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	Women make peace but men negotiate it by ActionAid, IDS, and Womankind Institute of Development Studies   A new report from ActionAid, IDS, and Womankind looks at the role of women in local peacebuilding initiatives, finding that women are more likely than men to adopt a broad definition of peace which includes the household level and focuses on the attainment of individual rights and freedoms such as education, healthcare and freedom from violence.   In contrast, men have a greater tendency to associate peace with the absence of formal conflict and the stability of formal structures such as governance and infrastructure.   The research has revealed that women face multiple barriers as they attempt to build peace in their communities including the following:   Restrictive social norms and attitudes that reinforce traditional gender roles, making it difficult for women to participate safely and meaningfully in peacebuilding   Violence against women and girls, fuelled by the long-term impact of conflict and militarisation, impacts on women’s freedom to participate in peacebuilding activities. Women face intimidation and threats to their safety when they try to take active roles in their communities. Access to justice also remains a significant challenge for survivors of violence against women and girls.   Poverty and economic inequality also inhibits women’s involvement in peacebuilding activities. Women report that they are unable to engage in peacebuilding activities because of the double burden of their domestic roles and income-generation activities as well as a lack of control over household income.   Inequality in access to education for women and resulting low levels of literacy were identified in many communities as barriers to women’s active participation in peacebuilding. However, it was also noted that women have many skills in conflict resolution and peacebuilding that do not necessarily require high levels of education.   Women often de-value their role as peacebuilders, and despite their achievements, women do not necessarily recognise the important role they play in building peace. They tend to focus much more on the importance of state institutions and local leaders as the key actors in peacebuilding.   Sustainability of support: organisations working to support women in peacebuilding activities also face barriers which impact on the sustainability of their work, including limited and short-term funding and the challenges posed by a lack of national infrastructure and lack of access to remote communities.   The report makes a number of recommendations around development and implementing cohrent and concrete policy commitments, ensuring women''s participation in peaces processes, providing long-term support, funding and an enalbling environment for women''s peacebuilding, and tackling violence against women and girls. Visit the related web page
	Japan marks Hiroshima anniversary by UN News, AFP, Japan Times   August 2012   Ban urges elimination of nuclear weapons.   Marking the 67th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries to work together to eliminate the threat of nuclear weapons and stressed the importance of honouring victims and survivors by sharing their stories with new generations.   “The tragedy in Hiroshima decades ago continues to resonate today,” Mr. Ban said in a message to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, honouring those killed when an atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city on 6 August 1945, during the closing stages of the Second World War.   “There must never be another nuclear attack – never. The elimination of such weapons is not just a visionary goal, but the most reliable way to prevent their future use,” the UN chief stressed.   According to the city’s official website, the Peace Memorial Ceremony is held, in front of the Hiroshima Peace City Memorial Monument, to appease the souls of those killed by the atomic bomb and to pray for eternal peace on Earth. During the ceremony, the Peace Declaration, which appeals for the abolition of nuclear weapons and for the realization of world peace, is delivered by the Mayor of Hiroshima City and is transmitted worldwide.   Over 400,000 people have died – with more continuing to die – since the end of the Second World War from the impacts of the bombings in Hiroshima, as well as the city of Nagasaki, which was bombed three days after Hiroshima.   “People understand that nuclear weapons cannot be used without indiscriminate effects on civilian populations,” Mr. Ban said in his message. “Such weapons have no legitimate place in our world. Their elimination is both morally right and a practical necessity in protecting humanity.”   Mr. Ban highlighted the importance of making the stories of the hibakusha – as the victims of the bombings are known – heard throughout the world, to raise awareness of the effects of nuclear weapons and the need to eliminate them.   “Your message is being heard. I am very pleased that the testimonies of many hibakusha are being translated into several languages. In support of these efforts, the United Nations has just launched a multimedia website of hibakusha telling their stories,” he said. “It is very important that these words be heard and understood in all countries, especially by the younger generation.” (see link below)   The website, which was jointly produced by the UN Office of Disarmament Affairs and Japanese artist and director Shinpei Takeda, showcases over 60 interviews with survivors who travelled to America after the bombings in an attempt to highlight the long-term impact of weapons of mass destruction.   Mr. Ban has made nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation a top priority. In 2008, he put forward a five-point plan that includes recommendations on increasing security, verification, and establishing a legal framework for nuclear disarmament, transparency and conventional weapons.   In a message to the 2012 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, held after the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, Secretary-General Ban emphasized that achieving a future without nuclear weapons would require international cooperation and called on countries to work towards this goal.   “Nuclear disarmament will require hard work and the collaboration of a wide variety of individuals and groups throughout the international community. It will require close cooperation between groups of States, and it will require a central focus at the United Nations,” Mr. Ban said in the remarks delivered by Ms. Kane.   “The burden for achieving disarmament cannot be borne by peace groups alone,” he added. “Everybody, regardless of age, income, profession, gender or nationality, has a stake in this quest.”   