essay about peaceful community

Essay on Peace

500 words essay peace.

Peace is the path we take for bringing growth and prosperity to society. If we do not have peace and harmony, achieving political strength, economic stability and cultural growth will be impossible. Moreover, before we transmit the notion of peace to others, it is vital for us to possess peace within. It is not a certain individual’s responsibility to maintain peace but everyone’s duty. Thus, an essay on peace will throw some light on the same topic.

Importance of Peace

History has been proof of the thousands of war which have taken place in all periods at different levels between nations. Thus, we learned that peace played an important role in ending these wars or even preventing some of them.

In fact, if you take a look at all religious scriptures and ceremonies, you will realize that all of them teach peace. They mostly advocate eliminating war and maintaining harmony. In other words, all of them hold out a sacred commitment to peace.

It is after the thousands of destructive wars that humans realized the importance of peace. Earth needs peace in order to survive. This applies to every angle including wars, pollution , natural disasters and more.

When peace and harmony are maintained, things will continue to run smoothly without any delay. Moreover, it can be a saviour for many who do not wish to engage in any disrupting activities or more.

In other words, while war destroys and disrupts, peace builds and strengthens as well as restores. Moreover, peace is personal which helps us achieve security and tranquillity and avoid anxiety and chaos to make our lives better.

How to Maintain Peace

There are many ways in which we can maintain peace at different levels. To begin with humankind, it is essential to maintain equality, security and justice to maintain the political order of any nation.

Further, we must promote the advancement of technology and science which will ultimately benefit all of humankind and maintain the welfare of people. In addition, introducing a global economic system will help eliminate divergence, mistrust and regional imbalance.

It is also essential to encourage ethics that promote ecological prosperity and incorporate solutions to resolve the environmental crisis. This will in turn share success and fulfil the responsibility of individuals to end historical prejudices.

Similarly, we must also adopt a mental and spiritual ideology that embodies a helpful attitude to spread harmony. We must also recognize diversity and integration for expressing emotion to enhance our friendship with everyone from different cultures.

Finally, it must be everyone’s noble mission to promote peace by expressing its contribution to the long-lasting well-being factor of everyone’s lives. Thus, we must all try our level best to maintain peace and harmony.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Peace

To sum it up, peace is essential to control the evils which damage our society. It is obvious that we will keep facing crises on many levels but we can manage them better with the help of peace. Moreover, peace is vital for humankind to survive and strive for a better future.

FAQ of Essay on Peace

Question 1: What is the importance of peace?

Answer 1: Peace is the way that helps us prevent inequity and violence. It is no less than a golden ticket to enter a new and bright future for mankind. Moreover, everyone plays an essential role in this so that everybody can get a more equal and peaceful world.

Question 2: What exactly is peace?

Answer 2: Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in which there is no hostility and violence. In social terms, we use it commonly to refer to a lack of conflict, such as war. Thus, it is freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups.

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How to Resolve Conflict Without Violence: Building Peaceful Communities

Table of contents, the role of communication, the power of empathy, the role of mediation, seeking compromise.

• Wilmot, W. W., & Hocker, J. L. (2018). Interpersonal Conflict. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In. Penguin.
• Katz, N., & Lawyer, S. (2007). The mediation of conflict. Routledge.
• Decety, J., & Jackson, P. L. (2006). A social-neuroscience perspective on empathy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(2), 54-58.
• Stewart, C. (2015). Facilitation at a Glance!: Your Pocket Guide to Facilitation. Lulu Press, Inc.

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• Section 5. Promoting Peace

Chapter 28 Sections

• Section 1. Overview: Some Spiritual Assets for Community Building
• Section 2. Being Compassionate
• Section 3. Being Charitable Towards Others
• Section 4. Forgiveness and Reconciliation
• Section 6. Spreading Hope
• Section 7. Promoting Hospitality as a Way of Life
• Section 8. Mindfulness and Community Building
• Section 9. Gratitude and Appreciation
• Section 10. Mercy

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• Main Section

Clarify the nature of peaceful approaches and behaviors in community settings, and learn how to develop, refine, and utilize them in community practice.

This and other sections in the Tool Box chapter on Spirituality and Community Building (Chapter 28) have been written with the support and contributions of experts connected with the Charter for Compassion. For more information about the Charter and its work, visit  www.charterforcompassion.org .

“Everyone must be committed in the matter of peace, to do everything that they can …

Peace is the language we must speak.” — Pope Francis

Introduction

This section is about peace – a most fundamental asset to community building, to personal growth, and to the very survival of our planet. At the heart of many faiths, practices, and cultures, advancing peaceful co-existence is essential to ensuring productive, meaningful lives and sustainable societies.

After providing a working definition of peace, our main focus will be on practical steps one can take to advance peace, so that we can strengthen ourselves and our communities. We’ll supplement this guidance with examples throughout. These come from initiatives stimulated by the Charter for Compassion , its partner organizations, and many others who offer practical models that individuals, groups, and/or governments can employ for peace-building. We will also consider how we, as individuals, can be enriched by establishing peace within our individual lives, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

Throughout this section we draw from actual events and emphasize personal experiences. Assisting in authoring is September 11 th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows , whose members have connected with others from over 25 countries – from Rwanda and South Africa to Japanese survivors of atomic bombs; these individuals have lost loved ones, or themselves been injured by mass violence through war, terror, or other incidents, but they have joined together to work toward a more peaceful future.

To get us started on the topic of promoting peace, let us look to what may seem at first to be an unlikely source for leadership and inspiration – the mountains of Afghanistan. There live a group of young people who have been surrounded by war from birth, from Soviet invasions to warlords, Taliban fighting, and more recently the American invasion. As a result, several of them have been severely injured and/or lost family and friends due to conflicts that have nothing to do with their interests. 

Yet they have not responded with a violent thirst for revenge, but rather by forming the Afghan Peace Volunteers . This group has held peace marches and vigils in areas across the Middle East and has worked to support other youth and victims of war, while strengthening education and justice within their own communities. They challenge you and me, and the entire world, with their simple question: "Why not friendship?" Perhaps you would like to respond to their heartfelt plea. They welcome everyone to join in their conversations toward mutual understanding, called Global Days of Listening .

Youth and adults across the U.S. and the world have joined in these calls to discuss ways to make our communities safer and to live together in peace. Later in this section, we will discuss how a student group in Groton, MA participated, sharing dreams and strategies. If these young people can embrace peace and see a way forward through mutual support with those who have been enemies, we can all find that path, whether in our home communities or across the globe.

The Author’s Personal Story As a 9/11 family member, this topic of peace is profoundly important to me. My brother, Donald Freeman Greene, having hugged his beloved wife and young children goodbye, headed off on an early flight on September 11, 2001 to visit our siblings on the West Coast. He died on that beautiful morning as a passenger aboard United Flight 93. Young men, deluded into thinking that they were acting in accordance to their religion’s beliefs and/or to benefit their people, had taken over the plane in an act of extreme violence. Their intent to use the airplane as a weapon, most likely aimed at the United States Capitol, was thwarted by passengers who came together to retake control of the cockpit. In my anguish and personal loss, it was still painful to me to hear the call of the Flight 93 passengers – "Let's Roll" – taken up across the nation and used as a justification to head to war. The nation embraced the idea that a military approach would teach our enemies a lesson and destroy them. Yet we must ask ourselves, what is the lesson? As hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, predominantly women and children, have died due to the ensuing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, we have failed to demonstrate in any way that violence against civilians is ever justified. We have lost far more young soldiers than the number of people who died in the September 11th attacks. The wars seem to have perpetuated the same misguided belief held by the terrorists – that enemies can simply be eliminated. Prior to the wars, the group that launched the 9/11 attacks, Al-Qaeda, was a very small extremist faction with virtually no presence in Iraq. Now ISIS, an extreme offshoot of Al-Qaeda, has emerged and taken over large sections of the country, even as the Taliban has crept back into power in Afghanistan. Eventually, I learned of other 9/11 family members who shared my perspective and had formed September 11 th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, turning our grief into actions for peace. Our goal is for no other families anywhere in the world to suffer needlessly due to violence, whether from terrorism, war, or other causes. Our name comes from the prescient quote by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.: "The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars make poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows." (Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr, "The Casualties of War in Vietnam,” Speech, Los Angeles, CA, January 1967.)

Several elements are useful in defining peace. On an individual level, peace may start with having calmness within oneself. Expanding outward, peace entails agreement and harmony among people. At its largest scale, peace is to live without violent conflict or war. Peace underlies our quality of life and the fabric of our communities; and, as our weaponry becomes ever more powerful, our very survival as people on this planet depends upon it.

Many spiritual traditions and teachings throughout history have emphasized peace, both as an inner journey and as an outward commitment to live in mutual benefit with our families, our communities, and in the world. Yet in our current global landscape we often see peace described in an inverted way, so that “keeping the peace” has come to refer to soldiers and “peace-keepers,” or to armed militia.

A number of other terms and concepts are necessarily related to the creation of peace, including fairness, justice, inclusiveness, and human rights. These must be embedded into the community in order to foster agreement and harmony. Peace is strongest when derived from social justice, which can be defined as ensuring fundamental rights and equity to all. Strengthening civil society – the rules that bind us and allow us to live productively together, with established means of resolving conflict – is the means to those ends.

The Importance of Peace to Community Building

Peace enriches our communities and individual lives, as it directs us to embrace diversity and support one another to the fullest extent possible. Through caring, generosity, and fairness we provide a cornerstone for attaining a sustainable, just, meaningful, vibrant, and fulfilling personal and community life.

To bring home this point, consider the following questions:

• Can our families and communities thrive without mutual support and peace with our neighbors?
• Can peaceful communities exist without attention to justice and equity?
• What would be the prospects of a world without peace?

Situations Favoring the Promotion of Peace

Detection and action.

Promoting peace requires valuing and considering both oneself and others. As such, peace is central to every situation throughout our lives. Just as a child is enriched as he or she learns to take on more responsibilities, the meaning in our lives grows as we learn to recognize and take more responsibility for one another and the world.

While such a broad application is encouraged, individuals or communities can enhance their impact by strategically focusing their efforts. In community organizing, promoting peace is in many ways similar to other areas of strategic planning. The Charter for Compassion and the Community Tool Box recommend the following four steps that can help to detect and set peace-building priorities, then develop peaceful action opportunities:

1. Discover and Assess

Learn more about the issues and assets that affect peace in your community. A quick snapshot of concerns can be identified through statistics on criminal activities, hate crimes, and school incidents. Many of these statistics can be found on the FBI website  or on commercial sites such as city-data.com .

More in-depth information may be gained from discussions with residents, local human rights commissions, and/or parent-teacher associations. The cultural and spiritual organizations in your area can also be valuable in engaging diverse residents to share their cultures and to promote your learning about current efforts devoted to harmony and cross-cultural/interfaith understanding. You can reach out and participate in some of their activities.

Participatory Asset Mapping builds on discussions with community residents in order to identify and map locations of issues of concern (such as high crime areas), community assets to protect (such as parks, schools and organizations), and factors that impact community violence (such as vacant lots and abandoned buildings). For helpful guidance, refer to the tools available from organizations such as the Advancement Project .

2. Focus and Commit

With this information in hand, choose the most important issues to you and your community, particularly those you can commit to in promoting peace. Here are some among many potential areas of focus that individuals and community peace organizations have chosen, ranging along a continuum from simple to more extensive:

• Arts, music, and cultural programs that promote peace
• Peace and interfaith collaborations, events, vigils, and rallies
• Anti-bullying and other violence prevention initiatives in schools
• Restorative justice programs in schools and community settings that focus on healing rather than punishment
• Partnership strengthening between residents and police
• Formation of local peace commissions
• Establishment of sister-city programs with other communities
• Instituting community by-laws and other policies that foster peace and justice

Several of these will be discussed in more depth, with examples, later in this section.

3. Build and Launch

You don’t have to start building from scratch. Join with others already active in your community to pursue your goals for peace-building. Learn if your town has a peace commission or similar organization. Even if not, the Charter for Compassion lists many communities that have committed to the principles of compassion and are mobilized to take action. You can contact the local organizers of such efforts, or follow their guidelines to help start and implement your own.

4. Evaluate and Maintain

Evaluating your peace-building efforts can help ensure they are effective and sustained. Setting clear and measurable objectives can pave the way for progress that can easily be transparently monitored.

It is vital to be inclusive and listen to the voices of the entire community as you develop, implement, and evaluate as well as celebrate the success of your actions. Guidance is available on the Creating and Maintaining Partnerships portion of the Community Toolkit.

Contexts for Promoting Peace

Below are several different contexts and situations for strategically promoting peace: all involve being inclusive, proactively addressing needs, and anticipating situations that may arise.

When Defining Community

 As we form and define our communities, the groundwork for promoting peace can be laid by ensuring that all in the community are welcome and that none are excluded.

When Strengthening Policies and Initiatives

Peace-building calls upon us to ensure that policies and procedures benefit the entire community. A fundamental first step is to establish and follow a clear, fair, and just rule of law. This relies on full participation of diverse residents and stakeholders in its development and maintenance so that everyone’s needs and contributions can be incorporated.

Consider, as an example, the long history of unequal law enforcement in the United States. The mission of the police is to advance justice: Yet too often black youths and other people of color have been profiled by the police, resulting in unfair, and in some instances life-threatening, treatment. We must recognize the persistence of discrimination even as we make progress and take action to root out its many forms.  For instance, Maryland responded to recent serious incidents by issuing new guidelines for police departments throughout the state. These guidelines explicitly condemn the arbitrary profiling of certain races, ethnicities, and other minority groups, and restrict the circumstances under which police officers can consider those characteristics during interactions with the public. The guidelines are accompanied by new training programs for police officers and ways to partner with residents. As reported by the Baltimore Sun , Attorney General Frosh wrote in a memorandum, “The time has come for these principles to be transformed into uniform practice” across the state – covering not just race and ethnicity, but also national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. “Experience has taught us that improper profiling by police exacts a terrible cost, discouraging cooperation by law-abiding citizens… and eroding community trust.” Furthermore, the Baltimore Police Department has established a Community Collaboration Division that recognizes the importance of a close partnership with residents and other community sectors. Its mission is "to develop strategies that produce collaborative partnerships between law enforcement, Baltimore city residents, faith-based organizations, businesses, schools, media, other government agencies, and non-profit organizations.”

When Others in the Community Fall under Our Care

Paying attention to maintaining individuals’ dignity and quality of life when they are under our care can help ensure the ability of all residents to live more peaceful, tranquil lives. As we consider the following circumstances, remember that we, or those we care about, all might fall within these categories at one point in our lives; and while we are responsible for others they also are responsible for us:

• Children are a joint responsibility of our community. Whether in our families, foster care systems, schools, or society in general, we collectively bear responsibility for ensuring children’s safety and fostering conditions and opportunities that help them flourish.
• A number of other vulnerable populations fall under our care, including those who are frail, ill, or have other special needs.
• It is also a community responsibility to ensure that those who are incarcerated, in mental health facilities, or otherwise institutionalized are treated fairly and humanely.
• Refugees and recent immigrants need us as well, while they in turn contribute to strengthening our communities. Opening one's community and one’s heart is a great act of compassion – one many of our own families may have relied upon at some point in their history.
• All who inhabit our Earth: It is important to recognize that our responsibility for peaceful cohabitation ultimately extends to every human being, across all corners of the earth. We even need to consider how best to co-exist with other living creatures, as they are important contributors to the interdependent ecosystems of which we are a part and on which we depend for survival on this fragile planet.

As documented in books such as Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization , by Steven Solomon, caring for the earth is essential for being able to live in peace with one another. Many of the most serious conflicts that have arisen, from genocide in the Sudan to the recent fighting in Syria, have stemmed from environmental collapse and resource depletion.

Acknowledging our connections and responsibilities to one another and our world does not mean that everyone needs to take on every issue; but awareness of mutual dependency is an important foundation to acting peaceably. Spiritual traditions offer many ways of safeguarding this care, calling for us to be good shepherds of the earth.

For example, First Nation tradition recognizes that we are all guests on the earth and responsible for taking care of nature for those yet to come. The law of the Iroquois, for instance, guides us to make community decisions that will serve those who will be born seven generations into the future.

In sum, there are few if any situations in which being conscious of respect, inclusiveness, and justice will not help to promote peace. The public health community has recently been embracing the concept of “Health in All Policies,” and this is equally true for peace and justice.

STEPS IN DEVELOPING AND PROMOTING PEACE

There are many paths to climbing a mountain; similarly, there are many paths through which a commitment to peace can be used to strengthen oneself and one's community. There are approaches one can take as an individual, a family, an organization, or a community, nation, or general society. Some of these are simple, while others require more commitment and resources. Let us consider each approach in more detail.

