History

THE AFRICA PEACE FORUM SOCIETY
(formerly the Africa Working Group of the World Peace Forum)

At the end of 2005, a group of people of diverse origins got together as the Africa Working Group (AWG) of the World Peace Forum 2006 to illuminate the colours of peace in Africa during the World Peace Forum held in Vancouver in June 2006. 

The group identified a number of needs for peace in Africa and developed the program below, which has been reproduced here for ease of reference:  

ABOUT THE AFRICA PROGRAM OF THE WORLD PEACE FORUM 2006

There is an urgent need to foster a culture of peace in Africa where conflicts are resolved by dialogue instead of violence. As a matter of priority, the international community should adopt effective and legally binding agreements of arms brokering with common standards on monitoring and enforcement. There is an urgent need to consolidate our global efforts in ending a culture of impunity and lay criminal charges against those who export small weapons to conflict areas.

The Africa Working Group of the World Peace Forum 2006 concentrated on three priority areas:

- Education for peace,
- Health issues,
- and Justice in Africa.

Participants attending the Africa Working Group activities engaged in discussions pertaining to the search for peace in Africa and the quest for the African people to attain a culture of peace and sustainable development.

HIV/AIDS affects a significant percentage of the African population. Most of the people do not have access to adequate medicine and treatment due to lack of disposable income. In our opinion, industrialized nations must honor their pledge to development and commit long-term development assistance that will allow African countries to implement sustainable development plans.

There is a pressing urgency to restructure Africa’s judicial system so that people's rights are protected by the state. If a nation fails to protect the rights of its citizens, the international community has the responsibility to protect citizens whose lives are threatened by the state. Special attention should be given to ethnic minorities and marginalized groups such as women, youth and people with disabilities.

By creating societies based on the rule of law, we will be able to reverse the brain drain that forces many African people to flee their home countries in search of a better quality of life and where individual freedoms are guaranteed regardless of their race, color, gender, sexual orientation and place of origin.

As part of the lead up to the World Peace Forum 2006, the Africa Working Group organized the first African Peace Festival on 6 May 2006 at the Ukrainian Cultural Center.
The event brought together grassroots African and peace activists, artists and NGOs to celebrate and discuss peace and social justice issues in an informal and upbeat setting.

ORIGINAL MEMBERS OF THE AWG OF THE WORLD PEACE FORUM 2006

Lubna AbdelRahman	Jean de Dieu Hakizimana	Paul Mulangu
Gizachew Adamu	Jacky Essombe	Cara Ng
Margaret Akulia	Jenny Francis	Imtiaz Popat
Bayush Araya	Tanniar Leba	Susan Ruzic
Sultan Begna	Moussa Magassa	Lama Mugabo
		Tara Cooper