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The Conference
What, Where, When, Who? Conference Outcomes;
Why the Hague? Global Forum; Cultural ActivitiesFrom May 11-15, 1999, hundreds of organizations and thousands of
people will gather in The Hague to discuss and plan the ways in which
we, people working together, can delegitimize violent conflict and
make the next century a peaceful one. We invite you and your
organization to join us for this historic gathering.
WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHO?
The Conference: The Hague Appeal for Peace Conference will commemorate
the 100th anniversary of the First International Peace Conference and
create the Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice for the 21st century.
The Place: The Netherlands Congress Centre, The Hague, in The
Netherlands. Additional activities will take place throughout the city
of The Hague.
The Date: May 11-15, 1999. Registration will begin on Tuesday, May 11,
with opening ceremonies on Wednesday morning, May 12.
The Participants: Hundreds of organizations and thousands of people
will gather together: from the Global South, from countries with
economies in transition, from conflict regions, Nobel Peace Prize
laureates, youth, representatives of governments and international
organizations, and you and your organization. Anyone who is interested
in helping create a new century of peace is welcome!
The Speakers: Nobel Laureates such as Archbishop Tutu, José
Ramos-Horta and Jody Williams, Graça Machel, and International Court
of Justice Judge Christopher Weeramantry, among others. Invited world
leaders include Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and Mary Robinson.
Special Focus on Youth: The Hague Appeal for Peace is making a special
effort to involve young people in every stage of its campaign. During
the Conference, an orientation session for young people will lead into
five days of activities, including a video festival, games, an
original musical, theater workshops and exhibitions.Within the
conference, young people from many countries and conflict areas will
address issues such as child soldiers, peace education, conflict
resolution, children's rights and conscientious objection.
CONFERENCE OUTCOMES:
The Conference will finalize and launch The Hague Agenda for Peace and
Justice for the Twenty-first Century. After assessing our failures and
successes over the last century we will be able to determine the
priorities for moving forward.This Agenda will be the compilation of
the most important "next steps" that must be taken, with strategies
for implementation, to delegitimize war and create a culture of peace.
In addition this campaign will make the work of civil society more
effective in several concrete ways:
Develop an action plan to carry out recommendations selected from
important international studies and reports such as the United Nations
Agenda for Peace;
Provide substantive technical assistance and support to initiatives on
The Hague Appeal for Peace themes, such as the extension of
international humanitarian law to cover situations of internal armed
conflict, and the institutionalization of an effective international
criminal court;
Support, monitor, and influence governmental and inter-governmental
initiatives developed out of the Centennial of The First International
Peace Conference;
Catalyze and support follow-up activities that seek to impact policy
and result in practical outcomes, initiated by participating
organizations and coalitions of organizations locally, regionally, and
internationally;
Forge a dynamic, cross-sectoral coalition of humanitarian,
international law, environment, gender, human rights, disarmament,
religious and other non-governmental organizations that will work
toward the abolition of war and a culture of peace for the next
century;
Generate positive media attention toward peace efforts undertaken by
NGOs, IGOs, governments, and individuals.
WHY THE HAGUE?
The city of The Hague is historically and political significant. Peace
Conferences held in 1899 and 1907 earned the The Hague the title of
"The City of Peace". The legacy of these conferences has also meant
that the city has an unparalleled significance in the development of
international humanitarian law. The new International Criminal Court,
to be based in The Hague, will join the International Court of
Justice, the Permanent Court of Arbitration, and the Organization for
the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
THE GLOBAL FORUM
The Global Forum will maximize networking and
learning opportunities for all participants to advance their visions
and proposals for The Hague Agenda for Peace and Justice. In this
space, organizations will be able to host speakers and panels, hold
internal meetings, share information about their work and invite
participants to become involved in creating proposals and strategies
to carry it out. The Global Forum will also be the site for the
international career and peace education fair.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
During The Hague Appeal for Peace conference there
will be a performance written and performed by young people; a video
festival of what a world without war would look like to young people
the world over; photos on the face of war/the face of peace;
ceremonies incorporating dancers and musicians. Bring your
instruments, your performance piece, your ideas on how the next
century will utilize the arts as a form of conflict prevention. Let's
see how culture can be used to assist in reconciliation.
FACILITIES
Internal Meeting Space: The Netherlands Congress Center can provide
meeting space in varying sizes for organizations who would like to
hold their own meeting alongside the formal Hague Appeal for Peace
Conference. These meetings could include annual congresses or special
21st Century preparatory meetings. Meeting rooms will also be used to
hold panel discussions or seminars thus allowing organizations to
inform all participants about the work that they are doing. Already,
the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms, the
European Law Student's Association, The Millenium People's Assembly
and the International Peace Bureau have arranged organizational or
annual meetings as part of the Global Forum.
If your organization would like to hold a meeting at The Hague, please
indicate your interest on the organizational registration form.
Booths/Display Space: There will be a centralized exhibition area or
marketplace in which organizations can display information about their
work. This will provide excellent opportunities for informal
networking and conversations. Organizations will be able to use this
space to sell t-shirts, crafts and literature for non-profit
fundraising purposes, or to lobby for support around a very specific
issue. If your organization would like to rent space for all or part
of the conference, please mark this on the <<registration form>>.
International Career Fair: Within the Global Forum exhibition space,
there will be a job fair to introduce international/ NGO career
opportunities. In addition, there will be information about peace
education. This will be great way for young participants to find out
how to develop and use professional skills to promote peace, justice
and international cooperation into the 21st century.
Fee Structure: All prices have been listed in Dutch guilders. NLG 1=
00.50USD (approximately, on August 15, 1998), for example NLG 400
would be equivalent to $200 US. For conversions into other currencies,
please consult your local bank or the following website:
http::/www.accu-rate.ca
Internal Meeting Rental Space: 1-80 people- NLG200/meeting session;
NLG500/day 80-225 people- NLG300/meeting session; NLG800/day 225-500
people- NLG600/meeting session; NLG1500/day 501+ people- to be
negotiated
Meeting Sessions: 9am-1:00 pm (morning) 2pm-6:00pm (afternoon)
7pm-11:00pm (evening) Full Day: 9am-12 midnight
Equipment such as microphones, overhead projectors and other
audio-visual aids are available for additional fees. More information
about this will be sent to those organizations that are interested in
renting either internal meeting space or display booths.
Booth/ Display Table Rental: Each "booth" consists of one 125cm x 80cm
(4'3" x 2'8") table and two chairs or the equivalent amount of space
for your own self-constructed displays. Many organizations will need
more space than one "booth" provides. Please indicate on your
<<registration form>> how many "booths" your organization will need
for your display.
NGO daily rate per "booth" - NLG100z UN agencies/governments/IGOs
daily rate per "booth" - NLG200 For-profit organizations daily rate
per "booth" -NLG400
Rentals for all 5 days (Tuesday through Saturday) will receive a 20%
discount (i.e. 5 days for the price of 4)
For both Meeting Rental space and Display Booth Rental, special
requests regarding fees, especially from organizations from the Global
South and from countries with economies in transition, will be considered.