Finding Peace Within

Many maintain the importance of establishing peace within oneself in order to bring about peace in the world. Quelling the tendency to be at war with oneself, and with those closest to us, can be among the most rewarding, if difficult, accomplishments. You could start by acknowledging your worth and your flaws – we all have both. With that acceptance, show compassion toward yourself, and seek out strategies and supports best suited to you and your circumstances.

In the box below is a story from another member of September 11 th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Antonio Aversano. An artist who works with young men involved in the juvenile justice system, Antonio describes his inward journey and choices.

A Son’s Personal Lessons from 9/11 At the time of this writing – almost 14 years since September 11th, 2001 – it seems effortless to share these words as they are unencumbered by some of the traumatic feelings and perceptions from the day my Dad, Louis F. Aversano, Jr, was killed in the World Trade Center. The experience of losing my Dad through such a globally impacting tragedy was one of feeling broken open . All that I knew to be “reality” was shattered. And, from this breaking of all that I knew and all I knew myself to be, I believe I experienced what some call Grace – as the Soul of who I am rose to the surface and since has become an integrated and instrumental part of who I am and how I live my life. It is from this place of new perception that came the main life lesson that I received from my Dad’s death: I HAVE CHOICE! How would I choose to live my life from that moment on? Just the realization that I had a choice was itself a transformation. To both be washed over by grief, anger, and the temptation of revenge, while also clearly sensing that beyond my pain there was another way forward, felt like I was given a huge Divinely-guided gift. Day by day I came to accept what happened in my life and decided to honor the best of who my Dad was, who I am, and who we all are by living a life guided by Love and dedicated to Peace. In essence, I learned that if I want to live in a peaceful world, the seeds of Peace must first bloom within me. Living in Peace is a process reflected in each moment by what I choose to believe, how I filter my perceptions, and all the ways I then act, create, and live the gift of my life.  By witnessing and having compassion for the impulses of fear, hatred, and ill will in my own mind and heart, I learned that self-awareness and a commitment to personal transformation is the most profound action that I can take in cultivating Peace in my own life. By doing so, the possibility for Peace comes alive in every moment, in every interaction, and in every way I am called to serve others. The Peace that shines from within becomes a beacon for a peaceful way of being that, through its demonstration in everyday life, has a profound and incalculable ripple effect with the potential to reach its waves around the world.

Ensuring Peace within Families

Domestic violence and child abuse are urgent problems that have often been viewed inappropriately as private, rather than as community concerns. Correcting this misperception is an important first step to addressing these too-prevalent crimes that have risen to epidemic proportions in the U.S., and are routine in many other nations as well. A World Health Organization report cites annual costs of child abuse and domestic violence to the United States economy as a staggering 106 billion dollars annually (1.1% of the gross national product).

Nearly one-third of U.S. women have experienced domestic violence, with almost one-quarter reporting severe physical violence such as being strangled, hit with a fist, or stabbed (as reported by NPR and the Washington Post ). Bureau of Justice statistics indicate that a majority of homicides of women in the U.S. are committed by a family member or intimate partner, while the World Health Organization reports that internationally this figure is as high as 38 percent.

Author and advocate Gloria Steinem emphasizes that these are crimes of domination rooted in unequal power dynamics. Those perpetrating such crimes in families, she observes, are more likely to eventually commit crimes in community settings linked to dominance as well, such as hate crimes. When these domestic crimes are ignored or inadequately addressed, it places everyone at risk. In her book Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide , Andrea Smith traces linkages in the other direction, from the community to the individual and family. She describes the many arenas in which historic and ongoing violence and oppression waged against Native American communities has segued into violence against women.

Security analysts from Texas A&M, in their book, Sex and World Peace (Hudson, et al., 2012), further trace gender violence as predictive of a society’s use of violent means of conflict resolution, finding gender equality an important indicator of the security of a nation. Despite the scale of such violence, there is evidence that it is neither universal nor inevitable. The World Health Organization has established that effective interventions exist to address individual, relationship, community, and societal factors. Recommended community-level interventions include:

• Reducing the availability of alcohol
• Changing institutional settings – e.g., schools, workplaces, hospitals, and long-term care institutions for the elderly – by means of appropriate policies, guidelines, and protocols
• Providing training to better identify and refer people at-risk for interpersonal violence; and Improving emergency care and access to health services.

Gender violence activists often emphasize that these problems are best solved through empowerment and community strengthening. For example, the organization MASUM , based in India, holds that a “primary belief is that people can resolve their own problems collectively with some amount of external support; thus, rather than create dependence on itself, MASUM focused on strengthening people’s perspectives on democracy, equality, secularism, and social justice.”

While providing counseling for women victims of violence, MASUM also engages women and men in changing the community context. This includes public actions that raise awareness across the community, exerting pressure on village leadership to act on behalf of the victim /survivor, instituting programs from early childhood to prevent violence and discrimination against women, and fostering efforts by young men and husbands to advance women’s rights.

Living Peaceably with Others

As individuals, we need to recognize the extent to which all of us are interdependent. It behooves us to direct our energy and resources toward supporting, not harming, one another. The person we dismiss or even hate today may be connected in ways we don't realize to our own well-being.

You can make a tremendous difference by welcoming others into your life and community. This starts with gaining an awareness of those you may not have thought about who are new to the community, or simply new to you. They may be at work, at schools you or your children attend, down the street, or in isolated pockets of your community.

Thirteen percent of people living in America were born outside the country ( American Community Survey 2013 estimate ). Rather than being fearful or resentful, learn about those in your area who are following America’s great tradition of immigration and their contributions to its prosperity. What are their cultures, traditions, assets, and needs? How can you draw upon what they have to offer, ease their transitions, and help welcome them into the fabric of your community?

To learn the answer, you may have to reach out and extend yourself. You might start by going to events where you can learn more and offer assistance.

Providing Assistance to New Americans Need inspiration? Consider this story about Omar Shekhey , a Somali-American cab driver who founded and runs the nonprofit  Somali American Community Center , based in Clarkston, Georgia. The Center works to help refugees integrate and adjust to life in the United States through programs and services addressing social adjustment, education, health, and advocacy. Its services help refugees find housing, obtain food, and navigate the immigration process. With after-school programs for youth, the Center also provides assistance with homework, builds math and reading skills, and helps refugee students successfully integrate into the American school system.  

Seeking Reconciliation

Many of us must confront having been harmed, either directly or through a history of harms done to our family or people. There is a choice to be made: to exact revenge, or to seek justice and reconciliation. By separating the deed from the whole person, we can begin to forge connections and to heal. Empathy can arise when we acknowledge that we might have acted in a negative way under the same circumstances, or by recognizing that people are multidimensional and can change and grow.

Below is a poignant example, of someone who chose to honor his fallen family members by forgiving their murderers. The Forgiveness Project has gathered additional stories of victims and perpetrators who have traveled on the path toward forgiveness and reconciliation in an effort to encourage people to consider alternatives to resentment, retaliation, and revenge. The Community Tool Box section on Forgiveness and Reconciliation  explores these journeys in more depth.

Father Romain’s Story Romain Ruringarwa is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. He was away at school, studying to be a priest, when the genocide broke out. He returned to his village to find his parents, all eight of his siblings, and many other family members slaughtered by neighbors whom they had lived with throughout his life. He himself had to hide for several months in the bushes with other youth struggling to survive and avoid the carnage. In facing his deep loss, his heart would often fill with an intense anger. At night, he would console himself by looking up at the stars hanging so brightly above him in the open air, and thinking of them being members of his family shining above him, a blanket of light and love keeping a safe watch over him. He would get himself to sleep by recounting the many rich stories they would tell him and the other children in the village about the stars. As Romain thought of his family, all he could remember was people who were full of love, not just for him but for others as well. They made every effort to help their neighbors. When thoughts of revenge came in waves upon him, he felt that such feelings drove away memories of his family. As he weighed the future before him, he made a choice. He would honor his family, not by revenge – acting in kind in the same fashion as those who had committed such horrible deeds – but instead by compassion and working toward peace and reconciliation in the tradition of his family. It was in many ways the harder choice; but it has been deeply fulfilling, as it keeps their memories alive and offers hope for a better future. (Source: Presentation, Trinitarian Congregational Church, Concord, MA, May 9, 2007.)

Advancing Peace in Community Building

Under this heading are some practical steps you can take to develop and promote peace in your community or region, and more examples you can draw upon for inspiration. We start with some peace-building actions one can take among neighbors, then consider what one can do to strengthen school programs and workplace initiatives, and lastly suggest ways to support policies that promote peace in your broader community.

Working with Neighbors

Peace with neighbors starts with broader understanding. Simple actions can further such understanding. These can include holding interfaith discussions, organizing films or guest speakers to showcase approaches to peacebuilding, and gathering with neighbors to identify local issues and opportunities.

Residents in local peace groups, whether organized independently or through schools or faith-based organizations, magnify individual efforts by identifying local issues in their community and tying these to an understanding of national and global issues of peace and justice. The phrase “Think globally, act locally!” applies here in crafting your efforts. Below are some activities groups have engaged in to advance peace:

Interfaith Events. One of the most rewarding methods for building community peace can be participation in interfaith gatherings and efforts to end religious intolerance. These types of events vary widely, and include small discussion groups; after-school programs where local youth can meet students from different religions; community gatherings to celebrate unity; and calls for greater religious tolerance issued jointly by diverse religious leaders.

For example, in the wake of 9/11, three women neighbors in New York City – one Muslim, one Christian, and one Jewish – launched what they called a “Faith Club” to discuss their respective religions. It changed their lives. They wrote a book about the experience that has led to Faith Clubs arising in many cities. You can start your own faith club .

At a broader level, many communities and states have interfaith councils or similar collaborating organizations. Such efforts are important, as U.S. law enforcement reported over 6,000 hate crimes motivated by bias in 2014. In Birmingham, Alabama for example, a multi-faith, multi-racial organization called Greater Birmingham Ministries was established to pursue peace and justice in their community. It engages “the poor and the non-poor in systemic change efforts to build a strong, supportive, engaged community and pursue a more just society for all people. To do so, it unites people across racial, economic, political, and social identities to build working relationships among faith communities, businesses, civic groups, and social service networks.”

Among the Ministries’ partners is the Council on American-Islamic Relations , with whom it joins to condemn terrorism and anti-Muslim sentiments. CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Peace Gatherings. Whether organizing a local community peace vigil, or larger symposia at universities or major international gatherings, it is important to gather together to advocate and showcase support for peace. In communities strained by conflict, bringing diverse people together to advance peace can offer powerful opportunities for healing and moving forward, as witnessed in events ranging from Healing Conversations to End a Culture of Violence and Intolerance  in Harlem, NY to marathons for Peace in Iraq .

Working with Schools

 Whether as a student, parent, teacher, administrator, policymaker, or community member, there are any number of creative and powerful ways to support schools to effectively advance peace. Many effective models can be drawn upon. These can be embedded in the design of school systems, initiatives targeted to local needs and assets, ethics and peace curricula, and other services. Elements in school system design can start within a school's mission and vision and then range anywhere from graduation requirements (e.g., a minimum number of volunteer hours before graduation) to a disciplinary system based on restorative justice.

As examples, Quaker schools commonly provide a model of supporting students to follow a spiritual and ethical commitment to peace. The mission of the Friends Academy in Locust Valley, NY, emphasizes that “Global citizenship at Friends is rooted in the understanding that ‘the peoples of the world are one people, enriched by individual differences and united by a common bond of humanity.’ ” The stated philosophy behind the Cambridge Friends School includes being a “learning community that chooses...peaceful resolution of conflict over aggression.”

Bullying. Many schools and states have adopted policies and programs to specifically address the problem of bullying, a form of aggression that can entail verbal, physical, and/or cyber (social media) means to harm others. A review of the nature, extent, and prevention of bullying conducted by Dr. Rashmi Shetgiri, of the Dallas Children’s Hospital, offers several insights (Shetgiri, 2013). Of concern is the widespread extent of bullying and that both bullies and victims are at high risk for negative short- and long-term consequences. Dr. Shetgiri calls on clinicians to play a role in identifying bullies and victims, evaluating them for developmental conditions that might be risk factors, and providing resources and referrals as necessary.

Effective bullying interventions embrace the entire school to create a culture of safety and support, engage and train teachers and parents, and are of enduring intensity and duration. Researchers have found that many types of less intensive anti-bullying programs that at first glance seemed promising resulted in only slight decreases in bullying and victimization. They caution that programs focusing solely on individuals and outreach to peers can even backfire (see Jeong & Lee, 2013 and Farrington & Ttofi, 2009).

Guidance and evidence-based approaches to addressing bullying are also available from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on its website: Stopbullying.gov . In addition, this website offers Bullying Prevention Training Modules, with tools and resources to organize effective prevention efforts in your community.

Restorative Justice. Public and private schools of all types are also adopting systems of restorative justice. Punishing and excluding students who violate school rules or harm others may be counterproductive, in that these actions can lead to further alienation and lack of opportunities; they may also hinder education, ultimately leading such children to higher rates of future incarceration.

In contrast, restorative justice has been very effective at improving school safety and safeguarding the futures of young people. It keeps students who conduct offenses in school, ensuring their accountability through restitution, and deals with underlying issues while supporting victims. Many schools use talking circles to bring together students, parents, faculty, and administrators to discuss and address incidents, with written commitments to resolve the harm.

In the words of Fania Davis, Director of Restorative Justice Oakland Youth, “This is a justice that is not about getting even, but about getting well. A justice that is not a battle ground but a healing ground. A justice that seeks to transform broken lives, relationships, and communities rather than damage them further."

In the aftermath of the well-publicized shootings in Columbine, the state of Colorado tried instituting a zero-tolerance school policy for youth who committed offenses, with mandatory expulsions. But they found this policy did not work, and only exacerbated problems among students.       Watch this video to learn why some schools have turned instead to restorative justice for more effective solutions.

Youth as Leaders. How educational approaches are designed can be as important as implementation. Engaging students, families, and faculty in choosing, adapting, and/or designing the approach and in selecting materials makes those materials more likely to be locally relevant and culturally appropriate, and facilitates strong buy-in and momentum.

Students themselves do not just present risks; they are valuable leaders and allies in promoting peace. As a first step to engage youth in peace-building, rather than simply holding an event and hoping that youth will join what you have planned, go to them first and see how you can build upon their interests and ideas. You may be surprised by the resources they offer.

Bookmakers and Dreamers The sky is the limit in youth creativity and energy, as demonstrated by youth in the Groton/Dunstable school district in Massachusetts. Forming a Bookmakers and Dreamers Club , these young people, many from families in military service, decided they wanted to learn how to promote peace. They then launched a project to create the world's largest book, with peace as its topic. Working over many years to accomplish that goal, they were supported by a committed teacher, Betsy Sawyer, who helped them enlist others across the community. Parents, businesses, and area universities contributed expertise and resources. The students gathered advice from hundreds of peace leaders, including Nobel Peace Laureates, to include in their book. Using new technology to print and turn the pages of such a large volume, the completed book has been showcased at the United Nations and other venues. The Club has also launched community peace events; for one event, they invited 9/11 first responders from New York City, who came and referred many times to the importance of educating young leaders who can contribute to a more peaceful future. In a related and widely-publicized effort, the Groton students also accepted the invitation of young persons in the Afghan Peace Volunteers to engage in peace discussions held via Skype conference calls. That initiative changed the lives of students, several of whom have now graduated and are pursuing careers advancing peace. It also sparked important dialogue across the community on the importance of peace-building as a response to conflict.

Several additional models and resources for promoting peace are available on the Peaceful Tomorrows and the Charter for Compassion websites. Schools can sign the Charter for Compassion and join others in shared commitment and resource-sharing. In addition, The Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MIT, teaming up with The WGBH Educational Foundation , has gathered many resources for teaching ethics. Also, the Teaching Tolerance Project offers free lessons, videos, toolkits, and other resources to promote tolerance and inclusivity in the classroom.

Committing Your Organization or Business

Peace-building also involves awareness of the needs and assets of those in your group or organization, along with those in the community where you live or provide services. Devote time to how you may address those needs and build upon existing assets.

As one case in point, important models and guidance for businesses to address domestic violence, many of which can be applied to other forms of violence, are profiled in the workbook Interrupting the Cycle of Violence: Addressing Domestic Violence through the Workplace . Compiled by a team of employers, researchers, public health specialists, and battered women service providers, the workbook outlines strategies including assessing those at risk, providing supports, and working with one’s community, through which “every organization can make a difference.”

