Human Wrongs Watch

By Johan Galtung*

18 November 2015, Alfaz, Spain (TRANSCEND Media Service) –  The world wave of mediation has reached school systems all over; in some countries less, in others more. Like in Spain, as evidenced by this heavily oversubscribed seminar on school mediation. When asked to express what they want to see happen in schools, the most frequent answer was convivencia, living togetherness. In one word, not as a composite concept. Like in Japanese, the one word is kyosei.

Johan Galtung

What does it mean, concretely? I would interpret it as positive peace at school. Something behavioral: cooperation for mutual and equal benefit.

Equity. Something attitudinal, emotional resonance, I enjoy your joy, I suffer your suffering: Empathy. Harmony.

But the school is a big, holistic place. Not only children, but also adults, teachers and staff. And parents.

Positive togetherness within and between all these four groups? A huge order.

Many simplify this to togetherness among children, and not positive, only less negative. Less bullying, to protect victims–parents demand that–and to use teacher time for teaching, not keeping discipline–the staff demands that. However, it all hangs together.

Human Wrongs Watch

Protest march of women workers for higher wages, and against male domination in trade union politics in tea plantations at Munnar in southern Indian state of Kerala. Credit: K.S. Harikrishnan/IPS

The 47-year-old tea labourer in the Idukki district of the southern state of Kerala, along with 6,000 other ill- educated women labourers held protests as they said they had been exploited for years and were now ready for their rights.

Human Wrongs Watch

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 18 November 2015 urged United Nations Member States to make available all information they may have in their possession related to the circumstances and conditions of the crash that killed Dag Hammarskjöld while he was serving as UN chief more than 50 years ago.

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Portrait of former Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. UN Photo/JO (file)

Human Wrongs Watch

By Robert J. Burrowes*

18 November 2015  – As expectations build for a global consensus to emerge from the United Nations climate conference in Paris, starting on 30 November 2015, that could agree to taking action to limit any rise in global temperature to 2 degrees celsius, I would like to explain why these expectations are misplaced. And what we can do about it.

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Source: UNEP

The essence of the problem is that most people and organizations are asking elites to take action on their behalf rather than taking action themselves.

Not only is this a fearful and powerless approach, it reinforces the widespread delusions that elites have the power in this regard and that they are responsive to our pleas.

Neither of these is true.

We have the power and elites only respond when we create the circumstances that compel them to do so. And not otherwise. Hence, it is the action that we take, as individuals, communities and organisations, that generate the outcomes we want.