We all know whatever improvement in the live’s of children health and education or in terms of gender equality or people talking about climate change or improved health systems to address like HIV/AIDS and other deadly diseases or improved income levels to come out of poverty all these changes we can see is due to commitment made by different nations to the 8 MDGs. Though agree that we are not clear whether we will be able to achieve the Goals in the given time but at least there is a start and countries are working on it some very seriously and some not so seriously but their are VISIBLE CHANGES from the various UN reports.
Why do we see all these changes because countries have realised the importance of education, health, poverty, climate changes, and collaboration among different countries and have set a dead line and developed a strategy to address it, because they have set it as there PRIORITY.
But why the nations do not realise PEACE as priority, take some examples where countries are having regular violation of PEACE like in case of:
1. India and Pakistan for Kashmir
2. South and North Sudan
3. Palestine and Israel
4. Chechnya in Russia
5. LTTE in Sri Lanka
6. Cote de Ivory
7. Somalia
8. Arab world like Libya, Syria
9. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran
1. India and Pakistan for Kashmir
2. South and North Sudan
3. Palestine and Israel
4. Chechnya in Russia
5. LTTE in Sri Lanka
6. Cote de Ivory
7. Somalia
8. Arab world like Libya, Syria
9. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran
Due to all the violence there is NO PEACE and there is huge violation of Human Rights taking place like family members losing their bread earners in the form of men and youth either kidnapped or killed or missing, girls and women are being raped and or in mental trauma and are in self imposed house arrest. Children are losing their childhood and apart from this basic rights like education, health services, employment and food are not properly reaching them to survive. PEACE IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT HUMAN RIGHTS.
There could be many reasons for lack of PEACE like due to political change in the country, leader want to show their power in the region, expansion of the national territory, ethnic or cultural rights, migration from different countries, terrorism, naxals and their ideology.
When there is no PEACE there is another major violation of human rights take another example in the form of refugee, asylum seekers and internally displaced, according the UNHCR report there are nearly 43.7 million people are forcefully displaced and leaving in camps, again no PEACE. Why people have to leave their mother land, house, family, friends, education, employment and stay in a camp. Why on the earth we need this camps why cannot the government make them as their citizens who are giving them asylum or they have to be sent back to the respective nations.
It is not that UN is not making efforts, the historical “An Agenda for Peace” in 1992 by Secretary- General Boutros Boutros–Ghali was a great step with preventive diplomacy and peacemaking, peace keeping, peace building, disarmament, sanctions, enforcement actions as some of the key motives of the Charter. Over the years it has done some incredible job in preventing the wars, sending the peace keeping forces in the war areas, sending the peace makers to bring the conflict to an end, writing sanctions to the countries who are violating the laws.
Why cannot we all have PEACE as our MDG -9 and take it as a priority and set a deadline and start working for PEACE. Though states argue that PEACE process in on and we are working for it but why cannot we make it as an obligation and set as a deadline which will speed up the process.
We have a very good example in the form of East and West Germany getting united and look where they are now in world scenario.
As I am not an expert in International Relations nor a strategic Analyst, only thing I know and millions of people know is PEACE, now it is up to the intellectuals to frame goals and develop a clear action plan in achieving it. But I would like to share few points here like:
9.1 PEACE from regional conflict among two nations
9.2 PEACE from violence created by Insurgents
9.3 PEACE from violence created by Naxal
9.4 PEACE from any kind of Micro or Macro level issues.
9.5 Refugee Camps has to be closed and the people have to be either being recognized as their nationals or have to be sent back to their respective nations with dignity.
Without PEACE we cannot achieve the MDG.
Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal - Martin Luther King, Jr.