To relate this to your own situation, consider the following questions:

• What is your organization’s commitment to social responsibility and community service?
• Does it include a stated policy that focuses on promoting peace, and implementing that commitment, in your own community setting?
• What partnerships do you engage in to support peace and prosperity in your home community?

By exploring these questions, you are likely to find ways to strengthen both your organization and your community impact. Many businesses, large and small, are realizing that a commitment to social responsibility not only contributes to strengthening communities, but also raises employee satisfaction and even increases the bottom line.

Some Examples of Business Leadership There are several ways that businesses have advanced peace in local and even in international contexts. One is to provide job opportunities for local youth during summer months – this is a proven strategy to reduce local crime and provide community advancement. Beyond that: Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company has been a leader in social responsibility , including initiatives specifically focused on advancing peace. These include launching a nonprofit, 1% for Peace, whose focus is a campaign to divert funds from the military to civilian uses. They have also partnered with the organization Peace One Day, to support the development of nonviolence and conflict-resolution curriculum materials used in U.S. schools. They have joined as well with the Peace Alliance and the Student Peace Alliance to support peace-building legislation, such as the Youth Promise Act. Business leaders have also acted to maintain and strengthen community unity, for instance by refusing to ostracize and discriminate in ways that can divide a community. In Indiana and Arizona, many businesses have joined together to take a stand against discrimination based on sexual orientation . Healthcare Without Harm provides an example of proactive organizational commitments to live peaceably with their neighbors by safeguarding environmental health. This initiative promotes best practices to protect the quality of local air, water, and land, encouraging healthcare facilities to consider their impacts not only on the health of staff and patients, but on host communities as well. This conscientiousness is one way to secure the safety of a community, including safety from the threat of chemical accidents such as the devastating 1984 incident in Bhopal, India, which killed several thousand persons and injured over 500,000 (Varma & Varma, 2005).

Community Civic Leadership

A strong community is one that has integrated a commitment to advancing peace throughout its systems, policies, and initiatives. A strong partnership across sectors – including community agencies, local organizations, and businesses – underlies many peace-building efforts. Any such efforts should be shaped and driven by the contributions of community residents, which require early engagement and capacity-building to maximize their participation and leadership. Below are some examples of community initiatives that exemplify peace-building in innovative ways:

Community Safety

An important focal area of policy to stem violence is policing and the criminal justice system. The U.S. is presently incarcerating over 1,500,000 people, a larger percentage of national population than any other country in the world. We must begin to realize that imprisonment is not where the solution lies. Being “tough” on crime is not necessarily being effective in reducing it. Many alternative models work to bring communities together to reduce violence.

One effective model program for communities is the Advancement Project . Activists working in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, once infamous for gang violence, have worked with residents and all sectors of the community to drastically improve community safety; they have had tremendous success. A few key elements of their approach include:

• Engaging police with youth and other residents to dismantle the “us” versus “them” viewpoints, and instead working together for the community.
• Bringing in all residents and partners into this effort. A priority has been ensuring the safety of all children. As children walk to and from school, community organizations of all descriptions open their doors, with staff standing outside to ensure safe passage. Even former gang members have joined in as escorts through particularly dangerous neighborhoods.
• Learning from residents about their community – what facilitates violence, and where are dangerous hotspots? In Watts, the City had built a new library and playground to improve a very high crime area, yet residents did not use them. The Project learned from residents that the area still had vacant lots, broken street lamps, and a liquor store with couches outside, all fostering crime. By working with the liquor store, the Project helped clean up the area, making it much safer; as a result, the playground and library are now well used.

Restorative Justice

Restorative justice programs , mentioned above in the contexts of school delinquency, can also be applied to criminal justice as an alternative to incarceration. In a community context, restorative justice works proactively to promote safety across the community. It emphasizes aiding and protecting those who have been harmed, and requires restitution by responsible parties, effectively engaging them to become constructive members of society.

To be most successful, restorative justice strengthens civic participation. This can include promoting truthful crime reporting and testimony, participation in jury duty, identification of factors that facilitate or impede crimes, and other forms of public engagement. As proven crime reduction practices are adopted, safety improves.

Mass Violence

Domestic incidents of mass violence in community settings are defined as those in which three or more persons are killed. Such incidents occur almost daily in the United States; according to the American Public Health Association, over 350 incidents were reported in 2015 alone. Some factors associated with such incidents include terrorism, mental illness, and gang violence. Each is discussed below.

Terrorism . Terrorism has been a factor in relatively few, if high impact, cases of mass violence. The Department of Homeland Security is engaged in a number of initiatives to advance community safety. Among these are:

• National Network of Fusion Centers , which gather, centralize, analyze, and share threat-related information among federal government, state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners.
• Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative , which entails coordination with the Department of Justice to report, track, and provide information “in a manner that rigorously protects the privacy and civil liberties of Americans.”

Domestic terrorism has been perpetuated by extremist individuals and groups of different backgrounds. It is vital to distinguish violent extremists from the religions they claim to represent. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing was conducted by an individual claiming to be protecting Christian principles. Those responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013 claimed to be protecting Islamic societies. Yet the vast majority of Christians and Muslims do not condone violence, and their adherents and leaders are great allies in combatting domestic terrorism.

Hate crimes against Muslims (as well as those mistaken for Muslim, such as Sikhs), have risen dramatically following terrorist incidents. In the year of the September 11 attacks, the FBI reported 481 anti-Muslim hate crimes; similar spikes have continued to occur. Communities can anticipate and help forestall these responses by educating their residents and holding interfaith activities to help prevent hate crimes and heal communities in the wake of incidents that may arise. Political leaders can also help stem violence through their messaging; after the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush reminded us that “Islam, as practiced by the vast majority of people, is a peaceful religion, a religion that respects others. Ours is a country based upon tolerance and we welcome people of all faiths in America.” (Remarks to reporters by George W. Bush, Washington, DC, November 13, 2002)

Mental illness . It is often assumed that perpetrators of mass violence suffer from mental health disorders. However, the American Psychological Association (APA) has noted that the vast majority of those suffering from a mental illness are not dangerous; rather it is a history of violence that poses the greatest risk factor for further such acts (see text on domestic violence, above).

Nevertheless, the APA advocates the following, which you can support in your community:

• Greater access to mental health treatment for those at risk for violence due to mental illness, suicidal thoughts, or feelings of desperation.
• Behavioral threat assessment as a standard of care for preventing violence in schools, colleges, in the workplace, and against government and other public officials. In such assessment, teams gather and analyze information to assess whether a person poses a threat of violence or self-harm, and if so, outline steps to intervene.
• Firearms prohibitions for high-risk groups – domestic violence offenders, persons convicted of violent misdemeanors, and those with mental illness who have been judged to be a threat to themselves or others.
• Early childhood programs to help parents raise emotionally healthy children, along with efforts to identify and intervene with troubled individuals who are threatening violence.
• Collaborative problem-solving models that bring together various community service systems, which may too often operate in isolation. One example is mental health crisis intervention training for police and other community service providers.
• Extensive public health campaigns on firearms safety, as expanded upon just below.

Firearms safety . 30,000 people die annually from firearms injuries in the United States; these were the second leading cause of death for individuals aged 15 to 34 ( Gunderson, 1999 as cited by WHO ). The American Public Health Association (APHA) considers gun violence to be an epidemic that can be solved, as with Ebola or other public health threats, given adequate research and resources. While firearms policies are hotly debated, the evidence is clear that gun ownership does not ensure family safety. According to researchers from the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control , those living in households with guns are at significantly greater risk of dying from homicide or suicide, even when these households have similar characteristics and live in similar neighborhoods.

The application of a public health approach is at the heart of the initiative Cure Violence , which has reduced shootings 41% to 73% in seven communities studied. Just as in disease outbreaks, hotspot areas are identified. One intervention has been to enlist former gang members, or others with credibility and access, to quell potential outbreaks of violence before they erupt, and to support members in transitioning out of gang activity. Information on these and other well-researched models (also focusing beyond the problem of gang violence, such as removing firearms from domestic violence offenders) is available at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research .

Additional firearms safety policies recommended by the APA and APHA include:

• Licensing of handgun purchasers
• Background check requirements for all gun sales
• Close oversight of retail gun sellers to reduce the diversion of guns to criminals
• Increased availability of data and funding to reduce gun violence through all available interventions, including those from the legal, public health, public safety, community, and health systems. (At this writing, a Congressional ban limits federally-sponsored research into gun violence, forcing researchers to seek private or academic funding. Finding ways to support research on gun violence impact and on promising solutions is another area where one can actively promote peace . )

Gang violence . Gang violence is a specific problem emerging in rural as well as urban areas. According to the Office of Justice Programs at the U.S. Department of Justice (OJJDP), gang violence peaked towards the end of the 1990s but has been rising again in recent years.

The Department recommends that communities conduct a gang-problem assessment as a first step, offering A Guide to Assessing Your Community’s Youth Gang Problem to help answer:

• Who is involved in gang-related activity? – and what is the history of current gangs?
• Where is gang-related activity primarily occurring?
• What crimes are these individuals committing?
• When are these crimes being committed?
• Why is the criminal activity happening (e.g., individual conflicts, gang feuds, gang members acting on their own)?

This type of assessment is important to identify youth gangs and youth who are at greatest risk of joining. Keep in mind that counter to stereotypes, youth engaged in gangs are of diverse race, ethnicity, and gender, with studies cited by OJJDP estimating that almost half of gang members are girls.           

Gang violence prevention activities recommended by OJJDP focus on:

• Primary prevention – the effort to prevent youth from joining a gang targeted to all adolescents. OJJDP has shown that “youth join gangs for protection, enjoyment, respect, money, or because a friend is in a gang.”
• Intervention strategies aimed at youth who exhibit risk factors for gang participation. These factors fall under the realm of individual, family, school, peer, and community risks. Youth are at higher risk of joining a gang if they “engage in delinquent behaviors, are aggressive or violent, experience multiple caretaker transitions, have many problems at school, associate with other gang-involved youth, or live in communities where they feel unsafe and where many youths are in trouble.”
• Suppression strategies that clamp down on gang activity through increased policing have also been used. However, the OJJDP notes that these strategies have not been proven to be effective. They instead emphasize that “Intervention strategies that address risk and protective factors at or slightly before the developmental points at which they begin to predict later gang involvement and other problem behaviors, are more likely to be effective.” (Institute of Medicine, 2008 as cited by OJJDP )

The OJJDP also offers a Model Programs Guide as an “online tool that offers a database of evidence-based, scientifically-proven programs that address a range of issues, including substance use, mental health, and education...” To prevent youth from joining gangs , the ODJJP advises that communities emphasize the following tasks:

Some Actions to Prevent Gang Formation Strengthen families. Review and soften school “zero tolerance” policies, to reduce suspensions and expulsions. Ensure that punitive sanctions target delinquent gang behaviors, not gang apparel, signs, and symbols. Provide tutoring for students who are performing poorly in school. Provide a center for youth recreation and referrals for services and after-school programs. Provide gang awareness, conflict mediation, and other skills training for school personnel, parents, and students. Provide interpersonal skills training to students to help resolve conflicts.

Peace Commissions

Learn if your community has a Peace Commission (or similar institution) specifically dedicated to peace promotion, and, if so, see how you can get involved. If not, assist in forming one. Their aims are to involve local citizens in reducing or preventing conflict by protecting and promoting human rights, ensuring ethnic and interfaith harmony, and encouraging understanding through education on cultural differences.

One model of a particularly active peace commission is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Cambridge Peace Commission works in three main areas:

• Addressing violence and promoting peace in the community
• Supporting diversity, building connections and relationships, and recognizing peacemakers
• Connecting with the community and the wider world

Toward these ends, the Commission coordinates responses to traumatic events and violence affecting Cambridge. It emphasizes building trust and relationships among diverse community residents through events such as community conversations and vigils. Over the years it has also sponsored many programs and events to foster peace and has worked with other communities worldwide.

Sister Cities

Establishing relationships with other communities can also be a powerful path to peace. There are currently 545 communities engaged in a Sister City program . Sister Cities International is a central coordinating body for those efforts, whose mission is “to promote peace through mutual respect, understanding, and cooperation – one individual, one community at a time.”

These are just a few among many local community actions to promote peace. See the resource listings at the end of this section to explore more possibilities.

Preventing War and Terror: Merging Realism with Hope

It is important to be realistic about the severe challenges to peace in this world and to be prepared for the serious commitment required to face them. Nevertheless, there are proven and effective means of advancing peace to help us take on these challenges. Even one simple action can make a tremendous difference. By merging realism with hope we can move forward to a more peaceful tomorrow.

Researchers have noted that despite the common perceptions that the world is a more violent place, much evidence points rather to a decline in both individual and social violence over time. The book The Better Angels of Our Nature  by Steven Pinker documents these trends, laying out many elements that have advanced peaceful coexistence. In general, he notes that our civilizations and societies have evolved toward a greater respect for human rights, acceptance of human diversity, and the development of systems of civil society that help resolve conflict.

Pinker acknowledges that although this progress can regress, and has regressed in many regions, strong forces remain at work to re-establish better-functioning societies, even in the most extreme instances of collapse. Among these is the force of the majority who want peace, no matter what the context.

Just as individuals must choose their own productive path forward, rather than succumbing to fear and hatred, so do we face this choice as a larger society. In this nuclear age, where scenarios of “mutually assured destruction” have emerged, it is reasonable to question whether a more powerful military force offers greater security or greater risks to humanity. Warfare over time has become increasingly destructive, including not only direct loss of life, but also long-term, even irrevocable, damage to the environment upon which we all depend.

As we build ever more powerful weapons with leaps in technological sophistication, we must develop even more powerful means of avoiding their use. So let us consider some of the forces that lead to global instability, along with those that build the foundation for peace, and suggest how you can play a part in shoring up the latter:

Conflict Resolution

Conflict Resolution is a central alternative to warfare. The notion that we can destroy our enemies and even “win” a war is important to question in this age of terrorism. War and terrorism can now extend beyond the bounds of the battlefield and into every corner of our communities. The casualties are predominantly civilians, not soldiers, and very frequently are women and children.

Strengthening Civil Societies

An effective counter to terrorism and other forms of conflict is to strengthen civil societies . The rule of law is a civilizing force that unites members of society to advance productively together. War and terror stress societies, setting in motion a downward spiral. Every societal effort needs to be made to strengthen communities and social structures in accordance with local values and the protection of essential human rights. Three good examples follow:

La’Onf  Much of what we learn in the media about Iraq is about violence. However, the ­Iraqi civil society organization La'Onf (which means “no violence” in Arabic) is a network of Iraqi activists building a nonviolent movement to resist occupation, terrorism, and corruption in Iraq. We need to promote awareness of organizations such as La'Onf, to remind ourselves that the seeds of peace can find fertile ground in all corners of the world.       Lessons of the Hibakusha  To the Hibakusha, there is no greater mission than to raise worldwide awareness that there are no winners in a nuclear confrontation. The Hibakusha are those few who survived the nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in which hundreds of thousands of civilians died in a matter of hours. Their advocacy has played an important role in the major nuclear powers steadily reducing their arsenals. They continue to warn that we must never lessen our vigilance over the threat of nuclear weaponry. As more nations claim their perceived rights and needs to develop such weapons, the Hibakusha have redoubled their efforts to diminish this ultimate threat. Mayors for Peace  One opportunity to help in the Hibakusha’s efforts is to encourage your community to join Mayors for Peace . Formed in 1982, the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki called on mayors around the world "to transcend national borders" and "work together to press for nuclear abolition." As of August 1, 2015, membership stood at 6,779 cities in 161 countries and regions.

Below are three additional pillars to support the development and maintenance of international peace:

Committing to Nonviolence

Nonviolence is central to stemming conflict while effectively advancing positive social and political change. We can easily draw upon many role models who have been committed to nonviolent principles and who have made a tremendous impact on the world stage.

For example, Mahatma Gandhi stands in history as among the most famous proponents of nonviolence, managing to overcome centuries of British occupation in India through nonviolent means. Martin Luther King, Jr. followed these tenets as he led the civil rights movement in pursuit of his dream of a future where when "all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! "

Beyond Gandhi and King, among current practitioners are members of the Nonviolent Peaceforce , comprised of unarmed civilians who enter regions where violence may or has erupted, to foster dialogue among parties in conflict and to provide a protective presence for threatened civilians. The Nonviolent Peaceforce has been so effective at ensuring and re-establishing peace in regions of conflict that the United Nations has recommended that “Unarmed strategies must be at the forefront of UN efforts to protect civilians.”

