International Online/Offline Conference & Round Table Discussions September 21 – 22, 2024, Regional Press Institute LLC,
office 301, 87, letter A, Ligovsky Prospect, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Background:
- The Baltic and Arctic regions are militarizing, and new risks of global military confrontation, climate and environmental disasters are emerging.
- Civil society in Russia and Western countries are limited in the ability to cooperate to reduce the risks of military escalation, stop climate change, radioactive contamination, and destruction of natural ecosystems.
- UN: 2024 is the year of promoting a culture of peace; September 21 is the International Day of Peace.
Organizers:
- Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, interregional environmental movement of St. Petersburg – Leningrad Region, Russia.
- Global Women for Peace United Against NATO – international network.
- Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space.
- International Peace Bureau (IPB) – Geneva, Barcelona, Berlin.
- World BEYOND War – a global anti-war organization with chapters and affiliates in about two dozen countries. It is opposed to the very institution of war and not just individual wars.
Supporters:
- Regional Press Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Boligaktionen – Activism for a World with Space for Everyone, Denmark.
- Canadian organization Women’s Voice for Peace (VOW), Canada.
- International Women’s League for Peace and Freedom of Canada (WILPF).
- International Women’s League for Peace and Freedom WILPF – Norway.
- Women for Peace, Finland.
- Women for Peace, Sweden.
Objectives:
- Strengthening peace and sustainable development through civil diplomacy.
- Combating climate change and protecting the environment through peacebuilding. ●The transformation of the Baltic and Arctic regions into a nuclear-weapon-free zone of peace.
- Uniting peacekeeping and environmental human rights organizations in the Baltic and Arctic regions to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals: 16 (peace, justice, and strong institutions) and 17 (Partnership for Sustainable Development).
- Making the Baltic Sea region and the Arctic zones of peace between people and with nature.
Participants:
- Non-governmental organizations of the Baltic and Arctic regions from Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Canada, USA.
- Deputies of the regional parliaments and municipalities of the Leningrad region and St. Petersburg, Russia.
- Environmental experts from St. Petersburg and Leningrad Oblast.
Expected results:
- Creation of a network of interaction between the participants of the Conference and round table discussions.
- Elaboration of a joint declaration on action to achieve the goals of the conference to be sent to the organizers of the World Peace Forum 2025.
Speakers:
Palle BENDSEN – Friends of the Earth Denmark.
Oleg BODROV – Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, IPB, Russia. Reiner BRAUN – IPB, Berlin, Germany.
Ingeborg BREINES – Former Chair of IPB and UNESCO Director, Norway.
Isabelle CASSEL – Deutscher Friedensrat (climate issue), Germany.
Angelika CLAUSSEN – President of IPPNW Europe, Germany
Tove JENSEN – Peace Initiative in Denmark & Campaign “No to US-Bases in Denmark. Martha HENNESSY – prominent American peace & nuclear disarmament promoter, USA. Mechthild KLINGENBURG-VOGEL – Kieler Friedensforum/Kiel Peace Forum, Germany. Ulla KLÖTZER – Women for Peace Finland.
Elena KRUGLIKOVA – veteran of environmental movement of Arctic region, Murmansk region, Russia. Nikolay KUZ’MIN – Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region, Russia. Lea LAUNOKARI – Women for Peace Finland, Global Women United Against NATO, Finland. Tamara LORINCZ – Canadian organization Women’s Voice for Peace (VOW), Canada.
Christer LUNDGREN – Folket i Bild Association, National No to NATO Organization, Working Group Against the DCA, Sweden.
Heidi MEINZOLT – member of WILPF and coordinator of a women’s WG in the OSCE area, Germany. Agneta NORBERG – No to NATO, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space – Sweden. Mia STUBBENDORFF – Nej till NATO/No to NATO, Sweden.
David SWANSON – World BEYOND War, USA.
Andrey TALEVLIN – Ph.D. Russian Socio-Ecological Union, Russia.
Olli TAMMILEHTO – writer & an old-line activist in Finnish environmental & peace movements, Finland. Susanne URBAN – Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Norway.
PROGRAM – WITH RESERVATIONS FOR UNEXPECTED CHANGES
Note: the program indicates the time of Saint Petersburg = Helsinki time.
Time of Stockholm, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo = – 1 hour. Washington, Ottava time = – 7 hours. September 21, 2024 – Peace between people
09:45 – 10:30 Opening of the conference (5 – 10 min/speaker)
- Oleg Bodrov (5 min) – Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Board member of the International Peace Bureau, St. Petersburg, Russia, offline “Barriers to effective interaction between Russian and Western civil society to promote peace and sustainable development”.
- Tamara Lorincz (5 min) – Canadian organization Women’s Voice for Peace (VOW), Canada, offline
“NATO and NORAD’s strategy to militarize the Canadian Arctic sabotages the Indigenous plan for a Zone of Peace.”
- David Swanson (10 min) – World BEYOND War, USA, (online)
- Reiner Braun (5 min) – International Peace Bureau (IPB), (online)
10:30 – 11:30 Section I – 10 min/speaker
Military actions and challenges of the militarization in the Baltic Sea – introductions
- Nikolay Kuz’min – Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region, member of the Standing Committee on Ecology and Natural Resources, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad oblast, Russia (offline)
“Challenges and possible mechanisms for regulating the security of the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic region”.
- Reiner Braun – IPB – Germany, (online):
“The Baltic Sea – the NATO sea and peace”
- Andrey Talevlin, PhD in Law, Coordinator of the Russian Social-Ecological Union, Chelyabinsk Region, Russia, (online):
“Fulfillment of international obligations to ensure nuclear safety of nuclear power plants in conditions of military conflicts.”
