to familiarize ourselves with the broader efforts for the wellbeing of all people an the planet via Our Common Agenda (the result of a year-long global listening exercise) and the preparatory documents and events en route to the upcoming Summit of the Future. All this might seem overwhelming but keep in mind that the Agenda and the Summit are core parts of the efforts to collaboratively build the world we want--and need! Hence we believe that understanding and tracking with them--while not necessarily agreeing with everything therein--is important for connecting and contributing to a better world.
Resource Set 2Geneva Peace Week (30 October-3 November 2023)
Save the date--register and sign up for events well in advance!  You can watch the three-minute overview of Geneva Peace Week 2022 HERE. Geneva Peace Week is an annual forum that brings together organizations in Geneva and their international partners to share knowledge and practice related to peace across contexts and disciplines. (hybrid format with over 100 events) Now in its 10th year, the theme this year is "Building Trust, Building Peace--An Agenda for the Future." We have attended five times (in person and on line) and have found the presentations and interactions to be very valuable for ourselves and for colleagues working in almost all sectors!
"Geneva Peace Week [GPW] offers an opportunity to connect and highlight the work of peacebuilders and to expand the space for each and every person, actor and institution that has a role to play in building peace and resolving conflict. GPW recognizes that peacebuilding occurs in many different contexts and cuts across disciplines and sectors. In this sense, Geneva Peace Week breaks down professional silos in order to enable creative responses to violence, exclusion and insecurity. By synchronizing meetings and events on different topics related to the promotion of peace during one week, GPW maximizes synergies between organizations in Geneva and their international partners, focusing on the cross-cutting nature of peace." (quote from the GPW website)Note--Registration and the program of events are available on 25 September. More information is HERE about how to participate. Note that places at the events are limited and many of the events (in person and online) fill up very fast. Hence we are sending this information to you well in advance for you to mark the date and to register and sign up for events by the end of September. More information on this year's theme and the three thematic tracks is HERE.
Resource Set 3
Global Integration Updates (2018-2023)
Finding common ground for the common good 
Image from the cover of Children in War, Christoph von Toggenburg/ICRC (2009). This is the man image used for our Global Integration Update (April 2022), Staring War in the Face.
We have compiled several special issues of the Global Integration Updates over the years that focus on peace and security--building and sustaining peace in our world and dealing with sources and sustainers of violence and conflict. Here are seven examples from the past five years (2018-2023). We encourage you to look through at least one of these issues.
Personal Reflections
Being People of Faith-Hope-Love
California Coastline USA--Image courtesy and © ENOD 2016
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.
This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”
Martin Luther King Jr. Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 1964 As people of faith who practice Christian spirituality, we are committed to responsibly engage with others in the challenges facing our world, locally through globally, while holding firmly to our belief that we are in God's hands. We pray that God's purposes "will be done on earth as they are in heaven;" acknowledge that prayer, repentance, and relationship with God are key to human-planetary wellbeing; and live in hope for the time when God through Jesus Christ will decisively intervene in human history with equity--righteousness and justice--to restore all things. And in the meantime, we seek to embrace lifestyles of integrity that prioritize a deep, practical love for truth, peace, and people--and this includes being willing to acknowledge, resist, and confront evil in its many forms (starting with ourselves ourselves, etc.). We do not want to further problematize our world's plight by focusing primarily on the negative. Rather we want to also promote the many examples of the good going forward, as people of integrity find common ground for the common good.
Finally, we want to highlight that the despair and disillusion that result from seemingly intractable problems like corruption can also be quite positive. They can embody a crucial existential message about reality that can be "revisited"--explored and heeded--rather than simply "resisted." They can point us to Someone who is bigger than ourselves, the SDGs, humanity, and our world--the knowable, Eternal One who is both in and beyond space-time and who loves us all dearly. The above thoughts build upon the Personal Reflections in Perils, Paralysis, Hope: Sustainable Development-Sustainable Destruction? (Global Integration Update, October 2022).
Member Care Associates
MCAresources@gmail.com
 Member Care Associates Inc. (MCA) is a non-profit, Christian organization working internationally from Geneva and the USA. MCA's involvement in Global Integration focuses on the wellbeing and effectiveness of personnel and their organizations across sectors (e.g., mission, humanitarian, peace, health, and development sectors) as well as global mental health and integrity/anti-corruption, all with a view towards collaboratively supporting sustainable development for all people and the planet. Our services include consultation, training, research, resource development, and publications.
Click on these items below to access our:
Global Integration
Global Integration (GI) is a framework for actively and responsibly engaging in our world--locally to globally. It emphasizes connecting relationally and contributing relevantly on behalf of human wellbeing and the issues facing humanity, in light of our integrity, commitments, and core values (e.g., ethical, humanitarian, human rights, faith-based). GI encourages a variety of people to be at the “global tables” and in the "global trenches"--and everything in-between--in order to help research, shape, and monitor agendas, policies, and action for all people and the planet. It intentionally links building the world we need with being the people we need. Our Global Integration Updates are designed to help shape and support the emerging diversity of global integrators who as learners-practitioners are committed to the "common ground for the common good." 2015-current (85+ issues). Some examples of foundational ones:
Doomsday?--June 2017
Living in Global Integrity--April 2017
Peace and Security--December 2016
Global Citizenship--June 2016
Faith-Based Partners in Transformation--August 2015
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Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability;
it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be coworkers with God,
and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of social stagnation.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail (April 1963) |
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