Aug. 6, 2012   Hiroshima"s dead remembered amid protest chants from Fukushima, by Masami Ito. (Japan Times)   Inside Hiroshima"s Peace Park, tens of thousands of survivors, relatives, government officials and diplomats observed the 67th anniversary Monday of the city"s atomic bombing, while just outside others marked the occasion by loudly protesting the decision to reactivate two nuclear reactors.   About 50,000 people, including Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, Foreign Minister Koichiro Genba and the heads of the Lower and Upper houses, Takahiro Yokomichi and Kenji Hirata, took part in the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony, organizers said.   Noda told those on hand that the calamity 67 years ago must never be forgotten and vowed Japan would act to ensure a nuclear-free world.   "We must never forget the horrors of nuclear weapons and we must never repeat this tragedy that has been engraved into the history of mankind," Noda told the crowd. "As the only country to be victimized by an atomic bomb and experiencing its ravages, we have the noble responsibility to the human race and the future of the Earth to pass on the memories of this tragedy to the next generation."   Representatives from about 70 foreign nations were also present, including U.S. Ambassador John Roos, British Ambassador David Warren and French Ambassador Christian Masset, whose countries possess nuclear arsenals.   Referring to the March 11 disasters and the meltdown crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, Noda also promised to try to reduce the nation"s reliance on atomic energy.   "Based on the fundamental principle of not relying on nuclear power, we will aim in the mid- to long term to establish an energy structure that will assure the safety of the people," Noda said.   Hiroshima Mayor KazumiMatsui said the victims of the March 11 disasters reminded him of the hibakusha in Hiroshima 67 years ago. The mayor also urged the government to promote a safe energy policy and to play a leading role in the abolition of nuclear weapons.   "Here in Hiroshima, we are keenly aware that the survivors of that catastrophe still suffer terribly, yet look toward the future with hope. We see their ordeal clearly superimposed on what we endured 67 years ago," Matsui said. "Please hold fast to your hope for tomorrow. Your day will arrive, absolutely."   This year"s memorial service also comes at a time when an increasing number of people are joining protests over nuclear energy and as heated discussions on Japan"s future energy policy are taking place across the nation in light of the Fukushima nuclear crisis.   Outside the memorial ceremony, protesters at an antinuclear rally could be heard shouting "Go home, Noda" during the prime minister"s speech.   One participant, Kyoto resident Koichiro Mori, 21, said he was enraged by the administration"s decision to reactivate two reactors at the Oi nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture.   "What does someone promoting nuclear energy have to say at a gathering like this?" Mori asked. "Its is an insult to the hibakusha, and I feel a deep sense of anger."   Japan marks Hiroshima anniversary. (AFP)   Tens of thousands of people marked the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Monday, as a rising tide of anti-nuclear sentiment swells in post-Fukushima Japan.   Ageing survivors, relatives, government officials and foreign delegates attended the annual ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park commemorating the US bombing of the western Japanese city nearly seven decades ago.   An American B-29 bomber named Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on August 6, 1945, turning the city into a nuclear inferno and killing an estimated 140,000 in the final chapter of World War II.   At 8:15am, the time of detonation, the toll of a bell set off a moment of silence. Pedestrians came to a standstill and bowed slightly, joining their hands in prayer under scorching sunshine.   "On this day, in this city, let me proclaim again: there must never be another nuclear attack -- never," said Angela Kane, UN high representative for disarmament affairs.   "Such weapons have no legitimate place in our world. Their elimination is both morally right and a practical necessity in protecting humanity."   While some 50,000 people attended the official ceremony, thousands of others joined demonstrations, marches, forums, and concerts held across the city.   Atomic bomb survivors and evacuees from the Fukushima area also staged an anti-nuclear rally, the latest in a series of protests triggered by last year"s atomic crisis.   An earthquake-sparked tsunami left 19,000 dead or missing and knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, causing meltdowns that spread radiation over a large area and forced thousands to leave their homes.   Japan has seen a string of anti-nuclear protests since Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in June ordered the restart of two reactors.   Many atomic bomb survivors, known as "hibakusha", oppose both military and civil use of nuclear power, pointing to the tens of thousands who were killed instantly in the Hiroshima blast and the many more who later died from radiation sickness and cancers linked to the attack.   "We want to work together with people in Fukushima and join our voices calling for no more nuclear victims," said Toshiyuki Mimaki, 70, an atomic bomb survivor.   Kumiko Okamoto, a 38-year-old mother of two, who fled to Hiroshima from disaster-struck northern Japan, said: "There is no difference between atomic bombs and nuclear accidents."   Mr Noda has defended the restarts, citing looming power shortages after Japan switched off its 50 nuclear reactors -- which once provided the resource-poor country with a third of its energy -- in the wake of the Fukushima crisis.   Hiroshima mayor Kazumi Matsui called on the government "to establish without any delay an energy policy that guards the safety and security of the people".   Demonstrators marched around the headquarters of Chugoku Electric Power, a regional utility which has reactors of its own, chanting: "Noda should quit. We oppose nuclear power."   Weekly demonstrations outside the prime minister"s official residence have drawn thousands, while a rally in west Tokyo last month saw a crowd that organisers claimed swelled to 170,000.   There are fears it could be decades before the area around Fukushima is deemed safe for human habitation.   * Visit the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons: http://www.icanw.org/ Visit the related web page
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