Approach of the World Forum
In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council adopted the resolution titled “Sustainable Peace”, with a new approach that aims to significantly strengthen the international effort to prevent, work together and unite efforts in the face of the wave of conflicts that are developing around the world.
The concept was inscribed under the framework of the 2030 Agenda, and was endorsed by all 17 of the SDGs. The resolution recognizes that there can be no sustainable development without peace, and no peace without sustainable development. Furthermore, it contains a shared, people-centred results framework, covering the nexus between peace-building, development and humanitarian aid, which can be used to strengthen the sustainable peace approach and align it with the broader agenda of the SDGs.
Peace should be understood broadly as an objective and a process for building a common vision of a society, ensuring that the needs of all segments of the population are taken into account, and encompassing activities aimed at preventing the outbreak, escalation, continuation and recurrence of conflict. This is a shared task and responsibility of governments and all other local and national stakeholders, including civil society.
The concept of “sustainable peace”, on the other hand, is strongly related to good governance. Ensuring effective local governance is key to reducing inequalities, improving relations between people and public institutions and promoting peace in rural and urban environments.
As a result of the first two editions of the Forum held in 2017 and 2018, a public agenda was produced to facilitate the construction of the cities of coexistence and peace approach. This agenda, which can be consulted here, has sought to implement public policies and territorial alliances to save lives and make our cities homes to be happy, contemplating measures such as:
- Fight against interpersonal violence;
- Defending the city against war;
- Preventing and combating violent extremism;
- Combating racism, xenophobia and other related forms of intolerance;
- Incorporating the reality of migration;
- Fighting against organized crime;
- Preventing and combating corruption;
- Fighting violence against women;
- Guaranteeing the right to the city.