This world that escapes us... How to win peace in the face of new violence?
Paris, October 11th, 2024
7th edition of
the Normandy World Forum for Peace
Caen – September 26th and 27th 2024
This year again, the Normandy World Forum for Peace has kept all its promises. It has to be said that the world is a frightening sight: the spiral of violence could take us to the worst… More than ever, we need to come together to reflect, to learn to work together, but also to comfort each other. The Forum was a real success: over 11,000 people attended, including 3,500/4,000 students, and all the workshops, debates and conferences were fully booked during these two intense days. To benefit from the insights of some 150 experts from over 30 countries is a privilege that makes this Forum a must.
Frédérique Bedos and François-Xavier Priollaud, Vice-President of the Normandy Region, in charge of European and international affairs, hosted the two traditional plenary sessions and an exceptional meeting, initiated by our NGO: “Protecting the Defenders of Freedom”. Both are members of the Forum’s Scientific and Strategic Council along with Nicole Gnesotto, Vice-President of the Institut Jacques Delors and Professor Emeritus at the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM), and Bertrand Badie, political scientist and Professor Emeritus at Sciences-Po Paris.
Understanding the violence of the world’s upheaval
- Acceleration of climate change, demographic explosion, technological progress, economic crises, radicalisation…
- Convergence of different types of violence, with new ones joining the classic ones, which need to be analysed in order to better understand and contain them.
Their unfiltered and unconventional views were particularly enlightening.
Protecting the Defenders of Freedom
As you know, embodiment is very important to Le Projet Imagine: we believe that the most powerful source of inspiration comes from real-life experiences. The emotion aroused by the story of the struggles of men and women who pay the price for their beliefs right in their flesh, touches us at the deepest level of our humanity.
While we admire them, we can still identify with them. Their faith in life, their hope, their ideals penetrate us and elevate us.
But these fighters for hope are increasingly threatened.
Although their missions are recognized by all as being in the public interest, and are the subject of international conventions designed to protect them, humanitarian workers, journalists, environmental activists, human rights defenders… have now become targets!
So, little by little, they are organizing.
The poignant and uplifting testimonies of these defenders of freedom show us the urgent need to join forces and create collective structures to respond, or even fight back… in a word, we need to organize RESISTANCE!
They have honoured us all with their presence: Chirinne Ardakani, the lawyer of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who is still imprisoned in Iran; Bertha Zúñiga Cáceres, who carries her mother’s struggles on: winner of the Goldman Prize in 2015, Bertha Cáceres senior was murdered in Honduras in 2016 because of her activism on environment and human rights; Ndume Olatushani, an anti-death penalty activist, imprisoned in the US for 28 years, including 20 years on death row, for a crime he did not commit; Edouard Perrin, editor-in-chief of Forbidden Stories, an NGO founded after the Charlie Hebdo attack, which also won the “Emmy Award” for best investigative documentary; and Olivier Vandecasteele, the Belgian humanitarian held hostage in Iran for 455 days, now founder of the NGO “Protect Humanitarians”.
Their dignity and courage touched everyone in the room. Their speeches ended with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
You can watch the video below…
Take back control of the world
Despite the growing number of red indicators, we must not resign ourselves because the worst is not inevitable. The major balances of the world are changing and this is also a historic opportunity. That’s why this second morning plenary session coordinated by Nicole Gnesotto is resolutely proactive…
If we want to resolve the current conflicts, it is essential to complemente our diplomatic efforts with a genuine desire for cooperation. To achieve this, we must move away from the deadly logic of competition and power relations.
This obviously involves sharing: a more equitable sharing of power, sharing of resources (whether natural or financial), and sharing of values, with a particular focus on education.
To explore these questions, a wide range of personalities were invited to take part in two sessions. Among them were Asle Toje, Vice-President of the Norwegian Nobel Committee responsible for the Nobel Peace Prize, Thierry de Montbrial, Founding President of the French Institute of International Relations, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Head of Turkish Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and former Turkish Foreign Minister, Donia Kaouach, Executive Director of “Leaders for Peace”, Suzuka Nakamura, founder of the NGO “Know Nukes Tokyo” (for the universal abolition of nuclear weapons), and many others.
You can watch the video below…
The “Normandy for Peace” Framework
Finally, the session ended with a vibrant call to the peoples of the world and their leaders to commit themselves to act in favor of a fair and lasting world peace within the framework of an international “Normandy for Peace” action plan.
Spearheading this initiative, Sundeep Waslekar, President of the Indian think-tank “The Strategic Foresight Group”, who had already participated in the development of the “Normandy for Peace” Manifesto in 2019, recommends articulating this action plan on five priorities.
You too can sign it now !
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Founded in 2010 by journalist Frédérique Bedos, the NGO of information « Le Projet Imagine » aims to create a movement of citizen commitment with a view to a more inclusive and sustainable society.
Convinced that everyone can activate their power to make the world a better place, it raises public awareness through inspiring films and involves the public in action-oriented programs that are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals as defined by the United Nations.These programs are deployed in schools and increasingly in companies, cities and prisons.
Since 2017 « Le Projet Imagine » is officially recognized by the United Nations.
