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CITY OF VANCOUVER OTHER REPORT |
Report Date: |
March 16, 2005 | |
Author: |
Denise Salmon for P&J Committee | |
Phone No.: |
604.873.7269 | |
RTS No.: |
4996 | |
CC File No.: |
3120-1 | |
Meeting Date: |
March 31, 2005 |
TO: |
Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets |
FROM: |
Joint Steering Committee: City of Vancouver Peace and Justice Committee and World Peace Forum Society |
SUBJECT: |
World Peace Forum 2006 |
CONSIDERATION
THAT the Joint Steering Committee submits its report and the following requests to Council for consideration:
a. To endorse the World Peace Forum 2006;
b. To host the general assembly of the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities and to host a joint meeting of representatives from the International Association of Peace Messenger Cities, Mayors for Peace and Cities for Peace;
c. To commit $150,000 from its 2005 budget towards supporting the organizational costs of the World Peace Forum 2006;
d. To commit a further $50,000 from its 2006 budget towards the hosting of the joint meeting referred to in (b) above;
e. To designate City of Vancouver staff to work and liaise with World Peace Forum 2006 and the World Urban Forum, and to coordinate the hosting of the general assembly and joint meeting referred to in (b) above;
f. To adopt `peace and sustainability' as the theme for the City of Vancouver banners in the spring-2006.
CITY MANAGER'S COMMENTS
The City Manager notes a separate staff report, feasibility study and analysis addressing the above requests from the Steering Committee will accompany this report for Council's CONSIDERATION.
COUNCIL POLICY
There is no applicable Council Policy.
PURPOSE
This report provides the background of, the rationale for and the evolving plans to host the World Peace Forum 2006 in Vancouver, June 23 - 28, 2006. It is designed to provide the Mayor and Vancouver City Councillors with the information necessary to confidently decide to endorse the World Peace Forum 2006.
BACKGROUND
The details of the program will be developed over the months leading to the World Peace Forum 2006 and communicated as the program evolves via website, print and electronic media. The World Peace Forum Society has undertaken to organize and schedule core program plenary sessions covering various themes for the entire week of the program. We will invite social movements and organizations around the world to propose and assume primary responsibility for the content and delivery of various seminars and workshops that would run concurrent with the core programming. We will take responsibility for specific scheduling of events and venues. A detailed and extensive program outline will be published online and in hard copy to assist participants to schedule their time during the 5 days of the Forum. (See Program - Structural Framework, page 29)
In the early planning stages we solicited possible themes for plenary sessions and workshops, each of which could be realized through multifaceted approaches and forms of expression. We anticipate organizing sessions on both thematic and regional bases. International input will be reflected in the development of the program for the World Peace Forum 2006.
Themes to date include:
Justice; Bridging the Generations - Living and Learning; Youth Against War; Cities & Peace; Building a Culture of Peace; Women against Wars & Wars against Women; Ending Racism - Ending War; Indigenous Peoples and Peace; Resources for People Not Militarism; Sustainability and the Environment; Impunity and International Law; Redress and Reconciliation; Faith and Spirituality; Ballistic Missile Defence; Nuclear Disarmament; Arts and Culture for Peace; Human & Ecological Security; Labour and Peace; Peace Education; Peace and Public Health; Peace and Public Education; Water and Peace; Peace and Housing; and regional fora on the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, Micronesia and the Americas.
The World Peace Forum 2006 will feature large plenary sessions with prominent world thinkers, cultural performances, thematic and regional seminars and numerous workshops and discussions. Daytime sessions will focus primarily on thematic content interwoven with cultural presentations. Evening events will be designed to elicit substantial participation with a more prominent cultural component alongside notable national and international speakers. All sessions will be open to interested citizens from Vancouver, regionally and locally.
FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS
The World Peace Forum Society is seeking financial support from the City of Vancouver. A separate report will be submitted to City Council.
CONCLUSION
We look forward to your endorsation of what we believe will be a watershed event in the growing global movement towards a peaceful, just and sustainable world in our lifetimes. We are hopeful that the World Peace Forum 2006 in Vancouver will be the start of a series of such international gatherings held at other cities around the world in the years to come.
We thank you in advance and in anticipation of your support, and look forward to working with you, the City, the School, Parks and Library Boards to ensure that the World Peace Forum 2006 in June 23 - 28, is an unqualified success.
LINK TO WORLD PEACE FORUM 2006 DOCUMENT
LINK TO APPENDIX B OF ABOVE NOTED DOCUMENT
PLEASE NOTE: ALL OTHER REFERRED TO APPENDICES ARE ON FILE IN THE CITY CLERK'S OFFICE
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