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N. Mumba: Address to Peace Summit 2023, Session VI-B
Written by H.E. Dr. Nevers Sekwila Mumba, Vice President (2003-2004); Founder, National Christian Coalition, Zambia
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Address to Peace Summit 2023
May 2-5, 2023
We are witnessing one of the greatest shifts in the global order for the human race. The new global order presents multiple challenges to life as we have known it. One of those challenges is GLOBAL PEACE.
We are gathered from the four corners of the world in pursuit of global peace. We are indebted to Rev. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon who through their relentless work have given us hope that world peace is possible.
God’s order is a world in diversity. He created man of different languages, races, and cultures. God created different genders for his own purpose, male and female. But man has used our differences to heighten conflict instead of harmonizing our co existence.
The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has created a dangerous platform that threatens global peace. The West and the East are finally pitted against each other, sending the world into a spin of insecurity and fear. The eruption of the Sudan conflict and the rumors of war in different hot spots of the world places a burden of responsibility on those who seek for peace.
The UPF stands on a firm platform to lead the way in the pursuit of global peace and equitable justice.
The delay in the realization of world peace lies in the ‘biased laced’ efforts in those who wish to promote peace. Conflict involves more than one player. It is time that fair arbitrators for peace are supported. There will be no peace until both sides of the Russia, Ukraine war are spoken to equitably. One sided intervention will only worsen the conflict. The time has come to find unbiased mediators of peace who shall go both to China and Taiwan, to both Russia and Ukraine, to both Rwanda and the DRC, to both Morocco and Western Sahara. We cannot favor one side above the other when we seek to bring peace.
The global war machine has turned into a movement. A multi-billion dollar movement. This movement threatens any opportunity to build a cultural of peace. In order to counter this movement of war, we must turn our efforts of peace building into a movement. A movement which must start on every continent. A movement which shall bring and spread the culture of peace.
My continent Africa, laden with unmatched natural resources has now become the battle ground for the giants from the West and East. A viscious fight for the control of natural resources. This ongoing fight has continued to plunge the continent into a spin of continuous conflict.
Africa has therefore decided to take the corner towards peace. The peace movement must have a strong presence in every African nation and within the walls of the African Union chamber. Africa, out of necessity must now unite and ensure that the West and the East do not continue to use it as a battle ground. African nations must relate to the West and East on a bilateral basis based on individual national interest.
We are however of the opinion that although the conflicts created by outside forces are a menace to peace and stability of the African states, the most lethal conflicts are those created within individual states. Our goal, therefore, should be to monitor and address the intra conflicts as they emerge and take pre-emptive measures to forestall such impending conflicts.
It is at this point that the role and place of NGO’s like the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) become all important and necessary. The UPF with its rich history of promoting peace stands out as a go-to organization by both states and civil society to seek peaceful ways to resolve national internal conflicts.
Most conflicts in Africa are as a result of the fight for natural resources and the political power to control those resources. In countries as greatly resourced as the DR Congo, the foreign element in conflicts is heightened. It is in the interest of the foreign predator to destabilize a rich resourced nation in order to continue plundering its wealth. Internally, the politicians viciously fight for political power with one goal only, to control the natural resources and share it with their tribesmen and appease the foreign powers that help them to acquire that power. Elections have become some of the most divisive exercises in Africa. Electoral commissions which are not fair continue to create unending conflicts in most African countries. UPF can play a leading role in resolving such conflicts by upping their pre-emptive peace summits, preferably six months before elections.
My country, Zambia, on the other hand has demonstrated in the past 58 years since independence that peaceful transition of power is possible in Africa. Zambia has had four major transfers of power. Led by four different political parties.
Zambia therefore qualifies to be a case study on the continent in the peaceful transfer of political power.
I wish to recommend that the UPF considers opening a Peace research center in Zambia to compile good practices that can be shared with the rest of the continent.
Outside the condemned and almost fading military coups in Africa, compromised electoral commissions have become the greatest threat to peace and security on the continent and the sooner we address this threat, the better for peace. I speak from a point of personal experience having contested the position of President three times. We must all work together to mitigate this security threat.
The regional UPF peace Summits are poised to play a pivotal role in bringing peace to the African Continent. These Summits must be inclusive by nature. All warring parties must feel comfortable in the manner these Peace Summits are organized. It is worth noting that, the biggest challenge in most African nations is that of TRUST. Most international organizations and election monitors are not impartial. The ultimate goal of UPF is to win the trust of warring forces in conflict nations.
As former Vice President of my country, Zambia, and one of the long serving Church leaders, I have continued to offer my services to the cause of peace both in Africa and beyond. I further wish to encourage brothers and sisters who have had the privilege to serve their nations in these high positions to put our experiences and resources together to help Africa and the world to come out of this whirlpool of conflict, injustice, and poverty.
Together we CAN.
To go to the Peace Summit 2023 Schedule page, click here.