[The following document was taken from the Hague Appeal for Peace website in late-Feburary 1999. -- ONE COUNTRY EDITORS]

The Hague Appeal for Peace

Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century

Discussion Draft

This Discussion Draft Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century has emerged from an intensive process of consultation between the members of the Hague Appeal for Peace Organising and Coordinating Committees, the numerous other organisations that actively participate in the Hague Appeal for Peace process and the Hague Appeal for Peace programme coordinators. It represents, in draft form, what these civil-society organisations consider to be the most important challenges facing humankind as it prepares to embark upon a new millennium.

The Agenda reflects the four major 'strands' of the Hague Appeal. 1) Disarmament and Human Security 2) Prevention, Resolution and Transformation of Violent Conflict 3) International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law and Institutions and 4) Root Causes of War / Culture of Peace.

In order to develop into a truly global Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century, this document must grow to reflect even more the priorities of civil-society world-wide. Since feedback should be as representative as possible, we encourage you to mobilise your organisation or network - in cooperation, if possible, with other organisations and networks - to discuss this Agenda. Mark your results "Feedback on the Hague Appeal for Peace Discussion Draft Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century," indicate clearly which organisations contributed to drafting the feedback, and send it to:

In order to be considered when compiling the Draft Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century - the core discussion document for the Hague conference - your feedback should reach this address before March 31, 1999. Feedback received after this date, however, will be taken into consideration when compiling the final version of the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century.

The world is emerging from the bloodiest, most war-ridden, century in history. On the eve of the new century, it is time to create the conditions in which the primary aim of the United Nations, "to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war", can be realized. This is the goal of the Hague Appeal for Peace.

Skeptics will say that it cannot be done. The Hague Appeal challenges this assumption. This century has seen unimagined changes. Society now has the means to cure disease, reduce poverty and eliminate starvation. The twentieth century has also seen the creation of a set of universal norms which, if implemented, will go a long way toward making war unnecessary and impossible. And this century has seen the replacement of authoritarian forms of government by democratic governance, a phenomenon which enables civil society to play a far greater role than heretofore in the affairs of humanity.

This historic mission cannot be entrusted solely to governments. Recent years have seen outbreaks of genocide in Cambodia, Bosnia and Rwanda, brutal attacks against civilians and the spread of horrendous weapons of mass destruction capable of ending life on much or all of the planet. In all but a few cases, the world's governments have manifestly failed to fulfill their responsibility to prevent conflict, protect civilians, end war and create the conditions of permanent peace.

As a result, the Hague Appeal proposes a citizens Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century. This will entail a fundamentally new approach, building on the recent model of New Diplomacy in which citizen advocates, progressive governments and official agencies have worked together for common goals. We will embrace the moral imagination and courage necessary to create a 21st century culture of peace and to develop national and supranational institutions which ultimately must be the guarantors of peace and justice in this world.

There is already much to choose from. Civil society has flourished since the end of the Cold War and launched campaigns aimed at eradicating landmines, reducing the traffic in small arms, alleviating third world debt, ending violence against women, abolishing nuclear weapons, stopping the use of child soldiers and building an independent, International Criminal Court. These grass-roots efforts are having a major impact. They are succeeding because they engage ordinary people; because they integrate different sectors (human rights, the environment, disarmament, sustainable development, etc.); because they invite the full participation of women, youth, indigenous peoples, minorities, the disabled and other affected groups.

These campaigns have generated unity and cohesion and demonstrate what can be done when people are listened to instead of talked at.

The Hague Appeal for Peace intends to listen, learn and then to build. Out of this process will emerge a new citizens' Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st Century. It is a vital and realisable goal.

Components of the Hague Appeal, from the conference program to the campaigns, are motivated by the following main themes:

Traditional approaches to preventing war and building peace have by and large failed disastrously. This is evidenced by the growing brutality of warfare, and the callous disregard for civilian life in such conflicts as Kosovo, the Congo and Sierra Leone. Big-power bullying tactics are not diplomacy. Sanctions that starve the poor are not solidarity. Fire-brigade peacekeeping efforts are no substitute for sophisticated early warning systems.

It is time to redefine security in terms of human and ecological needs instead of national sovereignty and national borders. This will establish new priorities, and redirect funding to sustainable development instead of armaments.

