Hague Appeal Sets a New Agenda.

We came together--human rights activists, those from the spiritual and religious community, feminists, indigenous, lawyers, environmentalists, and peace organizers--to forge a culture of peace for the new century. Following 100 war-filled years and in the absence of a peace conference among the United Nations summit meetings of the past decade, civil society had to give peace the last word of the century. And the United Nations was front and centre at the historic Hague Appeal for Peace Conference, held from 11 to 15 May 1999. The Conference was called by civil society but included representatives of Governments and intergovernmental organizations working together in what has become known as the "new democratic diplomacy". The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century--a 50-point guide to the abolition of war and the creation of a culture of peace--is the Conference product.

It was the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first Hague Peace Conference convened in 1899 by 30-year-old Czar Nicholas of Russia and 18-year-old Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. Some 1,500 young people were among the nearly 10,000 participants from over 100 countries who gathered at The Hague. Five Nobel Peace laureates, two prime ministers, two foreign ministers, heads of major international organizations, landmine victims, people from the bombing and terror in Kosovo and Serbia, women from Bougainville meeting their country's enemy from Papua New Guinea, people from Armenia and Azerbaijan and from North and South Korea--all came together under the banner of "Peace is a Human Right".

Indeed, it was at the first Hague Peace Conference that the idea of the pacific settlement of disputes was born and which led eventually to the establishment of the International Court of Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the League of Nations. Just as The Hague delegates in 1899 called for the elimination of dumdum bullets, so The Hague Appeal for Peace and Justice calls for the elimination of nuclear weapons and landmines, and a drastic reduction in the trade in small arms. Just as the 1899 Conference asked for the possibility of an agreement on the limitation of armed forces and military budgets, so, too, The Hague Agenda calls for the progressive reduction of all military budgets and a reversal of priorities so that human security--education, health, sanitation, jobs, literacy--not national security becomes the first concern of Governments.

The 1899 Conference "humanized war", said Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's Prime Minister, while The Hague Appeal for Peace "aims at making war a matter of the past". In 1899 and again at the second Hague governmental peace conference in 1907, civil society played a crucial role outside of the conference chambers. Millions of women petitioned the delegates. At the centennial, civil society was welcomed inside the meetings and had equal rights to speak and participate. This was most appreciated, and delegates included many suggestions in their final report.

We reported on the 11 campaigns launched at the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference, details of which are available on our web site: www.haguepeace.org. We also urged government representatives to join us in calling for ratification of the Statute of the International Criminal Court; implementation of the Convention to ban landmines; abolition of nuclear weapons; endorsement of the Global Action Plan to Prevent War; support for the campaign to prevent the proliferation and unlawful use of small arms; recognition of the menace of poverty as a major cause of conflict and the need for the redistribution of resources towards its elimination; and a massive effort to introduce peace education to all schools in the world. Other campaigns call for the prohibition of child soldiers and of depleted uranium and one on globalization and militarization.

The Conference succeeded not only because it was the largest such meeting in history or that we brought together such a diversified gathering of people or that we deliberated together. We were successful because we emerged with a step-by-step programme for the prevention of future situations of distress and conflict. We were successful because we agreed that the negotiating tables of the twenty-first century must no longer be set by women for men representing "the sides", but must reflect the demographics of the conflicts to be prevented or resolved: young people, women, victims, as well as "the sides". Only thus can a sustainable peace be reached.

Now we shall distribute and implement the Hague Agenda1 then help coordinate a global peace education programme. We will maintain a database on actions taken and people involved and a news list serve. We are committed to contribute to a new way of thinking and doing. The new century must be safer and saner and more democratic for our children and grandchildren.