DECLARATION OF PEACE AND CESSATION OF WAR – DPCW: THE DECLARATION THAT WILL SUSTAIN GLOBAL PEACE

Clement Iorver Iornongu Esq (Notary Public)

Introduction

Peace Loving citizens of the world are deeply concerned about the increasing violent conflicts and insecurity around the world. The on-going war between Russia and Ukraine and the internecine war in the Middle East between Israel, Hamas, and including Hezbollah are serious issues of concern to mankind.

From time immemorial, mankind has always been in pursuit of self-destruct. Violent conflicts/wars took place frequently in the 20th Century. Since then, the world has been free from violence caused by war for only very short period of time.

From 1900 to the present time it has been estimated that 187 million people died as a result of wars. The actual number could be likely far higher. Maybe the following statistics can well illustrate the above assertion.

History of Wars

The Boer War, 1899–1902; First World War, 1914–1918; Russian Civil War, 1917–1922; Third Afghan War, 1919; Irish War of Independence, 1919–1921; Irish Civil War, 1922–1923; Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939; Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936-1939; Second World War, 1939–1945; Jewish insurgency in Mandatory Palestine, 1944-1948; Partition of India, 1947; Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1948 onwards; Malayan Emergency, 1948–1960; Yangtze Incident, 1949; Korean War, 1950–1953;; Kenya Emergency, 1952–1960; Cyprus Emergency, 1955–1959; Vietnam War, 1955–1975; Suez Crisis, 1956; Brunei Revolt, 1962–1963;Indonesian Confrontation, 1963–1966; Aden Emergency, 1963–1967; ‘The Troubles’, 1969–1998; Falklands Conflict, 1982;; Gulf War, 1990–1991; Sierra Leone Civil War, 1991–2002; Bosnian War, 1992–1995; Kosovo War, 1998–1999; War in Afghanistan, 2001–2014; Iraq War, 2003–2011; Libya Conflict, 2011–present;  Syria Conflict, 2011–present; Yemen Conflict, 2014–present; Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, 2014–present   

The Costs of War

According to a grantee of Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Costs of War project uses research and a public website to facilitate debate about the costs of the post-9/11 wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and related violence in Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and elsewhere. There are many hidden or unacknowledged costs of the United States’ decision to respond to the 9/11 attacks with military force. The project aims to foster democratic discussion of these wars by providing the fullest possible account of their human, economic, environmental, and political costs, and to foster better informed public policies. Created in 2010 and housed at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Costs of War project builds on the work of over 60 scholars, human rights and legal experts, and physicians from around the world.

There are reverberating costs, the human cost of war, that people in the U.S., for the most part, don’t really know or think enough about,” said Stephanie Savell, co-director of the Costs of War project. “We hear talk about the endless war being over now that U.S. troops have left Afghanistan, but one significant way that these wars are continuing is that the people in the war zones are continuing to suffer the consequences. The U.S. has been involved in these really violent wars. There’s been intensification as a result of U.S. involvement. And at this point, the issue is really: How do we come to terms with a sense of responsibility?”

The violence stemming from conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other areas has directly resulted in the deaths of approximately 905,000 to 940,000 people. Several times as many more have been killed as reverberating effects of the wars, losing their lives due to water loss, sewage and other infrastructural issues, and war-related diseases. 

As with most wars, we may never know the full extent of the loss of life and injuries. The direct effects include the hundreds of thousands of people who have been killed and injured due to the fighting — killed by bombs, bullets, and fire. The number of people killed directly in the violence of the post-9/11 wars in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and other war zones is estimated here. The report How Death Outlives War (May 15, 2023) reviews the latest research to examine the causal pathways that have led to an estimated 3.6–3.8 million indirect deaths in post-9/11 war zones, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. With direct deaths, the total death toll in these war zones could be at least 4.5–4.7 million and counting, though the precise mortality figure remains unknown. Some people were killed in the fighting, but far more, especially children, have been killed by the reverberating effects of war, such as the spread of disease.

The report examines the devastating toll of war on human health, whoever the combatant, whatever the compounding factor, in the most violent conflicts in which the U.S. government has been engaged in the name of counterterrorism since September 11, 2001. Rather than teasing apart who or what is to blame, or separating out the negative enduring effects of prior wars and sanctions, this report shows that the post-9/11 wars are implicated in many kinds of deaths.

In laying out how the post-9/11 wars have led to illness and indirect deaths, the report’s goal is to build greater awareness of the fuller human costs of these wars and support calls for the United States and other governments to alleviate the ongoing losses and suffering of millions in current and former war zones. The report highlights many long-term and under acknowledged consequences of war for human health, emphasizing that some groups, particularly women and children, suffer the brunt of these ongoing impacts.

Furthermore, indirect war deaths are caused by economic collapse, food insecurity, the destruction of public services and health infrastructure, environmental contamination, reverberating trauma and violence, and other impacts. Again, internal displacements increase people’s vulnerability to the negative health effects of war — including malnutrition, maternal and newborn complications, injury, and disease — which disproportionately impact women and children. We have all seen the devastating effects war on women and children in the on-going conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Gaza on one hand Israel and Hezbollah on the other. About 39,000 lives have so far been lost. It is appalling that very recently, 12 Children were taken out of existence by an attack on the Druze community in the Golan Heights. Another sad consequence of War

Any number is limited in what it can convey about displacement’s damage. The people behind the numbers can be difficult to see, and numbers cannot communicate how it might feel to lose one’s home, belongings, community, and much more. Displacement has caused incalculable harm to individuals, families, towns, cities, regions, and entire countries physically, socially, emotionally, and economically.