It is tempting to assume that a military response to violent conflict is needed. Yet a 15-member panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, which spent 7 months circling the globe reviewing present operations and seeking new strategies, emphasized nonviolent approaches. Its 2015 Report of the UN High Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations concluded: “Missions should make every effort to harness or leverage the non-violent practices and capabilities of local communities and non-governmental organizations to support the creation of a protective environment.”

In addition, Ramos Horta, the Panel Chair and former President of Timor-Leste , has supported this nonviolent approach, asserting: “The world is changing and U.N. peace operations must change if they are to remain an indispensable and effective tool in promoting international peace and security.”

Hundreds of other organizations around the world are committed to nonviolent means of stabilizing regions in conflict. To learn about, and contribute to their efforts, explore the Peace & Development Collaborative Network .

Educating for Peace

We need peace education , from early education through graduate programs in universities. The Charter for Compassion is working toward this end, with a growing number of school partners from across the world committed to the principles of compassion. National Peace Academies and Peace Institutes also now exist in Canada, Costa Rica, Romania, Spain, and the United States.

Investing in Peace

We must also invest in peace . This includes establishing “Departments of Peace,” not just departments of war, and devoting more resources toward promoting peace rather than towards developing militias.

The Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace works toward this goal. Four Ministries of Peace have been established as of this posting – in Costa Rica, Nepal, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea – while the South Sudan, Philippines, and Kyrgyzstan have Offices of Peace at the highest levels of government. Such institutions can strengthen international laws and systems of justice that can assure enforcement of human rights.

International assistance also must be directed toward laying the economic foundations for peace. The United States spends only 1.4% of its annual budget on foreign aid; almost one-third of that is for military assistance. Spending within the domestic budget is even more heavily weighted toward the military; for fiscal year 2015, the U.S. invested 16% of its total budget, and 54% of its discretionary budget, in direct military expenditures (not including veterans benefits and other related costs), yet only 3% on education. This has a tremendous impact on all our communities in terms of quality of life and community security.

Emerging Issues

We must prioritize peace as we strive to co-exist on this small and ever more vulnerable planet. As concluded by the U.S. Department of Defense , climate change will put us to the test as never before, as mass migrations from densely populated coastal areas are likely to occur due to sea level rise, and regions will be faced with food, drinking water, and resource depletion. Barricading our borders and employing military solutions to the conflicts projected to arise are destined to fail us. Instead, we need to proactively seek solutions across borders to address environmental and social challenges, strengthen civil society, and foster international collaboration.

To learn more, explore the resources of the  University for Peace  on Climate Change, Water Stress, Conflict, and Migration. Located in Costa Rica, this university was established under UN mandate to promote best practices in conflict prevention and mitigation. The Community Tool Box also plans to develop materials with guidance on climate change.

Challenges and Questions for Reflection

Let us first consider some of the challenges to peace-building in our communities. Below are some that can easily take root. Think about what you have encountered personally and in your communities. What have you found that worked to address those challenges?

Fear: Looking at others as primarily a source of harm. Being insular, without risking or reaching out to others.

Ignorance: Confusing adherence to one's own beliefs and faith with a call to be intolerant of others who have different beliefs and practices. Is the letter or the spirit of the faith teachings most important?

Hatred: Feeling that one's own value depends upon diminishing another person’s. Confusing retribution with justice. Not looking for connections among peoples.

Greed: Many use the premise of “survival of the fittest” as a justification for growing and protecting one's own wealth while allowing others to live in destitution. The “military-industrial complex,” as coined by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, is a real and growing threat to peace. Military expenditures continue to top those for all other sectors in the United States and many other nations.

The “Military Industrial Complex” As he left office in 1960, President Eisenhower , also a general who witnessed the war machine from the deepest inner circles, warned: We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together... We pray that…in the goodness of time all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love.

Reflection Questions

Here is a simple gauge you can use to assess whether you are following the principles of peace – advancing the “mutual respect and love that President Eisenhower envisioned – and to find areas for improvement. Look around and see who is at the table – whether it is your table at home, or the tables you belong to at work, school, faith-based organizations, governmental, or other settings. Then consider:

• Is everyone in the affected community represented?
• Who drives decisions?
• Are they just?
• Do they benefit the greatest possible number of people?
• Do they foster connections?
• Do they lead toward peace and better quality of life?

How Can Challenges and Issues Best be Addressed?

While many peace-building strategies have been discussed, on an individual level much of the work of promoting peace comes down to focusing on the following:

• Bring people together , even those who have traditionally been at odds.
• Consider how you can extend your efforts even further, to engage new partnerships, collaborative efforts, and populations.
• View all persons as potential assets that can enrich the community.
• Tie your local work to the larger world community , taking advantage of the increasing ability to connect with communities across the globe.

In our media and entertainment, as well as in our political spheres, we are surrounded by those who emphasize sensationalism and violence. This can feed personal dislike, anger, or even “hate” for a group of people we may hear are taking our jobs, corrupting the nation, or threatening us with destruction. It can lead us to throw up our hands and say that nothing can be done in such a world.

Yet, returning to the beginning of this section, listen instead to the voices of peace, from the youth in Afghanistan to those in each of our own communities. They can help us find hope through the simple solution of extending a hand in friendship.

Promoting peace is not a solitary activity. We are joined in the effort by the vast majority of people in the world who yearn for peace, and work to live together peaceably. For those times when you may find yourself overwhelmed, there is a saying beautifully voiced by the musical group Sweet Honey in the Rock: “Drops of water turn a mill, singly none, singly none.” If we keep moving forward step by step, together we will carve out the path toward peace dreamed of by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., alongside so many others.

From finding peace within one's life to demonstrating the greatest compassion and commitment to social justice, extending the principles and the practice of peace to others can guide us to a richer, more secure coexistence. We at the Community Tool Box, in cooperation with the Charter for Compassion and September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, welcome and encourage each of you to further this vision, and to find ways to implement it in your lives, in your communities, and in our world.

Contributor Terry Greene

Editors Bill Berkowitz Barbara Kerr

Terry Greene is a member of September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows  whose brother, Donald F. Greene, died aboard United Flight 93. She is a Public Health Consultant and Cambridge Peace Commission honoree who lives in Massachusetts.

Online Resources

The Albert Einstein Institution is a nonprofit organization founded by Dr. Gene Sharp in 1983 to advance the study and use of strategic nonviolent action in conflicts throughout the world.

• 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action
• How Nonviolent Struggle Works
• On Strategic Nonviolent Conflict

General Sources: Paths toward Peace

• The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
• Charter for Compassion
• Conflict Prevention: A Toolbox to Respond to Conflicts and Build Peace
• The Global Alliance for Ministries: an Infrastructure for Peace
• The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding
• The King Center
• Mayors for Peace
• The National Peace Academy
• The Peace & Development Collaborative Network
• The Restorative Justice Project
• September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
• United for Peace and Justice

Faith-based and Interfaith Readings

• The Faith Club
• Not in God's Name: Making Sense of Religious Conflict

Healing and Reconciliation

• The Forgiveness Project
• The Institute of Memories
• Parents Circle Family Forum
• Facing History and Ourselves
• The Karuna Center
• PBS Transformative Teachers
• Peaceful Tomorrows Resources for Educators
• The Restorative Schools Vision Project
• Teaching Tolerance
• University for Peace

Military Spending

• The National Priorities Project

Print Resources

Farrington, D. P., & Ttofi, M. M. (2009). How to reduce school bullying, Victims and  Offenders , 4, 321-326.

Hartsough, D. (2014). Waging Peace. Oakland, CA: PM Press.

Idliby R., Oliver, S., & Warner, P. (2006). The faith club: A Muslim, A Christian, a Jew – three women search for understanding. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2006.

Jeong, S., & Lee, B. H. (2013). A multilevel examination of peer victimization and bullying preventions in schools,” Journal of Criminology , Vol. 2013, 10 pages. Article ID 735397.

Shetgiri, R. (2013). Bullying and victimization among children. Advances in Pediatrics, 60 (1), 33–51.

Solomon, S. (2010). Water: The epic struggle for wealth, power, and civilization. New York: HarperCollins.

Varma, R., & Varma, D. R. (2005). The Bhopal disaster of 1984.  Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society , 25 (1), 37-45.

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

What Can We Learn From the World’s Most Peaceful Societies?

Given the grinding wars and toxic political divisions that dominate the news, it might come as a surprise to hear that there are also a multitude of sustainably peaceful societies thriving across the globe today. These are communities that have managed to figure out how to live together in peace—internally within their borders, externally with neighbors, or both—for 50, 100, even several hundred years. This simple fact directly refutes the widely held and often self-fulfilling belief that humans are innately territorial and hardwired for war.

The international community has struggled with a similar attention-to-peace deficit disorder . In fact, the United Nations has been attempting for decades to pivot from crisis management to its primary mandate to “sustain international peace in all its dimensions.” Yet by its own account , “the key Charter task of sustaining peace remains critically under-recognized, under-prioritized, and under-resourced globally and within the United Nations.”

Science could play a crucial role in specifying the aspects of community life that contribute to sustaining peace. Unfortunately, our understanding of more pacific societies is limited by the fact that they are rarely studied . Humans mostly study the things we fear—cancer, depression, violence, and war—and so we have mostly studied peace in the context or aftermath of war. When peaceful places are studied, researchers (much like the U.N.) tend to focus primarily on negative peace, or the circumstances that keep violence at bay, to the neglect of positive peace, or the things that promote and sustain more just, harmonious, prosocial relations. As a result, we know much more about how to get out of war than we do about how to build thriving, peaceful communities.

In response to this gap in our understanding of how to sustain peace, an eclectic group of scholars started gathering together in 2014. We are psychologists, anthropologists, philosophers, astrophysicists, environmental scientists, political scientists, data scientists, and communications experts, who are interested in gaining a more comprehensive and accurate understanding of lasting peace. We also share an appreciation of the benefits of using methods from complexity science to better visualize and model the complex dynamics of such societies, and as a platform for communicating with one another across such different disciplines to develop a shared understanding of stable, peaceful societies and of peace systems.

Peace systems are clusters of neighboring societies that do not make war with each other, and anthropological and historical cases of such non-warring social systems exist across time and around the globe. None of the five Nordic nations, for instance, have met one another on the battlefield for over 200 years. Other examples of peace systems include 10 neighboring tribes of the Brazilian Upper Xingu River basin, the Swiss cantons that unified to form Switzerland in 1848, the Iroquois Confederation, and the E.U.

The mere existence of peace systems challenges the assumption that societies everywhere are prone to wage war with their neighbors—and what we have gleaned from studying these societies is promising.

Finding the seeds of peace

Our journey to date has been circuitous but fruitful. It began with a dive into the published science on peacefulness, which helped us to identify some of the more influential scholars in this area. We then surveyed this group to identify their sense of the most central components of achieving lasting peace (74 experts from 35 disciplines responded), and then invited the respondents to a day-long workshop to make sense of the findings . Next, our core team worked with this information to develop a basic conceptual model of sustaining peace.

The focus of our model is simple. It views the central dynamic responsible for the emergence of sustainably peaceful relations in communities as the thousands or millions of daily reciprocal interactions that happen between members of different groups in those communities, and the degree to which more positive interactions outweigh more negative. That’s it. The more positive reciprocity and the less negative reciprocity between members of different groups, the more sustainable the peace.

In other words, peace is not just an absence of violence and war, but also people and groups getting along prosocially with each other: the cooperation, sharing, and kindness that we see in everyday society. Sustaining peace happens through positive reciprocity: I show you a kindness and you do me a favor in return, multiplied throughout the social world a million times over.


Next, we started gathering together all the relevant science on positive or negative intergroup reciprocity. For example, studies on Mauritius, the most peaceful nation in Africa, have found intentionality in how members of different ethnic groups speak with one another in public. Mauritians of all stripes tend to be respectful and careful in their daily encounters with others. This even translates to differences in how journalists and editors report the news, and how teachers, politicians, and clergy take up their roles in society. These findings suggest that the citizens of this highly diverse nation do not take their peacefulness for granted—they recognize that it must be cultivated and protected.

We then organized these variables by three levels (individual, group, and society) and by their dominant effects (promoting peacefulness or preventing violence). Here are the elements we found promoted peace and nonviolence in individuals (the micro level):

           

EVIDENCE ON PEACE-PROMOTING (INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS)	EVIDENCE ON NONVIOLENCE (INDIVIDUAL ELEMENTS)

Here are the factors that promote peace and nonviolence on the family and community (or “meso”) level:

           

EVIDENCE ON PEACE-PROMOTING (COMMUNITY ELEMENTS)	EVIDENCE ON NONVIOLENCE (COMMUNITY ELEMENTS)

And, finally, at the macro level of society and internationally, we found these qualities that promote positive intergroup interactions—and those that prevent or mitigate negative relations:

           

EVIDENCE ON PEACE-PROMOTING (MACRO ELEMENTS)	EVIDENCE ON NONVIOLENCE (MACRO ELEMENTS)

At this point, our in-house astrophysicist, Larry Liebovitch, went rogue one long weekend and decided to mathematize this model (I believe with the aid of lots of caffeinated soda), developing an algorithm that captured its core dynamics. This allowed us to build a computer simulation that invites us (and you) to play with the different variables in the model to see how increasing or decreasing them might change patterns in this complex system.

Through this work, we’ve found that sustaining peace can be understood as a high ratio of positive intergroup reciprocity to negative intergroup reciprocity that is stable over time. In fact, this is exactly the type of interpersonal dynamic that researchers have found to lead to more thriving, stable marriages and families. This simple micro-dynamic of peacefulness has allowed us to begin to connect the dots between the multitude of variables investigated in thousands of studies across dozens of disciplines relevant to sustaining peace. This more basic and comprehensive approach to thinking about peace offers scholars, policymakers, and the public a sense of its complexity and simplicity, as well as (with the aid of the math model) insight into how particular policies and programs may result in intended, unintended, and even quite harmful consequences.

In parallel to building the math model, Doug Fry and Geneviève Souillac went back into the tomes of ethnographic studies that they had compiled over decades on peaceful societies and peace systems, and with their students coded for variables that they had found through previous research to be prominent in these societies. This allowed them to conduct a comparison study between 16 peace systems (such as the Nordic countries since 1815 and the Orang Asli of Malaysia) and 30 non-peace systems.

During this time, another subgroup of the team began developing new ways of measuring trends relevant to sustaining peace. The most promising of these forays to date has been working with data scientists on the development of two types of word lexicons: one for peace speech and one for conflict speech . This has been done by employing machine learning and natural language processing methods to comb through millions of newspaper articles published within highly peaceful and highly conflictual societies. The goal of this initiative is to fill the gap that currently exists for metrics that allow us to better track and therefore promote positive peace.

Finally, we have also been engaging directly with peaceful communities and those struggling to find peace. This has entailed building local partnerships and holding dialogues between our scientists and community stakeholders.

This work began in the Basque region of Spain , a society recently emerging from civil war and hungry for peace, but currently involves working with diverse sets of stakeholders living in Mauritius and Costa Rica. This has taught us about the critical importance of local understanding of some of the key variables.

For example, religious differences can be a source of great divisiveness in many communities. However, in Mauritius, a highly religious nation with large populations of Hindus, Christians, and Muslims, religiosity is tempered by tolerance and taboos around proselytizing, as well as a general belief in the value of spirituality, no matter the denomination. Such contextualization of variables highlights the limitations of the current inclination to employ top-down, one-size-fits-all indices to track and rank national peacefulness, and the need for more locally informed methods.

What peaceful societies have in common

Even a cursory glimpse at our causal-loop diagram of the science on sustaining peace gives you a sense of the highly complex nature of the system of drivers. We have found that there are many different paths to peacefulness through both our review of the science and our conversations with community members living in peace. In fact, most of the societies that currently rank as highly peaceful—the Nordic nations, New Zealand and Australia, Costa Rica, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Qatar—came to peace through very different processes and maintain it through distinct means.