- Christer Lundgren – journalist (retired but active), member of the Folket i Bild association, The National No to NATO Organization and the No to NATO Network, Sweden, (offline) “Sweden’s long march into the NATO alliance.”
- Tove Jensen – spokeswomen for “Demos” an anti-imperialistic association in Copenhagen and the “Peace Initiative”, Denmark, (online)
“No to the US bases in Denmark.”
- Olli Tammilehto – writer and an old-line activist in Finnish environmental and peace movements. During the past year very active in the campaign against U.S. military bases, Finland, (online)
“How Finland became a vassal state of the USA and how the movement against this process was defeated.”
11:40 – 13:00 – Section I
Round table discussion:
Emphasis on cooperation and common activities (All forenoon speakers) 13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:00 Section II – 10 min/speaker
Military actions and challenges of the militarization in the Arctic region – introductions
- Elena Kruglikova, veteran of the social-ecological movement of the Arctic region, Murmansk Oblast, Russia, (online).
“The Arctic of the future is the territory of good neighborliness.”
- Tamara Lorincz – Canadian organization Women’s Voice for Peace (VOW), Canada (offline) “NATO and NORAD’s strategy to militarize the Canadian Arctic sabotages the Indigenous plan for a Zone of Peace.”
- Martha Hennessy – prominent American peace and nuclear disarmament promoter, USA, (physical or virtual).
“In the Belly of The Nuclear Beast”.
- Ingeborg Breines – Former Chair of IPB and UNESCO Director, Norway, (online). “Do we need a humanistic revolution in order to counter the ongoing militarization of the north?”
- Agneta Norberg – No to NATO, Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space – Sweden, (online).
“Bomb target Sweden – The North a platform for war fare against Russia.”
15:00 – 16:00 – Section II
Round table discussion:
Emphasis on cooperation and common activities (all afternoon speakers)
16.00 – 17.30 Working groups:
Group 1: Creation of a network of interaction between the participants of the conference – further cooperation – common activities
Group 2: Elaboration of a joint declaration on action to achieve the goals of the conference to be sent to the organizers of the World Peace Forum 2025
September 22, 2024 – Peace among people and with nature
09:30 – 10:45 – Section III (10 min/speaker)
Military pollution and socio-ecological consequences of the militarization of the Baltic and Arctic regions
- Oleg Bodrov – Public Council of the Southern Shore of the Gulf of Finland – Interregional Public Socio-ecological Movement of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, member of the Board of the International Peace Bureau. (St. Petersburg) – Russian Federation. (offline).
“Nuclear power plants as a new type of radiological weapon of mass destruction”.
- Isabelle Cassel – Deutscher Friedensrat (climate issue) – Germany, (online). “Why peace and security today is so much more than just military concerns”
- Mechthild Klingenburg Vogel – Kieler Friedensforum/Kiel Peace Forum – Germany, (online) “Corroded Munition sunk in the Baltic Sea after World War II – Easiest Way to get rid of Destructive Capabilities? – Symbol of the Risks of Unresolved Collective Traumatization.”
- Palle Bendsen – Friends of the Earth Denmark, (online)
“Climate change and the Arctic”
- Ulla Klötzer – Women for Peace Finland and GWUAN – (offline)
“Baltic Sea – Environmental and Military Legacies and Future Challenges”
10:45 – 12:00 – Section III
Round table discussion – Emphasis on cooperation and common activities, All forenoon speakers
12.00 – 13.30 Lunch
13:30 – 14:30 – Section IV – 10 min/speaker
Agenda 2030 – Sustainable Development Goals 16 & 17 through peace and partnerships – Public Statements – Public communiqué to the World Peace Forum 2025
- Oleg Bodrov – Public Council of the Southern Shore of the Gulf of Finland, Board member of the International Peace Bureau, (St. Petersburg) – Russia(offline)
“Goals, stakeholders, and possible models of their interaction in ecological regions to achieve the goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 16 & 17”.
- Tamara Lorincz – Canadian organization Women’s Voice for Peace (VOW), Canada (offline). “The IPCC’s Call for International Cooperation Means Ending War for Climate Justice”
- Angelika Claussen – Co-Chair of the German section of IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Physicians in Social Responsibility) and President of
IPPNW Europe, Germany, (online).
“Military conflicts like the wars on Ukraine and Gaza are significant drivers of climate change and environmental damage. A demand from the health movement: we need planetary health for peace!”
- Heidi Meinzolt – member of WILPF and coordinator of a women’s WG in the OSCE area – Germany, (online)
„Our joint contribution to a caring society is built on a preventive agenda“
- Susanne Urban – WILPF Norway – (online)
”Reconciliation – Clearing the past, building a future – Neighbors as friends not enemies – Common projects.”
- Mia Stubbendorff – Nej till NATO/No to NATO, Sweden, (offline)
“Local activities and cooperation in the Nordic countries against imperialism and war of aggression.”
- Lea Launokari – Women for Peace and GWUAN – Finland – (offline)
“Global Women for Peace United Against NATO – GWUAN – Future Events”
14.30 – 15.30 – Section IV
Round table discussion – Emphasis on cooperation and common activities (all afternoon speakers)
15:30 – 17:00
Working groups – Statements – Further steps
Group 1: Creation of a network of interaction between the participants of the Conference – further cooperation – common activities
Group 2: Elaboration of a joint declaration on action to achieve the goals of the conference to be sent to the organizers of the World Peace Forum 2025
17:00 – 18:00
Working group presentations – Further activities – Common statement approval 18:00 End of the Conference
More information: Oleg Bodrov: phone +7 921 74 52 631 (WhatsApp, Telegram), email obdecom@gmail.com Anna Sharogradskaya: phone +7 921 933 49 47, email: asharogr@gmail.com
Ulla Klötzer, phone: +358 505 69 0967, email: ullaklotzer@yahoo.com