Three delegates from the Canadian Peace Initiative (Saul Arbess, Penelope Joy and Furquan Gehlen) attended the Sixth Global Summit of the Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace, held in Geneva, Switzerland, September 16-20, 2013, to call for the establishment of civil society and government institutions supporting a culture of peace. (For more information, visit www.gamip.org). The Summit represented a collaboration with the International Civil Society Network for Infrastructures for Peace.

Four countries already have national government ministries of peace: Solomon Islands, Nepal, Costa Rica, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. Many more have networks of local and regional peace councils and other systems in civil society and government dedicated to transforming conflict and preventing violence.

In Canada, the Canadian Peace Initiative (CPI) is working toward establishing a department of peace in the federal government. “The Geneva Summit significantly moved our initative forward in concert with other countries,” Dr. Arbess indicated.

The Summit welcomed over 160 participants representing 55 countries, from all corners of the globe, including Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica, Ghana, Pakistan, Rwanda, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Canada, Nigeria, USA, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Nepal, Lesotho, Uganda, United Kingdom, New Zealand, India, Brazil, Georgia, South Africa, Columbia, Palestine, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, Romania, and Denmark.

Key Summit outcomes included:

1. A proposed United Nations Resolution and associated petition drive calling on the UN to support infrastructures for peace in governments and countries around the world.
2. Establishment of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace as a regional affiliate of GAMIP, joining the already existing African Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace in support of the creation of and strengthening of infrastructures for peace throughout their regions.
3. Representatives from the United Nations Development Program and Summit sponsor the City of Geneva expressed their support for infrastructures for peace in contributing to building a global culture of peace.
4. Summit attendees expressed ways in which they will create and support infrastructures for peace in their work around the world, including restorative systems of justice and conflict transformation, nonviolent communication, sustainable cities, networks and practices for peace in military and security forces.