However, when our team systematically compared a sample of peace systems with a randomly selected comparison group, we discovered that peace systems tend to share certain commonalities:

• Overarching common identities , such as shared national or regional identities (like Africans, Latin Americans, or Christians) that emphasize commonalities between different ethnic groups.
• Greater positive interconnectedness and independence in the realms of economics, ecology, and security. In other words, they have public spaces, institutions, and activities that bring members of different groups together and help them realize that their fates are closely linked.
• Stronger non-warring norms, values, rituals, and symbols , like commemorations of successful peacemakers and monuments that celebrate the prevention of war. In fact, using a machine learning technique called Random Forest, we discovered that the single most important contributor to peace is non-warring norms, followed in decreasing importance by non-warring rituals, non-warring values, mutual security dependencies, superordinate institutions, and economic interdependence. This suggests that developing norms that are supportive of positive reciprocal social relationships may be more important for peace than previously assumed.
• Peace language in the press . We have been developing a technique to help us measure and track the power of peace speech—peaceable language for building and maintaining more peaceful communities. Our preliminary findings are promising, suggesting that the distinct qualities of conflict vs. peace words in our lexicons are related to the relative “tightness/ordered” versus “looseness/creative” nature of the terms. In other words, journalism in peaceful places seems to employ language of a looser, more open, playful nature, while reporting from non-peaceful societies reflects tighter, more closed, or bureaucratic language.
• A greater degree of peace leadership from politicians, corporations, clergy, and community activists who help establish a vision and set a course toward peace. Peace leadership occurred, for instance, when the Iroquois peace prophet unified five warring tribes and replaced the weapons of war with dialogue and consensus-seeking. Other bastions of peacefulness like Costa Rica and the E.U. have evidenced similar visionary leadership for peace.

Ultimately, we have found that when these different peace variables align and reinforce one another, virtuous cycles are often created that become more resistant to changing conditions. This, we suggest, is the essence of sustainability.

There is still much to learn. We recently launched a short video and a public website that provides an overview of the project and the team, which includes a map locating contemporary societies sustaining peace, an interactive version of the causal-loop diagram that allows users to explore the evidence behind it, and an interactive version of the mathematical model that encourages users to plug in values and play with the model.

In the end, it is vital to remember that peace exists today in pockets all around the globe, and that the more we study and learn from such societies, the higher our chances of building a global peace system for all. Peace is possible—and the more we understand, the more probable it becomes.

About the Authors

Peter T. Coleman

Peter T. Coleman, Ph.D. , is a professor at Columbia University who directs the Morton Deutsch International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution. His latest book is  The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization . He works as a DEI consultant.

Douglas P. Fry

Douglas P. Fry, Ph.D. , is a professor of peace and conflict studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His latest book is Nurturing Our Humanity , co-authored with Riane Eisler.

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World Peace Essay: Prompts, How-to Guide, & 200+ Topics

Throughout history, people have dreamed of a world without violence, where harmony and justice reign. This dream of world peace has inspired poets, philosophers, and politicians for centuries. But is it possible to achieve peace globally? Writing a world peace essay will help you find the answer to this question and learn more about the topic.

In this article, our custom writing team will discuss how to write an essay on world peace quickly and effectively. To inspire you even more, we have prepared writing prompts and topics that can come in handy.

• ✍️ Writing Guide
• 🦄 Essay Prompts
• ✔️ World Peace Topics
• 🌎 Pacifism Topics
• ✌️ Catchy Essay Titles
• 🕊️ Research Topics on Peace
• 💡 War and Peace Topics
• ☮️ Peace Title Ideas
• 🌐 Peace Language Topics

🔗 References

✍️ how to achieve world peace essay writing guide.

Stuck with your essay about peace? Here is a step-by-step writing guide with many valuable tips to make your paper well-structured and compelling.

1. Research the Topic

The first step in writing your essay on peace is conducting research. You can look for relevant sources in your university library, encyclopedias, dictionaries, book catalogs, periodical databases, and Internet search engines. Besides, you can use your lecture notes and textbooks for additional information.

Among the variety of sources that could be helpful for a world peace essay, we would especially recommend checking the Global Peace Index report . It presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis of current trends in world peace. It’s a credible report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, so you can cite it as a source in your aper.

Here are some other helpful resources where you can find information for your world peace essay:

• United Nations Peacekeeping
• International Peace Institute
• United States Institute of Peace
• European Union Institute for Security Studies
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

2. Create an Outline

Outlining is an essential aspect of the essay writing process. It helps you plan how you will connect all the facts to support your thesis statement.

To write an outline for your essay about peace, follow these steps:

• Determine your topic and develop a thesis statement .
• Choose the main points that will support your thesis and will be covered in your paper.
• Organize your ideas in a logical order.
• Think about transitions between paragraphs.

Here is an outline example for a “How to Achieve World Peace” essay. Check it out to get a better idea of how to structure your paper.

• Definition of world peace.
• The importance of global peace.
• Thesis statement: World peace is attainable through combined efforts on individual, societal, and global levels.
• Practive of non-violent communication.
• Development of healthy relationships.
• Promotion of conflict resolution skills.
• Promotion of democracy and human rights.
• Support of peacebuilding initiatives.
• Protection of cultural diversity.
• Encouragement of arms control and non-proliferation.
• Promotion of international law and treaties.
• Support of intercultural dialogue and understanding.
• Restated thesis.
• Call to action.

You can also use our free essay outline generator to structure your world peace essay.

3. Write Your World Peace Essay

Now, it’s time to use your outline to write an A+ paper. Here’s how to do it:

• Start with the introductory paragraph , which states the topic, presents a thesis, and provides a roadmap for your essay. If you need some assistance with this part, try our free introduction generator .
• Your essay’s main body should contain at least 3 paragraphs. Each of them should provide explanations and evidence to develop your argument.
• Finally, in your conclusion , you need to restate your thesis and summarize the points you’ve covered in the paper. It’s also a good idea to add a closing sentence reflecting on your topic’s significance or encouraging your audience to take action. Feel free to use our essay conclusion generator to develop a strong ending for your paper.

4. Revise and Proofread

Proofreading is a way to ensure your essay has no typos and grammar mistakes. Here are practical tips for revising your work:

• Take some time. Leaving your essay for a day or two before revision will give you a chance to look at it from another angle.
• Read out loud. To catch run-on sentences or unclear ideas in your writing, read it slowly and out loud. You can also use our Read My Essay to Me tool.
• Make a checklist . Create a list for proofreading to ensure you do not miss any important details, including structure, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting.
• Ask someone for feedback. It is always a good idea to ask your professor, classmate, or friend to read your essay and give you constructive criticism on the work.
• Note down the mistakes you usually make. By identifying your weaknesses, you can work on them to become a more confident writer.

🦄 World Peace Essay Writing Prompts

Looking for an interesting idea for your world peace essay? Look no further! Use our writing prompts to get a dose of inspiration.

How to Promote Peace in the Community Essay Prompt

Promoting peace in the world always starts in small communities. If people fight toxic narratives, negative stereotypes, and hate crimes, they will build a strong and united community and set a positive example for others.

In your essay on how to promote peace in the community, you can dwell on the following ideas:

• Explain the importance of accepting different opinions in establishing peace in your area.
• Analyze how fighting extremism in all its forms can unite the community and create a peaceful environment.
• Clarify what peace means in the context of your community and what factors contribute to or hinder it.
• Investigate the role of dialogue in resolving conflicts and building mutual understanding in the community.

How to Promote Peace as a Student Essay Prompt

Students, as an active part of society, can play a crucial role in promoting peace at various levels. From educational entities to worldwide conferences, they have an opportunity to introduce the idea of peace for different groups of people.

Check out the following fresh ideas for your essay on how to promote peace as a student:

• Analyze how information campaigns organized by students can raise awareness of peace-related issues.
• Discuss the impact of education in fostering a culture of peace.
• Explore how students can use social media to advocate for a peaceful world.
• Describe your own experience of taking part in peace-promoting campaigns or programs.

How Can We Maintain Peace in Our Society Essay Prompt

Maintaining peace in society is a difficult but achievable task that requires constant attention and effort from all members of society.

We have prepared ideas that can come in handy when writing an essay about how we can maintain peace in our society:

• Investigate the role of tolerance, understanding of different cultures, and respect for religions in promoting peace in society.
• Analyze the importance of peacekeeping organizations.
• Provide real-life examples of how people promote peace.
• Offer practical suggestions for how individuals and communities can work together to maintain peace.

Youth Creating a Peaceful Future Essay Prompt

Young people are the future of any country, as well as the driving force to create a more peaceful world. Their energy and motivation can aid in finding new methods of coping with global hate and violence.

In your essay, you can use the following ideas to show the role of youth in creating a peaceful world:

• Analyze the key benefits of youth involvement in peacekeeping.
• Explain why young people are leading tomorrow’s change today.
• Identify the main ingredients for building a peaceful generation with the help of young people’s initiatives.
• Investigate how adolescent girls can be significant agents of positive change in their communities.

Is World Peace Possible Essay Prompt

Whether or not the world can be a peaceful place is one of the most controversial topics. While most people who hear the question “Is a world without war possible?” will probably answer “no,” others still believe in the goodness of humanity.

To discuss in your essay if world peace is possible, use the following ideas:

• Explain how trade, communication, and technology can promote cooperation and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
• Analyze the role of international organizations like the United Nations and the European Union in maintaining peace in the world.
• Investigate how economic inequality poses a severe threat to peace and safety.
• Dwell on the key individual and national interests that can lead to conflict and competition between countries.

✔️ World Peace Topics for Essays

To help get you started with writing, here’s a list of 200 topics you can use for your future essTo help get you started with writing a world peace essay, we’ve prepared a list of topics you can use:

• Defining peace
• Why peace is better: benefits of living in harmony
• Is world peace attainable? Theory and historical examples
• Sustainable peace: is peace an intermission of war?
• Peaceful coexistence: how a society can do without wars
• Peaceful harmony or war of all against all: what came first?
• The relationship between economic development and peace
• Peace and Human Nature: Can Humans Live without Conflicts?
• Prerequisites for peace: what nations need to refrain from war?
• Peace as an unnatural phenomenon: why people tend to start a war?
• Peace as a natural phenomenon: why people avoid starting a war?
• Is peace the end of the war or its beginning?
• Hybrid war and hybrid peace
• What constitutes peace in the modern world
• Does two countries’ not attacking each other constitute peace?
• “Cold peace” in the international relations today
• What world religions say about world peace
• Defining peacemaking
• Internationally recognized symbols of peace
• World peace: a dream or a goal?

🌎 Peace Essay Topics on Pacifism

• History of pacifism: how the movement started and developed
• Role of the pacifist movement in the twentieth-century history
• Basic philosophical principles of pacifism
• Pacifism as philosophy and as a movement
• The peace sign: what it means
• How the pacifist movement began: actual causes
• The anti-war movements: what did the activists want?
• The relationship between pacifism and the sexual revolution
• Early pacifism: examples from ancient times
• Is pacifism a religion?
• Should pacifists refrain from any kinds of violence?
• Is the pacifist movement a threat to the national security?
• Can a pacifist work in law enforcement authorities?
• Pacifism and non-violence: comparing and contrasting
• The pacifist perspective on the concept of self-defense
• Pacifism in art: examples of pacifistic works of art
• Should everyone be a pacifist?
• Pacifism and diet: should every pacifist be a vegetarian?
• How pacifists respond to oppression
• The benefits of an active pacifist movement for a country

✌️ Interesting Essay Titles about Peace

• Can the country that won a war occupy the one that lost?
• The essential peace treaties in history
• Should a country that lost a war pay reparations?
• Peace treaties that caused new, more violent wars
• Can an aggressor country be deprived of the right to have an army after losing a war?
• Non-aggression pacts do not prevent wars
• All the countries should sign non-aggression pacts with one another
• Peace and truces: differences and similarities
• Do countries pursue world peace when signing peace treaties?
• The treaty of Versailles: positive and negative outcomes
• Ceasefires and surrenders: the world peace perspective
• When can a country break a peace treaty?
• Dealing with refugees and prisoners of war under peace treaties
• Who should resolve international conflicts?
• The role of the United Nations in enforcing peace treaties
• Truce envoys’ immunities
• What does a country do after surrendering unconditionally?
• A separate peace: the ethical perspective
• Can a peace treaty be signed in modern-day hybrid wars?
• Conditions that are unacceptable in a peace treaty

🕊️ Research Topics on Peace and Conflict Resolution

• Can people be forced to stop fighting?
• Successful examples of peace restoration through the use of force
• Failed attempts to restore peace with legitimate violence
• Conflict resolution vs conflict transformation
• What powers peacemakers should not have
• Preemptive peacemaking: can violence be used to prevent more abuse?
• The status of peacemakers in the international law
• Peacemaking techniques: Gandhi’s strategies
• How third parties can reconcile belligerents
• The role of the pacifist movement in peacemaking
• The war on wars: appropriate and inappropriate approaches to peacemaking
• Mistakes that peacemakers often stumble upon
• The extent of peacemaking : when the peacemakers’ job is done
• Making peace and sustaining it: how peacemakers prevent future conflicts
• The origins of peacemaking
• What to do if peacemaking does not work
• Staying out: can peacemaking make things worse?
• A personal reflection on the effectiveness of peacemaking
• Prospects of peacemaking
• Personal experience of peacemaking

💡 War and Peace Essay Topics

• Counties should stop producing new types of firearms
• Countries should not stop producing new types of weapons
• Mutual assured destruction as a means of sustaining peace
• The role of nuclear disarmament in world peace
• The nuclear war scenario: what will happen to the world?
• Does military intelligence contribute to sustaining peace?
• Collateral damage: analyzing the term
• Can the defenders of peace take up arms?
• For an armed person, is killing another armed person radically different from killing an unarmed one? Ethical and legal perspectives
• Should a healthy country have a strong army?
• Firearms should be banned
• Every citizen has the right to carry firearms
• The correlation between gun control and violence rates
• The second amendment: modern analysis
• Guns do not kill: people do
• What weapons a civilian should never be able to buy
• Biological and chemical weapons
• Words as a weapon: rhetoric wars
• Can a pacifist ever use a weapon?
• Can dropping weapons stop the war?

☮️ Peace Title Ideas for Essays

• How the nuclear disarmament emblem became the peace sign
• The symbolism of a dove with an olive branch
• Native Americans’ traditions of peace declaration
• The mushroom cloud as a cultural symbol
• What the world peace awareness ribbon should look like
• What I would like to be the international peace sign
• The history of the International Day of Peace
• The peace sign as an accessory
• The most famous peace demonstrations
• Hippies’ contributions to the peace symbolism
• Anti-war and anti-military symbols
• How to express pacifism as a political position
• The rainbow as a symbol of peace
• Can a white flag be considered a symbol of peace?
• Examples of the inappropriate use of the peace sign
• The historical connection between the peace sign and the cannabis leaf sign
• Peace symbols in different cultures
• Gods of war and gods of peace: examples from the ancient mythology
• Peace sign tattoo: pros and cons
• Should the peace sign be placed on a national flag?

