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N. Ahmed: Address to World Summit 2015
Written by Hon. Lord Nazir Ahmed, House of Lords, United Kingdom
Friday, August 28, 2015
Address to World Summit 2015, Seoul, Korea, August 27 to 31, 2015
Thank you to the Universal Peace Federation for working so hard for peace and development in the world, from the Korean peninsula to the Middle East and from South Asia to Africa.
Since its founding, UPF has been deeply committed to building a world of peace, and its presence and impact continues to grow and develop today
The World Summit [convenes to address issues of peace, security and development]. We have all gathered together to contribute towards creating a world of peace and prosperity, and will only achieve it collectively. It feels like only yesterday I was holding the hands of brothers and sisters on the streets of Jerusalem [as a participant in the Middle East Peace Initiative program]. We came together and united for a common cause as that is what it means to be human, to come together and solve an issue as one. I remember visiting the holy sites, which gave me a feeling of peace, and meeting with the chairman of the Israeli Knesset and the late Palestinian leader, Chairman Yasser Arafat. At the time, Yasser Arafat’s office buildings had been bombed and he was still working from the same buildings. We also had a chance to visit Gaza. The situation in the Middle East then was as critical as it is today.
The European Union has called on the government of Israel to commit unequivocally to the two-state solution and welcomes the announcement made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to commit to a peace that would include a Palestinian state. It has urged both Israel and Palestine to take immediate steps to resume peace negotiations, respecting previous agreements and understandings. To that effect, the [European] Council also calls on both parties to implement their obligations under the Roadmap.
The Council remains deeply concerned by settlement activities, house demolitions and evictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including in East Jerusalem. The Council urges the government of Israel to immediately end settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem, and to dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001. It reiterates that settlements are illegal under international law and constitute an obstacle to peace. The Council also urges the Palestinian Authority to continue to make every effort to improve law and order. All parties must stop incitement and violence against civilians and respect for international humanitarian law must be ensured. The EU will continue to follow closely on investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law.
This World Summit has arrived at an important time as not only the Middle East needs an urgent peace initiative, but also Africa. Tensions in Gaza, Palestine, Syria, Libya, Iraq, and Yemen have spread to Somalia and Sudan. The Summit is also timely because the UN General Assembly is set to [adopt] the [post-2015 development agenda at its forthcoming meeting in September], will appoint a new secretary-general of the UN, and is discussing reforming the Security Council. [It is also working on a] long term resolution to the Palestinian issue and on a resolution to the Kashmir problem.
Here, I express my deepest concern regarding the postponement of talks between the Foreign Ministers of India and Pakistan. Mr. Sertaj Aziz, the Pakistan Foreign Advisor, produced a dossier relating to the Indian intelligence services (RAW), which promotes and supports terrorism in Pakistan. Also, the Indian Foreign Minister refused to allow a meeting between Kashmiri leadership and Sertaj Aziz to go through.
On one hand, India wanted to invite [Kashimiri leadership] to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Meeting, which was proposed [to be held] in Islamabad. Yet, on the other hand, they wanted to exclude the Kashmiri leadership from an important dialogue for peace between India and Pakistan. What are their true motives?
More and more Kashmiris are being killed in the Indian-administered Kashmir. Just this week, there were further tragedies due to forcing of leadership to stay indoors.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Even though we gather time and time again through various events, trying to help cure the world of its many flaws, the human race is still divided. If we look at the Middle East, we see the tragedy of Gaza, the blockade and suffering of Palestinian children; we also see occasional rockets being fired from Gaza that cause concern to Israeli civilians.
The only answer to the current turmoil in the region, that is endangering international peace and security, is to resolve the Middle East conflict and end the prolonged Israeli military occupation of Palestine. This is indispensable for the future stability of the region, and the world.
It is regrettable that we are still not closer to peace today.
A just, peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will open the door for a new era in the region. It could bring stability and cooperation within the Middle East, and it may help other countries in the region seek a similar solution.
