Importance of peace to be discussed

AS a number of tragedies continue to threaten peace and stability around the world, about 40 global peace-builders gathered in Fiji this week to discuss the importance of peace now more than ever.

Transcend Oceania’s 2nd Peacebuilding Institute attracted participants from Solomon Islands, Samoa, Australia, the United States, Kenya and Fiji.

While speaking at the opening, chief guest Professor Tammy Tabby highlighted the need for peace to create a stable and secure society.

“What is peace? Peace is more than a state of freedom from war and violence,” she said.

“It is a state of security within a community, freedom from oppressiveness and injustice, peace is living in harmony in the absence of hostility. It is freedom from fear of violence between individuals and groups.

“The name Oceania reflects and invokes connectedness that is coloured by our diversities and unique differences, and although scarred and disrupted by colonialism and ongoing political, economic, and environmental struggles and issues, we are still working and re-building to maintain this identity that we are connected with each other.”

As part of the Oceania Peacebuilding Institute (OPI), the goal was to build on diversely rich peace cultures of the Pacific and offer a vibrant, experiential, and collaborative learning environment.

This in turn would allow critical and constructive engagement with contemporary challenges in peacebuilding, conflict transformation, sustainable development and revitalisation.

The program for this year focuses on fundamentals of peacebuilding, climate change and peacebuilding, and arts, culture and peacebuilding.