🌐 Essay Topics about Peace Language

• The origin and historical context of the word “peace”
• What words foreign languages use to denote “peace”
• What words, if any, should a pacifist avoid?
• The pacifist discourse: key themes
• Disintegration language: “us” vs “them”
• How to combat war propaganda
• Does political correctness promote world peace?
• Can an advocate of peace be harsh in his or her speeches?
• Effective persuasive techniques in peace communications and negotiations
• Analyzing the term “world peace”
• If the word “war” is forbidden, will wars stop?
• Is “peacemaking” a right term?
• Talk to the hand: effective and ineffective interpersonal communication techniques that prevent conflicts
• The many meanings of the word “peace”
• The pacifists’ language: when pacifists swear, yell, or insult
• Stressing similarities instead of differences as a tool of peace language
• The portrayal of pacifists in movies
• The portrayals of pacifists in fiction
• Pacifist lyrics: examples from the s’ music
• Poems that supported peace The power of the written word
• Peaceful coexistence: theory and practice
• Under what conditions can humans coexist peacefully?
• “A man is a wolf to another man”: the modern perspective
• What factors prevent people from committing a crime?
• Right for peace vs need for peace
• Does the toughening of punishment reduce crime?
• The Stanford prison experiment: implications
• Is killing natural?
• The possibility of universal love: does disliking always lead to conflicts?
• Basic income and the dynamics of thefts
• Hobbesian Leviathan as the guarantee of peace
• Is state-concentrated legitimate violence an instrument for reducing violence overall?
• Factors that undermine peaceful coexistence
• Living in peace vs living for peace
• The relationship between otherness and peacefulness
• World peace and human nature: the issue of attainability
• The most successful examples of peaceful coexistence
• Lack of peace as lack of communication
• Point made: counterculture and pacifism
• What Woodstock proved to world peace nonbelievers and opponents?
• Woodstock and peaceful coexistence: challenges and successes
• Peace, economics, and quality of life
• Are counties living in peace wealthier? Statistics and reasons
• Profits of peace and profits of war: comparison of benefits and losses
• Can a war improve the economy? Discussing examples
• What is more important for people: having appropriate living conditions or winning a war?
• How wars can improve national economies: the perspective of aggressors and defenders
• Peace obstructers: examples of interest groups that sustained wars and prevented peace
• Can democracies be at war with one another?
• Does the democratic rule in a country provide it with an advantage at war?
• Why wars destroy economies: examples, discussion, and counterarguments
• How world peace would improve everyone’s quality of life
• Peace and war today
• Are we getting closer to world peace? Violence rates, values change, and historical comparison
• The peaceful tomorrow: how conflicts will be resolved in the future if there are no wars
• Redefining war: what specific characteristics today’s wars have that make them different from previous centuries’ wars
• Why wars start today: comparing and contrasting the reasons for wars in the modern world to historical examples
• Subtle wars: how two countries can be at war with each other without having their armies collide in the battlefield
• Cyber peace: how cyberwars can be stopped
• Information as a weapon: how information today lands harder blows than bombs and missiles
• Information wars: how the abundance of information and public access to it have not, nonetheless, eliminated propaganda
• Peace through defeating: how ISIS is different from other states, and how can its violence be stopped
• Is world peace a popular idea? Do modern people mostly want peace or mainly wish to fight against other people and win?
• Personal contributions to world peace
• What can I do for attaining world peace? Personal reflection
• Respect as a means of attaining peace: why respecting people is essential not only on the level of interpersonal communications but also on the level of social good
• Peacefulness as an attitude: how one’s worldview can prevent conflicts
• Why a person engages in insulting and offending: analysis of psychological causes and a personal perspective
• A smile as an agent of peace: how simple smiling to people around you contributes to peacefulness
• Appreciating otherness: how one can learn to value diversity and avoid xenophobia
• Peace and love: how the two are inherently interconnected in everyone’s life
• A micro-level peacemaker: my experiences of resolving conflicts and bringing peace
• Forgiveness for the sake of peace: does forgiving other people contribute to peaceful coexistence or promote further conflicts?
• Noble lies: is it acceptable for a person to lie to avoid conflicts and preserve peace?
• What should a victim do? Violent and non-violent responses to violence
• Standing up for the weak : is it always right to take the side of the weakest?
• Self-defense, overwhelming emotions, and witnessing horrible violence: could I ever shoot another person?
• Are there “fair” wars, and should every war be opposed?
• Protecting peace: could I take up arms to prevent a devastating war?
• Reporting violence: would I participate in sending a criminal to prison?
• The acceptability of violence against perpetrators: personal opinion
• Nonviolent individual resistance to injustice
• Peace is worth it: why I think wars are never justified
• How I sustain peace in my everyday life

Learn more on this topic:

• If I Could Change the World Essay: Examples and Writing Guide
• Ending the Essay: Conclusions
• Choosing and Narrowing a Topic to Write About
• Introduction to Research
• How the U.S. Can Help Humanity Achieve World Peace
• Ten Steps to World Peace
• How World Peace is Possible
• World Peace Books and Articles
• World Peace and Nonviolence
• The Leader of World Peace Essay
• UNO and World Peace Essay
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A very, very good paragraph. thanks

Peace and conflict studies actually is good field because is dealing on how to manage the conflict among the two state or country.

Keep it up. Our world earnestly needs peace

A very, very good paragraph.

December 2, 2021

Peace Is More Than War’s Absence, and New Research Explains How to Build It

A new project measures ways to promote positive social relations among groups

By Peter T. Coleman , Allegra Chen-Carrel & Vincent Hans Michael Stueber

PeopleImages/Getty Images

Today, the misery of war is all too striking in places such as Syria, Yemen, Tigray, Myanmar and Ukraine. It can come as a surprise to learn that there are scores of sustainably peaceful societies around the world, ranging from indigenous people in the Xingu River Basin in Brazil to countries in the European Union. Learning from these societies, and identifying key drivers of harmony, is a vital process that can help promote world peace.

Unfortunately, our current ability to find these peaceful mechanisms is woefully inadequate. The Global Peace Index (GPI) and its complement the Positive Peace Index (PPI) rank 163 nations annually and are currently the leading measures of peacefulness. The GPI, launched in 2007 by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), was designed to measure negative peace , or the absence of violence, destructive conflict, and war. But peace is more than not fighting. The PPI, launched in 2009, was supposed to recognize this and track positive peace , or the promotion of peacefulness through positive interactions like civility, cooperation and care.

Yet the PPI still has many serious drawbacks. To begin with, it continues to emphasize negative peace, despite its name. The components of the PPI were selected and are weighted based on existing national indicators that showed the “strongest correlation with the GPI,” suggesting they are in effect mostly an extension of the GPI. For example, the PPI currently includes measures of factors such as group grievances, dissemination of false information, hostility to foreigners, and bribes.

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The index also lacks an empirical understanding of positive peace. The PPI report claims that it focuses on “positive aspects that create the conditions for a society to flourish.” However, there is little indication of how these aspects were derived (other than their relationships with the GPI). For example, access to the internet is currently a heavily weighted indicator in the PPI. But peace existed long before the internet, so is the number of people who can go online really a valid measure of harmony?

The PPI has a strong probusiness bias, too. Its 2021 report posits that positive peace “is a cross-cutting facilitator of progress, making it easier for businesses to sell.” A prior analysis of the PPI found that almost half the indicators were directly related to the idea of a “Peace Industry,” with less of a focus on factors found to be central to positive peace such as gender inclusiveness, equity and harmony between identity groups.

A big problem is that the index is limited to a top-down, national-level approach. The PPI’s reliance on national-level metrics masks critical differences in community-level peacefulness within nations, and these provide a much more nuanced picture of societal peace . Aggregating peace data at the national level, such as focusing on overall levels of inequality rather than on disparities along specific group divides, can hide negative repercussions of the status quo for minority communities.

To fix these deficiencies, we and our colleagues have been developing an alternative approach under the umbrella of the Sustaining Peace Project . Our effort has various components , and these can provide a way to solve the problems in the current indices. Here are some of the elements:

Evidence-based factors that measure positive and negative peace. The peace project began with a comprehensive review of the empirical studies on peaceful societies, which resulted in identifying 72 variables associated with sustaining peace. Next, we conducted an analysis of ethnographic and case study data comparing “peace systems,” or clusters of societies that maintain peace with one another, with nonpeace systems. This allowed us to identify and measure a set of eight core drivers of peace. These include the prevalence of an overarching social identity among neighboring groups and societies; their interconnections such as through trade or intermarriage; the degree to which they are interdependent upon one another in terms of ecological, economic or security concerns; the extent to which their norms and core values support peace or war; the role that rituals, symbols and ceremonies play in either uniting or dividing societies; the degree to which superordinate institutions exist that span neighboring communities; whether intergroup mechanisms for conflict management and resolution exist; and the presence of political leadership for peace versus war.

A core theory of sustaining peace . We have also worked with a broad group of peace, conflict and sustainability scholars to conceptualize how these many variables operate as a complex system by mapping their relationships in a causal loop diagram and then mathematically modeling their core dynamics This has allowed us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how different constellations of factors can combine to affect the probabilities of sustaining peace.

Bottom-up and top-down assessments . Currently, the Sustaining Peace Project is applying techniques such as natural language processing and machine learning to study markers of peace and conflict speech in the news media. Our preliminary research suggests that linguistic features may be able to distinguish between more and less peaceful societies. These methods offer the potential for new metrics that can be used for more granular analyses than national surveys.

We have also been working with local researchers from peaceful societies to conduct interviews and focus groups to better understand the in situ dynamics they believe contribute to sustaining peace in their communities. For example in Mauritius , a highly multiethnic society that is today one of the most peaceful nations in Africa, we learned of the particular importance of factors like formally addressing legacies of slavery and indentured servitude, taboos against proselytizing outsiders about one’s religion, and conscious efforts by journalists to avoid divisive and inflammatory language in their reporting.

Today, global indices drive funding and program decisions that impact countless lives, making it critical to accurately measure what contributes to socially just, safe and thriving societies. These indices are widely reported in news outlets around the globe, and heads of state often reference them for their own purposes. For example, in 2017 , Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, though he and his country were mired in corruption allegations, referenced his country’s positive increase on the GPI by stating, “Receiving such high praise from an institute that once named this country the most violent in the world is extremely significant.” Although a 2019 report on funding for peace-related projects shows an encouraging shift towards supporting positive peace and building resilient societies, many of these projects are really more about preventing harm, such as grants for bolstering national security and enhancing the rule of law.

The Sustaining Peace Project, in contrast, includes metrics for both positive and negative peace, is enhanced by local community expertise, and is conceptually coherent and based on empirical findings. It encourages policy makers and researchers to refocus attention and resources on initiatives that actually promote harmony, social health and positive reciprocity between groups. It moves away from indices that rank entire countries and instead focuses on identifying factors that, through their interaction, bolster or reduce the likelihood of sustaining peace. It is a holistic perspective.  

Tracking peacefulness across the globe is a highly challenging endeavor. But there is great potential in cooperation between peaceful communities, researchers and policy makers to produce better methods and metrics. Measuring peace is simply too important to get only half-right. 

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How to Make Peace in Your Community

Last Updated: May 3, 2024

This article was co-authored by Saul Jaeger, MS . Saul Jaeger is a Police Officer and Captain of the Mountain View, California Police Department (MVPD). Saul has over 17 years of experience as a patrol officer, field training officer, traffic officer, detective, hostage negotiator, and as the traffic unit’s sergeant and Public Information Officer for the MVPD. At the MVPD, in addition to commanding the Field Operations Division, Saul has also led the Communications Center (dispatch) and the Crisis Negotiation Team. He earned an MS in Emergency Services Management from the California State University, Long Beach in 2008 and a BS in Administration of Justice from the University of Phoenix in 2006. He also earned a Corporate Innovation LEAD Certificate from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 2018. This article has been viewed 208,584 times.

Problems within a community can prevent people from living safe, happy, and productive lives. Promoting peace in a community is an extraordinary challenge, and it often requires the work and dedication of many community members. However, you can help to promote peace within your community by encouraging good relationships with your neighbors, learning more about your community's history, and taking action to deal with violence.

Promoting Peace Among Your Neighbors

• Introducing yourself to people . Make a habit of introducing yourself to the people you meet in daily life. Show genuine interest in them, and ask them questions about their lives, jobs, and families.

• Visiting new places . Visit businesses and public areas that you don't typically visit. Take note of changes in your community as well, such as new neighbors, local construction projects, or newly opened or closed businesses.
• Walking around your neighborhood . If it is safe to do so, walk or take public transit instead of driving a car. This will allow you to see, hear and experience your community and its members more intimately.

• If you don't feel ready to plan an event, then you could also organize a small meeting. Try planning a meeting and inviting some other community members who are interested in making your community a more peaceful place. Use the meeting to share your concerns and discuss possible solutions.

• Look into volunteering at a local soup kitchen, homeless shelter, or animal shelter. Try visiting local organizations' websites or calling to see if they are looking for volunteers.

• Home or cell phone numbers
• Workplace addresses and phone numbers
• E-mail addresses, or social media accounts
• Contact info for neighbors' immediate family, in case of emergency

• If you can, consider offering to help set up, run, or clean up after the event.

• Depending on what community you live in, there may be many meetings that you have a right to attend, including city council meetings, meetings of other government committees, and meetings of public organizations such as parent teacher associations.
• Online resources, such as https://www.usa.gov/local-governments , are available to help you locate public offices, services and meetings.
• You can also contact your local city council, chamber of commerce, or other local government organization for help.

Exploring Your Community's History

• When, and by whom, was the community founded?
• What businesses, cultures, religions, or political movements were influential in the founding of the community?
• How has the population of the community changed over time? Has it grown or shrunk? Has it become more or less wealthy?
• How did major events in the world, such as wars or financial crises, affect the community and its residents?
• How has the role of the community in the larger region changed over time? For example, many communities suffer serious consequences when once prominent industries or businesses (railroads, manufacturing plants, etc.) closes or leaves the region.

• For help finding a local historical society, consult an online directory, such as http://www.preservationdirectory.com/preservationorganizationsresources/organizationcategories.aspx

• Most people learn about history in courses at school or in college, but you don't have to be a student to gain access to the subject. Your local library contains all the resources you'll need for a lifetime of learning. Ask your librarian for recommendations.

• What big changes have occurred in the community during their life?
• Has the state of the community improved or become worse in recent times?
• What steps have people taken in the past to improve the community, and were they successful?
• What, in their experience, are the causes of unrest in the community?

Create community through human connection and by finding common ground. "No matter who we are or what we look like or what we may believe, it is both possible and, more importantly, it becomes powerful to come together in common purpose and common effort."

Dealing with Violence in Your Community

• By investigating the potential causes of the violence in your community, you can work on some tailored solutions to the violence. For example, a lack of jobs might be due to poor educational opportunities for people in your community. Therefore, improving educational opportunities might be the best way to prepare people for jobs and cut down on violent crimes.
• Or, if many of the kids in your community spend their spare time on the streets, then building a community center or increasing the programming at a local community center may provide the kids with somewhere to go after school.

• Discuss how more vulnerable community members, such as elders, can be cared for and protected from violence.
• Arrange carpooling or offer to escort those who need to leave their home, but are fearful to go out alone.
• If children are present in the neighborhood, have a frank discussion with your neighbors about where the children can gather should they find themselves in danger.

• Try looking into violence prevention nonprofits for help and information. While the availability of such programs depends on where you live, thousands of organizations exist to assist communities struggling with violence and unrest. Contacting a local anti-violence or community organizing nonprofit is a great way to find out about what others are doing to make positive changes in their communities.

• Be open and honest in discussing issues of violence with your family, friends and neighbors. Conversations about such important, urgent issues can become heated, but do not shy away from disagreement. Instead, try to listen to what others have to say, and try to understand their perspectives before responding.
• Community leaders such as religious or school officials, business owners, community organizers, and local politicians are another great resource.
• Ask about other people's personal experiences with violence, or other community issues. Ask them what they think has caused these issues, and what they think should be done to solve them.

• Classes in community organizing are offered at many universities and colleges, and can sometimes be taken remotely over the internet.

Expert Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.actionforhappiness.org/take-action/get-to-know-your-neighbours-better
• ↑ Saul Jaeger, MS. Police Captain, Mountain View Police Department. Expert Interview. 21 February 2020.
• ↑ https://www.lapdonline.org/making-children-families-and-communities-safer-from-violence/
• ↑ http://learn.org/directory/category/Humanities_and_Liberal_Arts/Social_Services/Community_Organizing.html

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Can education create peaceful and sustainable societies?

Young people express their views on creating peaceful and sustainable societies through education

Shweta Arora, 23

Co-founder of Youth for Earth, an organization that builds partnerships between youth and businesses for environmental action using education to achieve green growth | India

By driving inclusive and equality-centred dialogues and promoting shared knowledge and values, education can create peaceful societies.”

Sifiso Mtshali, 27 Director, The Learn It project | South Africa

There is a huge gap in our education. We are taught about making robots when we don’t even have buses. We need to revise the curriculum so that relevant topics are included, for example agriculture. We also need to build more universities in rural areas so that young people don’t all leave the villages for the capital.”

Ranjana Giri, 22 Student at the Nepal School of Social Work | Nepal

Nathacia Olivier, 26 Director, Criar Investments | South Africa.

You can go to school, college or university, get an average of 90 percent and graduate, find a great job, make a lot of money, smoke weed, drink alcohol, and be a sexist or a bully. That does not make society peaceful and sustainable.

To create peaceful and sustainable societies we need to deal first with the growing economic inequality. For example, education cannot develop while people are killing each other at Marikana for a wage increase. We need responsible citizens, who are emotionally intelligent, have the ability to reach out and care for society at large.”

Ntsikelelo Bles Ntungela, 23 Student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University | South Africa

Mokgobi Koketso Marishane, 30 Network facilitator at Activate Change Drivers | South Africa

But education today is not creating peaceful societies. Focus is more on creating human labor rather than creating citizens. There is not enough about ethics, morals, and creating motivation. Education needs to create good citizens who are also ethical beings.”

Sushant Rijal, 27 Founding member of Echo Change Nepal, a youth-led platform to share projects on peace and sustainable development | Nepal

Usman Muhammad, 28 Founder and executive director, Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change (CREACC), collaborator and youth representative at UN University

One of our young volunteers, after participating in a meeting on gender based discrimination, supported his sister to continue her studies in computer science. His family was not supportive of her sister but he took a strong position and convinced his family members to support her sister in pursuing her interest.”

Bijay Nayak, 28 Team leader of Pathmakers Programme at Patang, a youth-led non-profit organization | India

It is also crucial that students learn basic knowledge of humanities and sciences. Every child in the world should be able to read and solve mathematical problems. Nevertheless, from a certain age, children should specialize in a subject so that they do what they enjoy.”