The violation of human rights is one of the root causes of war. These violations include the denial of economic, social and cultural rights, as well as political and civil rights. The artificial distinction between these two sets of rights can no longer be tolerated.

We are profoundly encouraged that civil society and progressive governments are choosing 'soft power' paths, utilizing negotiation, coalition building and new diplomacy methods of settling disputes, while rejecting the 'hard power' dictates of major powers, militaries and economic conglomerates.

The rule of law has been contemptuously ignored in contemporary conflicts. The Hague Appeal seeks to invigorate, develop, and promote universal adherence to and implementation of international law. It also seeks to create and invigorate the international institutions of law, like the International Court of Justice and the new International Criminal Court. International law must also be made more accessible to individuals.

It is time for people to assert their commitment to peace and - if necessary - to wrest peace-making away from the exclusive control of politicians and military establishments. Too often, peace initiatives are proposed as a last resort, with negotiations restricted to the warmongers, and imposed on those most affected (particularly women and children). Those who have suffered most must have a place at the table when peace agreements are drawn up, with equal representation for women. If necessary, civil society should also convene peace initiatives before a crisis gets out of control, and lives are lost. This could help to turn early warning from a slogan into a reality.

The alarming concentration of economic power and the irresponsible imposition of neo-liberal, macro-economic policies are destroying the environment, generating poverty and desperation, widening divisions and fomenting war. The Hague Appeal encourages efforts to challenge this destructive model of globalization through community-based coalitions such as the Jubilee 2000 call for debt forgiveness and through campaigns to eradicate poverty.

The United Nations system and other multilateral institutions have the capacity to be a unique and universal force for peace. Yet in recent years they have been treated with cynicism, politicized and under-funded. The international system must be revived, democratized and provided with resources if it is to realise its potential in peace-building. In particular, we call for a Security Council that can serve human security rather than Great Power interests and for a radical reorientation of international financial institutions to serve human rather than corporate needs.

The Hague Appeal demands the speedy and effective intervention of humanitarian forces, subject to the prescriptions of the United Nations Charter, when civilians are threatened by genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and extreme national disasters. It is extraordinary that so little attention has been paid to the idea of establishing a standing intervention force. Civil society should consider new forms of civilian intervention as a matter of urgency.

The allocation of resources is seriously distorted. Many of today's conflicts are fueled by economic greed and the grab for raw materials, while billions are spent on the arms trade and other forms of militarization. At the same time, many worthwhile peace initiatives and programs for human security suffer from a lack of funds even though governments have adopted an extraordinary series of global action plans at the historic world conferences convened during the last ten years. These priorities must be reversed. In addition to eliminating weapons of mass destruction and drastically curbing the arms trade, military budgets must be progressively reduced.

The Hague Appeal for Peace will serve as a launch pad for several major, new initiatives and actions. It will also infuse many important, ongoing campaigns with increased momentum. Other campaigns will be identified between now and May 1999. Among these campaigns will be:

The International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA) will launch the next major grass-roots disarmament campaign, for a drastic reduction in the trade in small arms.

The International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) will unveil its first report on implementation of the Ottawa mine ban treaty and renew the call for its universal ratification.

The Coalition for an International Criminal Court (CICC) will launch a global campaign to ratify the statute and complete the establishment of the new court.

Abolition 2000 and the Middle Powers Initiative will present their campaign for a convention outlawing nuclear weapons, building on the momentum generated by the 1996 International Court of Justice advisory opinion and the New Agenda Coalition.

The Hague Appeal with the Institute for Defense and Disarmament Studies, Union of Concerned Scientists and World Order Model Project, will promote the launch a major new program for a phased reduction in military establishments over a period of years, accompanied by the creation of effective mechanisms for conflict prevention and resolution.

The Helsinki Citizens Assembly and a number of other groups plan to start a world-wide coalition of peace forces to promote humanitarian intervention.

The Hague Appeal will call for a major campaign (1) to make universal peace education compulsory in primary and secondary schools and in teacher education, (2) to include, as standard offerings, human rights- and peace-studies in universities and compulsory international law education in law schools, and (3) to strengthen cooperation with UNESCO's program to promote a culture of peace.