The civil war in Syria, Iraq and Yemen needs Iran and Saudi Arabia to put their differences to one side and stop the bloodshed. This is not a Shia-Sunni war of religious ideology but two oil rich countries seeking to be recognized as regional powers.
Your Excellencies, there is potential for this conflict to become an opportunity for peace and development in the region if we can encourage trade and business relations and dialogue about shared values and beliefs.
When talking about Arab states, EU foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, said, “We need an alliance. We need to strengthen our way of cooperating together.”
Further to this, the EU advises it and Arab states work together for peace and development.
The European Council calls on all partners to contribute actively to the achievement of a comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Underlining the importance of the Arab Peace Initiative, the EU invites Israel and all Arab countries to take confidence-building measures to overcome mutual mistrust and to create an atmosphere conducive to conflict resolution. Solutions to a lasting settlement of the conflicts between Israel and Syria and between Israel and Lebanon, among other conflicts in the region, must be pursued in parallel, creating mutually reinforcing processes.
A comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict also requires a regional approach, covering the political, security and economic dimensions. Encouraged by enhanced US engagement and convinced that the benefits of economic development and security would facilitate achieving agreement [between parties] on various political tracks, the EU stands ready to use all instruments at its disposal, such as the European Neighbourhood Policy and the Union for the Mediterranean. Through numerous agreements it has with partners in the Middle East, the EU is uniquely placed to work with the parties on key regional development issues. In light of further developments at the political level and on the ground, the EU will carefully assess how its policies and programs can promote concrete and early results [to achieving] a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.
With these solutions and [considering] the future relations we may create, let us hope that we can find some peace in this world of ours.
There can be no peace without justice.
Peaceful societies can only be built on the foundation of a strong justice system. Whenever a massive catastrophe [occurred] in human history, blood was shed, [indicating] denial of justice was a root cause. Ladies and gentlemen, we are here [today] talking about peace and how to build a peaceful society [now and for] our coming generations, and so we should not ignore the fact that peace can only be achieved when we take maximum measures to build a strong justice system.
We should be creating ministries of peace rather than ministries of defense.
All around the world, [we see a number of countries that have] strong ministries of defense. Leaders in most of these countries spend billions, if not trillions of dollars on their defense systems. If these countries [thought about having] ministries of peace instead, it would not cost them even a quarter of what they are spending on defense. In my opinion, the ministries of peace would be more effective [than the ministries of defense]. [The purpose of ministries of peace and what they would do] would produce an opposite result [to what ministries of defense do]: Instead of conflict and violence, we would find peace, security and development [advancing in our world].
The arms race has created a gridlock within the system of peace. It is a competition revolved around weapons, big armies and military technology. It encourages governments to enhance their armies and multinational companies to increase their production of [artillery and technology for the military], rather than [advancing] human development. Overall, the arms race creates a system where peace and development are put to the side.
I want to see the free distribution of pens and computers, not guns and grenades. Today, [governments] waste more money than ever on nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. In North Korea, money would be [far] better spent feeding malnourished children and providing peace and prosperity to its people. In the Middle East, in Africa, in India, and in Pakistan, money would be better spent on education, on health, on the environment, and on clean water access, rather than on bombs and rocket launchers. This is what a ministry of peace can achieve; it can build peace beyond borders.
You have to be at peace with yourself first [before you can] be at peace with your neighbors. So, let's do it together, let’s achieve a common ground where we can work alongside each other and create a better world today.
Dr. Moon’s vision for a UN assembly of religious leaders [continues to be] significant and should be incorporated into the UN.
I believe that reforming the UN to make it more representative would be a step forward for it. The Security Council should be more representative of the modern world in which we live. It is only right and fair that the various religions and faiths of our world are reflected in one of the world’s most prominent international organizations.
As a final remark,
I hope that after this summit has ended, we can all go home and relay what we have gathered from it to our governments and/or parliaments. I hope that we are able to achieve significant peace, security and development for the world. We may think that we have little influence as an individual, but together, as a united force, we hold significant life-changing power.
For more information about the World Summit, click here.