Tanguy Garrel-Jaffrelot, 20 Student at the Sciences Po Paris and University Pierre and Marie Curie | France

For example, I have worked in several villages of tribal people from a caste without many opportunities. In one case, a woman married into a different caste and faced a hostile reaction. But training helped to give her the confidence to live with her reality. She started a group of women and trained them in tailoring, was successful and has expanded her business. This is transformative education. She is not an educated degree-holder, but positively transformed her living conditions.”

Ajay Pandit, 31 Secretary and founder of Synergy, a platform for youth to become socially engaged | India

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Essay on Importance of Peace

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Peace in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

The essence of peace.

Peace is a state of harmony, free from conflict and violence. It is crucial for the overall well-being of individuals, societies, and nations.

Peace and Individual Growth

Peace promotes individual growth. It allows people to focus on their goals, fostering creativity and innovation.

Peace in Society

In a peaceful society, people can live without fear. It encourages cooperation, leading to societal progress.

Peace and Nations

For nations, peace ensures stability and prosperity. It allows resources to be used for development rather than warfare.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

Peace, often misconstrued as merely the absence of conflict, extends far beyond this simplistic definition. It is a complex, multifaceted concept, encompassing aspects such as social justice, economic equity, and political freedom. The importance of peace, therefore, is inextricably linked to the overall well-being of individuals and societies.

Peace as a Catalyst for Progress

Peace serves as a catalyst for societal progress. In peaceful conditions, individuals are better equipped to focus on activities that foster personal growth and societal advancement. Peace facilitates the creation of a conducive environment for innovation, creativity, and intellectual pursuits. It is the bedrock of thriving civilizations and the prerequisite for the evolution of society.

Peace and Social Cohesion

The role of peace in promoting social cohesion cannot be overstated. Peaceful societies are characterized by respect for diversity, mutual understanding, and tolerance. These elements are vital for fostering social cohesion, facilitating cooperation, and promoting harmonious coexistence among diverse groups.

Peace and Sustainable Development

Peace is integral to achieving sustainable development. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals underscore the importance of peace, justice, and strong institutions. Without peace, efforts towards sustainable development are likely to be undermined by conflict, instability, and social unrest.

In conclusion, peace is not merely desirable, but essential. It is the foundation upon which societies thrive, fostering progress, promoting social cohesion, and facilitating sustainable development. As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, the importance of peace becomes even more pronounced. It is our collective responsibility to promote and sustain peace for the betterment of humanity.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

Introduction, the role of peace in individual development.

Peace plays a crucial role in individual development. It provides the conducive environment necessary for individuals to grow, learn, and reach their full potential. In a peaceful environment, individuals can focus on their personal development, exploring their interests, and cultivating their skills without the constant threat of violence or chaos. Peace, therefore, ensures the mental and emotional well-being of individuals, which is crucial for their overall growth.

Peace and Economic Prosperity

Economic prosperity and peace are intrinsically linked. Peaceful societies provide the stability necessary for economic activities to thrive. Businesses can plan for the long-term, invest in new ventures, and expand their operations without the fear of sudden disruption. Furthermore, peace promotes trade and international cooperation, which are vital for economic growth. Without peace, economic development is stunted, leading to poverty and a lower quality of life.

Peace as a Catalyst for Social Progress

Peace and environmental sustainability.

The importance of peace extends to environmental sustainability. In times of conflict, environmental conservation often takes a back seat, leading to environmental degradation. Peace allows societies to focus on sustainable practices, preserving natural resources, and combating climate change. Thus, peace is essential for the survival of our planet.

In conclusion, peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a condition that nurtures the holistic development of individuals and societies. It is the backbone of economic prosperity, social progress, and environmental sustainability. The pursuit of peace, therefore, should be a priority for all, as it is the foundation upon which a prosperous and sustainable future can be built. The importance of peace, as highlighted, underscores the need for individuals, communities, and nations to work tirelessly towards its establishment and preservation.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Peaceful Societies

Alternatives to violence and war.

Peaceful societies are contemporary groups of people who effectively foster interpersonal harmony and who rarely permit violence or warfare to interfere with their lives. This website serves to introduce these societies to students, peace activists, scholars and citizens who are interested in the conditions that promote peacefulness. It includes information on the beliefs of these peoples, the ways they maintain their nonviolence, and the factors that challenge their lifestyles.

LISTS : A list of peaceful societies is never completely finished or accurate. However, social scientists have convincingly described at least 25 societies around the world in which there is very little internal violence or external warfare. Generalizations are difficult to make accurately, except that most of the time these peaceful societies successfully promote harmony, gentleness, and kindness toward others as much as they devalue conflict, aggressiveness, and violence.

DISCLAIMER: While scholars have clearly identified a small number of societies in which people rarely act aggressively, it must be emphasized that no stamp of approval is intended for the societies included in this website. None of them are utopias. They share many problems with the rest of humanity. That said, however, most of the time they interact in a highly pro-social manner and they successfully avoid both violence within their own societies and warfare with other peoples.

OTHER “PEACEFUL” SOCIETIES : Popular writers and casual observers have also described many other societies as “peaceful,” but often in a more general or romantic sense. This website focuses, instead, on societies where there is significant scholarly literature to support the claims of peacefulness, and where the evidence provided by those scholars appears to be quite convincing.

COMPARISONS : Part of the fascination of this scholarly literature is the way readers can compare the extent of peacefulness and violence in these societies. Their differing ways of developing social, psychological, ethical and religious structures that foster peacefulness should inspire—and challenge—anyone interested in the processes of peace building. This literature suggests several questions:

• Why are some societies highly opposed to both aggressive behavior within the community and warfare with external enemies, while most other peoples tolerate or even encourage such violence?
• How are these peaceful societies able to maintain their pro-social values and their nonviolence even when challenged by aggressive outside forces?
• How do peaceful societies raise their children to support harmonious social interactions, to devalue violence, and to transmit firm commitments to nonviolence to following generations?
• What sorts of psychological strategies do they employ to reinforce their values and beliefs in peacefulness?
• How do the religions, systems of belief, and worldviews of the peaceful societies foster their nonviolence?

APPROACHES TO PEACEFULNESS : Most of the nonviolent peoples have a wide range of strategies for promoting interpersonal harmony, building mutual respect, and fostering toleration for individual differences. Many of them are masters at devaluing conflicts, minimizing and resolving them when they do occur, and preventing them from developing into violence. Many of these peaceful societies also devalue competition, self-focus, and other ego-centered social behaviors that they feel might lead to violence.

LITERATURE : While the literature about these societies is small in contrast to the vast number of works about violence and war, there are some notable, highly readable books about peaceful societies and some useful websites that describe a few of them. Most of the best literature, however, is available in books, journal articles, and essays contained in published volumes. A small number of the best journal articles and essays from books are included in the Archive of Articles on Peaceful Societies of this website. Three different encyclopedia articles describe peaceful societies and the literature about them ( Dentan 2002 ; Fry 1999 ; Sponsel 1996 ).

ADDITIONS : Additions to the website, as well as news about the peaceful societies, are noted on the News and Reviews page .

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How to Write the Community Essay – Guide with Examples (2023-24)

September 6, 2023

Students applying to college this year will inevitably confront the community essay. In fact, most students will end up responding to several community essay prompts for different schools. For this reason, you should know more than simply how to approach the community essay as a genre. Rather, you will want to learn how to decipher the nuances of each particular prompt, in order to adapt your response appropriately. In this article, we’ll show you how to do just that, through several community essay examples. These examples will also demonstrate how to avoid cliché and make the community essay authentically and convincingly your own.

Emphasis on Community

Do keep in mind that inherent in the word “community” is the idea of multiple people. The personal statement already provides you with a chance to tell the college admissions committee about yourself as an individual. The community essay, however, suggests that you depict yourself among others. You can use this opportunity to your advantage by showing off interpersonal skills, for example. Or, perhaps you wish to relate a moment that forged important relationships. This in turn will indicate what kind of connections you’ll make in the classroom with college peers and professors.

Apart from comprising numerous people, a community can appear in many shapes and sizes. It could be as small as a volleyball team, or as large as a diaspora. It could fill a town soup kitchen, or spread across five boroughs. In fact, due to the internet, certain communities today don’t even require a physical place to congregate. Communities can form around a shared identity, shared place, shared hobby, shared ideology, or shared call to action. They can even arise due to a shared yet unforeseen circumstance.

What is the Community Essay All About?             

In a nutshell, the community essay should exhibit three things:

• An aspect of yourself, 2. in the context of a community you belonged to, and 3. how this experience may shape your contribution to the community you’ll join in college.

It may look like a fairly simple equation: 1 + 2 = 3. However, each college will word their community essay prompt differently, so it’s important to look out for additional variables. One college may use the community essay as a way to glimpse your core values. Another may use the essay to understand how you would add to diversity on campus. Some may let you decide in which direction to take it—and there are many ways to go!

To get a better idea of how the prompts differ, let’s take a look at some real community essay prompts from the current admission cycle.

Sample 2023-2024 Community Essay Prompts

1) brown university.

“Students entering Brown often find that making their home on College Hill naturally invites reflection on where they came from. Share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community. (200-250 words)”

A close reading of this prompt shows that Brown puts particular emphasis on place. They do this by using the words “home,” “College Hill,” and “where they came from.” Thus, Brown invites writers to think about community through the prism of place. They also emphasize the idea of personal growth or change, through the words “inspired or challenged you.” Therefore, Brown wishes to see how the place you grew up in has affected you. And, they want to know how you in turn will affect their college community.

“NYU was founded on the belief that a student’s identity should not dictate the ability for them to access higher education. That sense of opportunity for all students, of all backgrounds, remains a part of who we are today and a critical part of what makes us a world-class university. Our community embraces diversity, in all its forms, as a cornerstone of the NYU experience.

We would like to better understand how your experiences would help us to shape and grow our diverse community. Please respond in 250 words or less.”

Here, NYU places an emphasis on students’ “identity,” “backgrounds,” and “diversity,” rather than any physical place. (For some students, place may be tied up in those ideas.) Furthermore, while NYU doesn’t ask specifically how identity has changed the essay writer, they do ask about your “experience.” Take this to mean that you can still recount a specific moment, or several moments, that work to portray your particular background. You should also try to link your story with NYU’s values of inclusivity and opportunity.

3) University of Washington

“Our families and communities often define us and our individual worlds. Community might refer to your cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood or school, sports team or club, co-workers, etc. Describe the world you come from and how you, as a product of it, might add to the diversity of the UW. (300 words max) Tip: Keep in mind that the UW strives to create a community of students richly diverse in cultural backgrounds, experiences, values and viewpoints.”

UW ’s community essay prompt may look the most approachable, for they help define the idea of community. You’ll notice that most of their examples (“families,” “cultural group, extended family, religious group, neighborhood”…) place an emphasis on people. This may clue you in on their desire to see the relationships you’ve made. At the same time, UW uses the words “individual” and “richly diverse.” They, like NYU, wish to see how you fit in and stand out, in order to boost campus diversity.

Writing Your First Community Essay

Begin by picking which community essay you’ll write first. (For practical reasons, you’ll probably want to go with whichever one is due earliest.) Spend time doing a close reading of the prompt, as we’ve done above. Underline key words. Try to interpret exactly what the prompt is asking through these keywords.

Next, brainstorm. I recommend doing this on a blank piece of paper with a pencil. Across the top, make a row of headings. These might be the communities you’re a part of, or the components that make up your identity. Then, jot down descriptive words underneath in each column—whatever comes to you. These words may invoke people and experiences you had with them, feelings, moments of growth, lessons learned, values developed, etc. Now, narrow in on the idea that offers the richest material and that corresponds fully with the prompt.

Lastly, write! You’ll definitely want to describe real moments, in vivid detail. This will keep your essay original, and help you avoid cliché. However, you’ll need to summarize the experience and answer the prompt succinctly, so don’t stray too far into storytelling mode.

How To Adapt Your Community Essay

Once your first essay is complete, you’ll need to adapt it to the other colleges involving community essays on your list. Again, you’ll want to turn to the prompt for a close reading, and recognize what makes this prompt different from the last. For example, let’s say you’ve written your essay for UW about belonging to your swim team, and how the sports dynamics shaped you. Adapting that essay to Brown’s prompt could involve more of a focus on place. You may ask yourself, how was my swim team in Alaska different than the swim teams we competed against in other states?

Once you’ve adapted the content, you’ll also want to adapt the wording to mimic the prompt. For example, let’s say your UW essay states, “Thinking back to my years in the pool…” As you adapt this essay to Brown’s prompt, you may notice that Brown uses the word “reflection.” Therefore, you might change this sentence to “Reflecting back on my years in the pool…” While this change is minute, it cleverly signals to the reader that you’ve paid attention to the prompt, and are giving that school your full attention.

What to Avoid When Writing the Community Essay  

• Avoid cliché. Some students worry that their idea is cliché, or worse, that their background or identity is cliché. However, what makes an essay cliché is not the content, but the way the content is conveyed. This is where your voice and your descriptions become essential.
• Avoid giving too many examples. Stick to one community, and one or two anecdotes arising from that community that allow you to answer the prompt fully.
• Don’t exaggerate or twist facts. Sometimes students feel they must make themselves sound more “diverse” than they feel they are. Luckily, diversity is not a feeling. Likewise, diversity does not simply refer to one’s heritage. If the prompt is asking about your identity or background, you can show the originality of your experiences through your actions and your thinking.

Community Essay Examples and Analysis

Brown university community essay example.

I used to hate the NYC subway. I’ve taken it since I was six, going up and down Manhattan, to and from school. By high school, it was a daily nightmare. Spending so much time underground, underneath fluorescent lighting, squashed inside a rickety, rocking train car among strangers, some of whom wanted to talk about conspiracy theories, others who had bedbugs or B.O., or who manspread across two seats, or bickered—it wore me out. The challenge of going anywhere seemed absurd. I dreaded the claustrophobia and disgruntlement.

Yet the subway also inspired my understanding of community. I will never forget the morning I saw a man, several seats away, slide out of his seat and hit the floor. The thump shocked everyone to attention. What we noticed: he appeared drunk, possibly homeless. I was digesting this when a second man got up and, through a sort of awkward embrace, heaved the first man back into his seat. The rest of us had stuck to subway social codes: don’t step out of line. Yet this second man’s silent actions spoke loudly. They said, “I care.”

That day I realized I belong to a group of strangers. What holds us together is our transience, our vulnerabilities, and a willingness to assist. This community is not perfect but one in motion, a perpetual work-in-progress. Now I make it my aim to hold others up. I plan to contribute to the Brown community by helping fellow students and strangers in moments of precariousness.    

Brown University Community Essay Example Analysis

Here the student finds an original way to write about where they come from. The subway is not their home, yet it remains integral to ideas of belonging. The student shows how a community can be built between strangers, in their responsibility toward each other. The student succeeds at incorporating key words from the prompt (“challenge,” “inspired” “Brown community,” “contribute”) into their community essay.

UW Community Essay Example

I grew up in Hawaii, a world bound by water and rich in diversity. In school we learned that this sacred land was invaded, first by Captain Cook, then by missionaries, whalers, traders, plantation owners, and the U.S. government. My parents became part of this problematic takeover when they moved here in the 90s. The first community we knew was our church congregation. At the beginning of mass, we shook hands with our neighbors. We held hands again when we sang the Lord’s Prayer. I didn’t realize our church wasn’t “normal” until our diocese was informed that we had to stop dancing hula and singing Hawaiian hymns. The order came from the Pope himself.

Eventually, I lost faith in God and organized institutions. I thought the banning of hula—an ancient and pure form of expression—seemed medieval, ignorant, and unfair, given that the Hawaiian religion had already been stamped out. I felt a lack of community and a distrust for any place in which I might find one. As a postcolonial inhabitant, I could never belong to the Hawaiian culture, no matter how much I valued it. Then, I was shocked to learn that Queen Ka’ahumanu herself had eliminated the Kapu system, a strict code of conduct in which women were inferior to men. Next went the Hawaiian religion. Queen Ka’ahumanu burned all the temples before turning to Christianity, hoping this religion would offer better opportunities for her people.

Community Essay (Continued)

I’m not sure what to make of this history. Should I view Queen Ka’ahumanu as a feminist hero, or another failure in her islands’ tragedy? Nothing is black and white about her story, but she did what she thought was beneficial to her people, regardless of tradition. From her story, I’ve learned to accept complexity. I can disagree with institutionalized religion while still believing in my neighbors. I am a product of this place and their presence. At UW, I plan to add to campus diversity through my experience, knowing that diversity comes with contradictions and complications, all of which should be approached with an open and informed mind.

