From: ICIS-Institute for Cooperation in Space <alw@peaceinspace.com>

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

"Cities and Communities: Working Together to End War and Build a Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World"

World Peace Forum 2006

#420 - 550 West 6th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1A1

Tel: 604-687-3223/ Fax: 604-687-3277

An Invitation to the World:

The World Peace Forum Society and the City of Vancouver Peace and Justice Committee invites you to attend the World Peace Forum 2006, June 23 - 28, 2006 in Vancouver, City of Peace.

Vision and Objectives

The World Peace Forum 2006 is a major international gathering in Vancouver on the issues of peace and sustainability. The Forum will be broad in scope. It will provide an umbrella under which movements and organizations working on peace and sustainability issues: including city representatives, indigenous people, women, youth, labour, seniors and all concerned citizens, who will come together, network and demonstrate to the world that there is a growing international commitment to peace, justice and sustainability.

More than 50% of the world's peoples live in cities. Working in our own communities we can build a movement for global change. The groundswell of opposition to the U.S. led war on Iraq say major demonstrations in 600+ cities around the world in 2003. It was organized city by city by hundreds of thousands of activists linked via the Internet.

Cities and local authorities, acting with community support, can effectively contest global militarism. We can curtail ballooning military budgets which starve local and regional governments of the resources necessary to provide quality housing, health, education and community services. Our challenge is to co-ordinate the networks of civic and social movements to work towards a peaceful, just and sustainable world, city by city, across nations and internationally.

A culture of peace: "a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of live that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root cause to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations." (UN Resolution, A/RES/52/13)

Vancouver City Embraces World Peace Forum 2006

Vancouver's City Council has unanimously embraced the World Peace Forum 2006, inclusive of financial support, to be held in cooperation with the UN's World Urban Forum June 19 - 23, 2006 also in Vancouver. Coordination of the World Peace Forum 2006 with the World Urban Forum presents a unique opportunity to dialogue and to build effective networks. Already national and international organizations are planning to hold their meetings in Vancouver to dovetail with the Forum, such as:

? World Peace Council North American Division,

? International Association of Peace Messenger Cities,

? Mayors for Peace and Cities for Peace,

? World Federalists of Canada,

? UN Association (Canada),

? International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War,

? International Education Forum - BC Teachers' Federation and

Education International,

? Canadian PUGWASH AGM,

? Abolition 2000.

Others are in the planning stage. Significant overlapping events include:

? World Youth Congress and

? The Earth Festival

International Input Critical

The World Peace Forum 2006 will build on existing regional peace and justice networks, with special attention paid to involving people from the global south.

The program of the World Peace Forum 2006 will be established as much as possible by those organizations that participate in the Forum. We want the program to reflect the concerns of the peace and sustainability communities

worldwide.

We invite organizations to propose seminars or workshops with the above themes, or propose new themes for consideration.

To date the following themes have emerged: Justice;

Bridging the Generations - Living and Learning:

Youth Against War;

Cities and Peace: Building a Culture of Peace;

Women against Wars against Women;

Ending Racism - Ending War; Indigenous Peoples & Peace;

Resources 4 People not Militarism;

Sustainability and the Environment;

Impunity and International Law: Redress & Reconciliation;

Faith & Spirituality;

Preventing the Weaponization of Space;

A U.N. Space Preservation Treaty

Ballistic Missile Defence;

Nuclear Disarmament;

Arts and Culture for Peace;

Human & Ecological Security;

Labour & Peace;

Peace Education;

Peace & Public Health;

Peace & Public Education;

Water & Peace;

and Peace & Housing;

Regional fora on the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Micronesia and the Americas are being planned.

Some proposals already received are similar to others received. As we see potential affinity between organizations' proposals, we will put like minded, complementary organizations in tough with one another. We will propose they explore what possibilities might exist for broader, more collaborative approaches. Our intention is that the consultative process leading up the World Peace Forum 2006 is itself a capacity building process locally and internationally.

The Forum will integrate culture and content throughout the program.

Contact: Jef Keighley, Executive Director- Outreach

jkeighley@worldpeaceforum.ca

Lynn Hainsworth: Executive Director - Operations

lhainsworth@worldpeaceforum.ca

Tania Aquila: Administrative Coordinator

admin@worldpeaceforum.ca

www.worldpeaceforum.ca

We look forward to welcoming you at the world Peace Forum 2006 June 23rd to June 28th.

Themes identified - we invite additions

* Justice

* Bridging the Generations - Living & Learning

* Youth Against War

* Cities and Peace

* Building a Culture of Peace

* Women Against Wars & Wars against Women

* Ending Racism - Ending War

* Indigenous Peoples and Peace

* Resources for People Not Militarism

* Sustainability and the Environment

* Impunity and International Law

* Redress and Reconciliation

* Faith and Spirituality

* Preventing the Weaponization of Space;

* A U.N. Space Preservation Treaty

* Ballistic Missile Defence

* Nuclear Disarmament

* Arts & Culture for Peace

* Human and Ecological Security

* Labour and Peace

* Peace Education

* Peace and Public Health

* Peace and Public Education

* Water and Peace

* Peace ad Housing

* Regional Fora on the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Micronesia

and the Americas.

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Campaign for Cooperation in Space