The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers will intensify its campaign to prohibit the recruitment and use in hostilities of children under the age of 18.

Actions on poverty, i.e. raising economic rights to the same level as civil and political rights, are being planned.

Implement a Global Action Plan to Prevent War that will Complement Measures to Protect Human Rights and Strengthen Nonviolent Conflict Resolution with the following major steps: (1) Strengthening Global and Regional Security Institutions; (2) Replacing Unilateral Military Intervention with Multilateral Defense against Aggression and Genocide; and (3) Negotiating Deep, Phased Reductions in Military Forces, Weapons and Budgets, aiming for a Global Defensive Security System.

As a first step toward disarmament and demilitarization, the Hague Appeal for Peace endorses the Women's Peace Petition, which calls for a 5% reduction a year for 5 years in military spending and the reallocation of these substantial resources toward human security - educational, health care, environmental, food, housing and employment programs.

Nuclear weapons still threaten the survival of all human kind. In order to comply with their legal obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, all states should negotiate and conclude a Nuclear Weapons Convention within five years. Failure to comply would result in states being brought before the International Court of Justice. The Advisory Opinion on Nuclear Weapons of the International Court of Justice in July 1996 explained that the obligation points to negotiations aimed at reaching total nuclear disarmament.

The New Agenda Coalition's resolution, adopted by the First Committee of the United Nations, calls on the nuclear weapons states to commit to taking the immediate practical steps and negotiations required to comply with legal obligations under Article VI of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Steps toward nuclear disarmament include: ratification of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; adherence to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty; de-alerting; no-first use; the de-nuclearization of regional security arrangements; extension of nuclear free zones; and a ban on fissile materials and subcritical tests. In the interest of transparency and accountability, stocks and warheads being made by nuclear weapons states should be declared. Fissile material stocks and nuclear warheads, withdrawn after arms control agreements, should come under international control.

Small arms, light weapons and landmines pose the biggest threat to human security; their use results in the majority of civilian deaths. The Hague Appeal for Peace endorses the campaign of the International Action Network on Small Arms. All states should negotiate and implement a comprehensive global code of conduct for all exports of all types of conventional weapons, including light weapons, small arms and guns. Perpetrators of violence should be held legally accountable as well as local justice systems that guarantee individual rights. International institutions prosecuting these criminals should be supported and international laws enforced.

Steps toward stopping the flow of weapons include: controlling legal transfers between states; safeguarding the availability, use and storage of small arms within states; preventing and combating illicit transfers; preventing weapons transfers to human rights violators; collecting and increasing transparency and accountability; reducing demand by reversing cultures of violence; reforming public security institutions; creating norms of non-possession; promoting more effective and sustainable demobilization and reintegration of former combatants.

All states should sign, ratify and adhere to Mine Ban Treaty on the Prohibition of the Use, Production, Stockpiling and Transfer of Anti-personnel Landmines and on their Destruction. Globally, 133 nations have signed and 58 have ratified. The treaty, which opened for signature in December 1997, will enter into force on 1 March 1999, faster than any other major international treaty.

In addition to the vital and urgent task of demining, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines puts a high priority on governments destroying their stockpiles of mines as a form of "preventive mine action." Transparency on stockpiles, and other mine-related matters is essential.

Funds should be made available for victim assistance and demining by diverting a percentage of military budgets.

The Hague Appeal for Peace calls for mechanisms to assess the impact of new weapons (e.g. depleted uranium) and technologies and to determine if the use of new and indiscriminate weapons violate international law.

The Hague Appeal calls for universal adherence to the Outer Space Treaty (1967) in order to prevent the deployment of "weapons of mass destruction" in space by any nation. The treaty, ratified by 91 countries, states that nations should "avoid" activities that could produce harmful contamination of space as well as adverse changes in the environment of earth. This treaty, which is the basic framework for international space law, requires universal adherence to prevent the deployment of weapons in space.

All countries should ratify the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) as part of a global effort to abolish all weapons of mass destruction.

All countries should adopt strong national legislation that fully implements the BWC and CWC conventions without qualification and should participate in current efforts to enhance compliance with th