UW Community Essay Example Analysis

This student also manages to weave in words from the prompt (“family,” “community,” “world,” “product of it,” “add to the diversity,” etc.). Moreover, the student picks one of the examples of community mentioned in the prompt, (namely, a religious group,) and deepens their answer by addressing the complexity inherent in the community they’ve been involved in. While the student displays an inner turmoil about their identity and participation, they find a way to show how they’d contribute to an open-minded campus through their values and intellectual rigor.

What’s Next

For more on supplemental essays and essay writing guides, check out the following articles:

• How to Write the Why This Major Essay + Example
• How to Write the Overcoming Challenges Essay + Example
• How to Start a College Essay – 12 Techniques and Tips
• College Essay

Kaylen Baker

With a BA in Literary Studies from Middlebury College, an MFA in Fiction from Columbia University, and a Master’s in Translation from Université Paris 8 Vincennes-Saint-Denis, Kaylen has been working with students on their writing for over five years. Previously, Kaylen taught a fiction course for high school students as part of Columbia Artists/Teachers, and served as an English Language Assistant for the French National Department of Education. Kaylen is an experienced writer/translator whose work has been featured in Los Angeles Review, Hybrid, San Francisco Bay Guardian, France Today, and Honolulu Weekly, among others.

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Welcome to the United Nations

ECOWAS at 49: Successes in regional integration, despite emerging challenges

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The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded in 1975 to promote economic integration in the region. Forty-nine years later, the regional bloc boasts significant successes in integration, peace and security and good governance, but also faces some challenges. ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, participated in a high-level event at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2024, focusing on regional unity, peace and security in West Africa. In an interview with Kingsley Ighobor following the event, Ambassador Musah, speaking on behalf of ECOWAS, highlighted the organization’s achievements and challenges, as well as ongoing efforts to strengthen integration. These are excerpts from the interview.

ECOWAS was founded on 28 May 1975. What are its achievements so far?

The achievements of ECOWAS over the last 49 years can be encapsulated in one key point: we have transitioned from creating an organization to building a community.

ECOWAS was created at the very height of the Cold War. The only possible area for people to come together and find common ground was economic integration, not political or ideological. 

The protocol on the free movement of persons, goods and services (1976) permits citizens the right of abode in any member state and has been an ECOWAS calling card over the years. It is a major achievement that people in West Africa do not have to think about a visa when they cross borders within the region.

There was a lot of turmoil in Africa post-Cold War; without ECOWAS the whole region could have been engulfed in fratricidal wars. If you remember, a war started in Liberia towards the end of 1989 and continued throughout the 1990s, spreading to Sierra Leone and affecting Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire.

There is a lot the region can be proud of—the fact that ECOWAS is now a trademark, a pioneer in regional integration on the continent.

ECOWAS intervened through its multilateral armed forces, the Economic Community of West African States Ceasefire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which stabilized the situation and eventually provided a soft landing for the United Nations peacekeepers who came in subsequently.

On economic integration?

On economic integration, we can talk about many achievements. It is not just about the free movement of persons; it is also about creating a common market for the region. It is about helping countries develop infrastructure—energy, internet connectivity, and building road networks across the region. This is ongoing. However, learning from the sad events of the 1990s characterized by civil wars and implosion of States, ECOWAS had no choice but to pivot to security matters and good governance.

Today, the values of democracy and human rights are very much embedded in West African culture, and ECOWAS is part and parcel of that process. West Africa is the only region in Africa that does not have an open, high-intensity conflict, despite the activities of Violent Extremist Groups. 

There is a lot the region can be proud of—the fact that ECOWAS is now a trademark, a pioneer in regional integration on the continent. It provided a lot of the basis for the African Union’s frameworks.

ECOWAS morphed from an economic bloc into both an economic and political union. Is this correct?

Yes, it is.

Some ECOWAS members have indicated their intention to pull out of the group. Are there efforts to ensure they remain? 

ECOWAS is a community. We have solidarity. We may have challenges or differences, but pulling out is not the answer. The countries intending to pull out talk about their Pan-African ambitions and other things, but the basis of Pan-Africanism is integration.  Given that disintegration will not promote Pan-Africanism, we are doing everything we can to have them remain in the fold.

However, it is important to note that a country cannot just decide one day to withdraw from ECOWAS. There are procedures to follow, in accordance with Article 91 of the ECOWAS Treaty. 

Several diplomatic engagements are going on behind the scenes to reunite the ECOWAS bloc. 

What gives you hope these efforts will succeed? 

What gives us hope is that ECOWAS held its extraordinary summit in February 2024 and lifted the severe sanctions against Niger, and we further encouraged them to return to the Community. We hope they understand that the advantages of being together far outweigh the disadvantages.

Talking about advantages, what further incentives do you provide these countries to encourage them to maintain their membership?

I spoke earlier about ECOWAS’ free movement of people, goods and services. About 10 million citizens of these countries are spread across the region. As we speak, 4.5 million Burkinabe citizens live in Côte d'Ivoire alone. If they withdraw from ECOWAS, the status of their citizens will change dramatically. They will have to regularize their stay, and those who cannot regularize will need to return to their countries.

We talk about trade liberalization. Intra-African trade is just about 15 percent. Within the ECOWAS region, exports from these three countries to other parts of West Africa do not go beyond 17 percent. What ECOWAS gets from them is meat products, vegetables and so on. Whereas they get energy and many manufactured goods from the other countries with virtually no tariffs attached.

The values of democracy and human rights are very much embedded in West African culture, and ECOWAS is part and parcel of that process.

Do not forget the three countries are landlocked. They will need outlets to the sea, which is being provided today under very favourable conditions within the framework of regional integration. If they pull out, they will have to find alternative outlets or pay higher freight charges and tariffs. It will take a lot of time and resources to do that.

We are also about community solidarity, which is something people take for granted. In fact, the three countries together consume more than 52 percent of the ECOWAS strategic food reserves, which is about 15,000 tonnes of food. Landlocked countries or those ravaged by cyclical droughts need such support. 

Finally, the most effective way of combating violent extremism is by sharing intelligence and cross-border military cooperation. If they separate from us, how do they effectively fight violent extremists? We need them back in the family and I hope they rescind their decision.

Could their withdrawal have reputational consequences for ECOWAS?

A withdrawal will neither be good for them nor for ECOWAS because in international diplomacy today, strength lies in numbers. If we remain 15 member states, our influence in international diplomacy is greater. If they leave, ECOWAS will be weakened. This is something we must consider.

Remember that ECOWAS is an organization of solidarity. If you are seeking positions in international organizations like the UN and others, ECOWAS comes together and backs a candidate. For the sake of solidarity, we will back those who are within the community.

So diplomatically speaking, security-wise, politically, it is bad for both sides. But on balance, it is very much not in their favour.

Also in this issue

Empowering women and restoring wetlands go hand in hand

How ‘Generation Restoration’ can safeguard Africa’s land and livelihoods

Advocating for inclusive education for children with hearing disabilities in Malawi

Investing in youth to counter hate speech

2024 SDG Report highlights stalled progress and growing inequities as 2030 deadline approaches

AGOA: How access to US market changed the fortunes of two South African sisters

Breaking gender barriers through education

Angola: Soyo entrepreneurs switching from oil to sustainable agriculture

More from africa renewal.

Elections in Liberia: UN-ECOWAS joint mission calls for peaceful electioneering period

Ban urges calm, inclusive dialogue as mass protests sweep Burkina Faso capital

Building peace from the ground up

Reform of Guinea-Bissau’s military at the crossroads

WALLOPING NEGATIVE TRENDS IN PAKISTAN’S YOUTH THROUGH SPORTS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Muhammad Wasiq Khan
• Dr. Khalid Mahmood Shafi
• Muhammad Tariq Niaz

Sports have been recognised as an integral part of human life, and their significance cannot be overstated. In Pakistan, however, sports have not been accorded due importance, which has had a negative impact on the country’s youth. Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) is a popular way to address variety of social issues, especially in regions afflicted by negative tendencies. Numerous peace and development organisations, including the United Nations and international development agencies, have acknowledged sports as a significant social catalyst. Pakistan is globally tagged for negativity since there is a dearth of literature that corroborates its positive aspects. This country has been a world champion in four sports, and its gloom-ridden image has overshadowed such positive aspects of Pakistan. This research paper explores the challenges and opportunities of using sports to address negative trends in Pakistan’s youth. This paper is an effort to introduce the concept of sport for peace and development, as well as a demonstration of how sport may help create peace, promote a favourable global image, and involve Pakistani youth in constructive activities. The paper in the beginning highlights sports’ significance for a nation, then illustrates the sports landscape in Pakistan. It then delves into the challenges faced by Pakistani youth in terms of physical fitness and mental health. Since Pakistan is a sports-loving nation, there is a dire need to revive the sports culture in Pakistan to engage its youth in constructive activities for pragmatic outcomes. The paper concludes by highlighting the opportunities that lie ahead by fostering the sports spirit through the collaboration of the government, private sector, community, and civil society.

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McGill dismantles pro-Palestinian encampment, ending months-long protest on campus

University used private security agency to clear out protesters.

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The operation to dismantle the pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill University is nearly complete hours after the university announced the closure of its downtown Montreal campus.

Early Wednesday morning, a large force of local and provincial police officers, some wearing riot gear, and others on bicycles and on horseback, descended near the campus after the university served two eviction notices to protesters there. 

A team of private security guards then escorted dozens of protesters from the encampment to make way for workers in high-visibility vests who used a front loader and a backhoe to clear the tents, signs and tarps left by the protesters.

The university issued a statement describing the encampment as a magnet for violence and intimidation. The statement said most of the people there were not students and that there had been overdoses and illegal drug use at the camp.

By mid-morning, the security team and contractors hired by the university had hauled down the tents and fences, which had been in place for more than 10 weeks, as dozens of police in riot gear stood at the ready.

By noon, the camp was all but gone. Piles of twisted tent poles and tarps lay on the lawn and workers stacked fencing and pallets which were carried away by dump trucks.

McGill said of the 35 people who were at the site, almost all chose to leave and were given the opportunity to remove their personal belongings. 

Some protesters did not leave willingly. Police escorted them from the encampment and at least one person was arrested after an altercation with a security guard, according to Radio-Canada. 

• McGill says it will no longer negotiate with pro-Palestinian encampment protesters

"I think it's absolutely shameful that the McGill administration has to go through a private company to rid the campus of its own students," said Zeyad Abisaab, who has been affiliated with the McGill encampment through Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR).

McGill erected temporary fencing blocking access to the campus by students and staff. Sûreté du Québec officers wearing heavy green riot gear stood at entrances to the campus and turned people away.

The university remained closed all day.

A group of several dozen protesters, which included some people who had left the encampment, carried Palestinian flags and faced off with a line of Montreal police officers near the campus Wednesday morning. They chanted slogans and, as heavy rain began to fall Wednesday afternoon, they remained on site, waving flags and singing. Both that protest and the operation to dismantle the encampment took place peacefully and in relative calm. 

The move to dismantle the encampment comes in the wake of months of conflict on campus, including the occupation of an administration building that led to riot police clashing with protesters .

Workers clean up what's left of pro-Palestinian encampment at McGill

Montreal police spokesperson Jean-Pierre Brabant said officers from the  Service de police de la ville de Montréal  (SPVM) were present only to support the private security guards and workers hired by McGill. 

Since April 27, the students have camped on the downtown campus's lower field in protest of the university's investments in weapons companies and other companies with ties to Israel.

It was one of a large number of encampment protests that were set up across North America in response to Israel's military operation and bombing campaign in Gaza. 

• McGill condemns 'alarming' image of armed fighters shared by encampment group
• Montreal police remove protesters from pro-Palestinian encampment at Victoria Square

McGill president Deep Saini said in a statement that McGill will always respect freedom of expression and assembly exercised within the limits of laws and policies that ensure safety.

"However, recent events go far beyond peaceful protest, and have inhibited the respectful exchange of views and ideas that is so essential to the university's mission and to our sense of community," he said. 

Saini said the university hired a firm to investigate the activities taking place inside the encampment as police and university officials were denied access. 

He said the firm found few members of the McGill community were part of the encampment and that most were activists from external groups or unhoused individuals residing there overnight.

"This camp was not a peaceful protest," Saini said in a statement to the McGill community. "It was a heavily fortified focal point for intimidation and violence."

Scott Weinstein, a nurse and one of the protesters who remained on campus, said the private security firm hired by the university had told them to leave around 4 a.m. But he said the protesters who remained on site, a group of six people who sat on benches near the campus gates, were not being arrested. 

He disputed the university's characterization of the encampment as violent and said the protesters were not responsible for the illegal drug use. 

"If there's drug overdoses, it's because there's homeless people in downtown Montreal," he said. 

Last camp standing in Quebec

Prior to Wednesday's operation, two Quebec Superior Court judges rejected provisional injunctions to have the McGill encampment removed and police had said they would not act against it until they received judicial authorization. 

All other pro-Palestinian encampments set up at universities in Quebec, including Université du Quebec à Montréal (UQAM), Université de Sherbrooke and Université Laval have been taken down.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Digital reporter

Sabrina Jonas is a digital reporter with CBC Montreal. She was previously based at CBC Toronto after graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University's School of Journalism. Sabrina has a particular interest in social justice issues and human interest stories. Drop her an email at [email protected]

With files from Rowan Kennedy

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Editorials | Editorial: Water didn’t divide Twin Lakes. A…

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Editorials | Editorial: Water didn’t divide Twin Lakes. A developer’s greedy move alienated him and any future homeowners from the community.

If alan elias truly wants “peace” in the community, he could voluntarily undo the harm he has done.

In reality, Elias has alienated himself from the residents of the small town with his own disastrous decision to reroute a stream so water no longer flows into the community’s beloved Barn Pond.

Because of Elias’ actions, Barn Pond is now a mud hole and nearby wetlands are drying up .

Elias says that he is legally entitled to the water that once flowed into Barn Pond. But Elias alone doesn’t get to decide that the stream feeding into Barn Pond was a man-made diversion. That will be determined by investigations conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and water engineers for the Colorado Division of Water Resources in the Arkansas River basin.

Colorado water rights are generally straightforward — a user can only take from a flowing water source what they are legally allotted and must send the rest downstream to other users regardless of whether “downstream” is a single path serving one user or multiple tributaries serving multiple users. Unfortunately, water rights in Colorado are increasingly dictated by who can hire the higher-powered attorney and who can act first to take what they think belongs to them.

While we wait to see the results of the investigation and any potential litigation, if Elias truly wants “peace” in the community, he could voluntarily undo the harm he has done. Nothing is preventing him from recreating the stream flow he disrupted to ensure that Barn Pond becomes a healthy and photogenic pond again.

Elias wants the water to instead feed into the streams and ponds on 75 acres he owns just a half mile from Twin Lakes right off of Highway 82. Elias is attempting to get approval to subdivide the land into 18 lots that are marketed online at beginning prices of $1 million.

The proposed map shows a network of lakes and streams interspersed throughout a small subdivision of lots of a few acres. What is unclear is how many of those lakes and streams will exist without the water taken from Barn Pond and the surrounding wetlands.

We are glad that the Army Corps of Engineers and the Division of Water Resources are investigating.

But regardless of what legal answer they come up with, the answer for Elias to get the peace he wants and deserves on his little slice of Colorado heaven is to take immediate action to undo the harm he has caused Twin Lakes. Who would want to move into a community – even if it’s a family’s “second or third home” as Elias has marketed the subdivision – knowing that the ponds, lakes and streams in AngelView are fed by water that was taken from Barn Pond .

Barn Pond is more than a local watering hole for wildlife; it’s more than a popular fishing spot, and it’s more than a healthy wetland ecosystem for watersheds. Barn Pond and the wetlands surrounding it are the heart of the Twin Lakes visitor’s area and the location of the Twin Lakes National Historic District signs and markers. Barn Lake has become a symbol for the beautiful Twin Lakes town itself. In other words, water didn’t divide the community, but Elias may destroy it.

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Cleveland Heights council to hold confirmation hearing for new city finance director

• Updated: Jul. 09, 2024, 2:21 p.m.
• | Published: Jul. 09, 2024, 1:42 p.m.

The community gathered July 7 to celebrate groundbreaking on the new Coventry PEACE Park, featuring accessible pathways and play areas to embrace people of all ages and abilities, as well as a performance pavilion for community events, more than 100 new trees, half-court basketball and, of course, the all-new playground that could be completed by the end of the year. Gabe Schaffer

• Thomas Jewell, special to cleveland.com

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Mayor Kahlil Seren introduced his pick for the city’s new finance director last week, asking council to confirm his appointment of Tinita Tillman ahead of her projected Aug. 5 start date.

Tillman currently serves as finance director for the City of Maple Heights, where she started in February 2019.

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