Our October newsletter is being brought to you by our National Coordinator Alley McDonald.

This October we want to highlight our Reflections on the Walking Together for Peace initiative; Keep Space of Peace Week; International Day of Nonviolence; and so much more happening this month!

Be sure to scroll all the way down for upcoming events, calls to action, and recommended resources!

VOW's work of peace, anti-war and demilitarization merits your support! Make a donation. Even better, join our growing number of Monthly Peace Partners. Consider $5 or $50 or any amount in between. Become a Peace Partner today!

On September 22, world leaders meeting at the UN for the Summit of the Future adopted a Pact for the Future which included commitments to strengthen multilateral action and cooperation on key issues impacting on the future. (See See UN adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance, UN press release).

The Pact included commitments on preventing nuclear war and achieving global nuclear disarmament. However, these commitments are vague and do not include comprehensive measures for implementation, nor a time-frame for achieving the global elimination of nuclear weapons.

Peace and disarmament organizations including Basel Peace Office had submitted stronger nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament proposals, some of which were included in the Peoples Pact for the Future, a joint civil society advocacy document for the Summit.

In this event on October 1, civil society leaders involved in the UN Summit of the Future and in the global nuclear abolition movement will discuss the nuclear risk-reduction and disarmament commitments agreed at the Summit, as well as the civil society proposals to the Summit, and campaigns for their implementation. 

DEFSEC is Canada's second largest arms dealing/trading war mongering weapons shows!

The DEFSEC Protest will be at the Halifax Convention Centre, 1650 Argyle St. (Argyle Street Entrance), from 12 noon to 1pm on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, October 1, 2, and 3.  We will be holding signs that say "War Crimes Start Here".  We will provide the signs.  Please join Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace if you can!

Uphold the Nuremberg Principles!

WILPF's Women, Peace and Security Programme, Reaching Critical Will, and WILPF's Environment Programme have recently published a new report investigating the nexus between the nuclear and fossil fuel industries, and state repression of activism against these industries. 

'Petrobromance,' Nuclear Priesthood, and Police Repression: Feminist Confrontations of Violent Industries, and Movements to Abolish Them analyses, from a feminist and gender-transformative perspective, trends and parallels in how the nuclear and fossil fuel industries operate and entrench their power; their impacts on communities, including gendered impacts; and the ways in which resistance against these industries is suppressed by police, militaries, and private military and security companies. Drawn from research and consultation with activists, organisers, academics, and members of impacted communities, this research aims to create a shared knowledge base and illuminate paths forward for deeper collaboration across movements, including, but not limited to, among antinuclear, environmental, and land and water defence movements.

Join us on Wednesday, 2 October 2024 at 09:30-11:00 EDT, with Edwick Madzimure and Joni Seager, moderated by Ray Acheson and Genevieve Riccoboni, to discuss the report's main findings!

Gandhi Jayanti, which falls on October 2 every year, is commemorated to honour the birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. In 2023 the Mahatma Gandhi Canadian Foundation for World Peace hosted "peace meals" in Halifax and Edmonton. The purpose of these meals was to informally engage others in dialogue about non-violence over a shared meal.

This year we would like to invite you, members and non-members, to host your own "peace meals" with family and friends on October 2, Gandhi Jayanti. The gatherings can be large or small, but we invite you to document your "peace meal" using photos, video or text and send them to us by using the contact information found here. We will then, with your permission, share your stories on our website and social media.

Every October the GN calls for global actions to support “Keep Space for Peace Week”

With the current US-NATO expansion happening worldwide, seeking full spectrum dominance, we are viewing our Keep Space for Peace Week this year as the most important one since the Global Network was founded in 1992. The prospects for space-directed WW3 between the US-NATO and Russia, China and Iran are greater than ever.

Most of the global public has little to no understanding how space technology these days is in the driver’s seat of modern warfare. Thus we feel the enormous need to increase our efforts to help plant the seeds in the international public consciousness about keeping space for peace.

So we hope that you and others in your community will find ways to help us reach out to the people and sprout these crucial seeds during this extremely dangerous moment.

This year during space4peace week we wish to highlight the unprecedented role of satellite technology in targeted killings in Gaza and beyond.

Nonviolence International invites everyone to join us on October 6, 7, and 8 for "Every Life, A Universe, End the Suffering: Global Days of Remembrance and Action." During these days,

1. wear a black ribbon or armband,
2. organize or participate in community vigils, sit-ins, sharing circles, walks, events, fundraisers, fasting, or humanitarian efforts, and
3. use the hashtag #EveryLifeAUniverse and black ribbon graphic on social media.

These days of remembrance are a chance to reconnect with our shared humanity, reflect deeply, and stand firmly against violence and oppression.

Let us honour those who have suffered, not just in our words but in our actions. Let us be the voice of the silenced, the hope for the hopeless, and the strength for the oppressed. Together, let us prove that nonviolence is not weakness but the most powerful force we possess—a global force capable of bending the arc of history toward justice.

Join us for an engaging discussion introduced by Dr. Walter Dorn and Dr. Arn Jurgensen on the topic of NATO's relevance in today's world. Dive into the complexities of international security and diplomacy at this thought-provoking event.

Dr. Walter Dorn is Professor of Defense Studies at the RMC and Canadian Forces College. As an “operational professor,” he partricipates in field missions and assists international organizations, especially the UN. He has represented SfP at the UN since 1983.

