The Building Blocks for PEACE
By: Lashawndra Vernon
Tags: United Nations, Pentagon, Conflict Resolution, Spending, Community Mediation

On October 24, 2017 I had the honor of presenting on UN Sustainable Development Goals and the intersection with UN Security Resolution 1325 on Human Trafficking, Women, Peace and Security Act and advancing international human rights for all. This event was hosted by Epsilon Kappa Omega Chapter of the AKAs in Milwaukee, in collaboration with Senator Lena Taylor. The theme I chose was “Women, Peace and Security; Why We Can’t Wait” Because the content was worth sharing I am providing the highlights of this talk in this blog, as women’s rights, womanism and feminism are at the heart of building peace globally.

Why we can’t wait? Because we are currently fully funding war, but defunding vital health and human needs that would protect the quality of life in communities.

Pentagon spending annually eats up over half of the discretionary budget ($625.2 Billion) and squeezes out needed investments in our communities such as housing, education, healthcare, infrastructure and more.

Now more than ever we need Responsible fiscal discipline and accountability at the pentagon!

Department of defense needs to conduct an audit and stop funding slush funds

The United Nations has identified 17 Sustainable Goals to advance peace. These can be viewed as the building blocks for peace.

Of these goals, the following have the greatest impact on women and girls:

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies

Each and every goal in their sustainability plan is linked in the strategy to advance peace. We must work to fuse these goals into local work throughout cities to ensure peace, productivity and an excellent quality of life.

Defining Human Trafficking:

Based on the implementing of Security Resolution 1325 to end Human Trafficking, the United Nations updated and shared the working definition of trafficking in persons.

If one condition from each category is met, the result is trafficking. For adults, victim consent is irrelevant if one of the Means is employed. For children consent is irrelevant with or without the Means category.

During my talk I discuss elements of my earliest intimate partner relationships. These relationships in many cases fit the categories that you see in this matrix. So many of us have been in these imbalanced and unhealthy relationships, but didn’t know how to define it. I often present the power and control wheel in these discussions, because it has very similar components that help us name and frame our unhealthy relationships. The key is to face the reality of these situations and work through it. Get out of unhealthy places and seek safety. And no longer accept anything that fits these definitions in our lives. Do you see elements of these categoric columns in your intimate relationships? Please consider making a change if you are in any situation that looks like this. Seek out a strong program or organization locally that can help you with this.

Please reach out to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center if you need help getting connected to these resources at: (888) 373–7888 (US number)

We envision a world with just and fair inclusion into society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.

Domestic Advocacy Peace Processes

Peace processes consist of a complex range of informal and formal activities.

Informal activities include peace marches and protests, intergroup dialogue, the promotion of inter-cultural tolerance and understanding and the empowerment of ordinary citizens in economic, social, cultural and political spheres. Formal peace processes generally include early warning, preventive diplomacy, conflict prevention, peacemaking, and peace-building.

Our, Community Mediation Program is a training designed to equip trusted community organizations to recognize, transform and resolve conflict. Participants will learn essential skills from trained mediators who will increase their cultural and emotional intelligence, recognize the intersectional issues of community conflict and to find solutions that serve the entire community. Mediation is often used in pending court cases, but is a global skill that can be applied in local communities. Studies suggest mediation programs improve cohesiveness of communities.

Our goal is to establish peacekeeping centers in high risk communities to decrease rates of violent crimes and violations of human rights. We train community members to become mediators and they will maintain relationships with organizations that discourage conflict in these areas. Community Mediators have an opportunity to engage in international peace treaty work on issues that affect their community by partnering with sister cities in communities entrenched in human rights conflict.

As we work to build out partnerships to advance human centered system design, we hope that you join us in our mission to transform communities. Please reach out if you are interested in having a Community Mediation training to get your team ready to transform conflict!