Dear Reader,

In this issue you can find recent peace-related news and forthcoming events in and around Coventry.

Please do let us know of any peace-related news or activities happening in or near Coventry and we will be happy to add them to our website http://coventrycityofpeace.uk and include them in a future edition of this newsletter.

Philip Brown
Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace & Reconciliation
covlmpc@gmail.com

Peace News

Climate Change, Peace & Security

On 13 June 2023 the United Nations Security Council debated issues surrounding climate change, peace and security. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said most United Nations peace operations have faced a deteriorating security and political environment over the past several years. Alongside other cross-border challenges, environmental degradation and extreme weather events — amplified by climate change — have increasingly …

PeaceCast TV

The movement toward peace is an everyday occurrence rarely seen for the persistent and personal force it is. We use media to make visible the reality and possibility of peace in our time – to show the many ways people are enriching their lives and seeding cultures of peace on the planet. PeaceCast TV is a collaboration of volunteers worldwide, getting …

Reconciliation Sculpture

The Reconciliation sculpture in the Coventry Cathedral Ruins is one of five such statues around the world. It was made by Josefina de Vasconcellos and first show in the summer of 1955 in a joint exhibition with her husband, Delmar Banner, at the Royal Watercolour Society Galleries. It was put on sale for the price of £25. It depicts two …

Alternative Security Review

For peace to be meaningful it needs to be sustained. Unfortunately many wars end only to recommence some months later because the fundamental problems causing the conflict have not been resolved. Peace can only be sustained when it is supported by security, that is, being in a state that is free from the danger or threat of conflict. The Alternative …

Opportunity for Volunteer to Gain Valuable Experience

This website is looking for a volunteer who wants to gain journalistic and IT experience. The site is powered by the world’s most popular website content management system, WordPress. It powers over 40% of all websites. Knowledge of WordPress is a valuable skill that can be useful when applying for jobs. Previous knowledge is not required since full training will be given. …

War & Peace - can civic society make a difference?

On 8 June, Talking Birds ran an event in their Nestival of Ideas series entitled War & Peace - can civic society make a difference? When conflict strikes, ordinary citizens are often the first to suffer the consequences, and will continue to live with the legacy of war well beyond the conclusion of hostilities. Reflecting on recent and current events, …

4 June - a Bad Day for Freedom of Speech

Fear of the truth is characteristic of all authoritarian regimes. 4 June is the day when this fear is exemplified in both China and Russia. It may be no coincidence that the governments of both countries have ambitions to take control of land outside their current borders. And along with these ambitions come suppression of freedom of speech. On 4 …

Forthcoming Peace-Related Events

If you know of other peace-related events please let us know.

Write to covlmpc@gmail.com

Positive Images Festival 2023

Events in Positive Images Festival 2023 are listed here.

Visualising Security Zoom Event July 2023

On 6 July Rethinking Security will be running a Zoom meeting at which communities and individuals across the UK can express their own priorities for security and contribute to the Alternative Security Review run by Rethinking Security. Governments often define 'security' in narrow, military terms. They don’t often ask what the people they represent feel about their security. Rethinking Security …

Mandela Day 2023

Mandela Day 2023

Nelson Mandela International Day is celebrated on 18 July every year in honour of the first democratically elected President of South Africa, the late Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. The day was officially declared by the United Nations in November 2009 and was first officially celebrated in 2010. “It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make …

International Day of Friendship 2023

30 July was established as the International Day of Friendship by the UN General Assembly with the idea that friendship between peoples, countries, cultures and individuals can inspire peace efforts and build bridges between communities. The resolution places emphasis on involving young people, as future leaders, in community activities that include different cultures and promote international understanding and respect for …

Hiroshima Day 2023

The 2023 Hiroshima Remembrance Service will be held in Coventry Cathedral from 2 to 3pm on 6 August. Hiroshima was largely destroyed by an atomic bomb on August 6 1945 — one of two bombs detonated by the US. The second was detonated over Nagasaki on August 9. The two bombs combined killed up to 266,000 people, most of whom …

Visualising Security Zoom Event August 2023

On 6 August Rethinking Security will be running a Zoom meeting at which communities and individuals across the UK can express their own priorities for security and contribute to the Alternative Security Review run by Rethinking Security. Governments often define 'security' in narrow, military terms. They don’t often ask what the people they represent feel about their security. Rethinking Security …

Deadline for Coventry's International Young People's Peace Essay Competition

Entries to Coventry's International Young People's Peace Essay Competition close on 31 October. Young people aged 15 to 24 can gain a certificate of participation, stand a chance to win a cash prize and gain an entry in their CV. This competition it is a tool for exploring young peoples’ opinions on peace agendas and for harnessing their enthusiasm for …

Ruined and Rebuilt

This classic book is on sale now in hardback or paperback and would make an ideal and unique gift. On the night of 14 November 1940, Reverend Richard Howard, Provost of Coventry Cathedral, was one of four firefighters who climbed onto the roof to smother with sand the incendiary bombs that were landing not just on the Cathedral but starting …

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Website and newsletter created by Coventry Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation

For their generous support, the Lord Mayor's Committee for Peace and Reconciliation expresses our thanks to the Lord Mayor's Office and Coventry City Council. We also thank Coventry Cathedral, Coventry University and Warwick University for their support and assistance.