Dr. Arnd Jurgensen teaches international relations at the University of Toronto. He has written on topics ranging from US foreign policy and Sustainable development to regime change and democratization in Latin America. Arnd is a board member of SfP.

In-Person Registration HERE.

The TPFF 2024 Program is now live. Check out the excellent films and events planned for this year. Stay tuned for more announcements. Tickets on sale now.

Palestinian Youth Movement is commencing one year since the beginning of this awful genocide and with your support they've been mobilizing for months and months. To commemorate one year they are organizing a rally in Toronto and would like to bring as many of our community members there as possible. Bus transportation from KW to Toronto is being organized, sign up below to secure your spot.

eSIMs help Palestinians stay connected during internet outages. We'll show you how to buy and send them, with costs covered by Crips for eSIMs for Gaza.

🍉 Queer youth for Palestine! 🌈 Join us on Oct 10, 6-8 PM at Massy Arts to send eSIMs to Gaza, make art, and share snacks! This free event is for queer and trans youth 16-29. 🎨 RSVP required: https://tinyurl.com/esimartbuild ✨ 📱Bring your own devices for eSIM purchases! Need one? DM @myceliumbc by Oct 3.

We'll be at Gaza square once again this Sunday morning with hot chocolate and coffee, buttons and posters, lawn signs and colourful chalk! Come say hi and meet your fellow neighbours/organizers as we make our presence known and continue to build safety in our community!

TKARONTO: LET’S KEEP THE PRESSURE ON EVERY MONDAY! 📱🍉

Week after week, we’re keeping the momentum going with our Monday lunchtime zaps.

Our collective action is making waves, but we need to ensure our elected officials continue to feel the pressure until real change happens.

Gather with neighbours in an online space to phone, email, and fax representatives together! Guidance, script, and contacts provided. Invite your friends!

☎️Whether you’ve zapped before, or are just getting started, all are welcome in this weekly action! And if you’re interested in organizing in your neighborhood - these zaps are a great way to meet your people. Bring a friend or two! Facilitators from GTA ridings are present to offer support, demo live phone calls, and answer questions.

The International Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the philosophy and strategy of non-violence.

According to General Assembly resolution A/RES/61/271 of 15 June 2007, which established the commemoration, the International Day is an occasion to "disseminate the message of non-violence, including through education and public awareness". The resolution reaffirms "the universal relevance of the principle of non-violence" and the desire "to secure a culture of peace, tolerance, understanding and non-violence".

The principle of non-violence — also known as non-violent resistance — rejects the use of physical violence in order to achieve social or political change. Often described as "the politics of ordinary people", this form of social struggle has been adopted by mass populations all over the world in campaigns for social justice.

Duckworth was a founding member of the Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace, a provincial branch of the national peace organization called the Voice of Women (VOW). Within a month of her participation with NSVOW, the group had successfully blocked the United States from dumping nuclear waste off the coast of Nova Scotia.

From 1967 to 1971, she served as president of VOW leading protests against the Canadian government's quiet support for the US-led war in Vietnam.

If you’re going to talk about peace, you’ve got to talk to the people on the other side”

— Muriel Duckworth

Muriel Duckworth played a pivotal role in the creation and development of Canadian women’s social and peace movements at the local, provincial, and national levels. Recognized for her contributions by many institutions, she received eight honorary doctorates from universities, is a member of the Order of Canada, and received the Person’s Award. But despite these and many other awards, it was her ability to motivate and mobilize communities into activism, her championing of diversity, and her relentless commitment to creating a better world that are truly her greatest achievements.

The Security Council adopted resolution (S/RES/1325) on women and peace and security on 31 October 2000. The resolution reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction and stresses the importance of their equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security. Resolution 1325 urges all actors to increase the participation of women and incorporate gender perspectives in all United Nations peace and security efforts. It also calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict. The resolution provides a number of important operational mandates, with implications for Member States and the entities of the United Nations system.

On the opening day of the UN Summit of the Future yesterday, world leaders adopted a ground-breaking Pact for the Future that also includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations (See UN adopts ground-breaking Pact for the Future to transform global governance, UN press release, September 22).

This Pact is the culmination of an inclusive, years-long process to adapt international cooperation to the realities of today and the challenges of tomorrow.  As the Secretary-General has said, "we cannot create a future fit for our grandchildren with a system built by our grandparents."

While innovative and ground-breaking, the PACT is not as ambitious as hoped by many like-minded governments and civil society networks who had advanced a range of even stronger proposals for better global governance to ensure peace, environmental protection, human rights, democracy and sustainability for current and future generations. See, for example, the Peoples Pact for the Future.

The NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security has released the October 2024 edition of our Monthly Action Points (MAP) on WPS for the UN Security Council. For October, in which Switzerland has the presidency of the Security Council, the MAP provides recommendations on the situations in Libya and Myanmar, as well as thematic recommendations on Women, Peace and Security.

Join author Yves Engler on Mondays for a weekly news roundup and interactive discussion about Canada’s role abroad. This weekly session will delve into the latest developments on subjects ranging from military affairs and Canada’s role in Ukraine to its contribution to Palestinian dispossession and exploitation of African resources. Join Yves for a critical take on Canada’s foreign policy. Questions, comments and criticisms are all welcome.

Mondays 6PM EST

Be sure to renew your membership and donate to support our important work building a culture of peace in Canada and so that we can continue to hire youth throughout the year. Make a donation today!