Intervention efforts to stop the wars by the United Nation/International Instruments

Concerned about the devastating and destructive effects of unrelenting wars, a veteran of the Korean War, Chairman Man Hee Lee, had a vision of how to end all wars and restore the values of heavenly culture of peace here on earth thus creating One global Family of Peace. Chairman Man Hee Lee, the Chairman of Heavenly Culture, World Peace Restoration of Light (HWPL), himself, a Veteran of the Korean war has gone on more than 30 world tours, encouraging global citizens to “become messengers of peace and leave a legacy of peace for future generations” Experts and leaders in politics, religion, education, media, law and more that HWPL has encountered along the way, have agreed with HWPL’s solution for peace and promised their cooperation.

Thus, at the 2014 HWPL World Peace Summit held in Seoul, Republic of Korea, from 16 to 19 September 2014, former and current heads of state, chief justices and political leaders from around the world signed the Agreement to propose the Enactment of International Law for the Cessation of Wars and World Peace.  Meanwhile, 422 leaders of 18 religions from different nationalities signed the World Alliance of World Religions Agreement, promising to cooperate in ending conflicts caused by religion.

The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), HWPL Document.

In 2016, HWPL and international law experts worked together to draft the Declaration of Peace and  Cessation of War (DPCW), which spells out how everyone – from governments to international organizations to civil societies to individuals – can participate to achieving peace and cessation of war.

The Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) was proclaimed on 14 March 2016 and aims to promote the respect of fundamental human rights and international law. Following the preamble, Articles 1-7 address fundamental human rights, especially the role of state concerning the promotion of Peace, Justice and Freedom. The second part of the DPCW introduces rights (Articles 8-10), which develop currently existing international law, in order to promote the freedom of religion and the rights of individuals to participate within their communities.

The DPCW was heavily influenced by the Charter of the United Nations as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which are both milestones for the protection of human rights. Their core meaning as well as the fundamental human rights of the DPCW (freedom, justice, peace, security, inter-generational solidarity, the promotion of social progress and standards of life, tolerance and respect in the context of religious beliefs and traditions) are already introduced in the preamble and reflect existing fundamental rights, especially the prohibition of the use of force between states, the prohibition of discrimination of people, equality between states peaceful dispute settlement. All states are called upon to protect and develop these rights.

Article 1 and 2 address the prohibition of the use of (military) force between states, which is affirmed and further exemplified in the call to respect the territorial integrity of a state. Furthermore, measures to reduce war potential are determined (disarmament and production and trade of weapons). Articles 3-5 address friendly relations between states, respect of borders and the right to the self-determination of the people. All these rights can be considered to be fundamental rights between states and are accompanied by a number of measures which the United Nations and the international community follow to reach peaceful co-existence and the reduction of war potential. By protecting the sovereignty of states (i.e. their independence, integrity and prevention), these norms reflect a general principle of international law. The right to self-determination is well-mentioned in the Charter of the United Nations and was also affirmed by the majority of states in the General Assembly (Resolution 2625 (XXV)). The use of force shall be prohibited but in an exceptional situation of self-defense, Article 7, which is an accepted exception under current international law (Article 51 UN-Charter), shall be governed by strict procedural requirements.

The DPCW thus also addresses dispute settlement mechanisms, and the need to establish them in international law, in order to solve conflicts peacefully. Specifically, it refers to the international court of justice, the main judicial organ of the United Nations. The DPCW calls upon states to generally accept the jurisdiction of the international Court of Justice as it constitutes the most effective way to settle dispute.

 Finally, Articles 8-10 a development in current international law with regard to the promotion of the freedom of religion and of a culture of peace. The freedom of religion shall be actively protected by states and must not be used as grounds for conflict or acts of violence. These contain the rights to adopt, change or renounce a religion or belief, the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief, the freedom to worship and the protection of places of worship, religious symbols and observation of holidays and the days of rest. States must refrain from coercing a religion. A culture of peace shall be promoted based upon education, pluralism, freedom of press and participation in general. Special focus must be placed upon the aim of empowering individuals and groups, allowing them to actively take part in their political and social community. This reflects a number of fundamental human rights prescribed in various international instruments, such as the international convention on civil and political rights, the international convention on economic, social and cultural rights and other declarations made by the United Nations General Assembly.

Conclusion

The DPCW is unique, as it aims for cessation of wars. By the means of prohibiting weapons and transforming them into daily tools, war and warlike activities cannot be initiated. Therefore, sustainable peace can be achieved by implementing this declaration. Also, it combines the fundamental human rights both aiming for peace and peaceful dispute settlement between states as well as peace within states by promoting freedom and peaceful co-existence of religions and beliefs. It therefore protects human rights as well as the core rights of the states. Most of the DPCW addresses fundamental rights already prescribed by international law. By developing those well-established rules, and adapting them to the instrument of rules to reach sustainable peace. As those rules become accepted the more states adhere to them, and as they aim for a global application, all states should agree upon the rules prescribed in the DPCW

The frightening threat of escalation weapons pileup is disturbing as a President of  Russia has recently indicated intention of acquiring more Missiles while USA has entered into Pact with Japan on nuclear armament is also worrisome. There is therefore the urgent need to save the world from the impending disaster by preventing the previous holocaust as enunciated above. Global Declaration of Peace Cessation of War (DPCW) by United Nations will go a long way to de-escalating mounting tensions.

Owing to the efforts made by HWPL/DPCW, citizens around the world have sent over 600,000 Peace Letters since 2018, to leaders in over 192 countries, urging them to support the DPCW so that its principles of peace may be introduced into international law.

Certainly, the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, is a credible and viable Document globally accepted to complement other UN Instruments to bring enduring peace, harmony, cooperation and development for sustainable human community.

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