RESOLUTION
for Toronto Conference Annual Meeting

TITLE CALLED TO BE PEACEMAKERS

ORIGINAL SOURCE–Peace and Justice Working group of the World Affairs Committee
of Toronto Conference

CONFERENCE ACTION–

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS–Postage and staff time

SOURCE OF FUNDING-Conference budget

STAFFING IMPLICATIONS– Letter Writing by executive secretary and his assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada and the federal ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Defence and Environment

VOLUNTEER IMPLICATIONS–Prayer, letter writing, dialogue, peaceful demonstrations

MOTION BY Shirley Farlinger and Muriel Anderson
BE IT RESOLVED THAT, at this 79th Annual Meeting,  Toronto Conference strongly urge the Government of Canada:

*To stand firm against the use of war ‘as a means to peace’.
*To honour Canada’s longstanding tradition of peacemaking and peacekeeping
 *To commit itself meticulously to international law in all its actions, especially in regards to Article 2[4] of the United Nations Charter which clearly condemns as unlawful the use of military force against the territorial integrity of any state.
*To strengthen its resolve to support United Nations peacebuilding initiatives in conflicted areas of the world
 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT, at this 79th Annual Meeting, Toronto Conference urge individuals, congregations, Presbyteries and other associated bodies:
* To continue their faithful commitment to peace
*To strive continuously to build understanding between peoples

RATIONALE AND FAITH BASE
As a community of faith, we are challenged by Jesus to live our lives grounded in love and peace.  As the threat of war against Iraq escalates, we know that, as Christians, we are called to find the path of peace. We know that we must listen to and speak for the most vulnerable and determine a course of faithful action. 
Just as Jesus taught us to love one another, so we are called to build loving relationships wherever relationship has broken down. When one part suffers, the rest of the world suffers, whether from racism, sexism, human rights violations, or the frightening web of war, hunger, poverty As people of faith, we are particularly called to care for the most vulnerable.
We know that the paths to peace are not easy but we know that we are not alone.. We believe that God will strengthen and sustain us, as we work to build God’s dream of shalom. And with God’s help, the swords will be beaten into ploughshares..

 
RESOLUTION—CALLED TO BE PEACEMAKERSPG 2

As members of the United Church of Canada, we are empowered to act for peace by the policy of our national church . In particular we know that the national church in 1994 determined a policy and position re the use of military force. In “Beyond Military Force: Seeking Peace After the Cold War”, General Council in 1994 declared a commitment to:
-the priority of human security over state security
-our moral responsibility to vulnerable people beyond our borders
-preventive diplomacy, including citizen diplomacy
-the urgency of redirecting resources to peacebuilding and diplomacy even in war
-resistance to the use of military force

While we struggle to discern the path for action, we are called to listen to the wisdom of others. The following are insights offered by Project Ploughshares in its September 2002 Iraq Update:
-        “War is not the means to peace. Respect for human rights and democracy are not left in war’s wake. As the Afghanistan experience demonstrates, the power vacuum is being filled not by liberal democrats but by conflicting and contending pretenders to power and none showing much commitment to human rights, especially rights of women”
         “The civil society must be recognized as an essential component of sustainable change, however daunting the effort to support and mobilize it....War and sanctions, prolonged by the regime’s intransigence, have severely weakened if not destroyed an alternative. There is no credible government in waiting to replace Saddam. There is no civil infrastructure and public consensus to coalesce around a new vision for Iraq.”
   “The Middle East region continues to be the most conflict intensive area of
 the planet with more than a third of the region experiencing armed conflict”.